Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Aug 26th

This idyllic Austrian town was one of the highlights of my whole Austria trip. Kathy mentioned that a student in a previous year went skinny dipping in the Ybbs river and once I heard that I was convinced that I had to as well. I love swimming and it was hot that day. Little did I know that a whole bunch of other people would join with me and make a whole event out of it. It was such a freeing experience and the water was lovely. I don't have any pictures of it for obvious reasons, but I will think back fondly to that adventurous spirit that I shared with my friends here.

What I do have photos of though are of some friendly cats that I encountered through the evening

But in a small way the fun was bittersweet. This was our stop from the Mauthausen concentration camp back to Vienna, so we had just spent the whole day with the misery of that place weighing heavy on our shoulders. It makes you think about our perceptions about Austria and Austrians and how they present themselves to the world. This is the image they want you to see of their country, but you have to see the full picture.