Enjoying the Company

Two weekends ago I went to Vienna to meet with Jessica, Rebecca, and Nikki. I took the night train 10 hours Friday night then back again Monday night. I traveled with the three girls in Italy. We liked that enough, that we planned this weekend with each other. We weren't much into visiting buildings or museums. We appreciated them from the outside, and spent a lot of time in cafes, which really is the thing to do in Vienna.
I came back Tuesday morning to a full day of work. I did manage to get to sleep even in a full train cabin where I couldn't sprawl out onto another chair. That evening I picked up Sarah Jane, another trainee from Holland at the airport. She came to visit for a week. It was so nice to have her here, even though I worked. Jessica came on Thursday and is here till this coming Monday. So double whammy, but the good kind of whammy (what does that even mean?) So it was a full house, and more a full bedroom for me.
Sarah Jane wanted to see Strasbourg so we went Friday afternoon and came back Saturday evening. And funny side-story, I almost didn't even get let into France since I didn't have my passport with. Luckily the border control guy was nice. We decided to give ourselves some adventure and not plan ahead of time where to sleep. The hostel we tried was full but luckily they directed us to a cheap and not even shabby hotel. It was so nice to speak French, and nicer because Sarah Jane can speak it basically as well as I can.
Yesterday Geigers planned a little hiking trip for the day. We took a gondola up the mountain then somehow hiked back to the car. It was lovely minus the cold wind that was at it's peak while we grilled and ate our lunch.
Today my lack of sleep and the bad sleep I got last night caught up with me. I woke up feeling achy and extremely tired. It got better as the day went on, but I do need to sleep soon.
I have already had to say a few final goodbyes, today to the sweet 11 year-old neighbor girl Daniella and to Sarah on Monday who's at camp till after I leave! The end is beginning to feel real.
I have the odd combination of homesickness (which I never had this whole year), and the scary prospect of leaving my life here, which I love, as well as Europe as a whole with no definite plans in the immediate future to return. Okay so I do have some plans up my sleeve...