As the national anthem says, "Land der Berge, Land am Strome", Austria is a "country of mountains, a country on the river."
Friday and Saturday, I (Brad) enjoyed the view of the mountains, riding a train 8 hours from one side of Austria to the other, where I joined my fellow pastors in the Evangelical Reformed Church to test and approve our newest pastor. Our denomination is young and small (5 churches and 4 pastors in 2 countries), so an event such as this takes on even greater significance. We thank God that Kurt Vetterli passed the exam, and that he was ordained on Sunday in Basel, Switzerland, where he is planting a church.
Today (Monday) was Austrian Independence Day, and the whole family drove an hour outside the city to Melk, a little town with an enormous abbey (Stift Melk) situated right on the Danube. Almost 20 years ago, my parents, brother, and I first traveled around German-speaking Europe, and one of our memorable stops was to the Abbey of Melk. A wave of nostalgia hit me as we entered the massive courtyard.
Melk can be seen from a distance when traveling on the highway linking Vienna with Western Austria, so a little Hunter family tradition has been to call Neena from our cell phone every time we pass by Stift Melk.
Neena--enjoy the pics!
1 comment:
I love the pics, they are great, as usual. I loved the one of all the trees in a row. And the leaf. You are gifted, my friend!
Post a Comment