Just another day in Vienna...

Isn't it amazing that the Lord knows exactly what we need, even when we are not sure ourselves? The Lord sent a little encouragement our way, just a couple of weeks ago when Dan and Shirley Carfrey came to visit. The Carfrey's are long-time friends on Paul's side of the family, so much so that they are also considered his godparents. Paul invited Dr. Carfrey, a professor at Appalachian Bible College, to come teach our Bible Institute students the book of Hebrews. The students greatly enjoyed Dr. Carfrey's teaching, and Shirley was a blessing to everyone she met! It was so nice to spend time with the Carfrey's. The Lord used that week in our lives to refresh our hearts and encourage our souls.

The Carfrey's wanted to take full advantage of their time in Europe, so during their stay we took a weekend and whisked off the Vienna! That's the great thing about Europe; traveling from country to country is only a short trip away! We had a great time in Austria, pretending to be cultured Americans (okay, we did revert back to eating at McDonalds... but just once), as we appreciated the architecture, history, and ambience of this remarkable city. I hope you enjoy some pictures of our weekend trip!

We ate breakfast at a quaint coffee shop down the street from our hotel.
That crossaint, next to Paul, was the most beautiful pastry I ever ate!

Schönbrunn Palace, summer home to the royal Habsburg family (far left).
Paul and I in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral (middle).
St. Stephen's Cathedral. in the daylight (far right).

Naschmkt... my new favorite place!

As I was looking through the Vienna tourist brochures in our hotel room, I came across an advertisement for Naschmkt. The brochure said this open air food market was just down the corner from our hotel, so being the adventurous tourist that I am, I decided to check it out! The plan was for us to leave our hotel somewhat early the next morning, so I knew I would have to wake up early if I wanted to get a piece of this cultural experience. I got directions from the front desk and found my way to this wonderful beauty in the middle of Vienna!

Naschmkt is a one-mile stretch of fruit and vegetable stands, cheese, cured meat, spices, tea, honey, candy, and many more homemade delicacies. It was such a neat experience. I could have browsed the market all day long!

I love looking at all the different kinds of cheese. I wanted to try each one!

Many of the stands were selling spices. It was surprising
to see the great variety. A rainbow of flavors!

Lots and lots of olives.

Homemade candy and bread. I felt bad for the workers; it was pretty cold that day.

If any of our friends out there would like to experience Europe for themselves, stop on by! We'd love to show you our ministry in Hungary and take you to the market!