300 Days and No Answer Yet

I have been living in England for three hundred days and today is my job-hunting deadline.

I've had plenty of leads, one interview, and no acceptable job offers. My decision was that I would look for work until today and if I didn't have a solid job offer, or at least an interview arranged for next week, then I would book a flight home.

It's almost 5:00 p.m. and this afternoon I've spoken to representatives in connection with the final two job opportunities I've been working on.

The first place made me an offer but the pay and hours are too low to cover my living expenses. I told her my bottom-line for what I want to be earning and she said she'll check and see if they can offer me more hours. I'm waiting to hear back from her.

The second place is an employment agency. They submitted my resume for a position yesterday (I received a phone call about it when I was strolling along Portobello Road) and they're waiting to hear back from the company in regards to whether or not they want to interview me. I've been told that they should have an answer by Monday.

The question is, do either of these count as a solid job offer or an interview booked? I was really hoping God would give me a clear answer, but this is about as vague as it gets. A sort-of job offer and a sort-of interview booked. I'm so confused. But the day isn't finished yet and a definitive answer may still come forward. But if not, I have a lot of praying and thinking to do this weekend.

Update: Friday at 10:35 p.m.
Received another call regarding the first job and she said she'd call me after she got home from work. She never called. Looks like I'll be waiting until Monday to make a decision.

London and The Phantom of the Opera

My friend, Rachel, is leaving on Friday to work at summer camp for two weeks. If I don't get a job by the end of the day on Friday then I'll be booking a flight home and I'll likely be gone before she gets back from camp. On Tuesday evening I mentioned that I'd like to see The Phantom of the Opera before I leave. She jumped at the chance to see it with me because it's a show she wants to see as well. She receives two-for-one passes for the theatre because she needs someone to assist her with stairs; this means I can attend as her "carer". I checked online but the website said that the show is sold out until early next week. I suspected they may hold seats for people with disabilities, so Rachel called yesterday and bought sixth row tickets for us!

I headed into London earlier in the afternoon in order to see a site still on my "must see before I leave" list. I also wanted to go for a long walk along the Thames, one of my favourite things to do in London. My deadline for finding a job is drawing near, so I'm taking advantage of opportunities for last-minute site-seeing.

London Waterloo train station.

The clock where I've so often checked to see if I'm on time. The signs that so often confuse me.

Pigeons are always flying and hopping around inside the station.

The crowds I've often joined as we watch and wait for our departure gate to be announced.

One of my favourite views in London - the Parliament Buildings along the Thames.

Big Ben chimes from inside this tower and I love the sound!

Video clip of the view from Westminster Bridge.

Looking down the Thames at Parliament on the left and the London Eye on the right. The history this city has witnessed is incredible.

I stopped at the Tate Britain for a little while. One of the few big museums I hadn't seen yet.

Although I haven't seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks since I was a kid, I've always thought it would be great to walk along Portobello Road. (Sadly, no sailors were dancing down the streets.) I wanted to buy something just so I could say I bought it on Portobello road, but the only thing I found was a fun handbag for £35 and I can't really justify that expense. Oh well - the main thing I wanted was a photo of the street sign so I snapped several shots.

Another quirky dream come true! I walked along Portobello Road!

"Portobello road, Portobello road
Street where the riches of ages are stowed.
Anything and everything a chap can unload
Is sold off the barrow in Portebello road.
You’ll find what you want in the Portebello road."
(Click here for complete song lyrics.)

Portobello Road. Nothing like the Disney movie set, but still a fun place.

I met Rachel at Picadilly Circus, we grabbed some dinner, and then headed to the theatre.

As a farewell gift when I left Canada, my brother, David, and sister-in-law Keri said they would pay for tickets so me and my friend, Lindsay, could go too Disney Paris when she comes to visit me. Her visit never materialized and I may not live here much longer so my siblings have agreed to pay for my ticket to The Phantom of the Opera instead. Thanks you two for an amazing evening!

After the intro to the opera, part of the cast grab the gathered curtains on the sides and part of it rips down while another part disappears into the ceiling, revealing gold statues fit for a royal opera house. The sets were incredible!

The sets, costumes, and music were unbelievable. So creative and opulent! Fabric draping everywhere on the sets and costumes. Huge sweeping staircase for one scene - that's it, just one scene! I want to know where they store all this stuff between scenes; that would be one documentary I'd eagerly watch. People say the boat scenes are amazing and it's true. The mist swirls and numerous candelabras rise from the darkness. I've seen a couple of movie versions of The Phantom of the Opera and after seeing the original on stage, it finally make sense - they adjust a lot of things for the movies! The film versions seem to try to make it more realistic, but I found the opera was more of a melodramatic fairytale - it was easier to accept the characters in that light, rather than trying to imagine it could actually happen in real life.

Click here to see a short interview with the two stars we saw tonight (Ramin Karimloo as Phantom and Robyn North as Christine) and hear Ramin sing, "Music of the Night".

Picadilly Circus after the show.

Picadilly Circus on our way back to the tube station.

Crowds in Picadilly Circus.

I asked this girl to stop so I could take a photo of her shoes.
She smiled and said, "Of course!"
Ouch.

Late at night on the way back to Basingstoke. We were too tired to smile for real so we made faces and it worked much better.

Carrot Pie

Ama and I went grocery shopping last week and accidentally bought two bags of carrots (I was going to do a price-check but both bags went through the check-out without me realizing it). I've made soup, carrot cake, and today I decided there must be a way to make carrot pie. I know that sounds really bizarre, but I figure pureed carrots have a similar texture to pureed pumpkin and I love pumpkin pie. I found a few recipes online, merged the ingredient lists, and made more modifications to match the ingredients we have in the house. The resulting pie has a taste and texture so similar to pumpkin pie that if someone had served it to me I would have assumed it was pumpkin. One of my modifications was adding orange rind to the water when I was boiling the carrots and when I pureed them I tossed the rind into the blender as well. The pie had a really mild orange flavour which goes well with carrots and I think it helped cut down on the sweetness of the carrots.

When I was a teenager I decided to try making pumpkin pie from scratch. When I say from scratch, I mean it. I went out and bought a pumpkin, gutted it, baked the pieces, pureed the filling, measured it into plastic bags and froze them to use in pies throughout the year. It makes a big difference to the taste and texture of a pumpkin pie. It was a stupid thing to do because ever since then, the family refuses to eat pumpkin pie if it's made with canned pumpkin. I think I just found a way to get the taste of a pumpkin pie without all the mess - it's so much easier to cook a bag of carrots than a big pumpkin!

My tasty carrot pie.

Distractions are Good

Sometimes I need distractions from the joy of looking for a job. Rachel is the kind of friend who seems to be good at knowing when to jump in with a distraction. Today she came over to the flat with a couple of bags of card-making supplies and we had a great time making a mess and being creative.

Organized chaos.

I sort of cheated with my creativity, using a standard card with a floral pattern and using paper, cut-outs, and ribbon to embellish it.

My favourite card - so cute, if I do say so myself!
The polka-dot strip is ribbon and the red dots in the bottom, right corner are little jewels.

Self-Publishing is Easy!

"All children, except one, grow up."

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Yesterday Emma came up to me at church and asked if I would be able to babysit Hannah this morning as she ran into some last-minute child-care issues. I was happy to help out and ended up sleeping on their couch last night to save Emma the hassle of picking me up extra-early and to save me the hassle of catching two buses to reach their house. Hannah was quite thrilled that I was sleeping over and I loved waking up to two little girls toddling into the living room with big grins.

After Emma left, I played with Hannah for a little while, but she also seemed really content to play by herself so I left her alone while I cleaned up from breakfast. I curled up on the couch and watched quietly as Hannah played by herself. She knew I was there but she didn't ask me to join in like most kids do. I remember playing with toys and creating voices and characters for each one, but I don't remember when or why I stopped doing that. It's so beautiful to watch the way children's minds work as they create stories and make the simplest of toys come to life. I'm so glad my dad secretly set up the video camera when me and my siblings were young in order to capture literally hours of us playing with Playmobil or Barbies. He captured the voices and storylines we invented along with the childish disagreements about what each toy should be doing. When I go back and watch those clips I remember the feeling of playing like that but I feel too ridiculous when I try to do it now.

"Do you know," Peter asked, "why swallows build in the eaves of houses? It is to listen to the stories."
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Hannah loves reading stories, especially those with flaps to lift and peek under. I asked her if she wanted to make our own book and she seemed disinterested until I cut out the paper, stapled the sheets together, and she saw a book taking form. I've typed out our conversation word-for-word from what I can remember. Enjoy this glimpse into the mind of a four-year-old.

"Hannah, what should the cover look like?"
"Nothing."
"What should we call our book?"
"I don't want a name on it."
"Okay - we'll leave it plain."
"Good."

By Hannah and Amanda
20-July-09

"Who should the book be about?"
"Princess Barbie."
"Who else should be in the book?"
"Jesus."
"If we're going to do a book with flaps to peek under, Princess Barbie and Jesus should be looking for something. What do you think they'd look for?"
"Princess Barbie's crown."
"Who took Princess Barbie's crown?"
"The pirates!"
"How did the pirates get the crown?"
"The pirates caught Princess Barbie and Jesus."

The pirates caught Princess Barbie and Jesus.

"Hannah, how about if you draw a pirate on this page."
"I can't draw a pirate."
"Sure you can! You just do a circle like this for a face. You draw one eye and put a patch over the other eye like this. Then draw a big frown because pirates are nasty. You can copy my picture."
"Hmmm... okay!"
"Why did you draw the pirate smiling?"
"Because he's a happy pirate!"
"But he stole Princess Barbie's crown."
"Yup!"

"Can you draw a picture of the crown on this page?"
"Yeah."

The happy pirate stole Princess Barbie's crown.

"What did Princess Barbie say when she found out her crown was gone?"
" 'Oh my crown is lost! I don't know where it is!' " (high-pitched voice)
"How would she say it?"
(blank expression from Hannah)
"I mean, would she say it, yell it, scream it, cry it?"
"She'd scream it."
"How about if you draw a picture of Princess Barbie on this page?"
"Okay."
"Why is she smiling if her crown was stolen?"
"Because she's happy."
"Ah, okay, I see a theme here."

"Oh, my crown is lost! I don't know where it is!" screamed Princess Barbie.

"If you were looking for a crown, where would you look first?"
"In a bush."
"How about if you draw a bush?"
"I can't."
"Just scribble all over this piece of paper and I'll cut it out."
"Okay!"

"What should Jesus say when he looks for the crown?"
" 'Where is it?' "
"Sure - that makes sense."

"Were is it?" asked Jesus.
Jesus looked in the bush.

"What should Jesus find in the bush instead of the crown?"
"A bird."
"Do you want to draw it?"
"No, you can do it."

It's not here!

"Where should Jesus look next?"
"I don't know."
"How about behind a flower?"
"Yeah!"
"I'll cut out the flower and you can colour whatever you want on it."

"Is it behind the flower?" asked Jesus.

"What should be behind the flower instead of the crown?"
"A kitten."
"I guess I'll be drawing this one, too?"
"Yes."

The crown isn't here!

"Where should Jesus find Princess Barbie's crown?"
"In a treasure chest!"
"What should they say when they find it?"
" 'Yay! Princess Barbie's crown is here!' "

Yay! Princess Barbie's crown is here!

I'm not sure which of us had more fun today.

American-Style Cookies

Whenever I've seen shops here selling what I would call a "real" cookie - large, chewy, and fresh - they always refer to them as "American-Style Cookies".

Tonight the youth group is hosting the church prayer meeting and they're "bribing" the congregation to attend by offering cakes and "biscuits" at the meeting. Yesterday I was talking to a couple of friends about the meeting and we decided to get together today to make some treats for the youth to serve. Our motivation is partly an effort to support the youth, partly because we like to bake and eat the results, and partly because none of us are employed at the moment so we really have nothing better to do. (Job hunting being more important than baking is not a topic up for debate.)

Rachel, Jess, and me making a mess - we cleaned up before Ama got home.
Trust me... there was a lot of laughter in the kitchen today.

Rachel.

Jess.
She claims to like my accent but mocks it more than anyone else in England. She also refuses to stand still for a photo. She makes me laugh.

We wanted to listen to some tunes so we grabbed a music video of the Abba songs used in Mama Mia. Wow. The costumes, the film sets, the close-ups of their mouths... hysterical.

People here cook with self-raising flour and fake butter product.
It didn't work out so well for us today.

The first attempt at chocolate chip cookies.
Oh well... at least we had fun trying! We brought the crumbly results for the youth to snack on and the container ended up on the dessert table. Everyone who tasted the "mistake" raved about how good it was!

Chocolate No-Bakes.

I'm determined to spread the joy of Chocolate No-Bakes in England - nobody has heard of them and so far they've been a big hit. The girls are thrilled to discover the joy of the ethical addiction that is the Chocolate No-Bake. This is my favourite cookie-type treat, though they don't really qualify as a "real" cookie. Every time I make them I end up eating way too many of them. I was introduced to No-Bakes by my very first land-lady when she filled a large container with them for me when I travelled home for Christmas. I generously shared a few with my family and hoarded the rest for myself. They're easy and fast to make and great when you want a sugar-fix but don't want the mess of making traditional cookies.

Chocolate No-Bakes

- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup cocoa
Mix in a saucepan and boil for 1 minute, stirring continually. Remove saucepan from heat and add:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (preferably plain and smooth)
Stir until peanut butter has melted and blended into the chocolate mixture.
Stir in:
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Add:
- 2 3/4 cups rolled oats (I always use quick-cooking)

Stir until blended and drop in spoonfuls onto parchment or foil-lined cookie sheet (or serving tray, plates, countertop, or any other flat place). Resist tasting them until the cookies are cool (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container. It won't take long to devour them all. Enjoy!

Day with E, M, H, and L

Today I spent all afternoon and evening at Emma and Matthew's place. I love their family to bits! Emma and I started off by going to Starbucks mid-afternoon, bringing along Lottie, the adorable toddler who sprayed her smoothie all over herself while Emma wasn't looking. When it was time to pick Hannah up from preschool, Emma asked if I had plans or if I wanted to come along. I waited in the car while Emma went in to fetch her and I could read Hannah's lips yelling, "Amanda! Amanda!" as she jumped down the steps and ran toward the car. Her reaction made my day! Emma asked if I had time to go back to the house and we all enjoyed sitting on the back patio, visiting and admiring their freshly laid sod - the girls finally have a new lawn to play on!

Hannah loves taking photos and does a remarkably good job!

Late in the afternoon Emma asked if I wanted to stay for supper. After supper there was the usual routine of playing with Hannah and Lottie, bath-time antics, stories and prayers, and a bit more visiting with Matthew and Emma. I just got home and it's almost 10:00 p.m.

I needed a day like today - kids to play with and friends to tell me if God doesn't open the doors to a job then they'll steal my passport so I can't leave.

Friends Near and Far

This afternoon as I was searching for jobs online, an instant-message chat box popped up from a friend who lives in Ontario. I met her when both of us lived in Alberta a few years ago but now Elizabeth is married (I had the privilege of shooting her wedding photos) and has a beautiful new baby girl. We typed back and forth for about twenty minutes – I laughed and cried and loved having a chance to connect with her.

Elizabeth taking it easy on her wedding day.

Liz is a godly woman who never ceases to amaze me with the way she pours herself into the lives of those around her – I miss having her family in my life in person! I spent many weekends with her family during the three-and-a-half years I lived in Alberta and I've done numerous photo shoots with them – family photos, a CD cover, baby portraits, wedding photography. When I long for the sound of something familiar, I often listen to a CD of her family singing. I wish so much I could cuddle her sweet baby, take photos, play piano duets, and just spend time with Liz and her sisters. But chatting with her brought yet another reminder of how fast time flies and how quickly life changes. Only a few years ago I was teasing her about a cute guy she barely knew who was going to stay with her family for a few days... now he's her husband. (I'm still trying to convince her that she misses my teasing.) I don't like thinking about how far apart we live, not only while I'm living here, but even when I move back to Canada. I know we may never hug each other again on earth, but eventually we'll praise God together in heaven some day and I'm so thankful to know that!

One of the adorable nephews at the wedding.

There are so many people back home that I miss a lot – those people who make me laugh, give me hugs, offer words of encouragement, or provide opportunities for great conversations. I'm so glad God has given me people in England to help fill those roles in my life. I have people here who I know I can count on to give me hugs, friends who inspire me, a wonderful church family, people who crack me up every time I see them, and friends who send emails or texts that make me smile.

Job Hunting

Yesterday I was supposed to start looking for a job, but I received an email from an old friend I haven't seen in about eight years. He's been living in Africa for several years but he's on his way back to home, breaking his journey with a couple of weeks in England. His flight from London to Canada left yesterday so I met him at the airport to spend an hour or two at a coffee shop before his departure.

I love seeing people from back home! One of the things I find quite difficult about moving to a new place is not having a history with anyone around me. Every friendship is new and conversations rarely include the phrase, "Remember when we..." There's something really comforting in hearing a Canadian accent, catching up with somebody from back home, and hearing the phrase, "Hey - remember when we..."

I've reviewed my finances and I figured I can stretch the money in my account in England until the first or second week of August. I still have some savings in Canada as I'll need to buy a car, find a place to live, and search for a job after I return home, but that money won't be used to finance my time in England. I have decided on July 31 as my job-hunting deadline; if I don't have at least a three-month work contract by that date, or a job possibility in progress, such as an interview booked, then I'll be booking a flight back to Canada on August 1 with a departure date by the middle of August.

Today I started the job search by registering with a few job search websites, contacting agencies where I registered last October to request that my file be activated, and I applied for about six or seven jobs. There aren't many temporary or contract positions available, but I'm going to do my best to find something! Whenever anyone asks me how I'm doing my response is, "I'm doing great - I'm looking for a job, do you know of anyone who's hiring?"

When I started this adventure I had faith that God would use my finances to keep me in England or bring me back to Canada. It's a clear way for Him to lead me and I've seen Him provide jobs at a moment's notice so, in spite of the terrible state of our economy, I know He can provide me with a job if He wants to. My prayer is not that God would provide me with a job in England; my prayer is that I would accept whatever the outcome may be. There are moments when I want to return to Canada and other moments when I want to stay here. I really don't know what God has in store, but I do know that my life will change a lot during the next few weeks.

So Long, Farewell...

This morning Melinda flew back to Canada and part of me desperately wanted to go with her. As much as I love living in England and all the travel and adventure that has gone along with life here, there are times when I really miss living in Canada. I had such a great time with her - some friends raised their eyebrows when I told them I was travelling with my teenage cousin who I don't really know very well, but we got along great and I loved having a chance to get to know Melinda better. We laughed a lot, got lost a few times, took a lot of pictures, had plenty of memorable moments, and I feel incredibly privileged to be the one who got to travel with her to celebrate her high school graduation! Congratulations, Melinda!

My friend from Canada, Marijka, is still living in London. We try to stay in touch over the phone and by email, but we haven't seen each other in person as often as we'd like. She met me at the airport and we had a great time visiting in an airport cafe for a few hours before I returned to Basingstoke. We told each other stories about our recent travel adventures, looked through photos, and got caught up on what's happening in each of our lives. Marijka will finish her teaching job in a couple of weeks and then she's off travelling for several weeks before returning to Canada. I look forward to the day when we can get together in Canada and reminisce about life back in England - I'm glad there will be someone back home who can so fully relate to this experience!

A Day of Travelling

This morning we caught a train back to Vienna and arrived at the airport about three or four hours early for our flight to London. Every price in the airport shops seemed to be double compared to what you would pay in a shop on the street. I considered one of my favourite treats - peanut M&Ms - but couldn't justify the price. I looked at magazines but turned them down for the same reason. I finally found a bag of mini chocolate bars for a good price and Melinda and I ate way too many of them as we chatted, wrote journal or notebook entries about our trip, and people-watched. We eventually started playing a geography game - the first person says a continent, country, city, province, or state and then the next person has to choose another word starting with the letter the previous word ended with (e.g. Edmonton, Newfoundland, Denmark, Kentucky, etc.). A girl in her twenties was sitting across from us so I invited her to join in. Her first language wasn't English so it was not only a great way to use up some of our time waiting for our flights, it was also a chance for her to practice her English. We received some stares as most people were just sitting quietly in the waiting area while the three of us were laughing and chatting away.

You only have to be sixteen to smoke and drink over here?
Melinda sure missed out - if only we'd known earlier!
(Just kidding! A girl on the flight tried to convince us to go clubbing in London but we turned down her invitation. The girl kept saying that it would be a great way for Melinda to celebrate her graduation and she didn't think we were as innocent as we appeared to be. We just laughed.)

More Salzburg Sites

Melinda, admiring the scenery:
"The hills are... I don't know... they're..."
Me, in a dramatic tone:
"Alive? ...with the sound of music?"
Girl, walking past shaking her head:
"Oh wow."

Our day started with a guided tour of the Festival Halls. We really had no idea what to expect, but I knew this was the location of the hall used in the music festival at the end of The Sound of Music so I wanted to see the interior. We discovered that there are several concert halls and I was disappointed that preparations are underway for their huge, annual music festival; the rock window openings so well-known from The Sound of Music were boarded up for the set of an opera to be held in the hall. I could still recognize the area and I've included a photo for fans of the movie.

The music festival hall used in The Sound of Music.

I was fascinated by how carefully they designed this hall. The focus was primarily on the acoustics but also for comfort - the fabric was tested and chosen because it absorbs the least amount of sound and the temperature is controlled through vents at each seat so the temperature in the hall remains consistent no matter where you're seated.

We caught a bus to Hellbrunn Palace, a place most well-known for the trick fountains designed by the Prince-Archbishop Markus Sitticus in the early part of the seventeenth century. I wish I could have met the man - he obviously had a very quirky sense of humour.

Hellbrunn Palace - designed as a day-time summer getaway.

Ponds and well-clipped hedges in the gardens at Hellbrunn.

A video clip showing a mural in a small room inside Hellbrunn Palace.

Guests should consider themselves warned.

This dining table is one of the most well-known of the trick fountains. The bishop ensured that each of his practical jokes was designed with a dry area for him to take refuge while his guests were either sprinkled with water or completely drenched. At this table he hosted lavish suppers and when the guests had enjoyed plenty of food and alcohol, he had the fountains turned on.

The designs on the wall above the table are created from coloured stones.

Water shoots out of holes in the ground all around the table as well as out of each seat. Although the bishop's seat has a hole, no water comes out of it.

If I were one of his guests, I don't think I would find it very amusing.

A strange fountain mounted on the exterior of the palace. There were two of these dripping water off the antlers and tongue. Odd.

Decoration inside one of the rooms holding trick fountains.

As we walked through some of the outbuildings and admired the mosaics on the walls, floors and ceilings, the tour guide turned on fine sprays of water which shot out of tiny nozzles in the walls and floors. The bishop must have had so much fun designing this place!

A bizarre little fountain in a pond - the figure of a deer, dressed in what appears to be a Roman soldier's uniform, is about one foot high. Water sprays out of the spear, the deer's mouth, and the mouths of each of the dogs.

A sample of one of the scenes created using power from a man-made stream. The figures are about six inches high.

This intricate scene showing townspeople engaged in various jobs is musical and all the characters move around. It was created in 1750 and it still works using only the gravitational flow of water - no pumps!

We returned to Salzburg and made our way to the Residenz State Rooms to explore the rooms where the archbishops began entertaining in the sixteenth century and where events are still held today.

Mozart performed in this beautiful room.
The ceiling is a beautiful sculpture with complete cherubs perched around the paintings. Click the photo to enlarge.

The first time a fancy ceiling painting has made me want to laugh. I just think it's hilarious that famous people and powerful politicians attended meetings or concerts here and if they looked up they were met with the view of a cow's huge rear end.

The rooms all had beautiful parque floors - amazing!

In the photo of the concert hall above, or in one of the photos from the Josephinum in Vienna, you may notice what look like massive ceramic urns against the walls. These are heaters and they allowed the fires to be stoked by servants from behind the walls so the residents and guests weren't disturbed. The photo above shows a tiny space in the wall where a servant would have stooped stoke the fire.

Next on our to-do list was taking in a cruise on the Salzach River. The forty-minute cruise was quite boring for the most part, but we still found ways to make it fun. A camera with a "video" feature helps. Our favourite part was when they turned on waltz music and let the boat spin down the river - quite dizzying, but a lot of fun after the slow cruise!

Video clip of the boat "waltzing" on the river.

We caught a bus to save a bit of walking and then climbed a few long staircases to reach Nonnberg Abbey, used in The Sound of Music as the convent where Maria runs in after singing, "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music". As we walked up the stairs, I paused to take a photo and Melinda turned around to ask what I was taking a photo of. I answered, "A leaf."
She asked, "What's on it?"
I laughed and replied, "Nothing... it's just a leaf!"

Just a leaf.

The abbey was closed, but the main doors were worthy of a photo so our treck up the hill wasn't in vain.

We walked back into town, stopping at a bench overlooking the city to eat our picnic supper. As we walked, church bells repeatedly pealed from various areas of the city. I checked the time, but couldn't figure out why the bells were ringing. It was a beautiful sound, even if it didn't make a lot of sense.

Church bells ringing.

We passed a young woman wearing a traditional outfit so I asked her to stop for a photo. She obliged, with the, "You're crazy!" look on her face that has now become so familiar to me. The bow tied on her left indicates that she's single - if it were tied on the right it would indicate that she's married.

The final stop today, and the final site for our time in Salzburg, is the Mönchsberglift, an elevator to the top of one of the hills bordering the city. We saved it for tonight simply because it's open late and we wanted to cover everything else first. We didn't have any idea how fabulous the views would be! Tonight was one of those perfect, warm summer evenings with beautiful light and lots of laughter. An ideal finish to our vacation.

The view from the top.

We agreed that Salzburg was our favourite city during this trip - it seemed laid-back and friendly, there were plenty of sites to explore, none of the streets felt unsafe, and we felt at home here. Salzburg also has the best city skyline of all the places we've visited - we had a great time taking photos of each other.

Melinda called this my "sexy face".
The face I made after her comment could be called my "hysterical laughter face".

The many faces of our vacation together:

Opera and music in Vienna - Papageno!

Adorable panda bears at Schönbrunn Palace.

Yummy chocolates in Belgium.

We don't want to leave Salzburg...
or leave our vacation.

We love Salzburg!