We were in Vienna only 3 days ago and it already seems a world away. I guess being in the middle of the Northern Atlantic on an island will do that to you. Vienna is an amazing city that is as rich in culture and history as Paris, London or Rome. Outside of receiving our share of rain (we were due for some rain after so many nice days) we made the most of our 40 hours in Vienna. We simply put our rain jackets on and hit the streets. We even took in a free concert in the park with the old palace as a backdrop. We enjoyed the Lippanzer Stallion show in the orginal ornate riding hall of the Hapsburgs. Sharing a room that was about 8’x10’ helped motivate us to stay out late!
On the 29th we took a flight to Frankfurt and then another onto Iceland. By this time we were all starting to think of home and Iceland was not so high on our radar, but all that changed as we drove our rental car into the city and saw just how beautiful this place was. We have shopped, swam in the famous Blue Lagoon and spent an entire day driving and visiting spectacular natural wonders.
The highlight for me personally was taking the hike to Iceland’s highest waterfall. After a drive down a long gravel road we parked in an empty parking lot (never saw another person) and read the sign for the 4 mile hike which took a little persuading after a long day, but to my surprise the family rose to the occasion and became billy-goats as we walked along some challenging terrain that included a log over a river along with a little caving to boot. The final destination was worth it as we gazed upon one of the most beautiful waterfalls any of us have ever seen. It was one of those places that were right out of National Geographic.
Today we return home, but we already have hopeful plans of returning to Iceland to explore more of this awe inspiring country.
God is sooooooooo good!
Kurt
