Our eldest, Turah, finished her sophomore year at GVSU and had a couple of weeks between the end of the semester and her summer internship to come and visit us here in Graz. The kids already had two scheduled days off from school. We asked for the other three days off in order to travel around Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
Turah arrived on the 22nd of May in the early afternoon. The Graz airport isn’t very large, so it was easy to see her as she cleared customs. She ran into our arms with a very tired, but happy look on her face! She immediately got to ride her first European commuter train, because the airport is south of the city. She told us about the various flights and how she had to run in Detroit to her connecting flight to Amsterdam!
Waiting for the commuter train from the airport to Graz 
On the train
She took in everything as the train pulled up into the Graz Hauptbahnhof. We caught the tram, stopped at Sorger to let her eat a bit of late lunch, and then walked up the hill to our home. Her siblings came running out the door to greet her. For the rest of the afternoon Liam, Seamus, and Faywen entertained Turah. She got a thorough tour of the house and gardens. The kids quickly introduced her to the little bikes and of course the Linden Tree swing rope!
Turah had asked us if there was anything from the USA we would like her to bring. The only thing we could think of that we all had a craving for was Mac n’ Cheese! Robert cooked it beautifully with wursts and broccoli. It was very satisfying to eat Mac n’ Cheese!
That evening we gave Turah all of her gifts that we had collected on our travels and she got to have her first beer, which Liam had picked out for her to drink.
Opening her gifts 
First Beer!
The next day Turah slept in a bit and had a little jet lag. I made her drink and eat and she felt a lot better. We then went shopping and she enjoyed picking out some new European clothes! After that we headed over to GIBS to meet up with Faywen, who wanted to show Turah around the school. Turah enjoyed seeing the school where her three younger siblings had been attending since late February. She also got to meet Faywen’s best friend, Manon, and as we chatted in the school courtyard one of the famous peacocks meandered into sight. Turah was a bit nervous at first, but then had a good laugh, as other kids casually walked by the peacock like it was no big deal!
At school 
Riding the #7 tram
We all retired early because the next morning we would start our family adventure with Turah!
Camellia's Travel Blog 