A Palace, A Wood, and Remembering the Dead

As class hasn't been too exceptionally challenging yet (we've not yet completed our second week!), we've been taking advantage of weekends and holidays to get out and see the sites.  Last weekend, we visited the famous Hapsburg summer palace - Schonbrunn.  We'd been told it was gorgeous, and we discovered that everyone is telling the truth, but it's not necessarily the palace that takes your breath away; it's the grounds.  They were stunning in the brilliance of autumn.  Unfortunately, the pictures don't show you this, so you'll just have to come and visit.

Tuesday was All Saint's Day, and so we took a morning walk together to a nearby pond.  Nathanael loved playing in the leaves, pushing around his stroller, finding dirt piles in which to play... (He's cutting his fourth tooth in one of these pictures. :)

Then we headed to the Vienna Woods in the afternoon.  Gregory and I love urban settings, but we definitely appreciate and need time in wooded areas.  We loved to take walks in the woods near Gordon Conwell on Boston's North Shore.  We were thrilled to discover the Vienna Woods.  They are large and breathtaking, and apparently there's a great view of the city from the top.  We just didn't catch the sun to see it on Tuesday.

We ended the day by stopping off at a cemetery for some cultural education on how Austrians remember their family members on All Saint's Day.  Almost every grave had candles lit earlier that day by visitors.  Many were decorated with floral arrangements.  The final picture here is a grave piled with wreaths, likely from a burial that morning or the day prior.

Though the experience was educating for us, we were consumed with compassion for these people and their lack of knowledge (in the heart) of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We pray God might use us here to make a difference in many lives...