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24 September 2000 - Sunday
Morning
Salzburg, Austria
This morning we all arose and had breakfast at Gersberg
Alm. 
Their
breakfast assortment was just outstanding with cereals, cheeses, meats,
eggs, anything your heart and stomach could desire at eight o'clock in
the morning.
Our travels were to take us back to the town of Hallstatt today.
After
breakfast, we all piled into the car - six adults. It was a sight.
I sat
in the very back of the station wagon so everyone else had a seat.
On
our way out, we stopped
at the
Schloss
Fuschl that overlooked Wolfgangsee. It
was absolutely a magnificent view. The sun caressed the lake below us,
as it was beginning to warm up the day. 
The lake was so clear that the
swans had a mirror image of themselves on the reflection of the water.
Hallstatt, Austria
We took many pictures here.
It was just breathtaking. Luckily for us,
the weather continued to cooperate and not a cloud in the sky.
We arrived into Hallstatt and parked the car.
This town you need to
be on foot to really appreciate its beauty and quaintness. We all
strolled 
down the street of Hallstatt, stopping frequently to mentally
take a picture of the surrounding beauty of the lake, the Alps, the
flowers, and physically take a picture of the sights. We stopped in many
shops and decided on a place to eat lunch in the square of town. We were
able to point out to Dad where we had called him after Andy had proposed
to me.
Afternoon
The lunch was a true Austrian menu. The majority of us ordered Weiner
Schnitzel, that was out of this world.
After lunch, we journeyed over to the funicular that takes you to the
Hallstatt Salt Mines.
This offered a birds eye view of the oldest village in
Austria. Once at the top of the funicular, we got Dad, Mike and Marina
"suited up" for their tour of the salt mines.
We escorted them to where the train takes you into the
mines. At
that point, Andy and I retired back to the restaurant that he proposed
and had a nice relaxing glass of wine and enjoyed the view and each
other's company, while over looking the Hallstattersee.
Well, after about an hour or so, the crew came back to get us. 
Mike
climbed the steps to tell us it was time to return back, their tour had
been fun, but they were completely exhausted. Dad had bumped his head on
a beam, and scraped the top of his head. They literally looked like they
had put in a full day's work at the salt mines! They joked that I was
going to be taken out of the will for the endurance test that they had
just endured. But, the ironic thing is that they will look back upon
this experience with positive and fond memories.
Evening
Salzburg, Austria
We returned to Gersberg
Alm around 6:00pm. We were warmly and lovingly
greeted by Andy's mom, Mary and Allie who had arrived a few hours earlier. It was
wonderful to see them both.
Dad, Mike and Marina retired to their rooms and ordered room
service. They were done for the night. Well, Andy and I were ready to
take advantage of our wonderful surroundings and opted to take Mary and
Allie into downtown Salzburg for dinner.
We dined on a terrace overlooking the
Mozartplatz, at the
Cafe Glockenspiel. The cafe had heavy metal chairs, like breakfast at Tiffany's, and
yellow and white stripped awnings covering us.
Mary and Allie were so excited to be able to share this time with Andy
and I. Andy and I sat and listened to how each woman had met their
husbands, what wonderful stories. The advice that both woman gave to us
about marriage, children and family brought tears to my eyes. I will cherish
their advice I received that evening. Mary told of funny stories of Andy
growing up, as did Allie. Allie has been a friend of the family for over
30 years. They both just beamed of love and joy when talking about
Andy.
These woman are beautiful, vivacious older women who have "lived
life." And they both have traveled half way across the world
to see Andy and I wed. The "sacrifices" that parents make for their children
sometimes is difficult to comprehend at the moment that it is happening.
I feel so grateful for the wonderful families that Andy and I have
each been blessed with.
We walked through the town a little and retired back to the Gersberg
Alm. We tucked Allie and Mary in, and then did the same.
We knew that tomorrow, the day before the wedding, was to be fairly
hectic.
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