Random pictures.

This is my best shot of the outside of Eggenberg. The students were also in awe and decided to stand in just about everyone's shot. 

The above is what John ordered at the buschenschank, which is kinda like a winery, but they can't really cook hot foods. So you get a tray of cheeses, meats and a basket of bread. The wine is good and inexpensive, and the views are really nice:

Today we are heading up to Goesting, I believe, if the weather holds. It sprinkled just a bit this morning while I was out walking, but now the sun is peeking out behind some grey clouds. It's pleasingly cool, so wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt right now feels just a bit chilly, but coming down from Goesting, it will feel very pleasant. 

The above was a caprese salad at dinner one night. The olives were amazing. The cheese tasted just a little different than mozzarella. I'm sure it was, but it was just a little off to me, so I didn't enjoy that quite as much, but it was a tasty meal. This was the pizza that went with it:

The pizza was terrific, and it was thin-crust, something I normally don't like. 

This is our hotel room: 

The beds are platform and there are two twin mattresses, I think. No box springs. This is not the most comfortable bed I've slept in, but now I get why people like beds that are lower to the ground - it's easier to sit on and be able to access your suitcase that's on the floor. I may have to rethink all those IKEA beds that I rejected because of length to the floor....

And this is a calendar at Stift Rein, which is an old monastery that's the oldest Cistercian Monastery in the world. The monastery dates back to 1129. The library has books dating back hundreds of years. It took 36 years for monks to physically write one book. And while we were there, the pews were stuffed with bikers. Motor bikers. The priest said this was the first time the church had been filled with motorcycle enthusiasts. It was a bit surreal.

This is a picture of the church's ceiling. 

And here's a pic of many of the bikes parked in the courtyard.

The monastery is still in use today as a school and other events. Click here to learn more. They also have a really nice picture from the outside that I wasn't able to get unless I wanted more bikes in the picture.