November 5th 2012
I thought I would spend today resting, but instead I decided to join Agnes and Ernst on a hike over Oberbildstein. We drove to Bildstein first, then began a loop going around through the hills and forest behind the little town. It was nice to talk to both of my host parents and just enjoy the outdoors. I scored some great photos from the view point in Bildstein itself, as well as up on the hills. We saw the Bildstein Kirche (where Agnes' parents got married), the war memorial, and even a small chapel from 1629! It is incredible to think that that tiny little chapel is older than our country, but more than half of the things here are that way. We continued down the hills and stopped at a new bench they hadn't seen before to admire the view again. When we were done we drove home for lunch, and rested. Today was a memorial day for those brave men and women who have died in wars for Austria. Ernst's family got together to appreciate and again find peace in losing their brother, uncle, and son in the Hattlerdorf Kirche. It was my first church service ever, so I was a bit clueless, but I sat, listened, and did my best to show my respect to Ernst, his family, his brother, and their beliefs.
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| The ski lift company, it's based in Wolfurt! |
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| This kind of reminds me of the movie Up |
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| The viewpoint behind the Bildstein Kirche |
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| The memorial there as well |
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| The view... Schwarzach is on the far left, Dornbirn in the distance, Wolfurt directly below |
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| Mainly Hard, Höchst, and Lauterach I think |
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| The Bildstein Kirche |
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| Bildstein |
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| Starting our hike |
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| The chapel from 1629 |
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| Ernst in the forest |
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| Agnes climbing down a hill |
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| A nice little creek |
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| The hills here are always stunning green |
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| Sunlight through a tree into smoke from a fire pit belonging to a nearby house |
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| The bench we stopped at |
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| My host parents, Agnes and Ernst |
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| You can see Bregenz and the Bodensee from here, even across to Lindau. I could even see way across to Constance Germany, 30 miles away |
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| A beautiful view |
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| I could never complain about the beauty of Vorarlberg |
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| Me up there, Swiss mountains to my right, the Bodensee to my left |
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| Nice shadows and lines in this photo I think |
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| The Gasthof I had a drink with Agnes the first time I visited Bildstein |
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| A funny little petting zoo behind the soccer fields |
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| Arriving at Hattlerdorf Kirche |
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| Inside the church |
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| The ceiling |
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| The back wall |
