Mondsee, Austria

I have recently learned that I LOVE to travel spontaneously, without plans. In the past, I have been a thorough trip planner, almost to an excessive point. Last fall, I planned a road trip through the European Alps down to almost the second! It seemed like a good idea because; hey… planning is good, right? The problem came when I realized that I hadn’t planned for what I would do if I didn’t end up liking what I’d planned!

Case in point, I’d planned a day to drive up to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. I had heard that it was a beautiful, rustic old village (one of the oldest in Europe) so I figured I’d give it a shot. The landscape was pretty, but when I rolled into town from the southwest corner, I accidently drove through a very creepy looking gypsy camp. I’ve had problems with Romanian Gypsies in the past, so it automatically left a bad taste in my mouth. When I got into the city center, the whole town gave off a weird vibe and I just wasn’t “feeling it”. So I decided to turn back into Austria, where I’d come.

Now, I had abandoned my plans (including my lodging for the night in a Czech hostel) so I had no idea where I would stay that night. I was throwing caution to the wind. So, I just started burning down the highway, jamming my way towards Salzburg.

On the way, I was struck by a beautiful sunset and pulled over. By the time I climbed to higher ground for a better view, I missed the best part of the sunset, but I noticed the sun setting above a beautiful little town along the lake, at the base of a mountain. I decided to explore this town and discovered a nice little bed and breakfast for an affordable cost. I felt so proud of myself in being able to accomplish such a thing alone.

After I settled into my room, I decided to go out and explore the lake for some interesting shots. I found this dock and began snapping off long exposure shots until I grabbed the image I wanted. So, for me, this image represents that experience of adapting to ones surroundings and being rewarded for it

Image Code: A095

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