Walking in Austria

Question: What do you do when you don't have a second family car in Austria?

A. You can't go anywhere, so you stay home.

B. No seriously, you can't go anywhere, so you stay home.

C. You put on some shoes and walk, just like everyone else. Try it.

It's been about three months since we arrived. That's two haircuts, 5 tanks of gas, and 12 lbs of fat loss. Yeah, fat loss. Pretty cool huh? I had been lugging around an extra 10 lbs for the last six months (ok, shhhh, maybe 15). Upon my arrival I noticed how few overweight europeans actually exist. How do they do that? What's their secret?

Then I saw the bicycles, the hikers, and most importantly, the single car garages. Why would someone build a 3000 sf house and only give it a one car garage? I thought about this for a bit, then for another little bit, and finally, it came to me. Most couples really don't need more than one car. Why would you build a garage you don't need? So people walk here; down to the coffee shop, the meat market, the bakery, the church, to work, and so on. And they're skinny.

Have you figured out how I lost my weight yet?

True, I did get a manual labor job. This definately contributed to weight loss, but this adds to my point. Use your body!

Yvonne started her job on Friday. It's at a nice hotel located 1.3 miles from our house. Noah and I wanted to see the place, so we "walked" up there while she was working on Saturday. He did pretty good for a 3 1/2 yr old. Of course, we drove the car back home:) It's a warm and friendly environment. It includes golf, a spa, restaurant and the other amenities expected at a nice place. She's doing "reception". Front desk work isn't easy, so hats off to her. It's a lot of work. Anyway, Noah and I walked the 1.3 miles to say hi and relax with a coffee in my hand and an orange juice in his.

Congratulations to Yvonne. I know you'll do great!










Conversing with my 3 1/2 year old in the restaurant.



Bonus video: U.S. election prediction.