And now my fingers are purple.

I hope that you are all enjoying the heat. Today began with a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, and warmed up a little bit as the day progressed and sun came out. After I woke up at 4:30 in the morning on Tuesday (was it really only two days ago?), I was able to get on my flight to Frankfurt, and after a general amount of confusion, on a train to Salzburg. Currently, I am in the most beautiful small town in the world (quaint, but not elegant like Luxembourg). Yesterday was spent in a state of exhaustion, and I cannot say too much about it other than I unpacked and now cannot remember where I put everything, practiced, saw the town and some of its people, and spoke English.

Today, my host mother and I ran some more errands by bicycle before meeting her friend. The three of us then went up into the mountains (we are in the valley) to pick blueberries! At first, there was some confusion, as the German word for blueberry is Schwarzbeere - Schwarz meaning black. It was difficult to find them; they are spread out over a large area and close to the ground, unlike the cultivated bushes of the US. The result was purple fingers - which will, I am told, be cured by lemon juice. While up in the mountains, we also picked mushrooms, which are in season here (almost as a sport) and have many enthusiastic participants. There are so many different varieties, but my host mother seems to know every one! Gardening, by the way, is also part of the way of life - everyone has one and uses it regularly.

I will not say too much about my host family, but they are the most sweet and helpful people! My host sister will be turning 15 soon, my father works in Salzburg, and my mother is a very good cook. All speak French fluently and very good English, in addition to German.

Guten Nacht!
Mary Beth