I'd like to take a mulligan on July 4th

What a stressful last few days. I was all set to finish up homework and come home this Friday but my good friend Kee Wook Kim conned me into going on a trip through Italy and Spain starting at Rome and ending in Barcelona. The deal was all but sealed except that changing my flight from Zurich turned into a nightmare and brought it to a screeching halt. I could not change my departure date to July 15th nor could I change the route in which I was to go home because of seat availability and such. There was a seat available July 8th that I initially scoffed at because I was so disappointed and thought I couldn't go.

I was really feeling terrible because I missed out on some traveling in leu of the heavy class load I ended up and this was a way to get back some of the lost time. So I buckled down and decided to take the July 8th flight out of Zurich, this way I could at least go to Rome and the Vatican and still have a few days to travel around Dornbirn before coming home.

While I finally got everything smoothed out today, I still felt at a loss for some reason. 2 days...I had just 2 days till I was home with Rosie, never to be away from her ever again. But I did this for a reason, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this one last thing on my own and come home even more triumphantly than I would have. I want to be strong for her, the man she deserves, and this trip has constantly bombarded me with situations that did exactly that. So I will be home, but not yet, I have one last thing to do...for her, for me, and for our future.

I travel into unchartered waters again; as if I needed one more uncomfortable situation to confront before I come home....sheesh. Yet, I found myself this evening getting really excited. I'm going to see the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and go to Rome, see the Colleseum, the Spanish Steps, so many things that most people only dream of. So many things to tell my kids, to remember for future visits with Rosie.

But what is always in the back of my head is, how do I make sure I get back to her safely. That is my top priority and has been since arriving that ground shattering day in February. Pray for us, that we are united again safely. This experience was a daunting colossus to face by this man from little Maryville, Mo...never having hardly been out of the state. Thank you so much for your support everyone, I could not have made it through this without it. As I left the Fachhoschule today it was so easy to drink in the moment. My last homework ever was completed, all the logistics taken care of, everything ready for my departure. One last thing to do though. But, I WILL see you July 8th!

Keep me in your prayers.

Honestly - Where has the time gone?

I mean for the title to have dual meanings. As my time comes to a close in Austria its beginning to hit me in a number of ways. Its a countdown now, how did it come to this; 12 days before I leave....12...and I honestly feel like I just got here. Over the next 9 days I have the crucial responsibility of finishing what I started (Everything is due June 30th). Time was such a worm hole here that sometimes I have a hard time remembering, outside of pictures, what I did in March and April. As I am won to do, I have managed to put off projects that I could have easily had done a month ago but its all pretty surreal. I hated this place so much, hated that I chose to come here without anybody, hated being 5,000 miles away from everyone I love, there was so much hate in me that I left everyone. I wasn't there for Brian's funeral and while I know he was so excited for me to come here it has made the thought of finally going home sort of intimidating. But the hate began filtering away as I made friends here and keeping myself busy was helpful as well. And I think I even managed to become quite fond of this place along the way (Munich helped!).

This brings me to the 2nd meaning of my post. Its been over two years since my Mom died and its been really hard for me being here, not able to look forward to one of her notorious gift packages (though I've gotten a few really good ones from Jenni) or get to see Dad AND her on skype. I have a lot of dreams... nearly every night... with people from home in them, most include my Mom and they're so real that when I wake up it takes me a few minutes to realize it. Of all the dreams why do they have to be about my Mom, its like washing my eyes out with salt water. But my Mom not being here is a reality I had to come to grips with the day she died - that in itself is a force I've had to reckon with for a long time now. But with Brian, I don't look forward to finally confronting that when I get home. He was such a dear friend to me and a good man; while i'm here my memories of him aren't sorrowful that he's gone, but good and I remember watching movies with him and talking for hours before I left. When I left their house the night before it was perhaps harder than when Mom died because I knew it was the last time I'd see him and I saw it in his eyes. 

There is a monument in front of my school that says:

 "Love. The Most Natural Painkiller What there Is."

Why do the words "love" and "pain" always have to be so closely related to each other. I guess its like an amplifier, the more you love the greater the pain. Rosie told me I was so pessimistic the other day. My response was that, "if i'm pessimistic then I'm not disappointed when stuff, once again, goes wrong. If it does go good, its all the more sweet." Just because I'm pessimistic doesn't mean I don't work my butt off though, that's something I'll always do no matter what. She's right about not being pessimistic though, but when you see everything around you start crumbling no matter what you or anyone else does, it becomes a pretty close friend. I don't think that I came here to escape or anything like that. But it was my own time, to redefine who I was in the context of personal value and how valuable my relationships at home really are. 

That was something I neglected and even though I will have to come back to reality and get used to Brian not being around I look forward to my family, my girlfriend, and everyone else I hold dear. Being away so long really does make the heart grow fonder. Especially with Rosie =).

*Stay tuned for an update on my weekend in Munich - I was a dummy and forgot my camera so I'm scraping pictures from all the others that went*

The Vienna Party Train

As you have probably deduced, Rosie was here for two weeks. While we spent most of it hanging around Dornbirn and exploring the area, we did manage to take a 4 day trip with some of my friends (10 of them) to Vienna. Although traveling with that big of a party turned into a nightmare more than once, the scenery and companionship with Rosie made everything better. Where do I start about Vienna... when we first arrived our objective was to find our Hostel and check in. The bad thing about it was that we got there at 8am and couldn't check in till 3pm. To put this in perspective for all of you, Rosie and I had been awake since 8am the day before and the "sleep" we got on the train was about as peaceful as being clubbed over the head with a newly caught bottle nosed Piranha. The train ride was that bad... 11 hours to cross a country roughly the size of Maine was ridiculous. So after storing our bags in the holding cage at the hostel, we set out to start exploring the city on virtually no sleep at all. After emerging from the Metro system we arrived in the Karlplatz district of Vienna and the aches of the terrible sleep soon dissipated. What a beautiful city, the buildings are so ornate that imagining a human could create something seems a distant probability. This is the first building we saw coming out of the Metro. Its a church but it cost money to go in... lame for sure but it was a portent of things to come in Vienna. Expensive city.

Even new buildings in Vienna are given a gothic spin, like this creepy owl. His name is Frank, he says hi.

This is one of the twin museums located in the Karlplatz. There is an identical building and their entrances are parallel to each other.

This is a conglomeration of historic Austrian figures all formed into one big statue that stands in the middle of an expansive green that separates the twin museums.

A cool fountain found not far from the twin museums. Greek mythology seems to hold a place in some of the architectural imagery used throughout the city.

After finally being able to settle into our hostel, sleep came quite easily to Rosie and me. I was a little tentative about staying in a hostel but it was actually quite nice, even though the bed niches were made for someone no taller than 6'2"... I was the only one uncomfortable haha. The second day was so much better than the first and we tackled Vienna on a good night's rest. The twin museums were the highlight of the day and here are some of the cool pieces we saw in there... the ones we were allowed to take pictures of at least.

The museum itself is a work of art. This isn't even part of their exhibition display. The stairs leading up from the entrance  are highlighted by this fine sculpture depicting a soldier slaying a centaur. Again, greek mythology.

These next few pieces of artwork are by Glenn Brown. Rosie and I really like his exhibition and his paintings are abstract but very accessible to anyone, not just intellectuals. The piece above is a heart but made up of flowers and flora instead of the usual...stuff.

I really liked this one. It was called "Of hearing of my Mother's death," you can find symbology in anything if you really try.

Dead Pumpkins, kinda creepy. But look at the brush strokes, fantastic.

This is one of the sentinels guarding one of the stairwells in the museum.

I was really pleased to see Rosie enjoy the museum so much. While I was all about Glenn Brown and his style, the majority of the museum was dedicated to paintings dating back to pre-Renaissance... I'm not big on art history but some of the artists included at this museum were Da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Archimboldo to name a few. While I became bored with the bland depictions of man and woman, sometimes not able to tell which was which except for the presence of breasts on the women, Rosie was fascinated by how photorealistic some of them were. And I must agree with her, there were several that were quite breathtaking. There was one particular painting depicting Michael the Archangel casting out the angels of darkness from heaven. This was controversial at the time because of the realistic demons representing the fallen angels and people wondered how the artist knew what they looked like. At any rate, the historical portion of the museum was daunting, a stretching labyrinth of rooms with ornate woodwork and wall size masterpieces covering the whitewash walls. An occasional alarm would sound when someone would get too close to a painting, much to their chagrin. I know what you're thinking, that I witnessed this first hand but no! I resisted the temptation to sound the alarm with relative ease. After leaving the museum we explored more of Vienna including Saint Stephans Cathedral and Parliament.

Here's a glimpse of what most of the streets in Vienna look like.

This is some type of government building. They will hold the European Soccer tournament ceremonies in front of this building.

Everyone said that you HAVE to see St. Stephan's Dome but it was quite unimpressive. All I can say is there were too many people there and that it was really dirty.

This is the Parliament and a very impressive building. As with all the city's important buildings, there's a beautiful fountain in front of it.

On Monday we only had half a day to explore before we had to return to Dornbirn. The one place we went that day was the Schlossburg, the Kaiser's former palace and grounds. It was by far the most impressive thing that we saw while there. With is meticulously kept grounds, yellow washed architecture, it looked like any king could show up there and he would feel right at home. Have a look for yourself.

I didn't have a wide enough lens to get the twin guest houses the flank the main keep on each side, but they're almost as big as the palace itself.
The beginnings of the front garden.

The giant fountain is approximately 300 yards away from the main keep. Its features are distinguishable even at that great distance. 

Roz giving me a kiss in front of the party house. Its on the same grounds as the palace but roughly 200 yards behind the large fountain, up on a hill overlooking the whole acreage.

One of the many entry roads that leads into the palace, it is of course closed off to vehicle but it gives you a sense of how big it all is.

The party house. Lucky Kaiser.

This labyrinth is quite large and we all got to go through. It was quite fun.

After we were done touring the Schlossburg it was time to head out and catch our train. The whole experience was really fantastic and Roz and I were baffled at how clean a town of 5 million could be. Kansas City was a stinkhole compared to Vienna and there's nowhere near that many people in KC. Expansive public parks kept very clean, the beautiful buildings, the artwork, it was all great. On the way back on the train Ralf, Kee, Temur, and me all partook of the restaurant cabin in excess. When else am I going to be able to get drunk on a train ay? The two weeks with Rosie went way too fast and while it hurt to see her go I have new focus in my studies. 5 weeks is what I have left. 5 weeks to complete what I started, to finish it and be done... to come home finally. All this scenery was breathtaking and a wonder to behold, but I'm ready to go.

God bless you all and I'll see you soon.

What a Wicked Game

She's been here and gone already. Rosie visited me for 2 weeks from May 5th-18th and it was most assuredly the greatest time of my life. Our time together consisted of hiking through the surrounding mountains while speculating on how we can realize the dreams we have together, a 4 day trip to the most beautiful city i've ever seen (Vienna), more walks around Dornbirn, and just curling up beside each other with a book for entire afternoons. Our last evening dinner was spent in a quaint Italian place called Bella Napoli and the dinner, companionship, and conversation will always be a thread in my life's pattern that I cherish. I'm sure she feels the same. So sue me, I'm a hopeless romantic after all I suppose... I wasn't like that before her.

There aren't a whole lot of moments in your life where you just take a step out of your body, drink in what's happening, and just say "Wow." Shock and awe. From the moment I met her in Hy-Vee 3 years ago I knew there was something there already, something bigger than either one of us could be as individuals. I was in a perpetual state of this while she was here, sometimes just finding myself watching her as she slept and thanking God that he gave me a beacon of light in my sometimes rather darkened life. I should be a mason by profession for the vast wall i've managed to build around myself in the last 2 years. But masons have their secrets and there's a single brick I subconsciously place that only she knows of and it always brings my walls crashing down around me. I find myself upside down and turned inside out around her sometimes. Mad at how she always know how to talk to me, always say the right thing to motivate me, draw a smile to my pursed lips; I've worked so hard to build them yet my walls are useless around her. I remember my Mom telling me several months before she passed away that I shouldn't worry about knowing for certain who the woman I would be with for the rest of my life was, what the formula entailed to achieve such a thing. You'll know when you find her, son. That's all she said to me. 

Irony, that's not the first thing she's ended up being right about. God does have a plan for us all and I can't wait to see what life has in store for us. I don't even care what it is.... as long as its with her.

*Stay tuned for pictures from our trip, experiencing technical difficulties with camera at the moment*

Once more...with feeling

Some could call me a masochist, in fact I think every sense of the word describes me. Allow me to elaborate first with Snowboarding. St. Anton is a ski resort town about 2 hours away from Dornbirn by train and is pretty famous for its quality and difficulty of their slopes. After Susanna and I arrived there I made the decision to snowboard instead of ski thinking that, hey I picked up skiing really easy, how hard can snowboarding be? Man was I wrong. Lets put it this way... the pully system that takes beginners up the bunny slopes I couldn't even go up and I must have looked completely ludicrous.Think about someone holding on for dear life to a rope being drug along behind a car... yeah enough said. So lets flash forward 4 hours from the time I started... at this point I was at the top of the mountain....

...and I had managed to 1. Fall off the beaten path and had to go Sylvester Stallone on the mountain to get back up alive, 2. fall from the beginning to end of the #1 Blue slope (the easiest path on the mountain), and 3. get lost resulting in the picture below

I was pretty discouraged to say the least at this point.

When I found my way back I located the closest pub... as I am won to do. I began evaluating where I was and decided that to give up at this point would mean I went through 4 hours of pain for nothing. So I finished my beer feeling rejuvenated and went back up the monolith that had bested me all morning. Finding your center of gravity is the most important and hardest thing to do as a snowboarder and I finally found it. While nowhere need good, I could at least stay up on my board, stop, slow down and really enjoyed myself for about 2 hours. We got lost again though and it seemed apparent that our only way back down to St. Anton was via a #7 red slope (middle difficulty) and a #2 black diamond (you can figure this one out). So I just took my time going down the red which was quite difficult and taxing on the legs... then arrived at the black diamond, said a prayer and kissed my butt good-bye.

Here's my proof.

By this time I was pretty well exhausted and the day was over. In the end the pain was worth it and I'm actually going again this coming Saturday... its the end of the skiing season and I'm glad I get to go one last time. Masochism and insanity are the only reason anyone would snowboard I think... the normal people ski. 

As for another example of my bizarre personality I present Lightwave 3D 9. This is a program I must learn in order to complete my 3D animation and modeling class here and I have self taught myself at this point. I spent many hours into the early morning's trying to remember what I knew 2 years ago when I last used it...trying to make something that looks "real". Think about a net, or a mesh if you will. And the only way to make a ball look like a face is to push and pull, add and subdivide this mesh and boom you end up with a face. This is what I'm working towards and while the subject may be more boring for my readers, I've found that the program is extremely addictive. You never feel done and 3 hours turns into 8 hours. What if I change the lights position... add a bump map to that surface to give it substance... I think I need to subpatch that because it doesn't look real... this needs more objects in the scene, its not natural at this point. It can make a grown man cry tears of joy and sorrow and while that hasn't happened to me yet I've felt myself on the brink many times. This is my first project and while incredibly simple, I learned so much doing it and it was really hard to bring my knowledge up to speed to do something as simple as this. Enjoy.

Here is also a small program we had to make to introduce ourselves in my programming class. Most of what you see is done with code and is uncharted territory for me but in reality its easier than the techniques I'd been using to get the same result. This gives you a good idea of most of the things I'm doing here.
Click here to check it out.

Life and Loss

For those of you who don't know or were unaware of my brother-in-law's recent passing I would like to share a short story I wrote in memory of him. It comes from the deepest parts of my heart and I ask that you all keep my sister and her family in your prayers. Sometimes life likes to deal us odd cards and then expects us to come up with a royal flush in some way. It seems like my family has played through a lot of these hands the last few years...it would be nice if we could sit out some games for a while. So many families are tested constantly, some don't seem to be and the only explanation is that God does have a plan for us all. Don't take for granted the lives that we have and make every day you're here one that will enrich your life as well as those you come into contact with. 

On another note, I'll be updating the blog again shortly on some of the other things I've done (snowboarding, one truly insane class, scenery) as well as a new slideshow feature so you can browse the many pictures i've taken while here. Anyway, enjoy the story.

A Bend in the Road

A Short Story in memory of Brian Halley

The air was crisp today, cold. It was unsettling but clear in a way that is good for reflection. As I laced up my shoes for a jog, I began to think back on all the things I’ve done but more so about a person who I knew for so little time but was still able to forge a brotherly love with. Hanging up the phone was especially rough this time and as my feet hurtle me faster down the road, tears that had been waiting in near-anticipation finally began to wind their way down my face. Those are the type you cannot wipe away; mine only slow because the cold night air crystallizes them.To the right of me runs a river in an infinite capacity and I find myself staring into the distance as my feet pound the quiet out of the night. There’s a road sprawled ahead of me, although obstructed by many things it bends around to avoid them…no dead-end in sight. Perhaps that’s what the tears are for, the bends in the road. You see, bends are natural to a road…they help us avoid obstacles and in many ways I feel like the entire saga of Brian coming into all of our lives was one of those exhilarating bends. I remember when my road bended to pick Brian up. What better way to meet such a man than with the calculated carnage we so love: football.

The heat was suffocating; sweat drained from all of us participating in the dread that is summer football camp. I remember as I trotted from a drill that left my head ringing that I saw Brian for the first time. He stood there as if he was carved from granite…watching every move his players made over the top of his spectacles; never afraid to help them become something better. It was the intense look on his face; an intoxicating fierceness that made me curious what his story was. The next time I saw him was at Erin’s wedding and instead of an intense look he more resembled someone that wasn’t exactly sure what he was getting himself into. Love is like that you know and I could see it from the moment I actually talked to him how great he would be for Jenni. He was much better at holding her up as the dance came to a close than I was and the chemistry they already had was electrifying.

As the pace picks up a bit…I find my stride. Blood pounding in my brain signals the cadence my feet use. There’s a man riding a bike with who I assume is his son as they pass me on my left. So many things are strange about this run; I thought everyone was in for the night.

When I realized Brian lived just a few blocks away from us I was welcomed into his home. I remember stopping by to tell him when I got my first job. He was the first person I thought about when I got hired; I knew he would have something encouraging to say to calm my nervousness. Then there was the Metallica concert he “chaperoned” for my friends and me after we graduated from high school. I thought that was so cool that he would do something like that and on a school night nonetheless. Seeing him pump his fist and shout out the lyrics, as the guitars crunched out the songs was something to behold; he could fit in with any crowd. That’s just how Brian was though; he was always educated on what things he knew were important to you. Although to his credit, he was a Metallica fan before I was. Many times I went to him during my early college years, unsure of what to do or how to handle a situation and we would head down to Brianville and hash it out.

After the terrible disease rocked him for the second time I wasn’t really sure what to do. I was in an extremely busy part of my college education and the time we spent dwindled. I can never get the time back I could have spent with him in the last 2 years but every time we were together there was no shortage of laughs and mischief. Even at the end he was always eager to hear what was new with me and would be inquisitive about new developments. In the end all I can think about is how very lucky I was to have a brother-figure like him. I’ve lost a role model, a dear friend, and a brother…no amount of tears I have and will shed on his behalf will ever be enough.

As my breaths come harder the chill leaves. So many memories flood my head as I think on all the great times I was able to share with Brian. The tears reignite as the why’s in my head start reverberating. There’s no sense in this…why him, why now, why didn’t You help him? I pass an old man out for a late night stroll and it makes me wonder how many lives Brian has touched in his short time here…how much inspiration has he given to all of us. The solace that answer brings is minimal right now but when I take stock of all the things Brian has given me to enrich and prioritize my life I can never thank him enough. I pray with every fiber of my being that I see him again some day, to laugh with him. I think on when my dead-end will come, how many more bends in my road will there be…what about the straight-aways that seem to make time blur? The time we had with Brian already seems like a blur and the sprawling road ahead without him will surely plod along like a broken clock.

My footsteps echo off the buildings as I return home and sweat roils down my back…the run was a good one, healthy. Real purpose, I finally have it. His life is a testament to that and the gifts he gave me will never take away the pain and the why’s but my road is smoother because of Brian.

I miss you brother and I thank you so very much for being a part of my life.

With Love

Jacob

Excursions, Classes, and the Beauty of Austria

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I've been extraordinarily busy. Classes started last Monday and we were able to find out our class schedule as well as sign up for very intense elective courses that focus on a single program or design style. I've decided to do the Advanced PhotoShop Techniques course so hopefully I can learn a few things that will help me with my digital painting skills. To be quite honest, doing such a thing is where I have the most fun; that and when I can program something and its actually works and has functionality. Using that subject as an entry point to my other classes, I only had 3 classes during my first week. Special Design Analysis, German Language course, and Media Navigating. I am dropping the first mentioned course because to be quite frank the material she outlined that we would cover is the very same things I learned for the last 4 years at Northwest. I came here to learn things I couldn't at Northwest and having that class for my first class over here was extremely unsettling. I hope that things improve from that. As for German, it proved to be a must have class although I originally wasn't planning on doing it and the Media Navigating course "could" have potential. I was quite disappointed in it as well. In it we basically think up a product or service that already exists (or we can make up our own if we want) and we develop a new way of using it.

So for example, a group last semester thought that making an interactive keyboard that appears on a screen rather than a physical one could have more functionality. It was quite cool. They showed how if you wanted to play a game you could select which buttons you needed, minimize the whole board and bring up just the W, A, S, D and whatever other buttons you needed to play your game. This was all cool an such until I found out that rather than this project being an actual functioning iteration of their idea it was just an animation. The people demonstrating it were just keeping in sync with the animation rather than the virtual buttons actually reacting to their touch. The teacher actually told me that the program didn't actually have to work, it just had to be fully planned out on how it "would" work and if we could make it function then all the better. Totally lame if you ask me. He's basically not going to teach us anything new about programming, usability, or interface design and function. I do know a way to program and create a "drag and drop" type function within Flash CS3 so perhaps that may be an avenue to explore since there's no new programming language taught in the class.

Anyway, on to the other classes I have for the coming week. I will have Special Media Technology Systems, Object Oriented Programming, and 3D Animation and Modeling. I'm not really sure what to expect from the first two classes but the third is a class that I had to specially arrange so that I can receive credit for it back in the states. We will have 4 projects: A still life static image completely rendered with lighting and textures, a robot with simple animation, a moving camera with the subject matter to be left to our discretion, and lastly an organic creature rendered in its native environment accompanied by an animation (think of a deer grazing in a grass field). I'm very much looking forward to this week and I think the classes will be much more interesting than my first week's. 

Now, on to the exploring. I went with my neighbor Florian to Feldkirch which is just about 30 minutes south of Dornbirn. What an excursion it was and I actually had no clue what I was getting myself into. Florian hikes and mountain climbs a lot and so after venturing around the city of Feldkirch for a couple of hours we went into the mountains. Finally, I got to go into the beautiful mountains that surround me. They were no longer out of my reach; my touch. It was quite an exciting first time up into the Alps. So many pictures to be had. Ivy snakes over the ground and grips hold of all architecture close by. The very old buildings are almost more a part of the earth than the rocks that lay closely by. As we weaved our way up the side of the mountains we saw old churches, villages nestled into valleys far above the bustling metropolis below, and old trees that seemed to reach clear to the heavens. We had a map of everything with us but we somehow found a way to get lost. Yes, I got lost in the mountains in a place 6000 miles from home. Fortunately we followed the path we were on for an hour or so until we came to another village that had a path leading back down to Feldkirch. We had basically made a half circle around the city. The problem was, the city has a big part of the mountains that separates the north and south portions so to go north you must walk either over (impossible) or clear around the mountain range to get to the train station in the north. We eventually did get back to the train station and ultimately back to Dornbirn. Sitting in my room upon my return and reflecting on the amount of distance I walked in one day was exhausting in and of itself. We began our journey at 1:30 pm and got onto the train at 6:30 pm....where is my pillow...sleeeep! Haha.

Anywho, today was spent shopping and trying to save myself money for the long run. People here shop every day, they don't prepare in advance but alas my American tendencies got the best of me and I bought enough food today to last me till next week; my refrigerator is stocked full. There is an American here in Kolpinghaus as well named Kevin and he is a professor from New York that is here as a guest of the Fachhochschule Vorarlberg. He is basically living for free here doing research on Economic trends. Yeah, I want that guy's job too. Anyway, he is a very intriguing person and he has spent much of his adult life living and exploring Europe. He can speak several languages and he has so many stories to tell. In the last week or so we've began meeting him in the kitchen to make dinner and afterwards a discussion accompanied by a compulsory 3-4 of the 0.5L Mohrenbrau's that I have become quite fond of. He's a great source of information for places to go, experiences to be had, and advice on day to day living in Europa. Many of the international students are very interested in American politics and he and I are quite obliged to let them in on American customs. Moreover, the Scandinavian countries have many students here and it has been quite interesting learning their way of life as well. Its funny, all these places are so close like we are in the United States yet while at home diversity takes place at the relative extremes of our nation; North, East Coast, West Coast, and the Bible Belt on South. In contrast, here you just need to travel a few kilometers into Switzerland and you've arrived at a very different culture.

When Rosie comes in the early part of May I already have a trip in the works to go to Munich and into the Paulaner (1 of my fav beers) Beer Hall and Garden. From what Kevin and some of the tourist attraction web sites say its something to truly behold. The same holds true for Belgium. For me this is kind of like a religious pilgrimage except the subject matter is beer. The Muslims travel to Mecca every year or some such, but I travel to Bavaria, to the source of the creation of beer in search of a pure taste; of reconciliation for my sins in drinking domesticated American beers. See the bottom of the post for what Budweiser REALLY is. Until next time...Prost!

This is where we realized we were lost during our travels into the mountain. This village was quite charming, quiet. The city in the background is Feldkirch.

Can you see the two old men in the Rock formation? Here's a hint, the dominant face looks like my Dad from a profile prospective.

An Obelisk fountain in the City Centre of Feldkirche. These are very common scenery in Vorarlberg.

This is a church nestled high in the mountain bluffs overlooking the city of Feldkirch. It took Florian and I two hours to reach it.

Here is a sample of the impressive vegetation that populates the Alps.

Here is an example of our post-dinner discussion about beer, politics, culture, literature. Kevin is the older man just past me and Sophie is the woman in the background (from Belgium).

And, last but not least, Budweiser in its original form. This was the first time I tried it and I must say that I was very impressed. Very smooth with a nice balance of hoppiness and malt that comprise a lager (although it was less hoppy than a pale ale). Budweiser in America should really just blow their brewery up and give the Czechs all their money; the Americans should be ashamed of the domesticated beers they put out.

This was a really unique graveyard we saw on the way down the mountain when we came back to Feldkirch. Its a military graveyard for people in Austria that lost their lives when the 3rd Reich forced the Republic of Osterreich under its control.