Sunday, February 28, 2010

Ötscherlandweg

Spring has sprung in Niederösterreich so we decided to take advantage of a relatively warm and partly sunny day with a bike ride to Wieselburg.  Below is look at our journey. 



1) Heading out with the rickety old, one-speed bikes. 

Origin: Thörringplatz 7, 3380 Pöchlarn
Time: 1:08 p.m.
Destination: Wieselburg by way of Erlauf and Petzenkirchen





2) Donauradweg before it turns into the Ötscherlandweg. A little cloudy and gray to start.
3) The Erlauf!

 




4) Ötscherlandweg - a beautiful piece of Austria  







5) Passing the landlord's farm - Erlauf

6) The fields are alive in Erlauf!  

7) Passing the Wieselburg Express in Petzenkirchen 
8) Time for a pit-stop at Haubi's bakery in Petzenkirchen!  

Me: chilling on a semmel roll.
  
Michael: chilling with his coffee.





Destination: Wieselburg on der Erlauf
Time: 3:45 p.m.  
  

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Ski Day in Schladming

February 21, 2010 - the perfect day to play!

Dachstein




Schaf-Alm - ski lodge owned by Elsa's nephews. There are real sheep inside!
Mittagspause






8-seat chair lift with cushions and a seat warmer
 Angela and Josef

Michael, Josef, Angela and the Sky Toilet






Schladming!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Fasching

Here in Austria, we're in the midst of Fasching, or in English - Carnival.  In the days and weeks leading up to Lent, Fasching is an opportunity to party and indulge in, well, whatever you please. So last night we decided to partake in the festival and see what this infamous time of year is all about.  I guess one could compare it a bit to Halloween since people dress up in costumes and such, but I wouldn't say we really have anything on this big of a scale in the US.  

Before we went to the Turnerball in Ybbs, we met up with a teacher friend of Michael's and finalized our costumes.  Here come the pirates!  After rounding up a few more friends, we headed to the ball.  People young and old alike made their way to the venue dressed in costumes ranging from your standard green aliens to full-bodied blue Avatar men.  As luck would have it, even cupid showed up.  He actually hit Michael square in the head with his arrow!  Good thing I was sitting by him :)
It's hard to say exactly how many people were at the ball, but there were three or so floors packed full of people.  In the main room, a cover band played a variety of tunes, including some Elvis Presley and good old rock n' roll.  In didn't matter the song though, these Austrians sure now how to two-step... and walz and tango, and cha, cha, cha.  We got to see some pretty ridiculous dance moves.
At midnight, the Turn Ferein (Dance/gymnastics club) put on a show. I have since learned that at midnight, there is always a performance of sorts at balls.  Seems a little late to me, but I guess that's how they do it here. Since the gymnastics club was sponsoring the event, their performance naturally had an element of acrobatics to it.  They did a routine to a medley of MJ's songs, including "Thriller".

These two pirates were well beyond exhausted but somehow still managed to make it to 2 a.m.  An early night compared to all the other party-goers.  Breakfast would start being served at 4, and I guess it's common for people to stay out until 6 or 7 in the morning.  I think one Faschingsball is enough for me, but we sure had a good time while it lasted!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Home Sweet Österreich

An unusual thing happened on our trip to Ireland. I found myself getting a bit homesick for Austria. Quite strange and unbelievable really considering we had a great time in Ireland and I had no reason at all to feel homesick. We were treated to the best there is in Irish hospitality and had our own personal tour guide, John, who showed us both the top tourist attractions (Guinness Storehouse) and the top off-the beaten-path attractions (Black Fort). You can read all about our adventure in Michael's blog.

Despite all the fun, by the time we were done traveling, I found myself really looking forward to coming back to Austria. It might seem strange finding comfort in a land where they don't speak English and where I'm often confused by cultural customs, but throughout the last five or so months, it's become more like a home and less like the intimidating strange place it once was. We've really settled in and embraced the challenges and discomfort. At least I've tried to accept the fact that I'm going to feel a little uncomfortable pretty much all the time. I don't want to stay here forever, but I think it's important to reflect on our experiences every now and then so I don't lose sight of how lucky I am to actually be here in the first place.

Speaking of reflecting, at this moment I'm also toying with the idea of eating the last of three Krapfen I picked up after school today. They're small so it's ok. I really should save it for Michael, but his eyes are closed at the moment. Hmm.... What would you do?


And on an unrelated note, our microwave is starting to blow up. Seriously, sparks are starting to fly. We have to turn it off completely before the time runs out, otherwise we get a fireworks display in the microwave. Definitely not safe, but I think we have it under control.