Here are some pictures of Preston and Ethan at the Vienna and Detroit airports. What a fabulous trip! It’s nice to be going home, but we really had fun on the trip and enjoyed going to new places.

[caption id="attachment_336" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ethan watching the fountain (Vienna)"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_337" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ethan playing in Detroit"][/caption]

Here are some cute pictures of Ethan and Preston on the flight from Pristina, Kosovo back to Vienna, Austria. Ethan is watching Backyardigans on his iPod.

[caption id="attachment_331" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ethan watching Backyardigans with Daddy"][/caption]

Today we drove from Greece back through Macedonia and on to Pristina, Kosovo. Greece was so much fun, and the drive back was fun as well. We stopped at a 12th or 13th Century castle located right on the Aegean Sea, and it was beautiful. There were ruins of churches and homes inside the castle. Ethan loved running around (and getting out of the car!).
[caption id="attachment_325" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ethan and Daddy in Castle Overlooking Aegean Sea"][/caption]
We took him so he could touch the Aegean Sea, and he was really mad when we had to leave. He really wanted to stay and play on the beach, but we let him collect some rocks to take home. (Grandma Shel – he picked one out just for you!)
[caption id="attachment_321" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Grandma Pam, Daddy and Ethan (who is sad to leave the Aegean Sea)"][/caption]
We drove past Mount Olympus, and I took a picture, although it is somewhat hard to see. Greece is beautiful, and I would love to come back when the weather is warmer to spend some time on the beach.

Tonight, we spend the night in Pristina, and then tomorrow we head back to Vienna for the night, and then it’s back to the US! What a trip it’s been!

We’re staying at Hotel Kastraki, a small hotel in Meteora. It is comfortable, but my favorite thing about our room is the little balcony in the back. We can go outside and admire the views of the beautiful mountains, and Ethan loves playing on the balcony.

Today we walked down to the main part of Meteora, and enjoyed doing some shopping and eating. I had to try some Baklava, and it didn’t disappoint. It was so delicious – I enjoyed every bite! Meteora is a very cute little town with some fun shops and delicious restaurants. Ethan found a flute he wanted, and we were happy to pay the 5 euros for it. (The only problem was the paint started chipping off, and we were a bit worried about lead poisoning, so unfortunately we had to take it away from him…we’ll have to get him a plastic one for Christmas!)

We’ve loved our time in Greece – there has been so many fun and interesting things to see and do. Meteora is a very cool and fun little town to visit – and the food is great anywhere you go!

Today we spent the day exploring Meteora, Greece. It is a small, beautiful town that is known for Greek Orthodox monasteries perched atop towering cliffs. I don’t know how the monks built these monasteries, but they are very peaceful and removed from the rest of the world, and I’m sure they’re totally conducive to meditation and prayer. We had to hike quite steep stairs to get up to the monastery, but the view once we got up there was incredible. (Originally, people would get into a basket and were pulled up…I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with that!)

[caption id="attachment_291" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jen and Ethan with Cliffs (Background)"][/caption]
Ethan loved exploring the monastery, but I was pretty nervous with how high up they are. I’m not a huge fan of heights, and it was really nerve-wracking having Ethan there. (We didn’t let him anywhere near the ledge, and we mostly carried him everywhere.) The monasteries are still in use, and out of respect for the religion, women had to wear skirts (that were provided).
[caption id="attachment_296" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jen, Ethan, Preston, Mike, Pam, Bob at Monastery"][/caption]
There was one room with skulls and bones stacked up, and no explanation as to what it was. Maybe monks that had passed on? I’m not sure, but it was interesting to see!
[caption id="attachment_294" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Skulls and Bones..."][/caption]
We had a great time exploring, and Ethan loved the feral cats that wandered everywhere. (There are feral cats everywhere we go in Meteora, it seems!)
[caption id="attachment_298" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jen, Ethan and Preston on the Monastery Stairs"][/caption]

Today we drove from Pristina, Kosovo down through Macedonia and on to Meteora, Greece. The drive took close to 9 hours, and we were grateful that Ethan has been such a great sport on this trip! He’s happy in his carseat with his iPod, crayons, coloring books, stickers, and Smarties (the European ones that are like M&Ms, but better).

[caption id="attachment_285" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ethan and Mommy waiting at the Macedonia/Greece border crossing"][/caption]
The drive was beautiful, and it was fun seeing the sites along the way. We passed by some ancient Roman gladiator ruins in Macedonia, and it’s amazing thinking about how far back they date. In Greece, we drove past a Nuclear power plant, and it made me think of the Simpsons. I can just picture Homer working with some uranium somewhere in there…

Ethan spotted some dogs at the Greek border, and wanted to get out and play with them. We had to go through several border crossings, which was time consuming, but it was really interesting getting some stamps in our passports from countries we never expected to get.

We flew from Vienna to Pristina, Kosovo today and have enjoyed spending time in such a beautiful country. We’re here visiting Preston’s dad, Bob who does work with USAID in helping with court reform. (Bob – correct me if I’m wrong!) Kosovo is the newest country in Europe, having been founded in 2008. It is part of the former Yugoslavia, bordering Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. It was a humbling experience meeting people that just 10 years ago were fighting for their freedom and their lives. We were told by one of our drivers that 80% of the homes are new, and people are working to rebuild their houses and their lives after the war destroyed so much.

We had the privilege of eating dinner with a local family, and the food was among the best I have ever tasted. There were little children that Ethan loved playing with, and they kept him entertained – he had so much fun. Even though they didn’t speak the same language, it didn’t keep them from having fun and communicating.

An interesting thing about Kosovo is how much they seemed to love Americans – especially Bill Clinton who helped them out in the war back in 1998. They have billboards everywhere that say, “Kosovo Honors a Hero” with a pictures of him. Those billboards are located on none other than Bill Clinton Boulevard. I’ve loved the time spent in Kosovo, and I hope that they will be successful as they continue to battle for their independence.

My dream, for as long as I can remember, has been to go to the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna where the Lipizzaner stallions perform. The school is the only “institution in the world that has been in existence for 430 years” (according to their website).

Unfortunately, we missed the Morning Exercises, where the riders put the horses through their routines, but Preston and I were able to go on the guided tour of the stables and riding arenas. The horses are the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen, and it was incredible being able to be up close to them. The stables and riding arenas were immaculate and beautiful. It was amazing being able to be so close to a place I’ve read about and seen in pictures (and dreamed about going to!). The only drawback was not being allowed to take any pictures during our tour. I understand why, but I was a little disappointed.

Unfortunately, children under 3 weren’t allowed on the tour, so Pam and Bob took him to the Imperial Palace. He was really good, and seemed to enjoy sightseeing! While we were walking around near the Spanish Riding School, there was a large group of people and a military band playing. According to one of the locals, it was a “very important person,” however, we weren’t able to determine who it was.

Vienna was beautiful but cold when we were sightseeing, but again, Ethan was great! We took the train to Vienna’s “biggest mall,” but it was quite disappointing. The most exciting part was Ethan riding on one of those little mechanical car rides, and he threw a fit when we took him off. The mall was one of the smallest malls I’ve ever seen, but luckily we’d been able to do some shopping earlier, and I got Ethan his very own Lederhosen. He loved wearing it, and tried to put it back after I took it off of him!
[caption id="attachment_268" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Ethan in his Lederhosen"][/caption]
We’ve loved Austria and have had a fabulous time. Tomorrow we head to Kosovo, and then on to Greece!

Today we took a bus from Vienna to Salzburg, which took about 4 hours including stops. We wound our way past the Danube and through some of the most beautiful mountains and lake (Moon Lake, I believe). On the lake, there were mansions that cost upwards of 12m Euros, and may famous people owned them (including Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull).

It rained and hailed as we made our way towards Salzburg, and once we got there, the rain and wind kept up. We were undeterred – our tour guide was great, and we enjoyed seeing Mozart’s Birthplace, scenes from The Sound of Music, and ancient castles and apartments built into the side of mountains.
[caption id="attachment_249" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Mozart\'s Birthplace"][/caption][caption id="attachment_251" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Medieval House Built into Mountain"][/caption]
Ethan was really good, but was sick of being in his carseat. Once we got to Salzburg, he just wanted to run around chasing pigeons.

Because of the cold, we didn’t do much exploring. We did a little bit of shopping, but all the souvenirs we ended up buying were gloves so our hands wouldn’t freeze! We also ate at a local McDonalds (I know – it’s criminal with all of the fabulous Austrian food we could have eaten…), but it was fast and we were hungry and cold. It did have the most intricate McDonalds sign I have ever seen…

On our way back from Salzburg, we stopped at a local restaurant for Apple Strudel and hot chocolate. The Austrians are master pastry chefs, and we enjoyed every bite!

I have family that comes from Austria, and we had a chance to go to an old church in Breitenbrunn (about 60 km outside Vienna). We were able to see the birth and marriage records of my ancestors that were christened and married in that church back in the 1800s.

It’s pretty humbling being able to see where some of my family comes from – standing in the same church where they were married! I took a picture of the records – they are the original books that all of the records are kept on.

I have a wonderful cousin, Maria, that is from Breitenbrunn as well, and her father is the vicor of the church. He was able to show us around the church and the records that we were looking for. Being in the place where my family comes from makes me realize the importance of family history and keeping records – they are a part of me and my son!

Maria was a fabulous host, and we were able to meet her wonderful family. Ethan had a great time playing with her sons, and we really enjoyed our time spent with them.