A place where the secrets of the past come to life within the pages of books. The Vienna National Library is more than just a library—it is a sanctuary of knowledge, where every shelf holds a hidden story. Step into this magnificent Baroque hall and you’ll know that more than just reading awaits you: it’s a journey through the most beautiful moments of history.

Although I have always lived close to this country (originally I lived in a small border town in Northern Hungary), and we often went over for a little trip, I never really gave much importance to this place. However, now that we drove from Vienna for a competition of Ru, I somehow looked around with different eyes, feeling a bit like a tourist but also as if I were visiting an old good friend, which was a warming feeling. And although we only spent two days here, all of us felt a kind of longing to return when we drove back home from the weekend.

The time has come here in Austria when we’ve already unpacked every available box, but the next batch yet to be packed still hasn’t arrived. The autumn warmth and the breathtaking scenery truly made our blood race, so we set our sights on an animal-petting, slightly hiking, and definitely spectacular place: Hohe Wand. Although part of the hike was already a little bit much for me, the beautiful moments of the day and the time spent together on this excursion were absolutely worth the effort. I can’t wait for the next destination!

There is also an upcoming competition where Rú is mainly going to meet her old Hungarian friends and only secondarily for the competition itself. So far, archery has been a sport shared mainly between Rú and her dad, who, as a world champion with a 7th place finish, was a worthy coach preparing the kid for competitions and really helped her fall in love with the sport. But now, as a country border separates us, I have had to take over the training and competition management tasks—which I am capable of with my management qualifications—but the coaching role will soon need to be entrusted to a knowledgeable expert. In any…

We really love the mountain life, but on Saturday evening we rather went for a beat with the city center and fulfilled our need for buzzing nightlife 🙂

I love the hustle and bustle and the city’s smoothly worn cobblestones. I experience the vibrant pulse, instinctively picking up the rhythm of the boulevards, and I feel how the city breathes us people in and sighs us out. But here, in our new home, on this strange borderland where the center of Vienna is as far away as the chirping lights flickering through the forest canopy, it feels as if we are living between two worlds. And lately, waking up to the rustling of the trees, I feel that this strange land has embraced me, that it speaks to me and calls me home. And this home is somehow…

What should a mom and a bonus dad come up with when they move to a foreign country with a teenager and try to make it feel like home for them…? Well, if that teen has a talent for archery, that makes things a lot easier: Laci discovered the coziest adventure park in the area, featuring a shooting range and seven archery courses (besides climbing, hiking, and other mountain sports) for the local community. So we explored the terrain, enjoyed heavenly homemade flatbread, hot soups (which came in especially handy on a rainy day). A special joy of the day was that a few friends also made the pilgrimage to…

The day has come when Laci traveled into the city for work, and Rú and I stayed at our new home, just the two of us. Of course, we set out to explore the city—discovering the best local dürüm place, a bookstore, some pastry shops, and the town’s namesake, the Kloster, which has already found its way into our hearts. Before all that, though, we visited Rú’s future school, where I finally introduced him to the headmistress. We met his homeroom teachers and got to know the school a little, before he takes on a thrilling new chapter in his life next Monday: 8th grade, in German! Well, challenges are…