Austria - 40th Anniversary Trip

Austria

Day 1.  Travel day. We had to leave the sad news of Preston’s death, but I promised Angela I would call every day. 

Finally meet up with our Lakes on last leg of journey on a train from Munich.  They met us on the train.   It was so great to see their smiling faces. We made it. Sleeping on air bed in the main room of their tiny apartment. It’s good to see how senior missionaries live.  

Day 2.   Up. No jet lag. That’s good.  Axams, Austria is a beautiful alpine village nestled into the Alps. Wayne and Bob walked to local bakery for apple strudel and a cinnamon roll called a NussSchnecken- shaped like a snail. We left by 9:40 am.   Bus into Innsbruck. The bus/ train system here is amazing. We walk around darling old, twisty streets.  We take a tram up Nordketten- then another tram to top of the Alps.    Amazing views - some blue sky even came out to meet us. Then back down. Lunch a meat tray and bread at a cool meat shop called Speckeria.  And Gelato from Eisgrotte.   We bus out to Swarovsky crystal factory-Museum and gardens. So many exhibits with crystals from snow scenes, and costumes, to kaleidoscopes. Mom would have loved it.   We rode a black and white Carousel and saw huge art sculptures with crystals.  Back to little Axams village and dinner at the village gymnasium. Best authentic pizza in town!  Home by 8pm.  Catch up with Angela. And Wayne’s work.  

Apple strudel then bed. 

Day 3:  big walking day. 20,000+ step day. Drive to the LDS church in Innsbruck to park the car.  It’s overcast and drizzley. Walk up the hill to a 15th century castle called Schloss ( castle) Ambras

Wandered the grounds and saw 2 peacocks. 

Walked through a cemetery- I love seeing churches and cemeteries in every country. 

Lunch at Dean and David’s at the mall 

Bought colorful, Austrian, wool socks. 

Walked into old town Innsbruck. 

Went up the city tower. Stadtturm.   So many steps up a spiral staircase. 

The Court Chapel and museum. Giant Bronze statues, ornate-cathedral.  Saw some cool, ornate nativity scenes 

Imperial palace.  Amazing Great hall with gorgeous ceiling and family pictures.  1700’s. No photography allowed. 

Eisgrotte-  for some gelato and to rest our feet.  Got a blown, painted egg from a girl on the street. 

Home again for a quick rest. Then dinner up the mountain at “auto zone” Adelshof restaurant. It’s quaint and old school with antlers on the wall. Looks like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast would eat here. Had Wiener Schnitzel and a Tiroler grotl hash.  Plus traditional dessert. 

Why is this king holding a LIAHONA?

Day 4 

Castle day.  Another big walking day. I don’t know how Bob Lake is doing it with his hernia. Hohenschwangau, and Neuschwanstein castles. 

Lunch - brats in the rain 

Rainbow and blue skies appeared while in bridge looking on to Neuschwanstein castle.   Amazing Crown room.   I gasped.  Can’t take inside pictures, but it was soooo impressive.  

Bought groceries for Sunday dinner with missionaries, including an Easter lamb cake. 

Fish Dinner at Adelshof restaurant again.  Delicious. 

Filmed “The hills are alive with the sound of music”video.   Background looks so perfect. It’s like a green screen.  Check this off my bucket list 👍🏽

Day 5

Church at Innsbruck.   

Lovely to meet Austrian saints.    Sang “ I know that my Redeemer lives” in Sacrament meeting. Walk in the fog, cold and rain.  

Rest.  

Dinner with sister missionaries.  Salad. sausage pasta. Garlic bread. And for dessert we carved an Easter lamb which was actually a delicious pound cake.   

Day 6. 

Up and out to the Biggest bakery for breakfast- Der Backer Ruetz.  

Home for ten am District conference.  Then into 

Innsbruck for souvenirs and Doners-  Turkish food. - at Dwerks.    Wandered streets in the rain. Got Linda Wangsgaard a Hard Rock Innsbruck shirt.   

Found a pink church to duck into.  A Gorgeous sacred heart type of church. I went to sneak in quietly and actually said this out loud to Wayne and the Lakes and pulled the doors the wrong way and made the biggest noise EVER!  Scared the old women worshiping then we couldn’t stop laughing and Bob high tailed it outta there. He didn’t want anything to do with us.  Silent, snorting laughter.  So funny. 

Home again for naps and rest.  

Bob has a hernia scheduled- they are leaving next week for Utah. 

Day 7

It snowed last night but now the sun is out. Walk around this quiet village of Axams with its winding roads and little creek that runs through the center of town. 

Checked out the village church with its red spire. It’s magnificent inside , so ornate and very catholic. 

Went to the local Backeri-  for more treats. 

So many religious icons everywhere. Little chapels and statues. Jesus and Mary paintings on buildings.  For a non- religious country their history is very religious. 

Hanging out waiting for the bus and train to Munich. 

We are so blessed and grateful to have such wonderful friends in Bob and Diane. They are genuine and really care about people. They are incredible servants of God. 

Now a full 27 hours of traveling to get back home. 

Grandpa Butters legacy

This is Grant Butters, my Grandpa, as a young man in his first Hair Salon.  He had a gift of not only creating beautiful outsides for women ( their hair)...but while they were in his chair,  he talked to them and created beautiful insides where they left feeling uplifted and loved. 

 My Grandpa Butters made everyone he came in contact with feel very special.  He did it on purpose. We called him "the wonderful committee" because he took it upon himself to compliment and lift and help others feel wonderful.  

I felt this as his granddaughter.  So many days after a hard time at school as a student and later as a teacher I would go in the afternoon up to my Grandparent's house to sit in their "pity party" corner and express all of my concerns and struggles and feel heard and loved and leave knowing it's all going to be okay.  

Grandpa called me Song Bird-- and always had me sing for him. He told other people, in my presence, how amazing I was.  It was very sweet for me and helped me to love singing.  He requested I sing at his funeral, "Suddenly You're Older".-It compares life to the seasons of the year..and finally it's winter and you get to say goodbye.  It's a bittersweet song and leaves a bittersweet memory for me.

My Grandpa died when I was pregnant with Monson.  It was the first death of someone seriously close to me that I would miss on a daily basis. 

After his funeral, a dear sister in his ward came by to see my Grandma.   This sister, Faye Fox, was a dear old soul, and as my mother put it, "she was not blessed with good looks, nor the ability to make the best of the looks she had, but over the years she did the best she could."  Faye was teary and said to my Grandma,  "I know you lost your sweetheart, and that is a great hurt for you....but when Grant died, I lost the only person that ever made me feel beautiful." 

That was my Grandpa.  He made everyone feel beautiful, talented, and special.  And I think that is just what Jesus would have done.