Blessings

I am so amazingly lucky! Or should I say 'blessed'.

At breakfast this morning I got some lovely farewells from 2 of my most favourite people: Annemarie and Siedgrid. Siegrid is completely awesome with a permanent smile and a beautiful voice that makes even Austrian-German sound lush.

Siegrid gave me firm warnings that "You must eat a lot this morning" so I took my usual bowl of cereal and some token bread on the side, which isn't normal. That got a lot of approval because Annemarie has just made the bread and kept nodding at me while I ate it, "Gut, geh?"
And yes it was. The closest thing to white bread I have had in europe, in a big plait with sugar sprinkled on top. Made for smearing with butter.

After that I was pressured to have more bread so I agreed to take some with me for the train. At hearing that, Siegrid started running around with a sandwich bag and came back with a packed lunch for me including a bar of Milka chocolate for dessert, woot!

There were hugs and kisses and promises of letters and emails and future visits. I said I'd like to come back with my family. OKAY?

Then the Boss met me in the hallway in her cute full-Austria dress, pastel colours complete with corset and floaty skirt, and gave me a packet of the hotel's branded chocolates (nougat filled) and a little card saying thank you, and my favourite line "You are a wonderful girl!"

Woot, that goes down on Amy's list of top-dollar words.
I said goodbye to the cleaner who wanted to come with me and also to one of the guests (night-walking lady) and even the taxi man bid me a fond farewell and safe travels. Gotta love small towns!!!

After that I caught a quite crowded train, with a very nice old man next to me, here to Salzburg for the night, before heading to Switzerland tomorrow morning.

It's so hot that the room heats up if you open the window. Seems to be a hot wind blowing over Austria these days.

I'm slowly getting used to being alone with my luggage. All fat 20 kgs of it. And learning how to deal with it on trains. I'm also getting used to Austria and I feel as if I know Salzburg like the town I never grew up in. I just hope they can understand my whack Austrian-tainted German in Switzerland!