Hi there,

Tuesday we were in Annapolis, a really beautiful town near Washington, D.C. My job was not just to enjoy but also to drive the car. Yes, that sounds very easy, but for Monika and me this was difficult and a bit stressful. Monika´s part was to drive us to the big shopping mall in Annapolis. We had a GPS and a map with information from Maggie with us, luckily. Because without them we would maybe be in Washington, D.C. or somewhere else. After two hours driving we were at the mall. All of us were really curious about the different shops. We found some great new clothes and the food was also very delicious.

Then I had to prove my driving skills, because our next destination was the city of Annapolis. It was really difficult driving even with the GPS to find the right way, but luckily my navigator Verena could find the correct way.

I have to mention Verena was the best navigator I ever had. In Annapolis there are a lot of cars and the streets are really narrow. We found a parking lot at the harbour and we decided to eat ice cream. During the break I calmed down. The hardest part was to leave the city and to find the right way to the highway. I drove along streets with five lanes, a big highway beyond what I've driven before. I had to concentrate the whole time and that was very exhausting. I am not used to driving a big car like Maggie and Jim's Dodge Caravan. In general the cars in the USA are bigger than the cars in Austria and some people drive really fast.

I am now a better driver and I expect the roads in Austria will no longer be a problem for me. It was a great experience but I was really happy and relieved to be at Woodlawn again.

--- Lisa Neundlinger

PS Maybe I will write again about my encounter with a wasp after working in the vineyard Thursday!