High on a Hill Was a Lonely Goatherd

Ten years ago this week, T-Bone and I embarked on the Trip of a Lifetime, beginning with six weeks of summer school in Innsbruck, Austria, followed by nearly three weeks of aimless travel and living out of our backpacks. The required Immigration Law classes were SO beyond me, and while International Art Law sounded interesting on paper, listening to the professor just read to us from the textbook everyday wasn't really what I had in mind. Not surprisingly though, the Death Penalty in International Law, taught by this guy, rocked my world. All this to say, I didn't exactly make the program's honor roll, but I had a helluva time.

T-Bone and I had been dating for about six months, and although there had already been talk of gettin' hitched, we knew (as did everyone else in the free world) that the Trip of a Lifetime would also be the True Test of the Relationship. I'm happy to report that not only did we make it through, but The Trip solidified our plans for the future and gave us a host of great memories well worth the extra loan we each had to take out to pay for it - a paltry sum really, but one that my in-laws feel compelled to remind us of ALL the time. But that's a-whole-nother story ...

SOOO - Here we are a decade later, and I have a new scanner and an insane case of the Travelin' Jones. I am also way jealous of Ms. Karla and all of her awesome travel stories, so I will now bore you for a few posts with some of my favorite pictures from The Trip. Warning: If you don't give a shit about architecture, religious iconography, and random shots in general, you will hate these pictures. But, it's my blog, so screw you. Check back in about a week. Or don't. I'll be here.

First up: Austria. We were based in Innsbruck (which we came to adore) and took three- and four-day trips on the weekends while the program was in session. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Vienna, and "The Sound of Music" Tour we took in Salzburg on my birthday totally kicked ass. Shut up.

This is one of the main squares in "Downtown" Innsbruck. I took SO many pictures of statuary and religious icons, it's ridiculous. Everywhere we went, I got shots of the retablos and frescos people had above their doors. Loved it. Case in point:

I call this "Mosaic with Feet." It's hard to tell here, but the mosaic had lots of shiny gold pieces, and the dude in the window thought it was a nice day to air his feet. They are crossed and resting gingerly on the window sill.

This is the Innsbruck train station, and if you look closely, you can see the Olympic ski jump in the background. Innsbruck hosted the Games twice, and if you are so inclined, you can take a bobsled ride down the actual track used for the Olympics. I, however, was not so inclined, as I happen to like my teeth right where they are, safely rotting away in my own mouth.

Tune in next time for more of Austria and Switzerland. Or not.