Was up at 8 o’clock and had breakfast down in the café. Tom had been up and gone since 7 am. He joined us at about 9 am and took us into town. Morris, Tom and Butch had to go somewhere, so Brenda, and the boys and myself went window shopping. Brenda took me into her favorite bakery. It is something, these bakeries over here! They have little tables and chairs, eat pastries and read the paper for hours, business people stop by after work, and school kids come in after school!     We left Prien at 12 noon and not 10 minutes away on the autobahn is the American Air Force Base. We stopped here to eat lunch of American hotdogs, cheeseburgers (on soft hamburger buns!) French fries, and cokes with lots of ice!  (Here you must have U.S. money too!) So Tom carries U.S. money, German Marks and Austrian schillings all the time as he goes to Prien quite often and he always stops to by American cokes, root beer, 7 up, etc., peanut butter crackers for Brenda and other sweets form the machines.    

We arrived home here in Linz after three o’clock. Tom has a church meeting at five tonight.

Tuesday, May 12

It takes Brenda all day to do the washing. Morris and I walked Kristopher to Kindergarden (he goes from 2 pm – 4:45) then we take a walk. Brenda and I fix supper early, Tom has another meeting tonight. Morris and I take a walk after supper. Tom is home early and we play Uno. (We played Tues. Wed. & Thurs. nights of this week! With Tom and Morris winning most of the time). Tuesday we also go to the “big” store – more like a mall but not exactly either, a big K-Mart maybe but it also has a restaurant upstairs, a large pet shop, a large bakery, film/camera section, large florist, shoe repair, clothing section, etc., etc. Prices are cheaper here and Brenda and Tom go once a week. They only by milk, bread and fresh vegetables from the corner store. Vegetables are fresh every day here, and as the refrigerator/freezer combination is small you by only enough for one day.

Wednesday, May 13

I do my washing today. It is a beautiful day out – in the 70° again. Just before lunch we take a ride on the outskirts of the city. Tom finds high up on the hill an old German consecration camp. Tours are in the afternoon so after Jeremy wakes up from his nap, Tom, Brenda, Morris, and Jeremy decide to go see it.  I read about it in a tour book and decide it wasn’t for me.

“Until 1938, Mauthausen was known only for its granite quarries which supplied most of the paving stones for Vienna. One of the quarries was used as a nazi concentration camp which made the name of the Mauthausen one of the most sinister under their rule. Between 1938 and 1945 nearly 200,000 persons were exterminated here. You can see the huts and the rooms in which the prisoners suffered and died. Outside the massive and oppressive boundary are the memorials set up by countries whose people perished here. Below the plateau is the Staircase of Death, leading to the quarry.”  Quoted from a guidebook.

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