No Greater Love

If you ask me what the highlight of this most recent trip was, I won't say the enchanting canals of Venice or the nights spent listening to music at the Piazza San Marco. No, it wasn't the breathtaking sights of the Alps or the random wandering in Vienna...all those things were unforgettable but there's a certain little moment that'll stay with me for quite some time. A snapshot better than any I took with my camera...

It was the night my mom, some friends of ours, and I decided to go to a heurigen. I had never been to one before but my mom was hyping it up, telling me how nice those little wine taverns were and sharing stories of how she spent many nights at those places way back when she was doing some training in Austria. So off we went to enjoy a night of traditional Austrian culture and wine. The place we went to was certainly lovely but it wasn't the place, the food, or the wine that made the night what it was...

It was her.

With a violinist and accordion player performing the most romantic of songs, my mom was in her element. There she was, this vision...singing, swaying, and dancing to the tunes she raised me with...Historia de un Amor, Besame Mucho, Strangers in the Night, Love Story. I sat there watching her in awe...she was so happy, so elated, so absolutely radiant. For that moment, I got a glimpse of my mom as herself. I saw her not as a mother, a wife, a sister. Not as a friend or a grandmother. For that moment, she was just Jocelyn. Completely stripped of all other titles and attachments. And let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that one moment for a thousand others. I felt so lucky, so proud to have been sitting there knowing that this woman was my mother. And though she probably doesn't know it, it wasn't just me that was taken aback by her loveliness...I know that all eyes were set on her as the violinist played by her side as she playfully (and maybe even flirtaciously) sang and snapped along to his rendition of Fly Me to the Moon. And honestly, if you were there to see it, you'd wonder how anyone could ever keep their eyes away...

If it were just for that one moment alone, that one unforgettable snapshot...I can honestly say that the entire trip had been worth it. But it was that and more, so what more can I possibly say? I spent two weeks with this incredibly lovely lady who just so happens to be my mom and my best friend. We explored foreign lands (and waters), got into some heated fights (all part of the ride, right?), and shared some pretty sweet moments together (iPod breaks at Schonbrunn, picture-taking in our hotel room, remember?). We've got a thousand more pages of memories to add to our already jam-packed story and there's still so much ahead...

Happy Mother's Day, Mama. I love you!

The temporary, the fleeting, and the momentary

Le sigh. I'm back from my two week getaway and already that all too familiar melancholy is setting in. It was a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle that was the past few months...but alas, all good things must come to an end. C'est la vie, n'est pas?

And though we often express disdain for this rather well known fact, isn't that what makes those times so special? The allure of the temporary, the fleeting, and the momentary...the knowing that it will end, when it will end, and setting your expectations accordingly. There is no dancing on the roofs of hope or thinking about the long term...just enjoying the ride for what it is and relishing in the series of extraordinary (and not so extraordinary) moments we encounter along the way.

We say we wish we could be on vacation everyday...that it could all last "forever" but isn't that the very thing that makes life so mundane? If every getaway, every stolen moment lasted forever (the way we often say we wish they would), wouldn't it lose its very appeal? Isn't that exactly when it becomes the permanent, the expected, the routine...and the everyday? Doesn't it then become the very thing that we so desperately and so often want to escape from?

So though I'm sad to have left Europe, I happily return to my home here in Toronto, not with despair that I won't get those moments back (as I felt last year), but with appreciation and gratitude that I was lucky enough to have experienced it all in the first place...

The Journey vs. The Destination

St. Peter's Cemetery

 Today I took a trip to Salzburg, ready to be charmed by this Austrian city. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't met and I was left rather disappointed. I mean, it wasn't horrible, but I wasn't blown away by the place either. I spent a nice afternoon taking in the main tourist spots in the city. I got to see where Mozart lived and indulged in a super delish ice cream sundae at Cafe Tomaselli, a cafe he frequented during his time. I also walked St. Peter's cemetery, which was seen in one of the last scenes of the Sound of Music. Oh and of course I was amazed by the fact that this was an entire city way up on a mountaintop. Pretty cool stuff, but other than that , it was, for lack of a better word, shmeh.

What I did enjoy, however, was the ride en route to Salzburg. Our tour guide brought us to all the different little villages in the Dachstein Salzkammergut area. And let me tell you...the view was absolutely phenomenal! We stopped at the small towns of Traunkirchen and St. Gilgen and I was simply in awe of the grandness of the Alps and the 20 some lakes that could be found in the region. Now I've mentioned this before...I am not, by any means, a nature or outdoor person but damn...when you're right in the midst of all of it, you just can't help but be captivated. There's a certain calm...a certain serenity that just grabs hold of you. I could've spent all day at Traunkirchen, just sitting by the lakeside doing absolutely nothing. So grateful to have experienced and witnessed that even if each of the stops lasted only a short 15 minutes.

At Traunkirchen

So though I didn't quite fall in love with Salzburg, the journey there made the trip more than worth it. As the Austrian empress Sisi once wrote, "A destination is only desirable because a journey lies in between"...and today could not have been a better lived example. After all, isn't it more often than not that the journey proves even greater, even more fulfilling than the destination itself? Isn't it in the journey where the magic lies?

A Boat, A Bus, and a Train

I can't go without blogging about my travels back to Vienna from Venice. With a combination of boat, bus, and train, my journey encompassed all sorts of landscapes. Starting in Venice, I had to ride the Al Vaporetto, the boat, to get to the bus station. It was a lovely short ride along the Grand Canal, giving me my last glimpse of the palaces, the gondolas, and the island. Bittersweet.

The Grand Canal

From there I took the bus to an Austrian city called Villach. Didn't really know what to expect to see from my window...maybe some small Italian towns, but nothing spectacular. More than anything else, I think I was just upset that I was leaving Venice to enter the world of cars  again.

But my frame of mind changed soon after with views of winding roads, acres of vineyards, and would you believe it, the Swiss Alps. I had no idea that I'd even come across those great mountains during this trip! I had totally forgotten that the Italy, Austria, and Switzerland all neighboured each other! And surrounding the mountains were little streams and a river with the cleanest water I've ever seen in my life. I don't know the name of that river but the woman next to me said it's one of Italy's longest...I'll have to research that later. But anyway, there I was sitting on the bus in awe and I couldn't help but think that the people who live there get to see this scenery every single day. Do they realize how beautiful it is? Do they still appreciate its grandness or is it just there...a backdrop simply ignored?

The Alps

But alas, the journey didn't end there...I had to switch on to the train and enjoy four glorious hours of the Austrian landscape. How could I have forgotten that the Sound of Music took place in Austria? With the vast and rolling hills in sight, I pictured Maria twirling around singing, "the hills are aliiiiiveeeee...". So lovely! Seeing the homes there, I imagined again of how life must be like. Crazy to think how much diversity there is in this world... both in lifestyle and in geography.

The Hills of Austria

I really didn't expect that adventure back to Vienna. I just thought I'd sleep or read much of the way but how could I with scenery like that? Who knew the sights I'd behold on a boat, a bus, and a train would be so breathtaking?