The entire semester Natalia has been planning, organizing, communicating. What started rather small - a trip to see Scott and Rebecca as they had visited Greece last summer - quickly turned into a popular favorite with people near and far. In the end the trip prompted the family from Europe to descend onto Vienna, friends from KL to visit too, and, of course, the much anticipated reunion of Irini and her first friend, Isabel who now lives in Oman.
For one afternoon (December 25) we had nearly everyone there, 19 of us. Some came later and some left early and the ebbs and flows of old friends and family gave shape to 10 days of wonder and wandering in Vienna with people as diverse as uncle Joe and Kirsty or Jen and Eryk or Gilda and Lydia or the "Scan Clan". We were happy as can be, especially when the snow arrived!
Mommy's wanting to head to Vienna, other than the obvious bonus of Scott and Rebecca (and Lizzie too!) was to see a number of friends who wanted to head to Austria, but also to visit the Christmas bazaars. And so we did. The cold reached to the bones of less-than-ideally-dressed girls straight from the tropics. They huddled and where held and fought both jet lag and the chill. Day by day the temperatures went down until finally it reached below freezing. Amalia, who had originally insisted on wearing her t-shirts and the dresses she loves so much finally succumbed to the pressure and put on some pants, and her mittens. It didn't stop her from running around in the snow, though.
The days got cold and the nights colder still but that didn't stop us from getting out and about, from watching strudel making sessions at the palace to eating Viennese fare at the local restaurants. We even went to the 3D cinema! All in all we had a wonderful time, but what was perhaps the highlight was the reunification of Irini and her first best friend, Isabel. From their days in Amang to now they have both grown so very much, and have become quite the beautiful and fun-loving girls. But to watch them interact was as if no time had passed and the six years separating their last encounter and this one had been filled with time together. The giggles, the laughter, the dancing the playing and running around the house. It brought smiles to the mouths of everyone. Irini was also the hostess of Isabel's very first sleep over (not counting family visits). Isabel was a trooper and dealt with her new surroundings perfectly, albeit a bit cautiously at moments, and Irini made sure that Isabel was comfortable and felt as close to home as possible.
Add to that the reunification of Amalia with her best friend Isabella and the additional visit by Lydia (a friend-in-the-making with whom we are increasingly overlapping our vacations) and the girls got a good amount of friend time. The adults did too! Of course the time with John and Melissa (Isabel's mom and dad) was a great opportunity to be "like the good old days" with Scott and Rebecca providing all the hospitality one could ask for. It brought back wonderful memories of times in KL, a bit of nostalgia, and a whole lot of appreciation for our friends near and far! After years of travel and international living, one doesn't get many opportunities like this one, and we made the best of it, recognized the power of friendship and fell right into the groove of the conversations that - like Irini and Isabel - just flowed as if no time had passed since we had all been together in the same room.
Mommy's wanting to head to Vienna, other than the obvious bonus of Scott and Rebecca (and Lizzie too!) was to see a number of friends who wanted to head to Austria, but also to visit the Christmas bazaars. And so we did. The cold reached to the bones of less-than-ideally-dressed girls straight from the tropics. They huddled and where held and fought both jet lag and the chill. Day by day the temperatures went down until finally it reached below freezing. Amalia, who had originally insisted on wearing her t-shirts and the dresses she loves so much finally succumbed to the pressure and put on some pants, and her mittens. It didn't stop her from running around in the snow, though.
The days got cold and the nights colder still but that didn't stop us from getting out and about, from watching strudel making sessions at the palace to eating Viennese fare at the local restaurants. We even went to the 3D cinema! All in all we had a wonderful time, but what was perhaps the highlight was the reunification of Irini and her first best friend, Isabel. From their days in Amang to now they have both grown so very much, and have become quite the beautiful and fun-loving girls. But to watch them interact was as if no time had passed and the six years separating their last encounter and this one had been filled with time together. The giggles, the laughter, the dancing the playing and running around the house. It brought smiles to the mouths of everyone. Irini was also the hostess of Isabel's very first sleep over (not counting family visits). Isabel was a trooper and dealt with her new surroundings perfectly, albeit a bit cautiously at moments, and Irini made sure that Isabel was comfortable and felt as close to home as possible.
Add to that the reunification of Amalia with her best friend Isabella and the additional visit by Lydia (a friend-in-the-making with whom we are increasingly overlapping our vacations) and the girls got a good amount of friend time. The adults did too! Of course the time with John and Melissa (Isabel's mom and dad) was a great opportunity to be "like the good old days" with Scott and Rebecca providing all the hospitality one could ask for. It brought back wonderful memories of times in KL, a bit of nostalgia, and a whole lot of appreciation for our friends near and far! After years of travel and international living, one doesn't get many opportunities like this one, and we made the best of it, recognized the power of friendship and fell right into the groove of the conversations that - like Irini and Isabel - just flowed as if no time had passed since we had all been together in the same room.
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