Lantern Festival

Sebastian's kindergarten had a lantern festival, which is celebrated in Austria in honor of Saint Martin. Don't ask me the story behind it - I will have to google it as well. But all the kids make their own lanterns and parade outside. Also, people eat goose and red cabbage at this time of year for this holiday. Google that one as well!

Odile's Birthday Dinner

Yummy Indian shrimp curry!

Election Day

By the time we went to bed on Election Day last week, no results had been announced yet. But the next day Michi and I woke up, ran upstairs and turned on CNN - happily to see Obama giving a very touching (for me at least) acceptance speech as the President-Elect.

Here's a video just for that day...

Carinthia

We were in southern Austria (Carinthia) two times in October to celebrate birthdays of Michi's twin aunts and his uncle.

Sebastian and Annika, she is the daughter of Michi's cousin Martin. This is the first time Sebastian has played a "real computer", as he calls it, and was fascinated.

Michi in front of his grandma's house in Molzbichl.

Franz (Opa), Stella, Sebastian, Michi and Uncle Anton in the guesthouse where Michi's grandpa used to come play cards (and drink a beer or two?) on Sundays after church.

Wutzl, the Pucher family dog. Sometimes Michi calls him the 4th son.

Sebastian in front of Oma Pucher's house, with Franz (Opa) and Michi's cousin Berhard in the background.

Stella and Resi (Oma).

Great-Grandma Pucher (Ur Oma), Stella, Michi and Sebastian (who refused to put down his firetruck).

Family dinner on All Saints' Day (Nov 1st) in Molzbichl, Carinthia.

Here is a video of the men's choir from the village of Molzbichl. Apparently this song is quite emotional, as some people teared up, but I didn't understand it because it was sung in local dialect. Still beautiful.