We haven’t found an English speaking church, let alone a Protestant one. Austria is predominantly Roman Catholic. We did discover that there is one Catholic Mass said in English for African refugees. We’re thinking of attending one Sunday soon, but until then we have “home church”. It really makes you appreciate what the pioneers and immigrants to the USA went through!

Typically most shops and business are closed on Sundays in Austria. Some tourist attractions and restaurants near them are open. Most people in Graz go out to visit family and friends, take a hike in the mountains, or go to the local parks. We decided to do as the locals, so Sunday afternoon we went downtown to take a stroll along the Mür River.

During our ramblings we came across a tall slide by the river that Seamus and Faywen had fun playing on. A bit further on we ended up in a rather large city park that had quite a lot of playground equipment. By modern American standards the playground and the equipment would be condemned and torn down due to safety reasons, but for our kids and us it was a “classic”playground. You know the kind that’s full of DANGER! It had rope courses of all types, large swings attached to wooden A-frames, towers and boats built of wood, and some other unique equipment the kids had fun exploring! There wasn’t a single padded foam or woodchip floor in site to break your fall. Even Liam enjoyed climbing around on the rope courses with his siblings! It was a beautiful afternoon and everyone was out and about in the park. I heard at least 4 different languages being spoken while there.

Once the kids had exhausted all the play equipment we kept strolling along the river and came across a public outdoor gym intended for use by adults who run along the path or live in the centre of town. Of course, the kids had to try a few out!

We crossed the next bridge and headed back up the other side of the river. The buildings on this side were classic and very ornate. Little bathouses were placed every 30 ft. on trees along the riverbank.

Back at our tram stop, Seamus recalled seeing an ice cream parlor down the street on our ride into the city. We walked a little over a block and indeed there was an ice shop and it was open! Young and old were sitting inside and out enjoying delicious gelato. This sweet treat comes from Italy and is very rich and creamy. Robert and I had chocolate, Seamus mango, Liam raspberry banana, and Faywen had cookies-n-cream. A sweet way to end our Sunday stroll in the park!