Flashback Friday

I am nearly at the middle of the month and definitely feeling a lack of blogging ideas today so I am borrowing an idea from high school and now blog friend Bridget and telling a story from the past. This is from my first trip to Vienna in 2001. Little did I realize I would continue to go back again and again for years to come. Oh, how I wish I paid better attention in my high school German classes!!

The week of Thanksgiving my parents came to visit me. My mom arrived a couple of days before Thanksgiving and helped prepare quite the feast which included two solid days of cooking. My dad met us in Salzburg, but not before my mom and I had managed to do the Sound of Music tour, bummer for him. We had a lovely weekend in Salzburg and headed back to Vienna for the rest of their stay. I was so happy to have them with me. I have always liked my parents and was thrilled when they made the trip reservations. I really enjoyed showing them around Vienna. All of the students were feeling a bit "parentless" around this time of year and for most of us it had been our first holidays away from home. I remember my mom gave out many many "mom-hugs."

My parents wanted to do something special for my friends and take them out to dinner. Most of the students were thrilled at the prospect of a free meal. Who wouldn't be? We headed downtown and our map-guru had come across a cool looking restaurant called 1516. We had never been, but it looked pretty good. We headed upstairs to find a booth. Come to find out this restaurant served beer in pitchers. It must be the only place where beer was served in pitchers in Vienna. When my dad asked how many pitchers we would need he was met with an, "ummmm, welll, uhhhhh...."

I suppose I should preface that I attended a Nazarene University. For those of you who don't know what that means; they are a socially conservative Christian church and one of their tenets is the avoidance of alcohol. Actually, it was "illegal" for us to drink alcohol. We had one "strike" with consequences and then on our second "strike" we were kicked to the curb. Needless to say we got very good at "not" drinking or at least not talking about it. I grew up in a home where alcohol was not an evil thing and there was often wine around the house (not for the consumption of minors, mind you, but for my parents).

Once my friends had gotten over the shock that my dad had asked if they wanted beer and more than that, he was willing to pay for it they readily took him up on his offer. Every single student commented to me how cool it was that I could tell my parents I drank. I remember just laughing with my parents and friends all evening. It was a fun night as we rehashed the term for my parents over great food that included a cheeseburger!

A few of us posing for a picture with my parents.
*I am aware the date on the photo says 10/27, but it was probably 11/27.

Actually, Kevin and I still go there to eat occasionally, and I cannot help but mention and laugh over the night my parents took my friends out and paid for their beer and food.