Sunday in the Sky

Josef's mom was still here when we got up, although she was supposed to have gone on an 8:00 train. Turns out she put her bag down to give the kids a last hug, and never picked it up again. When they got to the train station, she was bagless, so had to stay a little longer, though her friend went back as scheduled.

We all went to a special Sunday service they had at the nearby Catholic church to celebrate Corpus Christi. Most of the locals, including a marching band, were dressed in historical apparel. They held a little service outside (hello, sunburn) and then we all marched up the road in a procession that included a marching band. A little too late, Josef and I realized that the men go first, followed by the honor guard and band, so we were stuck bringing up the rear with the women and small children! Once the procession was complete, everyone retired to a restaurant for - what else - beer and meat...perfect for a teetotaling vegetarian. It was a neat experience as the band played while everyone ate.

In the afternoon, Karen took Valorie, Josef's mom and I to Söll, a popular ski area. Of course, the only time I frequent ski areas is when there's no snow, so the timing was great. We took the gondola up to Hexenwasser, a play area halfway up the mountain with waterways you can walk in, a restaurant and giftshop. The second gondola took us all the way up to the top of the mountain, which was over 1800 meters high and afforded terrific views of the valley below and mountains all the way into Germany and Italy.