Eisriesenwelt, Schokolade für Mittagessen, und Meine Österreichische Schwester!

Translation: The largest ice cave in the world, chocolate for lunch, and my Austrian sister! (Or thereabouts... Astrid's at work so she might correct something when she reads this.)

I was SO nervous on the plane from Berlin to Graz. What if Astrid and I don't get along like we used to? What is she's stuck with me for a week?!?

Yeah, right.

The instant I saw Astrid, I almost burst into tears. It had been around FIVE YEARS since I've seen her. She ran up and hugged about a million times, and we just stood in the middle of the airport for minutes staring at each other, right in everyone's way. When we could finally move, we walked out to the car. Astrid put it perfectly: It felt like I've been gone for a week.

It felt like coming home.

It is the most incredible thing to have this family. The Venningdorfs are amazing. Astrid picked me up in the same car she did in 2003, but now she can drive it. I remembered the way to her house, and it is still as beautiful as ever. Her parents hugged me like they saw me yesterday. The only thing different was I almost had a heart attack when I saw her little brother. Last time I saw him he was ten and bit of a little terror. Well, now he's fifteen and TALLER THAN ME. I'm still not over it. Like, he literally just walked in the living room while I'm writing this and even though it's wearing off a little, I still am surprised even after 5 days.

This time my room is on the top floor. Astrid's house is four stories if you include the basement, so I'm three flights of stairs off the ground. Her old room is now her dad's office, and she lives in an apartment in the city with her boyfriend Hannes but still has a room right across the hall from mine. We have the whole top floor to ourselves. Right after I got here, her family fed me as usual (her mom is an amazing cook!) and I had my first real homemade meal in a long time. Next up was a shower, which seemed to have become a really hot commodity for me. After that, Hannes was set to come over, and according to Astrid both him and I were really nervous about it. Well, no need to be because he's wonderful. He's softspoken and so good-hearted you wouldn't believe it. He loves motorcycles, photography and rock-climbing. He's also in the same program as Astrid studying to be a doctor, and he works as an ambulance driver with her all night every Saturday. You can tell how much he loves Astrid just by looking at him. Basically they're the cutest couple, and I'm so happy for her!

An older man who is one of Astrid and Hannes' Red Cross colleagues was having a birthday party at a restaurant in the hills near the Venningdorfs' house, and she asked me if I wanted to go. The view from our tables was gorgeous over the red rooftops of the city, and the food was pure Austrian. Huge wooden platters of meats and cheeses came out with baskets of bread, and I got to try a little of everything. Astrid and I shared a slice of marzipan cake. Even though everyone spoke German the entire time, it was really cool to sit in on the party. I don't really know how to explain it, but I got to be a fly on the wall and experience something that still would have happened in a foreign country had I not been there.

After dinner, 14 of us went to a bar called Seasons where they serve "bowles", or drinks of wine and champagne mixed together with tons of different kinds of fruit, named for the giant bowls they are usually served in. Think like a punchbowl. I tried one with strawberries and bananas and another with apricots and kiwis. Soooo good. I was the only one there who was A) American and B) not an ambulance driver, but I got to meet a bunch of her friends, including the two other guys we are going to Croatia with. After an hour of two, we went home and I passed out after not having slept more than an hour and a half the night before.

Monday was beautiful. We spent the morning at Astrid's house, which included yet another amazing lunch, this time of pasta with shrimp. I cannot get over how good her mom's food is. At one point I was sitting on the couch showing Astrid some pictures and I had been wondering when I was going to see her grandma. Well, in she walks and we both stop dead. I practically throw the computer on Astrid's lap (sorry...) and her grandma almost started crying. We have the most amazing relationship because she only knows a few words in English and I speak horrible German, but she still feels like a grandma to me. A few minutes ago she walked through the living room, said something in German to me and put her hand on my shoulder. Then she walked out. It's so wonderful.

In the afternoon Astrid took me into the city. Her apartment is so cool. It's like one of those funky city apartments we all want to have, and she's an amazing decorator. Then we went up to the Schlossberg (the big mountain with the clock tower on top) to visit a cafe. Along the way we walked passsed a small train that takes children through the tunnels of the mountain past animatronic figures showing scenes of Austrian fairytales, and Astrid told me her grandma used to take her on it when she was little. So of course I wanted to go. We bought tickets and went up the lift to the cafe to drink orange juice and wait for our train ride. It was the cutest little ride, and I learned a lot about the fairytales Astird grew up with. Afterward, Hannes had to leave but Astrid and I walked through the city center, stopping at a bookstore, a department store, Swarovski... You get it. We came back to her parents' house to eat pizza baguettes for dinner on her back patio while her brother and Hannes played soccer behind us. We talked about boys, dating, school, everything. She really is like a sister, even if she lives across the world.

On Tuesday, Astrid had planned a trip to Eisriesenwelt, which is the world's largest ice cave in the province of Salzburg (the northwestern part of Austria). I had no idea what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed the hour and a half drive, and Astrid and Hannes probably got a little sick of me saying "WHOA." and taking pictures out the window. We finally parked the car in a busy lot and started walking up to the ticket office. Astrid hadn't been to the cave since she was nine or ten, and Hannes had never been so it really was an experience for all of us. Basically, we had a 20 minute hike, a ride in Austria's steepest cable car, and another 20 minute hike until we came to what was literally a giant hole in the side of a sheer rocky summit. The entrance to the cave was noticably colder and the closer to the front of the line we got, the more you could see your breath. It was incredible considering that 30 feet before this spot we'd been sweating from our steep hike. All bundled up, we were handed small lanterns with a single flame and were led inside by a guide with a special magnesium flare. A gust of freezing air hit us, and once our lanterns were re-lit, we found ourselves in a giant black hole with a wooden path beneath our feet. The tour took us 7000km above sea level and 1km into the mountain passed formations called the Ice Polar Bear and the Ice Elephant and through rooms called the Ice Castle and the Ice Palace. The tour guide would tell us where to stop and climb off into the nearest formation. It would be completely dark until he would relight his flare and the most amazing caverns and ice formations would light up like you wouldn't believe. 700 stairs up, 700 back down, and I'd seen one of the most incredible sights of my life. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed but here's a link to the website where you can see some pictures:

http://www.eisriesenwelt.at/site/content/CB_ContentShow.php?coType=photos

On the drive back, Astrid took a detour to the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen near the most adorable small towns. Austrian lakes are incredible because they are surrounded by mountains that look like they continue straight down under the water. You can see all the way to the bottom, and the scenery is just magnificent. Pictures will never do them justice. We sat at a small restaurant for some Eis (ice cream) near the water, and as usual we fought over who would pay. Astrid never EVER lets me pay for anything and it's even worse when Hannes is around. Well, this time she thought she was being clever by saying that if I understood how much it was, I could pay. What she doesn't know is that numbers in German are my specialty, and my crowning moment was when I paid perfectly and she was speechless. Sorry Astrid, that's just my style.

After the lakes we drove back to Graz to eat dinner at Cooking Wu, the most amazing Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. It's a little like Benni Hana's (I have no idea how to spell that) in that you get to mix together any and all the ingredients you want, put a tag on your plate for the sauce you want, and give it to the cooks. I got chow mein noodles with tons of vegetables, shrimp and calamari with an oyster on a halfshell on the side. After that plus appetizers and dessert, Astrid and I couldn't move, and I introduced them to the concept of a "food baby" which they thought was hilarious. We've actually been exchanging phrases and slang and the like quite a bit. They've told me about "a dying bird" which is a person who is sick but acting as if they will never recover and "an earworm" which is the expression they use when a song is stuck in your head. And I have left them with the incredibly intellectual concepts of a "man purse" which comes into play as Hannes holds Astrid's purse when she goes to the water closet, as well as "backseat driver" which Astrid thoroughly enjoys calling Hannes when he tries to tell her how to drive.

The only downside to this week is that right after I got here, Astrid's dad came down with a terrible flu (hence the "dying bird"), which her mom then got, and then her brother. They were down for the count for a few days, but are much better now.

Wednesday was a lot more mellow. Astrid and I walked around the Seiersburg mall for awhile until it was time to head back to her house for lunch with her grandmother. FYI, Knödel is amazing. After lunch, Astrid, Hannes and I headed to Phillippe for the best ice cream in Graz. If there is one thing Astrid and I share, it's our love of ice cream. I got three scoops (!), one of chocolate, one of hazelnut, and one of Astrid's favorite - marzipan. Part of the reason we went is because she wanted me to compare it to Charley Temmel ice cream, which is all over Graz. Winner: Phillipe. After that it was off to Astrid's apartment so she could get ready for work at a Interspar, a local grocery store. I told her I would be fine going into the city center on my own, but she was still worried. However, I absolutely managed to find my way to Hauptplatz and back to her apartment wihtout any trouble. Once back at her apartment, Hannes and I got a chance to talk for awhile. He showed me the route we are going to take when we go camping in Croatia this weekend and pictures from Triest, Italy, where we are stopping for lunch on the way. He told me all about how Astrid loves to to cook and decorate, and I found a book on her shelf in her bedroom that I have on my bookshelf in mine. It’s a very large book called The Travel Book with a overview and pictures of every country in the world. When she finally came back from work we were so shocked that we both had it. I love how much we’re alike. Wednesday night was the night of one of Astrid’s friend's birthday parties. Before we left, Astrid showed me the scrapbooks she had made and was in the process of making for Hannes of all the things they have done in the three years they have been together. So adorable. Then we were off to Cohibar, a Mexican style cantina. I actually got to help everyone with the menu since the dishes were all in Spanish. I ended up with a chicken burrito, which included corn, peas and green beans. Astrid laughed and said it was what Austrians think burritos would be like. I also had a margharita, which she thought was funny as well. Margharitas and burritos in Graz? Who knew.

Thursday was a day we’d all been looking forward to all week. Astrid had made reservations for the three of us and her brother to go to one of Austria’s most famous chocolate factories, Zotter. We got there quite a bit early so we walked along the road past some of the coolest old farms until we found a perfect view of Riegersberg Castle in the distance. (We went on a tour of the castle last time I was here with Mom. It’s full of witchcraft history!) Then it was back to Zotter, which let me tell you, has enough personality for everyone. When you get there, you get a really cool ceramic tasting spoon to keep, and they start the tour with a movie about where Zotter chocolate comes from. After, they give you an audioguide to guide you through the factory, where you can taste cocoa beans at every stage of the process, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, and 150 FLAVORS OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT. Astrid and I made it through to the hallway where you can taste probably about 30 different flavors by cracking the pieces off in specially made crackers before we started feeling sick. We wanted to try everything! They had flavors like strawberry, green tea, soy milk, rose petal, you name it. I slightly recovered in the Trinkschokolade room, aka my favorite (!) hot chocolate, where there were little cars on cables floating around the room with 15 different flavors to choose from. You get a glass of hot frothy milk, pick your flavor, and drop the whole chocolate bar in. Once it starts to melt, you mix it in and vóila, your hot chocolate is ready. I chose honey cinnamon, and Astrid got bourbon vanilla. Both were SO good. We passed on the next couple tasting stations, but couldn’t help it when we got to the end. The was where little cars on a conveyor belt passed by you with the strangest flavors. These included Plum Bacon, Pot, and Fish flavored chocolate. Pass. I walked out with presents for everyone, so be ready. :)

We drove back to Graz for lunch with the family, but also so Thorsten could pick up his street bike. He got his license the day before, and Erik and Rolande bought him a new bike! Not only that, but Hannes' motorcycle had been in the shop for a few days, and you would have thought he lost his right arm. He got it back that day too. The boys had their perfect day, and Astrid and I got ours because she had gotten tickets to see Die Nacht der Musicals that night on top of the Schlossburg, which is a production that travels all over Europe performing the most famous songs from quite a few musicals. They change often, but last night they did Mamma Mia!, Grease, the Phantom of the Opera, the Lion King, Jekyl and Hyde, We Will Rock You, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and so many more. Astrid got to show me some of her favorite musicals, including Mozart, Elisabeth, and Tänz der Vampires, while she had never heard of Wicked and got to hear "Not That Girl" and "As Long as Your Mine". The second is one of my favorite songs from the show. I promised her that if she came to California and it was still playing I would take her to see it. At the end of the show, the actors did two encores. The first was "Thank You for the Music" from Mamma Mia!, and for the second they got the whole audience to do the "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror. After the show we were starving, so we got some pizza before heading home.

Today was very mellow. We went shopping for food for our camping trip to Croatia in the morning, and I’ve been typing the whole time Astrid’s been at work.

As for the next adventure, it’s off to camp on an island off of the coast of Croatia for two nights. Monday night we’re in Vienna. And then very early Tuesday morning, I’m on a plane back to California. I can’t believe that nine weeks is almost up! This has been the most incredible experience. It will be nice to be home, but it’s going to be weird. I can’t wait to see you all…