Another beautiful morning here in the Gesäuse park as it’s the end of the year. While the entire house slept peacefully, I was awoken by the sound of cannon fire. Apparently a tradition in the countryside of Austria is for a cannon to go off at 5 am. Just in case someone may have forgotten that it was the holiday, they’ve given a delicate reminder to us in the form of a loud explosion. 

A few hours later following breakfast, dancing, & coffee Sabine and I finally set out to run into the town. I had realized that yesterday we didn’t leave the house once, so it was nice to get out a little bit. After getting supplies, we went for some soup at a little Guesthouse and followed up our town visit with a little walk. Naturally, I brought my camera around to document the occasion. Ever since visiting Sabine almost three years ago, I’ve rarely brought out a camera with me to take photos of the town of Sankt Gallen. It’s a beautiful little village & with the mountains and castle overlooking, it makes for a gorgeous environment. 

Later on in the evening, we prepared for the New Year’s dinner and I joined in on a new tradition that I was unaware of called Rauhnächte, or “Smoking Nights”. In this tradition, it’s customary to burn a mixture of incense and palm branches from Easter and spread the scent around the house. This is meant to keep evil spirits and misfortune away from the house and family. 

2019 was truly one of the most interesting years of my life. Many good memories & many sad ones as well. All in all, it’s the combination that gives life a unique flavor. Onwards to 2020 & all the things that are in store. Prost!