Train through the Austrian Alps!

There are no words. It was so beautiful. We headed out of Budapest on a train track that we have traveled before. To get to Zurich from Budapest via train one must travel once again through Wien (Vienna). So we have seen a bit of our route but from the opposite direction. From this angle the landscape looks a bit different than before, plus four additional days of spring make the colors more brilliant too,

The first significant thing I noticed was the field of yellow mustard flowers. They were just beginning to bloom a few days ago; now they are solid sheets of stunning yellow. Then we began to see the first far-off sights of the snow-covered Austrian Alps. As the train sped (sometimes reaching 230 km per hour, that's around 140 mph!!!) farther across Austria, the mountains became grand, and much more magnificent. At their base were tiny hamlets and villages of sharp roofs and colorful homes and big, well-kept barns with springs and rivers nearby. Each had neat stacks of firewood. Many home places had fruit trees and big vegetable plots. Some had hops gardens. There were small green houses and outdoor racks holding flats of sprouting herbs. And we saw dairy cows, goats and reindeer. I just kept thinking wonderfully homespun it must be to live self-sufficiently in these green valleys with the beautiful mountains in every direction. I am certain the living is hard with daily demands of the land and animals, and the winters are cold, and harsh, probably colder that we can imagine. Inside those pointy-roofed houses, I think it is snuggly and warm. I think they fill their bellies with homemade bread and hearty soup and cakes, and they sit in front of the fire at night, their legs covered with thick blankets to keep warm. But then spring arrives exploding with warmth and color! And summer simply must be heavenly!

Our train ride took us high into the mountains and then down into the valley and along the huge lake, Lake Zurich. There were cabins, tiny houses and boathouses just waiting for their owners' to come and enjoy. We saw garden houses and castles and inviting quaint vacation/holiday houses built on the edge of the lake. But today, from our train window, the weather looked cold. Lake Zurich had white caps. We saw dads and sons and dogs out on the lake's edge throwing stones into the water and sticks for the dogs, but they looked cold, all bundled up in their jackets and hoods.

Brrr! I need the south of USA!! I need the beach. Our patience for cold temps and blustery wet winds is beginning to run thin. Although the trees are fully leafed out and flowers are in bloom, Europe is enjoying one last visit of winter before it gives fully away to spring.