It is May in Austria, which means May Poles are dotting the countryside. Notice how tall this May Pole is! Apparently these poles are quite a tradition. Erected on the first of May, the poles are actually guarded for the first few days to keep people from stealing them, because if they are stolen then the former owner MUST pay the thief and get the pole back. It is also a tradition to put boxes at the top of the pole containing money and food to entice the more adventurous. My teacher remembers how he and other young boys and men would try to climb the poles to retrieve the boxes. Sometimes the owners would cover the pole in oil to make climbing more difficult. I wonder how many people still participate in this game?

Today we took a mini-tour to Allerheiligen to play an organ from the early 1600s. After we played for awhile we climbed to the top of the tower to look out on the village and I decided it was a perfect place for a picture. This might be the first photo I've posted that I haven't taken, but some people complain that they don't see me, so here I am. Thanks Christoph!. This is something like the musical league of nations, because in this picture we have four organists from four countries. L to R: Gustl, our illustrious Austrian mentor; Nira, of Russian heritage from Israel; Monika, from Hungary; me, representing the USA.

I've seen combinations of architecture before, but nothing quite as bold and obvious as this. I had to laugh when I saw this church in Maria Laah, because when they decided they needed an addition they just made one in the style of the day with seemingly no thought to the gothic style of the original part. But it keeps the rain off, so I guess it works (I know this because it was raining while I was there).

Yet another moment of beauty in Austria.

What is the key to success? Recently a friend interviewed me for her English class and the topic was what I consider to be success. To my surprise, I really didn't have a good answer. So I've given it some thought and decided that seeking success could be limiting. To be so goal-oriented that the process is compromised, to sacrifice the present for an unknown future, seems to be the wrong way to go about being happy and 'successful'. When you pour yourself into today and enjoy it for all it is worth, then you don't have to worry about tomorrow. To quote a wise man, "if the process is good, the product will take care of itself".

A mighty fortress is our God,

In every high and stormy gale

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

When other helpers fail.

Just a little hymn trivia for the day. How many can you name?

Behind Schoenbrunn there is a hill and on top of the hill is this lake and building. I'm not sure what it was originally designed for, but it is quite a beautiful setting. I wouldn't mind having it in my back yard.

I went to a concert this afternoon in Stift St. Florian. This was the largest organ in the Austrian Empire when it was built, and it is still the largest in upper Austria. This picture gives you a bit of a perspective since you can see the heads of the choir members in front of the pipes.

Well, it's not quite Holland, but it's still beautiful.

Devon playing some Pachelbel in honor of the 300th anniversary of his death at the organ in Allerheiligen. Not long after that we decided to sight read some war music by Kerll and ended up having a fight with the organ. But it ended up just fine.

I'm not sure what these trees are, but they have the most beautiful pink blossoms and they last forever. I don't remember seeing trees so completely covered in blooms.

It was a picture perfect day when we visited Allerheiligen. It was certainly a lot warmer outside than it was inside! Those thick stone walls have a way of keeping everything nice and cold. The view surrounding the area was very nice too, because the church is up on a hill and you can look out at the surrounding countryside.

This door caught my eye as we were traveling around visiting different organs. I think it was in Stift Schlaegl.

The baroque city center of probably the most colorful town I've visited yet. This is Schaerding, along the river Inn.

Today I spent a fun afternoon with friends. We went to the botanical gardens here in Linz and wandered among plants and flowers from all over the world. It was funny to see plants native to Tennessee with latin names attached. Spring is a lovely time of year!

Yellow, yellow everywhere! I thought I'd seen a lot of daffodils in my time, but then I walked past the park next to my university! It certainly cuts down on mowing time in the spring, not to mention bright and beautiful.

The Vienna skyline through the ferris wheel. It was fun to finally get up in one of the oldest wheels in the world and enjoy the view.

This field full of tulips is just across the street from my university.

Every now and then Enlightened Fellow (see link at right) posts a picture that inspires me to go out and do something similar. I haven't seen any poppies around this area, but we do have lots of tulips right now, though not as many as Holland which I hope to someday visit. There are so many flowers blooming! I love spring.

One of the many fountains in the gardens around Schoenbrunn. Whoever was in charge of building the fountains and monuments really liked the look of Roman ruins. It is very beautiful to be walking through green trees and flowers and then happen upon a sculpture or fountain. I'm having visions of my gardens someday!

Sun, the Traunsee, a swan in the distance (for all my fellow swan fans) and friends. It was pretty much a perfect afternoon on the lake.