Richard used to tell tales of life in Austria during Northwestern tennis team van rides in the mid 1990s. Having a barbecue with him in Linz, 20+ years later was a real treat.
Call Me Cupid
Richard married Jen, another Wildcat couple...meow! In fact, I was in the college dorm room the very first time they met!
The "Amer-strians"
In the recent past they've bounced a couple of times between living back in the US and Linz, Austria where Richard grew up. Their two daughters Veronika and Isabella are in high school now.
Unfortunately, we missed Jen and Isabella who were in Florence when we visited. A great excuse to visit another time!
Downtown Linz
We met Richard in central Linz, where he took us around to see the sites and grab a coffee.
Before I go on about our visit...for old times sake, a few flashback moments from the Northwestern Tennis team!
Back to Our Day in Linz...
After our tour of Linz, we headed up (they live on the hill above the city) for a BBQ, some pool time and a sleepover. Paige & Sadie stayed close to Veronika and peppered her with all kinds of questions...what it must be like to be a big girl! Veronika was wonderful with them.
It's Organic Stupid
We relayed to Richard how delicious we found the food in Austria, a bit of a surprise as we didn't really have an expectation. Richard relayed that everything is organic in Austria, it's just how they do it.
I'm Not in NYC Anymore
As the night ended, the US Open was on live from NYC. We appropriately watched some tennis while recounting our glory days. It was one of the first moments it hit me...we're not in NYC anymore.
Thanks Richard & Veronika!
It was great to catch up with an old friend. Something felt right about finally having a beer with Richard, in Austria.
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