Angela in Austria

Niederösterreich Tour

2010-06-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Elsa, Josef and I made a nice little tour through Lower Austria stopping in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Hohenlehen and Lunz am See. The sun was shining and I got to see Austria in all its glory - mountains, hills and valleys.

Josef und Ich in Waidhofen an der Ybbs

One of the main sites in Waidhofen is this tower, which was built in 1532 when the people of Waidhofen, at precisely 11:45 a.m., deafeated the Turks.

Stopping for lunch (leftover schnitzel) up on the mountain at Hohenlehen. This is where Josef will be taking the school students this week to practice cutting down trees.

The cows didn't disturb us too much, mooooo.....

Elsa and I resting on the 180 year old tree (Josef counted the rings so we can say with certainty just how old it is)

After lunch, we drove on to Lunz am See and took a little electric boat ride around the lake. This, of course, was followed by ice cream.

As you can see, it was an echt schöner Tag!

We've also been cooking and baking every day. Needless to say, I think you'll all be impressed with what I can do when I get home! Elsa and Josef made us a cookbook of their (and our!) favorite Austrian recipes so now I'll be able to recreate all of the recipes anytime we'd like.

Lately, I've also come to a few new realizations, including, among others:

I no longer find it unusual for people to drink a beer at noon
An after-lunch coffee break is second nature now
The Austrians have a good thing going with their handshakes. There's never that ambiguity of how to greet a person. You simply ALWAYS shake their hand when you arrive and when you leave. It's understood. It's simple.

It's hard to imagine that we'll be leaving in just two short days. I really hate to think about it, and the anticipation seems almost worse than just saying goodbye and getting it done with. There have been simply far too many memories and good times had to sum up the whole experience. I best not write too much now or I'll start to cry just thinking about it. We've grown a lot this year, and we will often and fondly think back on our time here.

Chances are good that you won't hear from me again until we're in the States (we arrive Wednesday night). Thanks to all of you who have been faithful readers! It's been a great year :)

Love, Angela

How have I been spending my last days in Austria?

2010-06-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

Snuggled up by a warm fire, that's how. The weather has been nothing but miserable for the last several days, and, quite frankly, I'm getting sick of it. Some people have been blaming it on the volcano, but I'm not sure if I buy it. Regardless, it's no fun. Fortunately we've moved over to Elsa and Josef's now so we've at least got some luxuries like a TV and dishwasher - not to mention, good company.

At 6:00 this morning Michael left for Belguim with the men's choir. I heard part of the sending off ceremony included beer with breakfast. Hopefully they can still sing at the EU Parliament this afternoon! Today is their only official concert on the program. Then they have four days to explore the country. I must say, ich bin sehr stolz auf ihn. (I'm proud of him) for joining the choir and really becoming part of the group. It's been fun for me to meet the men in the choir too. They're quite the family.

On the home front, tomorrow's another Austrian (rather, Catholic) holiday - Corpus Christi. That means no work, no school for the Austrians. This is literally the 5th or 6th holiday in the last 30 days. We finished up at our schools on Monday, but the school year goes into early July. Last weekend we cleaned out the apartment in Pöchlarn, so things are slowly winding down.

Along the Danube near Grein.

Riding bike in Vienna.

During the last holiday weekend (Pentecost, May 22-25), we spent some time in Vienna and also toured the Mostbirnhaus in Lower Austria. This relatively modern museum took us through the process of making the 'Mostviertlers' favorite drink, Most (an alcoholic cider, usually pear cider or sometimes apple) which you drink like wine. We also enjoyed some richtige spring weather in Vienna and rode our bikes around the Ring Street until our legs fell off. Then we took in a concert from CSB/SJU, the choir is touring Europe at the moment, and also went to a recital of another teaching assistant living in Vienna. In the evening we went to My Fair Lady with Matthias at the Volksoper and got to sit in those fancy box seats that line the side of an opera house.

One of the other highlights from our time in Vienna was Dialog-im-Dunkeln. Basically what it is is an exhibition where you experience daily life as a blind person experiences it. You're led by a blind or visually-impaired tour guide and walk through simulated daily experiences, such as walking through a park, crossing the street, ordering a drink at a bar/cafe, etc. You learn how to use the walking stick and really become in tune to your other senses. Our guide said we rely on our vision for about 80% of what we do. We chose to do the tour in English and lucked out being the only two to sign up. We figured if we can't see, we will at least want to understand what's going on in the dark. Our guide was from Croatia but has been living in Vienna for 19 years working also as an opera singer. She really got a kick out of Michael and me, and we got a kick out of her too. The tour was half in English, half in German because she had just started learning English. We had a great time helping each other out with words we didn't know, and she was insistent on me learning how to pronounce the German "ü" sound. She even went so far as to try to form my lips and mouth and push in on my diaphragm but to no avail. I think she would have given me a passing C grade, but I still have some work to do.

Hello Goodbye - the remix

2010-05-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

The end is fast approaching. While today I can say that I will be ready to come home, I know it will still be tough when the day actually comes. As the end nears, however, it seems only natural to think back to the beginning. Lately I've been having flashbacks to when we first arrived. All I can say is, we've come a long way, baby!

I remember our first meeting with the landlord. I understood absolutely nothing while I sat there watching the flies catch on the sticky roll hung in the kitchen. Gross. I remember the first days in Pöchlarn cleaning out the apartment and trying to adjust to living in a small town thousands of miles away from familiarity. I remember eating noodles with pesto and frozen pizzas until we got used to the different kinds of food at Spar. And I remember being able to speak and understand zero Deutsch.

All that was eight plus months ago. Since then, I've proudly conversed with the landlord (ohne Michael), come to really enjoy the pace of small-town life, and greatly expand my cooking repertoire. One of the main reasons we've had such a great time in Austria is because of the hospitality of Familie Schagerl (Elsa and Josef) and Matthias. Both helped us acclimate to Austrian life in different ways, and our experience wouldn't have been the same without them. Michael joining the men's choir and both of us getting teaching jobs also helped us feel more a part of the culture and experience authentic Austrian life. That being said, I still definitely feel like an outsider. People often still stare at us like we're aliens, but that's just how it is. Maybe we should make crop circles when we leave to mark our territory?

When we first arrived, I realized just how important is was to "get comfortable being uncomfortable." That hasn't changed during our nine month stint here. I think we've both embraced the philosophy and will hopefully be more adventurous and confident people going forward.

Prague

2010-05-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

With less than a month to go in Europe, we decided to have one more big hurrah. Destination: Prague, Czech Republic. The weather was perfect the entire weekend - 60's and sunshine.

After spending Saturday morning walking in circles, we finally got a handle on our directions and were able to explore the Old Town and some of the other historic sites in Prague. Since it was marathon weekend in the city, we also checked out the race expo and signed up for the "mini-marathon", 4.2 km. Unfortunately Michael got pretty sick Saturday so I had to take on the world's best alone.

There was no getting lost on Sunday morning; I just followed the people with the nervous-looking faces and athletic gear. They took me right where I needed to be in the heart of Prague and the starting line of the marathon (err...mini-marathon).

I have to say there's something so exhilarating about race day. It's fun to just be there and soak up the sights, sounds and smells. You see old people, young people, fat people, skinny people, people who've had major surgeries, and people who just can't get enough of running these races. As I walked around and saw people warming up and rubbing down, I got the occasional whiff of icy-hot and bengay. Couple this with the pump-you-up music and beautiful weather and the stage was set for a great race.

I kicked butt in the mini marathon, dodging little kids left and right in an attempt to beat them to the finish line. I did beat most of them, but unfortunately there was a backup at the finish due to all the people getting their medals. After getting my medal, I grabbed as much swag as I could and headed back to the hotel.

On my way back to the metro, an African guy who definitely looked like a runner but didn't have a race number, asked me if I knew where the elite changing area was. I can only reason this out in one way that makes sense, and that is that he asked me because he thought I looked like an elite runner! :) Of course, I didn't even know that an elite changing area existed, but I tried to play it off cool. I said which general direction he should head, gave him my map and said good luck. I did feel pretty rockin' awesome for the rest of the day though imagining myself as an elite athlete, ha!

After Michael recovered a little, we spent the rest of the day exploring the Prague Castle and Charles Bridge areas before grabbing a beer (the Czechs are the biggest drinkers per capita) and ending the night with some jazz music at the AghaRTA jazz club. It was a really small, intimate venue downstairs in what was kind of like a cavern. It was really great music and a great way to wrap up our trip in Prague.

Frühling in Wieselburg

2010-04-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's spring in Wieselburg, and as part of Familie Schagerl, we get to partake in all kinds of fun spring activities, such as grilling, chilling, eating ice cream, fishing and mowing the lawn!

Master chef Josef

Michael, Elsa, Judith and Josef enjoying lunch on the terrace

Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for Reschinsky ice cream.

The fish, they just weren't biting.

"Now son, please don't mow over that baby plum tree I just planted."

Der April, der April...

2010-04-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

"Der April, der April, er macht was er will."

"April, April, it does what it wants." Ok, so it doesn't sound nearly as cool in English, but you get the point.

Yesterday we took advantage of April's generosity with a beautiful bike ride through the Wachau with Matthias. I'm happy to report that Matthias has never ridden his bike through this portion of the Wachau. What that means is that we, two Americans, gave him, an Austrian, an authentic Austrian experience. How the tables have turned...

At top right, castle #1. We have taken this exact photo with all of our guests. We could make an entire album of just this shot, but that's because it's such a perfect photo spot. Wouldn't you agree?

Ships passing on the Danube. Tourist season has begun!

Pit stop an der Donau; Matthias walking on water.

Weingut Polz, wine for 1 Euro per glass. That's ridiculously cheap. The food was pretty cheap, too. The problem is you never quite know what you're gonna get. I gambled with Presswurst. It looks pretty weird but tastes ok. It's basically pressed chunks of different types of meat held together with a jelly of sorts and floating in oil and vinegar. It took some getting used to, but it was ok.

Speed demons rounding the bend.

One of many peach trees (not to mention, apricot trees, apple trees, pear trees, grape vines) ; Matthias pretending he's a bee.

Durnstein - ein schöner Ausblick

Playing frisbee in the park near Krems an der Donau.

Clay-court season begins!

2010-04-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

It's about this time of year when the pro's on the world's tennis circuit start gearing up for the big French Open in Paris. While we're far from contending in the Grand Slam event, that doesn't mean we're not taking our training seriously at the Tennisverein Pöchlarn.

In our first week of tennis for the season, we've had to make some adjustments to our game. Having never played on clay before, we needed to get used to the slower pace of the ball and the unpredictability of the surface. Not only does the ball bounce, skid and roll where it wants, the slippery surface also unfortunately makes us bounce, skid and roll where we don't want. I've already bit the dust once in a not-so-graceful manner. War-wounds aside, we love it and are happy to finally play again!

Rain, rain, go away

2010-04-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's a Friday afternoon in Pöchlarn. Michael is at choir rehearsal as he has been every night this week. The Männergesangverein Ybbs is gearing up for a big concert tomorrow night. I won't give away all the details - Michael can do that - but it should be quite the show. Here's the link for the event: http://www.ybbsiade.at/spielplan.php?pid=8. Hopefully our friend John, who's supposed to come visit from Ireland, will be able to get through all that volcanic ash wreaking havoc in Europe and make it in time.

So with Michael at rehearsal everyday from 4-11:30 or who knows how late, that leaves me here to hold down the fort. Usually I go for a run, but it's been raining every day this week. Normally I wouldn't complain about that for the obvious reason: an excuse NOT to run, but I started to get a little cabin fever today. I decided to brave it when I saw a break in the clouds.

I headed up the embankment to get started on the Danube path but decided to turn around after the first few sprinkles hit me in the face. It was too early in the run to willingly put myself through what could turn into pure torture. I turned around and came back inside, and it's a good thing I did because two seconds later it started pouring! I mean POURING! With thunder and everything. I think it maybe even hailed a little bit. Boy, was I happy to be inside where it was warm, cozy and dry.

An hour later, the rain subsided, the sun came out and my running shoes were still calling my name. I decided to give it another go. This time with success. I did my usual jaunt on the Danube, said my friendly hello to the only other regular runner I see on the path and called it quits. I have to say, the exercisers in Pöchlarn really are all or nothing people. When it's a sunny day, everyone is out, but when it's even a little bit cloudy or windy, not a soul. But, I guess, that's their Entscheidung.

March Madness

2010-04-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

After a whirlwind of a month, I'm happy to be back in Pöchlarn to enjoy our remaining two months in Austria. March, and even into April, was full of visitors and travel. Now that things have settled down, I have time to get all my faithful readers up to speed. If there are any of you still out there after my long hiatus, that is.

Below are some highlights from March and April:

1) Tom and Martha: March 6-13

Unfortunately March came in like a lion and we had to endure the brunt of its force. After spending some time in Vienna and Salzburg, we settled in Wieselburg to give Michael's parents a taste of our daily life in Austria. With cold, wind and snow, we didn't really feel like doing a lot of sightseeing. Rather, we found ourself sampling some Kaiser beer at the Wieselburg brewery, making apple strudel with Elsa and learning how to dance with live music performed by the Erlauf Trio.

2) Fabian and Chrissi: March 17-20

These two friends from Germany reminded me just how crazy it is for two Americans to be living in Pöchlarn. We spent a lot of time talking about cultural differences and attitudes toward certain things like family, career, and the general optimism of the American people. Maybe we are a little crazy to move here for a year, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

We showed Fabian and Chrissi what small-town life in Lower Austria is all about with big-city tours of Wieselburg, Pöchlarn and a bike ride through Wachau. We even found the Sigl Winery!

3) Sarah and Annie: March 20-26

As was our goal for all of our visitors, I wanted to give Annie and Sarah a glimpse into what our lives are like here in Austria. I hope they got that and a whole lot more.

After a long flight and then a train ride, we dragged them to a Wieselburg city music event starring Josef and the Erlauf Trio. It doesn't get more Austrian than lederhosen and some traditional music. It was the perfect way to kick off a week in Europe. The next day we let them sleep in; we had breakfast at 1:00 p.m. They needed their energy though because we had a busy week including stops in Salzburg, Vienna, Maria Zell, Melk, the Wachau and Scheibbs.

Having two friends from Minnesota brought up a variety of emotions. On the one hand, their visit made me look forward to coming back to MN, but on the other hand, showing them around Austria really made me sad to think about leaving our life here. It's a beautiful country and a relaxed life. We're really lucky to be here. This I know.

4) Monika and Matthias: March 26-March 30

I promise I'll only say it once, but that Deutsch Bahn train is really something else! So sleek and modern, it's definitely a first-class train. We took that efficient German train to Idar-Oberstein to visit some of Michael's distant relatives. We were treated to the best in hospitality with a full itinerary. We toured the Mosel wine valley, the Idar-Oberstein Gemstone Museum, the Marksburg castle and a copper cave from the Middle Ages.

5) Mari Jo and the Sieger's: March 30-April 6

20 years later, we decided it was time at last to have a reunion with Anne, the foreign exchange student we hosted oh so long ago in North Dakota. Michael and I met my mom in Düsseldorf for a couple days before meeting up with Anne in Cologne. The daffodils were in full bloom along the Rhine Valley despite the chilly weather. Our tour through Cologne included stops at the Cathedral (Dom), Chocolate Museum and a restaurant where you eat completely in the dark. We then made our way to Münster and Warendorf to see the rest of Anne's family. We had a nice Easter and were filled to the brim with cake and chocolate.

Ötscherlandweg

2010-02-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

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.

Ski Day in Schladming

2010-02-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

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!

Fasching

2010-02-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

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!

Home Sweet Österreich

2010-02-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

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.

La-la-la-la Linz!

2010-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

I really like Linz. I don't exactly know why, but I do. Michael knows this very well after hearing me say it every 10 minutes while we walked around the city. I think maybe one of the reasons I like it so much is because it seems to be under appreciated. Granted, it was the European Capital of Cultural for 2009, but I think they had to do some work to get that recognition (just a hunch). Historically, it seems to have had the reputation of being a nasty, polluted city full of factories. Maybe that's true, but nonetheless, I liked what I saw.

Last Sunday, we took a day trip to the city. It's just a little over an hour by train, straddled between Vienna and Salzburg on the main train line that cuts across the country. On Sundays, most things are shut down in Austria, but museums and cafes are still usually open - cafes being the more important of the two for us. We started our tour through the old city glimpsing sights of the Neuer Dom (New Cathedral), Alter Dom (Old Cathedral) and Schloss Linz, among others.

After losing feeling in our fingers and toes, we headed into the Ars Electronica Center, an interactive science, technology, space center, to warm up. The highlight was definitely the 3D tour of space, which the guide narrated, natürlich, auf Deutsch. Another highlight was getting to see my (or Jane Doe's) internal body organs in the New Biology lab. After watching nearly the entire first season of (Dr.) House, these biological/medical things are starting to intrigue me. If I watch a couple more seasons, I might be able to get my MD. Watch out, world!

Enough with science and technology. What visit to Linz wouldn't be complete without having a piece of Linzer Torte? I truly admire the Austrians dedication to their ritual of taking an afternoon coffee (and cake!) break.

Michael and I enjoyed the Cafe Traxlmayr experience for an hour or two, flipping through the dozens of newspapers and magazines they have available for customers. By this time, huge snow clumps had begun to fall, and my "I really like Linz" phrase had turned into "I LOVE Linz!" Obviously this type of snowfall doesn't happen every day, but it sure made for a picturesque stroll through the Alte Stadt.

We wrapped up our day with a visit to the Lentos Kunstmuseum; we were in the Cultural Capital of Europe after all. We needed to partake in some cultural activities. There was just a small exhibit open featuring Austrian artists, including Oskar Kokoschka who was born in Pöchlarn. My favorite, however, was by Gustav Klimt - Frauenkopf (below).

And because a gray, foggy, snowy day in Linz doesn't exactly make for the best pictures, I swiped some from the internet. They look a little 1970's, but you get the idea.

A new teaching adventure

2010-01-14T06:37:00.000-08:00

Word of mouth can be great, especially when it results in a full-time teaching assistantship for me. Such is how I came to be the English assistant at the Bundesgymnasium and Bundesrealgymnasium Wieselburg (BG/BRG for short) and at BORG Scheibbs, a high school focusing on art and music in a town about 20 minutes from Wieselburg. Through May, I will be splitting my time between the two schools by spending one week in Wieselburg and one week in Scheibbs. See map for a visual of where Pöchlarn, Wieselburg and Scheibbs are in relation to one another.

The story of my employment goes like this:

The Fulbright teaching assistant for the Gymnasium (pronounced with a hard "G") simply didn't show up. He didn't tell anyone, just decided to stay home I guess. Lucky for me, however, because the school still really wanted an assistant. This is where the word-of-mouth part comes in. The teachers at Michael's school of course knew that I was in Austria and not working. During their weekly lunch at Mr. Lee (probably the only Japanese restaurant in all of Lower Austria), one teacher at Michael's school mentioned that I was here to another teacher at the Gymnasium, and the rest is history. The teacher contacted me immediately and we began work on submitting the necessary forms so I could officially be hired. After working our way through the Austrian bureaucracy, I was officially able to start after the Christmas holiday. What this means is that I have the exact same job Michael has with the same pay and benefits. And all I had to do to get the job was be here.

Now I'm a week into the job and loving every minute of it... except the waking up at 5:50 a.m. part. My internal clock doesn't register that time very well. The students in Wieselburg range in age from 10 to 18 years old and are primarily university track students. They speak English quite well and appear to be interested in what I have to say. I get quite the variety as well. This week I went from one lesson where we did "Head and Shoulders" with 10 year olds to reading "Brave New World" with the 18 year olds. I now have a copy of the book to read, and even I don't know some of these words! As we both make our way through the book, I look forward to having some interesting discussions with the students about Utopian societies.

Next week will be my first week in Scheibbs, so stay tuned for more to come on that. I have met a few of the teachers though and they all seem really nice.

In addition to teaching, I'm also rocking the tutoring scene. This week I met with a student from the school I had previously been teaching at in Amstetten, and next week I'm meeting with a student from the school in Wieselburg. She is preparing to take her university entrance exam in May and wants to practice speaking English with a native speaker. Michael is also at a tutoring session right now in fact. All of these sessions mean bonus income for us. Tomorrow I'm going to an elementary school to do some basic English activities with 6-10 year olds. Should be fun but exhausting. The younger they are, the more energetic they are, and the more work they are for me! I don't know if I'm cut out for this...

I really feel fortunate for all that has fallen into my lap this semester. It's quite unbelievable that something this lucky would happen to me - and in a town of less than 4,000 no less. I'm looking forward to a busy but rewarding next couple of months of teaching and intercultural exchange.

Skifahren

2010-01-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

After ringing in the New Year in Amsterdam, we made our way back to home-sweet-Pöchlarn where we quickly settled back into the Austrian way of life. For me, this means no more speaking English (ahh, how liberating it was while it lasted!), eating lots of wurst and enjoying the long, lazy days of life in Niederösterreich.

One of the best things about being in Austria during the winter is of course our proximity to the mountains. We took advantage of our last days of Christmas break with a trip to the Hochkar. This relatively small mountain by Austrian standards is just a short, one-hour drive from Wieselburg. Luck was on our side because the weather was perfect and the snow was quite good for this time of year. Although Michael and I have a long ways to go before we can join the talent ranks of Austrian skiiers, we still had fun. While Josef skied circles around us (literally pirouettes) and looked like he could qualify for the Austrian ski team, Michael and I made frequent stops to rest our burning legs. We've got some work to do to whip ourselves into skiing shape!

Below are some photos from our day of skiing at Hochkar and our brief stop in Amsterdam on New Year's Eve.

We're coming to America!

2009-12-17T04:07:00.000-08:00

Well, Pöchlarn has treated us well, but we're ready to be back in the USA. With our first snowfall on Sunday and a few stray flakes every day since then, we're starting to get the Christmas itch.

Tomorrow we'll celebrate an early Christmas with Elsa and Josef followed by Michael's choir concert in the Vienna City Hall on Saturday. Sunday morning, we're off to Amsterdam and then it's back to home-sweet-home. It will be strange to return after just 10 short days in the US, but our life is here now for another 5 months. If all goes well, and we think it should, I will also be working as an English teaching assistant during the spring semester. It makes coming back better knowing we'll both have renewed energy and purpose. There's much still to see and do in Österreich!

Random sightings or experiences

2009-12-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Below is an assortment of random sightings and experiences from the past couple weeks. I hope you enjoy them. They are listed in no particular order.

Michael and I didn't buy a real Christmas tree. Instead we cut some branches from the sickly looking evergreens propped up all over Pöchlarn and made our own. Ours definitely looks better than the trees on the street.

We picked up that little pumpkin in the background at the beginning of October. We found it in a field on our bike ride back from Baumaxx (Austrian equivalent to Lowe's) and it was completely green. Two months later it's turning orange!

I finally got my chocolate crepe fix at one the many Viennese Christmas markets.

Last weekend we bought a candy bar out of a vending machine in Vienna. We put in exact change so I wasn't expecting anything in return. I usually check the coin return anyway though because you never know. And guess what?! 80 cents was in there!

We were shopping for salad dressing at Spar and one of our choices was "Thousand Islands" - Islands with an "s". Haha!

Spare ribs anyone? Elsa and Josef made sure we don't turn into spare ribs by taking us out to eat at this delicious restaurant in Vienna.

Today they were doing some statue work outside. One man working, five men watching and a one free-swinging bishop. Amen to that.

Chickens

2009-12-04T07:34:00.001-08:00

I have a couple things to say about chickens - yes, the animal. In small towns in Austria, it's not uncommon to see chickens running around people's yards. I'll be walking by houses in Wieselburg and all of the sudden hear clucking and other chicken noises coming from behind the fence. One house by Michael's school had five or so running around the yard. They were running by the children's play equipment and everywhere. It's so funny to see. I laugh every time.

Secondly, in regards to eating chicken - up until a couple weeks ago, I thought we had been buying chicken from Spar. The meat looks like chicken, it's packaged the same as chicken would be packaged and it has the same pink color. Heck, it even tastes like chicken when you cook it! However, much to my surprise, it turns out we've been eating turkey all along! It's not like turkey and chicken are that different when it gets down to it, but my turkey at Thanksgiving looks quite different that the turkey I buy at Spar. I think we've determined the difference between turkey and chicken is that the turkey breasts are thicker than the chicken breasts, but that seems to be the only real difference. I've been resistant to acknowledging this fact and in my head, continue to shop for and eat chicken when in fact I now know it's the other, other white meat.

Lastly, all of the chicken eggs here are brown and stamped. My mom pointed this out to me.

I guess I'm not that observant.

Ich lerne Deutsch

2009-11-25T00:11:00.000-08:00

So we've been in Austria a little more than two months now and I'm happy to report a noticeable improvement in my German (or Cheeehrman, as they pronounce it in English). I can understand more than I can say, but my conversational skills are also improving. How have I been learning, you may be asking yourself? Well, let me tell you.

Method #1: Weekly Deutschkurs at the Volkshochschule in Amstetten

Every Wednesday evening, I ride the train 20 minutes to Amstetten where I take a German class for foreigners. It's organized through what could be the equivalent of an Adult/Community Ed course in the US. There are only four of us in the class, and we're quite a diverse group. First we have Raja (I have no idea how to spell her name). I think she's from Serbia but has been living in Austria for several years. She speaks fluently but took the course to improve her grammar. She's about 35 and has a 5 year old son. Then we have Gabul (I have no idea how to spell his name). Gabul is from Hungary. He's probably in his mid-20's. That's about all I know about him. Last but not least we have Nabathu (I really have no idea how to spell his name). Nabathu's in his 20's and from what I can tell, he's from Thailand, but I have no idea why he's in Austria. I think he's living with a family here, but his German is far from stellar. He's a mystery I'll try to solve before the course ends.

To add to the mix, our instructor is from Romania. Her name is Christina. She also speaks English but fortunately she doesn't use it too much with me in class. Her German is a little bit difficult to understand at times because she speaks softly, but my ear has improved greatly over the weeks. Needless to say, we're an interesting group with varying levels of German. The course has been helpful, but I won't jump to sign up for it again.

Method #2: Coffee with Elsa

I've been really lucky to find my own personal tutor (aside from Michael, of course). Elsa and Josef live in Wieselburg, they're in their 50's (ok, Josef just turned 60) and have been so welcoming to us. We've adopted them as our Austrian parents and have lunch with them several times per week. Josef is also a teacher at Michael's school and Elsa is a teacher in Amstetten. She just had major back surgery though so she isn't teaching this year and has plenty of time to teach me German and for me to teach her English. It usually seems like we end up speaking more German than English, but that's ok. It's been really helpful for me to force myself to speak more German. Sometimes we do grammar exercises and other times we just talk. Knowing I will be meeting with her keeps me accountable and motivates me to keep learning German. Hopefully one day I will be able to hold normal conversations auf Deutsch.

Method #3: On my own

This is self explanatory. I use books, the internet, Rosetta Stone, Michael, etc. As mentioned in Method #2, meeting with Elsa and Josef keeps me accountable and is one of the reasons for Method #3.

So that's the story. Hopefully by May I'll be fluent.

ÖBB

2009-11-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

The ÖBB is the Austrian National Railway system. It's efficient, modern and convenient. From a customer's stand point, I'd say the employees generally seem to be satisfied with their work. I rarely encounter a crabby ticket controller.

One thing I haven't figured out though is the job function of the mysterious station master. What exactly does he do? (This post will soon be updated with a photo of so called train master)

At the smaller stations, the station master will sit inside some mysterious office doing who knows what. From time to time, he will mumble something over the loudspeaker, usually about a delay. Then, as soon as a train approaches, he will walk outside, put a little hat on, watch the train go by, take his hat off and go back inside. Why is this hat so critical? More importantly, why does he put it on only when he goes outside? This is a mystery to me, but it makes me laugh.

Luxuries I wish I had

2009-11-14T08:19:00.001-08:00

Some days you just need to vent. Today is one of them for me. Before making too pessimistic of a blog entry, however, I’d like to preface it by sharing with you the luxuries I'm happy I have here in Pöchlarn. First and foremost would be the internet and cell phone. Following close after would be a washing machine (even if it’s an old clunker) tables and chairs, pots and pans, a bed, functioning heat, a shower with good pressure, and a pretty sweet bike called “the Panther.” I didn’t name it, but I kind of wish I had. Then I could say I named my bike “the Panther.” My bike in the US was a Huffy, not nearly as cool.

On a side note, I left “the Panther” at the train station one weekend while traveling. This was Halloween weekend; perhaps it makes a difference. I’m always a little nervous when we return because I’m never quite sure if my bike will still be there. So far it always has been. That’s the good news. The bad news is that on this such weekend I was welcomed back to find my seat and handle bars covered in blue toothpaste! Ha!

I’m thinking it could have been a Halloween prank because I saw silly string elsewhere throughout the city, but regardless, it was a pretty good prank. It didn’t even bother me because I was so impressed by the guilty party’s ingenuity. I did end up walking my bike home only because I didn’t want a blue butt, but that was fine. Michael lucked out; he had left his bike at home, which, by the way, does not have a cool name like “the Panther.”

But back to my story about luxuries, or lack thereof. Of course, when living in another culture, the differences always seem to make themselves most apparent and we tend to overlook the similarities, at least at first. Truly, not having these luxuries really hasn’t been a bother, but some days I wish I could just throw my dishes in a machine or tumble dry my towels so they’re soft and fluffy.

This list is not all inclusive, but I think it covers most of my grievances for today. I try to be resourceful with the things we have and not focus on what we don’t. Living in Austria is not like living in a Third World Country. We have everything we need. That’s why I call them luxuries. Here goes…

Luxuries I wish I had:

Garbage disposal – instead we have this little tray covering the drain that traps everything from the tiniest grain of rice to leftover chunks of vegetables, meat, etc. The problem is if the tray is full, water can’t drain so you end up with a backlog of very small foot particles that are too large to go down the drain. This is where a disposal would come in handy.
Dryer - you'd tire of wearing crunchy underwear too!
Dish washer – even though we only have a few plates, bowls and cooking ware, we still have to do the dishes several times a day. It can get to be a real drag.
Non-smoking restaurants – Austria is a little behind the game in my opinion. In this country, a person can smoke just about anywhere he or she pleases it seems. This includes restaurants and cafes. Usually going out for a cup of coffee or dinner is enjoyable. Here you walk into a room of haze and walk out smelling like an ash tray. They do have non-smoking tables, but those are right next to the smoking tables. Does that make sense?
Screens on our windows – I’m not sure why they don’t have screens on their windows here in Austria. I know it's hard to believe, but there are bugs here that will enter your apartment if you leave the windows open (and even if you don't they still come in). This isn’t so much a problem now that it’s colder, but it was a major problem for me a few months ago. The mosquitoes are the size of small birds here. I’m serious. They bite me and then the bite swells to the size of a dime and itches like crazy. Some bite marks are still lingering on my skin if you want proof. Here is also a photo of a mosquito I just killed so you can see what I'm talking about.
TV – I don’t really need or want a TV but I’m on a roll and thought I better put it on the list just for good measure. We watch movies on our computers so a TV really isn’t critical, but who doesn’t like to turn on the tube every now and then?

Ich bin Lehrerin!

2009-11-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's true, I officially have an unofficial job as an English teaching assistant!

Today was my first full day of lessons at the high school in Amstetten (pictured above). It was quite an experience working with students of varying levels and ages, as well as with those that like to talk and with those that are mute. For never having taught a class before, I'd say the day went pretty well. I taught lessons to five different classes and covered topics of US media, our political system/President Obama, current fashion trends among teenagers, and the US school system. Because the Austrian school system is quite different than ours, it's interesting to compare and contrast the two. To be honest, I still don't completely understand the Austrian system, but I'm learning. To put it simply, they have more specialized, technical training in some high schools compared to the more general courses everyone takes in the US. They also have multiple high school tracks that students can take which complicates matters even more.

In general the students were inquisitive and, after some prodding, willingly participated. It's weird, but the younger students tended to participate more than the older students, who should feel more comfortable speaking English since they've been taking classes longer. The most commonly asked question they had for me: Do students in the US wear uniforms? I didn't think it was that common, but apparently it is in the movies because that's where they gain a lot of their insight about the US.

Munich

2009-11-03T01:20:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, I've been slacking with my blog posts, so now I will make it up with an impressive entry on Munich. Well, I'm not sure that the entry will be that impressive, but Michael and I were sure impressed with the city.

We arrived Friday night with enough time to visit the Hofbräuhaus with my parents before they flew home Saturday morning. We had some schnitzel, sausage, strudel and not to mention, beer, before calling it a night.

On Saturday, we spent some time leisurely exploring the city before joining up with a free walking tour. We decided if the tour was lame, we could always leave. Turns out the tour was far from lame, in fact, we'd both consider it the highlight of our trip. Our guide, Dominik, was extremely animated but also down to earth. He explained the history, culture and great events that took place in Munich while walking past the exact buildings where these historical events took place. Never once during our three-hour tour were we bored or uninterested.

Our tour started at Marienplatz in front of the new city hall (at left), not to be confused with the old city hall (below).

The new city hall is just 100 years old, but it was built in a gothic style to give the impression that it's much older than it really is. We continued to walk through history starting with the Church of Our Lady whose two towers were spared, although damaged, during WWII because they were used as navigational devices (in lieu of a GPS). We continued walking through old and new parts of the city, including the ritzy Maximilianstrasse with designer shops, luxury hotels and fancy cars lining the street. We decided to pass up the 15 Euro shot of espresso.

On Sunday, we finally had a sunny day! We took full advantage by being outside nearly all day. We started by walking to Schloss Nymphenburg, which was the main summer residence of Bavaria rulers dating back to 1675.

We then made our way to Olympic Park, home of the 1972 games, before enjoying the fall colors at the hugely impressive English Garden.

Of course, no trip to Munich is complete without drinking a couple beers. We ended our stay in Munich with a visit to the Augustiner Bräuhaus. They've been around since 1328; I think it's safe to say they've perfected their art.

Yooopi!? Was ist Yooopi!?

2009-10-21T01:25:00.000-07:00

Yooopi! Yooopi! Say it with me, it's so much fun. Yoooooooopi!

Yooopi! is our incredibly cheap "Handy" company. In layman's terms, a Handy is a cell phone. To get set up with Yooopi! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name), we had to buy a 5 EUR SIM card. That's all. 5 EUR and then we have Yooopi! and a few minutes of free call time. To call the U.S. it's 3 or 4 cents a minute. To call Austria, it's 5 cents a minute. Yooopi! to Yooopi! is supposedly free. And if you add minutes ("guthaben") on a Friday, you get 100 free weekend minutes. What could be better? I love Yooopi! Perhaps it's a little weird that none of the Austrians we've talked to have heard of Yooopi! but it seems to work fine for us.

Yesss! Yesss! Say it with me, it's so much fun. Yesss!

Yesss! is our not-so-incredibly, but still quite cheap internet company. We each bought sticks that allow us to access the internet anywhere in Austria. It's another pay as you go deal. I love Yesss! (and yes, the exclamation point is also part of the name).

The Spar Experience

2009-10-20T07:19:00.001-07:00

I'd like to invite you to share with us in "the Spar experience." Michael and I are trying our best to fit in with the locals, but we're not quite there yet. I'd like to think we're getting a little better every day, but the simple task of grocery shopping is not always as easy as it seems.

We tend to make our daily run to Spar around 5 in the evening. Because the store is only a short walk from our apartment, we make frequent trips, as most Austrians do. Bear in mind, that this little Spar is about a fourth of the size of your traditional U.S. grocery store so even if we bought out the entire store, we wouldn't have much. We also have to carry it all home, which is another reason we don't buy too much in any one shot. Actually, it's quite nice that the store is small because it eliminates any decisions we need to make about which brand to buy, etc. I once read a book called "The Paradox of Choice." It talks about how we have too much choice in our society and how it can actually be debilitating because we are overwhelmed with choice. I agree. Simpler is better.

We start outside the store by "buying" our grocery cart. You need to stick in a coin to unlock a cart. You get the coin back when you return the cart. Then we proceed to produce. They have your basic fruits and vegies, but you don't have to deal with the choice of organic vs. regular on every single item. Yes, they have the "bio" product for some items, but that's it. Two choices and you're done. Also, when you buy something in the produce section, you have to weigh it yourself and print out a sticky label with the cost so they can scan at the register.

Dairy is similar to the U.S. except for the size of containers/packages you buy. The largest milk we can buy is one liter. We buy half-fat milk which is 1,8% fat. Skim truly will taste like water when we get back home. The deli and bakery sections take up the back wall. This is an intimidating section for me because you have to ask for the food you want. Add to that, the food is measured in kilograms so I have no idea what to ask for or how much I will get. I let Michael do the talking...and the math.

Some staples in our kitchen include pasta, rice and these semmel rolls that Austrians are fond of. One thing I like about the Austrians is that they don't mess around with packaging or try to skimp out on giving the consumer a full box. When we buy a box of noodles, it lasts us a good 3 or 4 meals. In the U.S., one box would feed us only a meal and a half or 2 at the most. Time and again, I'll be pleasantly surprised when I open a box of tea, cereal, rice, you name it, and it's full! - unlike the U.S. where the package is inevitably half empty.

One of the first times I went to Spar, I spent a good hour in the store walking up and down every aisle examining the food and trying to determine what was what. The more I become familiar with it, the more I realize they have most of the same products we have back home, including chicken breast which caused me momentary panic because I couldn't find it for the first week. We tend to cook most of the same things we cook back home, but we also have to work with what they have here. We've had some fun trying to cook more Austrian dishes, but last night we caved in and made Mexican. It took some improvising though since they don't have black beans, enchilada sauce or green chilies. There was a small 2 feet by 2 feet section with tortillas, taco sauce, taco seasoning and chips. We definitely paid a premium on the Mexican fare, but it was worth the splurge.

Last but not least comes the checkout. This is truly the most stressful time of all and you will soon see why. Normally they have two or three registers open at a time and there is always a line. The line moves quickly, however, as most people only buy a handful of things at a time. There is this one older woman I always see in the checkout line (ok, I've only seen her twice, but I like to make a good story). She always buys just one or two things and then gets a few cans of beer just for good measure, haha! Seriously, she throws down two beers when she checks out! Of course, anyone can buy beer in the grocery store. It's cheaper than water. You can also buy Jaegermeister in the checkout aisle. It's right next to the gum and candy. Then you walk out to the parking lot and see teenagers drinking beer and smoking at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. It's normal I guess.

Anyway, back to the stressful checkout situation. Michael and I are getting more efficient, but it definitely takes the two of us to make it happen. Before the cashier starts scanning our items, she says "Grüß Gott", we respond and then she begins. Scan, scan, scan, scan, scan. Michael waits on the other side and quickly bags. There's only room for one customer's groceries at a time so there's pressure to hurry with the bagging. I try to help with a second bag so we can keep pace with the cashier. We reuse the bags we bought on our first trip to Spar. If you don't have a bag, you buy one for 20 cents. Inevitably she's done scanning before we're done bagging and she calls out the price. I fumble through the coin purse looking for exact change while Michael dishes out the bills. Our pulses have quickened as we try to hurry to find the correct change. Sometimes we just hand the bill and deal with the large amount of coins that come back to us. We're fumbling with the change and receipt, not to mention the unbagged groceries we're awkwardly carrying out of the store trying to bag as we walk just so we can get the heck out of there. We walk out the store, take a deep breath and laugh at the awkwardness that just took place. How do the Austrians do it with such grace and ease? Michael and I both usually work up a sweat as we try to make it through the checkout gauntlet.

After catching our breath, we return our cart, collect our coin and walk home. Time for dinner. Amen.

Apples and Pears and Grapes, Oh MY!

2009-10-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

October 8, 2009.

What a day! Michael and I spent a good part of Thursday - his day off ;) exploring our new hood on bike. It's hard to beat a beautiful fall day riding bikes down the Danube. I say down in the literal sense as we only had one hill to climb along our entire three plus hour journey from Melk to Krems an der Donau.

Because we were up for a bit of a biking adventure, we decided we needed to get some decent bikes for the trek. The two our landlord gave us only have one gear and pedal breaks. Needless to say, they're pretty rickety.

I think mine might actually be better suited for a 10-year old, but I can't complain. They get us from point A to B, albeit a close A to B distance.

We rented some sturdier bikes (with gears!) in Melk and were off! Melk is most famously known for its Benedictine Monastery, which is an ideal starting point for a Bennie and a Johnnie with our Benedictine ties.

Below is a brief photo tour featuring some of the highlights of our trip. We pedaled through vineyards, upon vineyards, upon vineyards with apple trees and pear trees thrown in there for good measure. I have never seen so many apples, grapes and pears in all my life.

For a mid-afternoon lunch break, we stopped at one of the 30 or so heurigen (wine taverns) dotting the south side of the Donauradweg (Danube bike trail). These wine taverns offer pretty unbelievable deals with substantial meals starting at 2 or 3 Euros and a glass of wine for only 1,20! Our tavern of choice, Weidinger Wachau, was across the river from Durnstein. See Michael posed below.

We hitched a ride on the train back to Melk, catching it with no time to spare. Perfect timing since the next train didn't come for another two hours. All in a day's work, as they say.

Photo Fun at Schloß Schönbrunn

2009-10-07T03:03:00.000-07:00

Die Waschmaschine

2009-10-06T12:14:00.001-07:00

Victory! We have a washing machine and it works! The “Installateur” (plumber) came this morning and hooked us up. While Michael was hard at work in Wieselburg, I held down the fort in Pӧchlarn and had quite the German-speaking day.

Our landlord and plumber arrived promptly 40 minutes late and asked me something to the effect of, “How are you?” I froze. Literally, did not move. My mouth hung open as if it wanted to say something but couldn’t. “Ich kann kein Deutsch.” That was my practiced phrase from the night before. Michael assured me this would work. I don’t think it did. They went on speaking to me with their heavy accents waiting for me to respond. Regardless, a bunch of hand motions, pointing and turning of knobs later, I’m in business. Or so I thought.

As you can see from the image at left, the machine has a series of wash cycles. Hot, cold, normal, delicates – too many choices! Whatever, I thought, I’ll add some soap, push some buttons and give it a go. I tested the first load with some towels to make sure the starting, stopping and spinning were all functional. Who knew watching a machine go round and round could be so much fun? Everything seemed to be in working order so I went back to work.

Then, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHAAM, RUMBLE, RUMBLE, ROAR! I heard a bunch of crazy, somewhat disturbing noises and thought for sure the machine was going to take off for space. Rest assured, it was just the final spin cycle, but holy crap I was a little scared!

Thӧrringplatz 7

2009-10-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

The cobwebs have been cleaned, the spiders are dead, and our apartment is finally shaping up! Life is good here at Thӧrringplatz 7! At a quaint 37 meters squared, we’re snug but comfortable. Our second floor apartment overlooks the main square of Pӧchlarn, which includes two cafes, a couple shops and a hair salon. Just around the corner are the church, bank and bakery. We’re in good company!

To the north of our apartment flows the Danube in all its glory. With bike trails on both sides of the river, we can take an easy stroll or go for a long run or bike trip any time we’d like. The trails are well-maintained and stretch more than 200 miles across Austria. We’re just a few kilometers outside of the Wachau region, which, according to Lonely Planet, is

considered Austria’s most spectacular section of the Danube. In 2000, it became a Unesco World Heritage site due to its “harmonious blend of natural and cultural beauty.”

Hiking at Ebensee

2009-09-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

We spent our first weekend in Austria doing what Austrians do: hiking. Now, I have gone on hikes before and would consider myself a “sportiv” person, but hiking in Austria is NOT the same thing as any hiking I’ve ever done before! In this land where Austrians are born with hiking boots on their feet, I think I was biting off a bit more than I could chew when I agreed to the hiking tour.

We arrived in Ebensee Saturday afternoon and spent the evening playing Frisbee and grilling brats. Ebensee is a small town on Lake Traunsee and is pretty much as picturesque as it gets. A friend of Matthias’ organized the trip. It’s an annual thing they do every fall. There were about 15 of us up for the challenge. As I sat by the grill Saturday night, once again observing, the whole experience seemed oddly familiar. Here I was surrounded by a group of young people, grilling the same kind of food we’d grill in the US and making the same jokes my friends would make in the US. It was comforting and a great welcome to Austria.

At 7:30 on Sunday morning, the rooster crowed (literally). We brushed our teeth, had some breakfast and headed out for the 8-hour hiking adventure. The weather was perfect – not a cloud in the sky. We marched single-file up, up and up! Never once was there flat ground.

It took us almost 3 hours to reach the top of the Greek Goddess trail. At times, I was climbing with hands and feet. I tried not to be offended when grandmas and grandpas passed me; rather, I was humbled. Regardless of who made it to the top first, it was an accomplishment. We ascended 3,750 feet!

We were rewarded with breathtaking views of Traunsee and the mountains surrounding us. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the top before descending for another two hours. Michael and I were completely wiped out. Three days later, my legs are still sore.

Willkommen!

2009-09-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

After months of anticipation and mounting excitement, we’re finally here! We arrived in Prague at 9:30 a.m. on September 22. We traveled in style with Delta getting the star treatment in BusinessElite (notice full size pillow behind my back and amenity kit feature Korres natural skin care products :). Once in Prague we took a train to Vienna where we were greeted by our friend, Matthias. Thanks to him, we now have an apartment, cell phone ("Handy"), internet and a new Austrian bank account. We are eternally grateful for his help .

September 23, 2009.

We spent my birthday in Vienna catching up on sleep. We logged an unprecedented 14 hours of nonstop shut-eye! Once we wiped the sand from our eyes, we took care of some move-to-Austria-business like opening a bank account and getting a “handy” (phone).

We then took a little jogging tour of Matthias’ neighborhood before heading into the city for dinner and some sight-seeing. We rode the free Vienna city bikes around Ring street before calling it a night. For a 1 euro annual fee, you can ride anywhere in the city for up to one hour free.

September 24, 2009.

It’s time to move to Pӧchlarn! On Thursday, we repacked the suitcases and headed an hour west to Thӧrringerplatz 7, our new home. We were greeted at the train station by Frau Harrauer and her grandson who drove us and our suitcases to the apartment. They were still doing some cleaning when we arrived. Probably didn’t matter since we cleaned the whole place again

(see left – spider killing), but they had the beds made and curtains on the rod. I finally let out the breath I had been holding all morning. This place was gonna be alright.

Later that night, we went to the Harrauer house/farm in Erlauf to sign the contract. Mr. and Mrs. Harrauer have three grown children and some grandchildren. We were welcomed into their home and met just about everyone. When you don’t understand a thing, you just have to go with what’s happening, smile and nod. As far as I could tell, they were all really nice. Of course, that’s easy to say when I don’t understand a thing!

Pretty soon a plate of meat and cheese was put out in front of us along with some bread and Sturm – the season’s new wine in its semi-fermented state. Apparently this is what Austrians have for dinner. Little did I know. I went home and had second course: frozen pizza. On a side note, we found frozen pizzas for 1,85! A person probably shouldn’t eat anything that costs this little, but they’re surprisingly good and look just like the picture on the box!

The Harreuer house was a bit of a disaster. I didn’t really want to touch anything, but I politely sat through the meal and whatever discussion was taking place. It’s a little awkward sitting there and not saying anything, but I got over it. Instead I observed. I observed a roll of something sticky hanging from the ceiling with dozens of flies stuck to it. I observed Charlie, the dog, sprawled out under the table. I observed the grandson soaking up attention from his grandparents and uncle. I observed the cats springing to attention when the Frau said, “Milch, Milch!” From time to time, I’d catch a word, like “Butter,” then I’d silently congratulate myself for understanding and go on observing. I left reading and interpreting the contract up to Michael. We signed and then headed home, but not before they gave us some pots and pans, coffee, fresh apples, pears and grapes straight from the vines as well as some eggs from the chickens that “run around outside.”

We're off to a great start here in Pӧchlarn!

Hello Goodbye

2009-09-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

After weeks of saying goodbye to family, friends, co-workers, the city of Minneapolis (and St. Paul), and our lives as we know them in America, we're finally off to Austria! What started as a mere "Hey, we should do this!" is now a reality and there's no turning back.

We set our alarm for 3:20 a.m. and caught a taxi to the airport. I was dreading the long day ahead of us, but fortunately our eight-hour layover in Atlanta went pretty fast. In a few short hours, we will be boarding our flight to Prague, followed by a train ride to Vienna.

And so the adventure begins. No more goodbyes, only hellos on the horizon for us.