Yet again, I am a bit behind on my updating you all about my experience! I really think I need more hours in the day to get everything done! :)

Last Sunday I made the 2 hour train ride from the König family to the Holzinger family in the village of Pöndorf. My host sister Daniela was at the station to pick me up. She actually participated in the same exchange program and spent 6 weeks in Kansas last summer!

The Holzinger family lives very near the federal state of Salzburg. As many Americans might know, Salzburg is where they did filming for “The Sound of Music,” but the movie is not very popular in Austria; some people here have never even heard of it. The scenery is magnificent, of course.

Moonrise in the mountains.

My host family owns a dairy farm, which is quite common for this area. They milk about 30 cows twice a day, once at 5:00am and again around 4:30pm. It’s basically an all day process because they also feed them around midday. I believe it’s similar in the U.S., if you own a dairy you are devoted to the farm. The Holzingers own Fleckvieh cattle, which I thought was a breed I was unfamiliar with. After a little research I learned the English translation for the breed was Simmental! The Austrian Fleckvieh breed is a more traditional form of Simmentals so they look a little different from the Simmental cattle I am accustomed to in the States. Fleckvieh is a very common breed here in Austria and works quite well for the farmers here. The Fleckvieh are a dual purpose breed, meaning they can be utilized for milk and meat. Since most of the farms here are relatively small it benefits the farmers to be able to produce beef and milk from the same herd. I do not have much experience with dairy farming, so I’m trying to be helpful without messing things up! :) The cows stay in the barn, but it’s interesting because they are still fed fresh grass from April/May to September/October. Twice a day my host dad will go out with a mower on the tractor and the cut grass is picked up by the wagon he pulls behind. Then the fresh grass is unloaded in the barn and fed to the cows, along with some supplemental grain and mineral. I am unaware if this is a method utilized in the U.S. or not, but it is very common in this region. The young heifers that are not being milked are only fed grain and hay. There are also babies to take care of, so the chores are extensive. In fact, my first afternoon at the Holzinger farm a baby calf was born about 30 minutes after I arrived.

Feeding the Fleckviehs.

The new baby!

Cutting fresh grass for the cattle.

Trying to be helpful :)

The milk from the Holzinger farm gets delivered to a local facility that produces cheese and the owner was gracious enough to give us a small tour. The facility is called Vöckla Käserei and produces about 2.5 million kilograms of cheese every year. They produce Emmentaler and Bergkäse, which we got to sample. Both were good, but I preferred the Bergkäse. They ship internationally and the U.S. is currently a large customer. The cheese takes about 2-3 months to cure before it is ready to be packaged and sold.

The cheese curds are beginning to form.

They had 3 curing vaults this size & the blocks weigh between 50-75 kilos!

Getting ready to package the mature cheese.

We had some time this week to do a few off-farm activities as well. Monday morning we picked wild blueberries, or Schwarzbeeren as they are called here in Austria. The berries were little, but they tasted so good and my host mom Christine made homemade jam with them! Thursday we went to the city of Salzburg and visited the Mirabel Gardens, Mozart’s birthplace, and the local castle. Friday we spent the day in Linz and met up with another IFYE family. Klaire is from Montana and is staying with another family in Upper Austria. I hadn’t seen Klaire since orientation in Illinois, so it was nice to get a chance to catch up. This area is well known for its beautiful lakes. We visited 3 of them last week and they are so large and clear and cool. Very popular places for a summer afternoon of swimming! :) I have to agree that spending an afternoon at the lake getting a little sun is pretty enjoyable.

"We want you to pick some berries." "Berries? But I picked berries yesterday." "Oh, we need more. Lots, lots more!"

Mirabel Gardens

Couldn't take pictures in Mozart's birthplace, but this is his statue.

Chillin' at the local fortress with Daniela.

Couples would put "love locks" with their names on the bridge in Salzburg for good luck :)

It's not everyday a Kansas girl runs into a Montana girl in Austria :)

At Attersee.

At Mohnsee.

It is very fortunate timing that I was here in Pöndorf this past weekend. This year marks the 130 year anniversary of a local organization that is basically equivalent to a veterans’ club. Friday was just a chance for everyone to gather in the large tent for food, drinks, and fellowship. Saturday and Sunday both involved a small parade, marching bands, a short church service, and more food, drinks, and fellowship in the tent. Daniela and I both walked in the parade. This was a traditional sort of festival so most people were dressed in tracht, a type of traditional Austrian clothing. I was even able to find my own dirndl, traditional dress, to wear for the weekend. I got to experience a lot of Austrian customs and traditions this weekend, so it was a really fun and busy weekend!

Getting ready for the parade!

This was the boy who walked with us & held the sign for the club. He was too cute!

Ready, set, march!

Well, I’ll leave it here for now. Hopefully I can get caught up with this week’s blog and get it posted on time! Praying that everyone at home is safe and well!