Bregenz

Jackie and I arrived in Bregenz Friday afternoon around 3:00 and had to walk to our hotel which was downtown. Unfortunately we went the wrong direction so we walked an extra 45 minutes in the rain with our luggage. We found our hotel shortly after turning around and heading back past the train station the other way though, and then we were able to change into some dry clothes. That evening we took our dinner out to sit by the lake but the second we got there it began to rain. We thought that we would just brave the weather but then it became so windy it was blowing us off the bench as well as all our food. So we decided to run back to our hotel and chill in our amazingly warm room.

The next morning we woke up early to take the cable car up Pfänder, a mountain in Bregenz. The view was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to see Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Austria all at the same time. I guess kinda like the four corners in the USA but this is four countries!

Once we reached the top of Pfänder we walked around the paths for a while to admire the animals and the views. Unfortunately it was FREEZING cold up there so we went into the restaurant for a couple cups of heiss Schokolade (hot chocolate) and to eat our packed lunch. Afterwards we began our decent down the mountain into even colder air because the trees blocked out all the sun. I was soooo cold and I had on a long sleeve shirt with my jacket. Jackie however, who is from Canada, was wearing a short sleeved shirt and was perfectly fine. I think I'll stick to the hot weather, thank you. Anyways we hiked down slowly and made a two hour trip out of it. When we reached the city again we did some leisurely shopping before getting ahold of Zach, another exchange student that was living in Bregenz. That night we met him at the beach to watch the sunset (which was beautiful) and then we met up with some of his new friends after that.
Sunday morning we had to wake up at 6:45 in order to finish packing, eat breakfast, and make it to the train station on time. The whole way home we shared a compartment with this adorable little boy and his father. So I got to play cars with him when I wasn't sleeping... I loved it! He tried to tell me about his other trucks and cranes back at home. I could understand a little of what he was saying because he spoke very slowly and his father helped me on the rest. When I reached St. Pölten I had to catch the smaller train to Melk and then walk to my house because my host father had the car in Germany for the weekend visiting a friend. It was quite a good distance, especially with a heavy backpack and suitcase to carry along...