Our flight from Berlin to Vienna, Austria was scheduled for 3:05 pm. We took our time waking, checking mail, etc., and drinking coffee. Then we dressed and went out for one of our fast walk/runs for exercise - the very first we have had a proper chance to do since we left home. Our exercise time gave us a chance to get an up close look a Lichtenberg. Sound familiar?? Yes, it is a suburb of Berlin but it also was among the towns that housed concentration camps.

We left the apartment about 12:30 with a well-planned plot to travel by trains and bus to the airport - all costs covered on our City-Card. We worked on this plan to make sure we had it right. We just did not know that an entire section of the "ring" (major train section) was shut down today for maintenance. Ooops!! At a stop, an announcement was made in Duetsch. Everyone stood up and grabbed their bags. We just sat there, wide-eyed. We got the hint and a nice young lady filled us in. Now we had to navigate our way on-the-fly to the airport via underground and bus. I have to give credit to Stan. He is a fantastic navigator and if that does not work, he is has such a warm and approachable personality that he can work his way to getting just the help we need. What a fantastic travel partner I have; plus it helps that I love him. We made it to airport right on time. We have guardian angels.

Our apartment here in Vienna is quaint but pristine and stocked just like home. The owner family met us at the station and walked us the short way to the apartment. They pointed out good restaurants and the metro/bus stops for major things we might like to see. They showed us around the apartment. They had set out for us wine, some kind of hard-liquor, candy, colored eggs, and a fresh bouquet of lilacs ----- lilacs, my very favorite blooming bush! The fragrance is wonderful and it brings back childhood memories of sleeping at grandmother's house with the fragrance of lilacs coming through window in the cool spring air.

Our hosts' precious eight-year-old daughter, Dora, absolutely charmed us. She showed us her musical skills at the keyboard where she played and sang a cute Austrian children's song. Then to top all things, she played The Star Spangled Banner on her recorder/flute-a-phone just for us. My God!!!! How very, very sweet!!! How does this happen??? Here we are, so far from home and these three people have absolutely stopped their day to make our day so very, very special.