We've been here a month

I need to get better at posting regularly! We are doing very well and are feeling at home here. I'll post a few photos here so you can see our surroundings a little. We have had lots of meetings and training sessions and now we are busy working with the young single adults and the missionaries. We took a bus to Klagenfurt this week for a district meeting and a street display and contacting. We didn't have rain, but it was a little cool and cloudy. We enjoyed seeing the countryside between Graz and Klagenfurt. Klagenfurt is higher and it has higher mountains, a little more like Innsbruck. Many of the trees are colorful now and we even saw snow on the side of the road at the highest point. Here in Graz we have had cool weather and some rain. Actually, we had two straight weeks of no sun and we really appreciated the sunshine when it came back. The ward members here (this is the largest ward in Austria) are very nice and seem happy to have us here. We feel very blessed to be able to serve here in this area. We love Austria and the people here. Here are a few photos:

This was taken on the train ride soon after we left Salzburg to come to Graz in September.

This one is further along that journey. Austria is always green and this was such a gorgeous day to take this journey. We took the train to Vienna a few weeks ago for interviews with the mission president and it was rainy and foggy that day. But all of Austria looks a lot like this, just not high mountains everywhere. Graz had a lot of shorter hills and valleys in between.

We went to Vienna the first Sunday here for stake conference. This was taken from the bus as we crossed the Danube.

This is the LDS church building in Graz. It is located on the West side of the city and we live on the East side of the city. It takes us 1/2 hour on the street car, with 12 minute walk from our apartment to the streetcar, and then about a half block walk after we get off the streetcar.

This was taken just after we got off a streetcar at out end station in St. Leonhard (the area of the city in which we live). The streetcars are all painted differently, often with advertising for a shopping center or a business. The next few photos will show the surroundings we have as we walk home.

After we walk around the corner we look up towards where our apartment building is. The building cannot be seen in this photo, it is too short - only 5 floors. The tall building just barely visible behind the tree on the right is located just to the north of our building.

After we walk along the street for aways, we cross a little bridge over a creek and then start up this asphalt path past a kindergarten playground. Now we are climbing.

So, this is the view we see as we walk on fallen leaves, gravel, over tree roots and many fallen acorns (we took a shortcut on an unpaved path) up to the sidewalk to turn left and walk up that sidewalk.

What we see as we start up that sidewalk. At the far end of the row of cars on the right we will cross the street and start climbing the stone steps.

These are the stone steps. Up where the sun is shining (about the middle) they make a slight turn to the right and continue up.

At the top of the stone steps we cross a little parking lot and there is out building, kind of a grayish-light blue color. We live on the middle floor on the north end. Notice the tall building with orange balconies to the north of our building that was in the first photo after the streetcar.

E.J. unlocks the front door of the building. The little name plates to his left each have a button by them. People who come to visit push the button and a doorbell rings in the apartment. We pick up a phone and talk to them and if we want them to come up, we press a button that unlocks the door to the building. There is another doorbell outside our apartment door.

I took photos of the inside of our apartment, but you don't really want to see them. I thought I might put in the one showing our toilet room (really, it is no bigger than a stall at a public restroom) but then thought, never mind. We get along OK and just remember, it will get better!

Until next time I get around to posting -- Auf Wiedersehen.