Here again, at last!

Apparently I'm impervious to jet-lag, since I've been home for two days and my sleep schedule has been completely normal. I didn't have much trouble adjusting to Austrian time either, come to think of it. Where did I cultivate this skill? Either my circadian clock is completely attuned to light cycles or I've pulled so many all-nighters that sleep is an act of conscious will. It would be interesting to experimentally manipulate these variables and find out which is more correct.

I suppose I can supply a brief rundown of the trip, although the only person who I know reads this with any regularity was there too... The main highlights were the day trip to Vienna where we rode a famous ferris wheel, saw the Dom (cathedral) and ate the best eis (ice cream) in the city, the day in Salzburg wandering among the shops and visiting the fortress at the top of the cliff, swimming in a glacier lake outside Salzburg the following morning, riding up and later climbing on the Schneeberg, and of course all of the family visits and events. Opa's birthday parties were hilarious. For an 80 year old, he sure knows how to throw a get-together... and how to ham it up when he's the center of attention. What a flirt! He's worse than I am. :) Oma was really sweet too, in her finicky, just-so sort of way. I guess when you're accustomed to living your way for such a long time, it's at least a bit reasonable to feel affronted by change.

All in all it was a very good trip. I'm sad to see it end, not only because it was a fun adventure, but also because it signals the end of my summer and the fast-encroaching beginning of another school year (and in Kansas before Ohio, which means another familiar change - loss, actually - is even closer.) Sigh. Melancholy suits me not. I suppose I should appreciate the time remaining and do something with it. To that end, I'll go make some plans.