back to the Old World

It's Mozart weekend - and quite suddenly i'm finding myself remembering Austria, especially the hotels and youth hostels we stayed in back then. I remember being very impressed with everything - from the facilities to the wonderful breakfasts with 10 different types of cereal and what was truly a smorsgabord of different hams and other cold cuts. I remember the crisp, cool white sheets of the bunk beds, the warm glow of the pine furniture, the friendly efficiency of the service staff.

And, from the same holiday, I remember the hotel at Lake Como in Italy, the name of which I cannot for the life of me recall - but what I do remember is our room with the sloping pinewood roof and the window overlooking the lake (we even caught sight of some fireworks from some celebratory event on the opposite shore), and the unbelievably comfortable beds - so soft you could sink right into them - and of course those wild strawberries, tiny and perfect, that we found along the trail when hiking in the hills surrounding the lake. Oh nostalgia!

I miss Europe - its genteel Old World charm, the way things there are just a tad slower than here in frenetic Singapore. And I so want to go back to visit - when oh when will I find time and space to make the trip?
...
...