Castles, Caves, and Cakes!

Good morning, world! How was everyone's weekend?

I must say, this past weekend was one of the best in a very long time. On Thursday we did some spring cleaning (always feels good to get that done), got the apartment organized, and got rid of a lot of unused clothing. Friday was not spectacular, as we had talked about doing something outside but hadn't gotten around to it.

(P.S. when I say we, I mean my favorite guy and me)

Well anyway, Friday we wound up visiting a small island in the middle of town and had a walk. We talked about hiking up to a cave and spending the night there, but it was supposed to rain and is apparently a very dangerous trail to get there. 

Schloß Ambras

Saturday was a lot cooler. We got a really late start, but we wound up visiting the castle Schloß Ambras (my first visit) and seeing the grounds there. It was beautiful! And still being under 19, I got in for free (haha- buying the tickets was pretty strange). I packed a picnic and we ate on the grounds (I kept spilling all of the food- in typical India fashion). There were a lot of suits of armor from the middle ages. They were really cool (there was one from a giant who was like 2.5 meters tall!), but there were so many... There were also other trinkets and there were plenty of family paintings from the Habsburg Dynasty, but that was it. The Castle on the inside hasn't retained it's original form (like the rooms aren't furnished or anything), it's just an art museum.

Lanser See (Lake Lans)

We finished up the tour and set sail for Lans. Expecting to just be able to chill out at the cabin in the woods (and finish lunch), we drove up there and went to get a few things organized. But the rest of the family was there when we arrived, so we just hung out for a while and had some coffee and cake. It was so warm that day I was in shorts and a t-shirt; I could not believe how lovely the weather was! After we left the house, we went down to the lake and chilled out there for a while. There was hardly anyone else there, and it was nice to just finally relax for the first time in ages. Just to be alive and breathe, to perceive the things around you... it was all so beautiful and cool. Being at the lake made things get chilly pretty fast though, and as the sun was setting we had to hurry to the car because we were shivering so much! 

Dessert at "Zum Wilden Mann"

At first we didn't know what to do. There was the option of going home, but we were both so tired and didn't feel like driving all the way back down to the valley. So we went back to Lans and ate at a lodge I'm told Grace Kelly used to eat at from time to time. Then we drove back to the cabin and made a fire in the wood stove and spent the night in the woods. It was so cool! I love these "field trips." It's so good to get out into nature every once in a while and just enjoy life. It's important too- I think when you get so close to the edge of burning out from continuous strain from work, it's necessary to take some time out.

Anyway, by Sunday the weather had changed completely (to clouds and rain) and we packed up and went back to Innsbruck. The rest of Sunday was also pretty easy- we made Schinken-Rahm Spatzl (an amazingly fat dish that is very anti-abdomen). It consists of Spätzle (homemade egg-dough noodles), Ham, Cream, and Mountain cheese. It tasted like fat-heaven. (Needless to say, yesterday was my "cheat day").

because I was in such a good mood during my "workout"
this morning,  I couldn't resist throwing in a selfie!

That's another thing! I've been doing a mini ab-workout every morning. I'm doing pretty well with and definitely notice a difference (it's been exactly two weeks since I started). Feels good!

Now that I'm completely recharged and contented, it's time to focus still more on music- I'm writing a new song, and I'll be in the studio hopefully tomorrow to record new things and put finishing touches on the others. It's getting exciiiiiiiting!

Happy Monday everyone! (it's not as bad as it seems)

India

Music for the (late) morning: Fancy by Iggy Azalea (a little generic, but pretty cool)