To be out in the world

Hi everyone, thanks for waiting so long for the next chapter. But this time is a little longer.

About the new chapter: As you might see I was inspired by one of Julie Andrews' wonderful movies -you'll figure out which one while reading. Bad Gastein does really exist, just as the Kötschach valley, the Grüner Baum hotel and the small inn at the end of the valley. I used to live and work there for three years, and these were three of the happiest years in my life. So this is also a kind of tribute to my time there.

And now - enjoy!

A few days later Mia was still thinking about something, so much Clarisse could tell. Expect that Mia wouldn't tell her what kept her mind occupied. So Clarisse decided to leave her to her thoughts. When Mia felt the time was right she would tell her anyway.

Furthermore Joseph did everything he could to make his wife feel loved. He presented her with little gifts or flowers or just hid small messages everywhere telling her how much he loved her and how happy he was with her.

Tonight Joseph and Clarisse had had dinner with Mia who had retreated to her rooms early, but not without kissing them goodnight with a rather wicked smile on her face. Somehow Clarisse had the feeling that her granddaughter was up to something but Joseph wouldn't let her ponder about that for long. After the table had been cleared from the dishes he turned out the lights and pressed a button on the remote control of the stereo. Seconds later soft music filled the room. Joe lit some candles and pulled open the curtains to let the moonlight in.

When Clarisse looked up at him he held his left hand towards her.

"May I have this dance?" he whispered when she took his hand.

"I'd be delighted." Clarisse said when she gracefully stepped in his embrace. They danced slowly, enjoying the gentle touches and caresses they shared during the dance. Time lost its meaning to them when they swayed and turned around the room, eventually stepping out of the balcony for some fresh air. The moon shone on their faces and a soft breeze caressed their skin.

Joe took Clarisse in his arms, locking his eyes with hers.

"I love you so much; there are no words to express it." He cupped her cheek with his hand and brought his lips to hers, brushing them lightly.

She moaned with pleasure and responded eagerly. Circling her arms around his neck she pulled him closer while she deepened their kiss.

When they broke apart she looked at him smiling.

"And I love you with every part of my being." She stroked the back of his neck, something he really enjoyed.

Silently they stood there, enjoying the peace and quiet of the warm autumn night. After a while Clarisse couldn't hide a yawn which brought them both back to reality. Looking at his watch Joe raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Well, my dear, I really think we should call it a day. It's quite late." He took her hand into his and together they walked over to their bedroom. Joe switched on the lights and started taking off his jacket when he heard Clarisse gasp. Worried he dropped the jacket where he was and hurried over to her.

"What is it, love?" He looked at her worriedly. But then he saw the smile on her face and relaxed.

"Look at this." Clarisse gave him an envelope. When he opened it he saw two flight tickets as well as a voucher and a letter.

"Read it to me, please." Clarisse said.

Dear grandma, dear Joe,

I'm really happy you've finally found each other and I'm so sorry you missed your honeymoon because of me and the banquet.

I want to make it up to you. So I really do hope you will enjoy the little trip I planned for you. The journey will start next week so you still have some time to get some warm clothes.

As I already said I wish you a long and happy marriage. May your love blossom.

Love, Mia

"She's crazy." Clarisse said with tears in her eyes. She knew that Mia was happy for her but this was so sweet.

"No, she loves you." Joe stated, clearly moved by his new granddaughter's thoughtfulness.

"She loves us both, silly." Clarisse laughed at Joe's expression. But now her curiosity had been wakened.

"So, where are we going?" Trying to grab the envelope from Joe she nearly fell off the bed. Fortunately Joe caught her, wagging a finger at her.

"Oh no, your highness." He grinned at her.

"Come on, now, Joseph. You know how curious I am." Finally giving up Clarisse settled back against her pillow.

"Okay, let me see." Joseph pulled everything out of the envelope.

"The flight goes to Salzburg." Looking at her with a puzzled expression he gave her the tickets.

"Oh, that's just so sweet of her. Mia knows that I spent quite some time there in my youth." Clarisse grew more and more excited. It would be great to be back. Joseph would just love the city and she would show him all of her favourite places there.

"You did? I didn't know that." Joseph was quite surprised.

"Yes, well, it's a long story. So go on. What else is in there?" Clarisse's cheeks were flushed from excitement. When Joseph looked at her he thought how very young she looked right now.

"Hm, a voucher for a hotel there. And another one ... for a romantic sleigh ride through the national park Hohe Tauern."

Clarisse now had a dreamy expression on her face. It would be just wonderful. She really had to think of something she could give Mia.

A couple of days later Clarisse was looking into her wardrobe thinking what else she should take on their trip to Austria.

"Do you have everything?" Joseph stood in the doorway looking at her with an amused smile on his face. He knew that Clarisse usually travelled with a lot of luggage but this time she was about to beat her own record.

Laughing Clarisse turned around.

"Yes, I think so. I'm just so excited to go back there. And I know that I have a dirndl somewhere in here." Turning back to her wardrobe she nearly climbed inside in her effort of finding her dirndl.

Joseph just raised an eyebrow and left. The image of Clarisse in Austrian traditional clothing held definitely some appeal.

Hours later Mia brought her grandmother and Joseph to the airport. On their way Clarisse would cease to thank Mia for the trip which was greeted with rolled eyes. She had thanked Mia so often that Mia was starting to wonder whether she had done the right thing.

"And Mia, if you have a problem just call me, okay?"Clarisse hugged her one last time before getting out of the car.

"No, I won't." Mia said smiling at her grandmother's exasperated expression. She wouldn't do anything to disturb their honeymoon.

Casting Mia a last look Clarisse grabbed Joseph's arm and together they boarded the plane. When they had taken their seats Joseph took Clarisse's hand and kissed it lightly.

"Don't worry, my dear. She'll be alright."

Nodding briefly Clarisse stroked his cheek. She knew that Mia would do just fine. The girl had settled extremely well into her new job as queen.

"I know honey."

Turning to look out of the window Clarisse settled back into her seat and relaxed.

"So, are you going to tell me what you did in Salzburg in your youth?" Joseph asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Ah ... well, that's a long story." Clarisse tried to avoid his question.

"I believe you already said that. And we have some time during the flight." With a twinkle in his eyes Joe looked at her.

Clarisse sighed.

"Okay. But remember you asked for it." Settling more comfortably in her seat she looked at him intently.

"I was about 18, and my parents granted me one wish for my birthday. So I chose to come to Salzburg and work as a nanny for a year. My boss was a retired navy captain with seven children. Eventually we fell in love with each other." Clarisse said.

Joe took her hand and stroked it gently.

"What happened?" he asked carefully.

"My parents decided that I should marry Rupert. And that's what I did." She looked at him but there was no regret in her eyes. Even though her marriage with Rupert had been an arranged one she had been quite happy. Until the day she had met Joseph. Only then she had realized what love truly was. And only then she realized that she hadn't really loved before.

"Oh Clarisse, that's so sad. I'm sorry." Joseph brushed her lips lightly with his.

"Don't be. Just remember, if I hadn't married Rupert we would never have met." Smiling she returned his kiss and snuggled into his loving embrace.

About two hours later the plane landed safely on Salzburg airport. There was already a limousine waiting for them which took them to their hotel in the old city centre. It was quite a lovely hotel Mia had chosen, with old-fashioned furniture. Everything gave the appearance of being made for a queen.

When they took a closer look around the suite they discovered that Mia had arranged for a bottle of champagne for them.

Joseph smiled at Clarisse.

"Looks as though your granddaughter wants to give us the time of our lives."

"You mean our granddaughter." Laughing Clarisse went to the bathroom to change into a more comfortable outfit before they went on a first tour through Salzburg.

Joe rolled his eyes. But somehow Clarisse was right. Now that they were married Mia was his granddaughter. And secretly he had always felt about her like that.

Some minutes later Clarisse was ready to go, and together they left. The cathedral was the first stop on their small sightseeing tour through the city. Joseph was rather impressed by the beautiful building. The paintings on the high ceiling were freshly restored and seemed to glow in all their beauty.

They spent quite some time there and before they knew it, it was rather late. On their way back to the hotel they went through the famous Getreidegasse and passed the house where Mozart was born.

"We'll have to do a real sightseeing tour tomorrow." Clarisse said as they made their way to their room. They had decided to order dinner from the room service to enjoy a quiet meal together.

"I agree. And I want to see the castle." Joe looked through the menu, shaking his head at the unknown dishes.

"Honey, what's a Kaiserschmarrn?" He looked at her.

"That's cut up pancakes with raisins, usually served with stewed plums. Quite delicious as I must add." She smiled at him.

"Okay, but that's more like a dessert, isn't it?"

"No actually it's a full meal, it's very filling. But how about that: We order something else for the main course and share the Kaiserschmarrn?"

"Sounds great." Joseph said.

A couple of minutes later they had both ordered, fried chicken with mixed salad ("Backhendl") for Clarisse and boiled round of beef with spinach, chive sauce, apple horseradish and hashed brown potatoes ("Tafelspitz") for Joe as well as the Kaiserschmarrn for dessert.

After dinner both were well sated and settled in front of the large window looking out on the beautiful city before they went to bed.

The next morning Joe woke up first and stretched lazily in bed. From what he could see through the half-closed curtains it was a glorious day. He turned around to look at Clarisse and found her watching him. She smiled.

"Good morning, love." Kissing him gently she snuggled up against him, enjoying the warmth and comfort of his body.

"And a good morning to you too, sweetheart." Joe pulled her close, stroking her back.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Clarisse seemed full of energy this morning. She shifted her head slightly to look at him.

"Well, since it's such a wonderful day, how about that trip to the National Park Mia gave us?"

"That sounds wonderful. Actually I've never been there." Clarisse turned to look out of the window. It was indeed a wonderful day.

"I don't want to spoil the mood but I guess then we should get out of bed. It's already late morning, and from what I gathered from the voucher we'll have a one hour drive before we get there." Joe smiled when she groaned. He knew that she'd rather stay in bed with him but then her curiosity got the better of her and she jumped out of the bed.

Still laughing Joe got up as well and started looking for appropriate clothes. After a short call to the front desk he decided that warm clothing would be best since it had snowed in the National Park last night. He was a bit surprised as it was still only late October but then again the front desk manager had explained that this was nothing unusual there.

So some minutes later they were on their way in direction of Bad Gastein where a horse-drawn sleigh would wait for them. The drive took about an hour. When they arrived in a small valley that belonged to Bad Gastein they were overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape. The valley was rather narrow, with only a small hotel and some farms. A road led to the end of the valley which could not be seen from their point on the parking of the hotel.

The coachman greeted them and placed some warm blankets over their knees after they had climbed into the sleigh. Clarisse snuggled closer to Joe in order to stay warm and to enjoy his presence. When they passed the hotel they noticed that it was quite lovely and they decided to have a coffee their after their sleigh-ride.

But for now they just enjoyed the breathtaking landscape of the Kötschach-valley as it was called. Now they were directly in the National Park Hohe Tauern. Cars were not allowed here, so they only met people skiing or hiking or even some animals. The quiet and peace of the ride was really relaxing. The horses went steadily; the little bells on their harnesses were ringing. All in all it was absolutely romantic. Clarisse sighed happily and Joseph put his arm around her shoulder while kissing her temple lightly.

"This is wonderful." Clarisse said quietly.

Joseph's eyes were shining with happiness. This was just perfect. This wonderful adventure in the snow with the woman he loved in his arms – what could he want more?

"I know, love." He pulled her closer in his embrace.

About one hour later they arrived at a small inn at the end of the valley. They entered and sat down at a table in the far corner, ordering some hot chocolate and some bread and cheese for lunch.

They ate in silence for some minutes, just sharing loving glances and small touches here and there.

After they had finished their lunch they left the inn and took a walk around. Actually there wasn't much to look at since there was nothing except the inn. But nonetheless they walked some meters before Joe grabbed some snow and threw it at Clarisse. She gasped but quickly recovered from the initial shock. Laughing she formed a snowball herself and threw it at Joe while ducking behind a tree at the same time. Soon they were engaged in a snowball fight like children.

Clarisse enjoyed it immensely. She hadn't done that in such a long time. And Joe? He looked as if he had the time of his life throwing snow at her.

Minutes later Joe gave up, laughing. Clarisse had managed to hit him a couple of times in a row.

"Please, my queen. Have mercy." Gasping he held his hands up in surrender. Gracefully she accepted it, kissing him gently.

"But just this once." Smiling she took his hand and together they went back to the sleigh. The way back went by even faster, and before they knew it they were back at the hotel parking where they had left the limousine.

"Shall we have some coffee then?" Joe asked his wife, offering her his arm. She nodded. The hotel was quite lovely. It was called Grüner Baum ("Green Tree"). Obviously it had a quite long tradition, according to the many photos of the proprietors with different celebrities.

When they entered the lobby they were immediately drawn to the bar. It was cosy and a roaring fire was in the fire place. They ordered some coffee and for Clarisse a piece of the famous Austrian Sachertorte (chocolate cake with apricot jam). The waiter didn't keep them waiting for long, and soon they could sip the hot liquid. Clarisse enjoyed her cake tremendously. Joseph smiled. He had known she had a rather sweet tooth from time to time. But he accepted it gratefully when she offered him her fork with a bit of the cake. And he had to admit that it was absolutely delicious.

It wasn't long before they reluctantly returned to Salzburg. The Grüner Baum hotel had been much to their liking, and so they decided to keep it in mind for their next visit to Austria.

The drive back to Salzburg was quite uneventful, and after changing in more comfortable clothes they decided to take a short walk through the city. When they returned to the hotel they decided to take a snack in the restaurant and then retire to their room for the night. After all it had been a long day and all the fresh air had tired them somehow.

The next days passed by quickly. They explored the city and its surroundings, and Clarisse showed Joe all the places she had loved in her youth. And much to Joseph's delight she had even worn the dirndl she had talked of before their departure. She had looked absolutely stunning in the dark blue silk dress which emphasised her womanly curves in all the right places. To be honest she had attracted quite some looks when they had had dinner that evening. But Joe was proud that she was his wife – and such a beautiful wife too.

All too soon it was time to return to Genovia. Both Clarisse and Joe were sad to leave but they promised to come back soon.

On their way back to the airport Joe looked at his wife.

"Thanks for sharing all the memories with me." Gently he kissed her lips, stroking her cheek.

"You are welcome. I love you." She leaned in his embrace.

"And I thank you for these wonderful days here." Snuggling closer she closed her eyes.

Joe chuckled. He had enjoyed these past few days as much as she had. But nonetheless ...

"I think you should thank Mia. After all it was her idea." He could feel Clarisse nod against his chest.

Minutes later they arrived at the airport, and about 2 hours later they landed safely in Genovia. As they had guessed Mia awaited them at the airport, curious about their honeymoon in Austria.

So the happy couple hugged their granddaughter, and together they went back to the palace. Mia was glad that Clarisse and Joe had had such a good time.

After a quick shower in their suite in the Genovian palace, Clarisse and Joe met Mia for an early lunch, before going to bed early.

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