A Day of Culture

Today was rather exhausting, but a very good day it was. After waking up at the very reasonable hour of 9.30, I was served kind of an odd breakfast by Romeo's mother - two gigantic tomatoes, feta cheese, and yummy, sweet, and tiny grapes. No coffee today, and that was a pity. We only have an espresso maker here, and neither one of us can figure the thing out.

I started off at about 11 and walked an hour and a half to the Albertina art museum. It shouldn't have taken nearly that long to get there, but I took a wrong turn and then tried to navigate by holding the map upside down.

I did finally reach the museum along with about 9 million other tourists. At the beginning of the day I was fascinated with all of the different languages going on in one building. But by the end of the day, I was just wishing these people would get out of my way! As a side note, I'm thinking of writing a scratch and sniff book on how to tell different nationalities apart by smell.

This trip to the museum was planned because of the exhibit on Impressionism. Although I spent three hours walking around, looking, reading, absorbing, I hope this exhibit comes to Chicago so I can see it again. Did you know, for example, that Picasso didn't just paint women with multiple sets of breasts, but that he also did some impressionistic works of art? I got to see a lot of Gaugin's work before he discovered Polynesia and Van Gogh before he cut off his ear. There was lots of Degas, although he didn't think of himself as an Impressionist, and several Cailleboits, Pissaros and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrecs. My absolute favorite had to be the handfull of works by Theo Van Rysselberghe - someone I'd never heard of before. He painted in oil, so I've learned, and his colors are just stunning! Anyhow, I loved the exhibit so much that I actually spent $35 on the exhibition book.

After tramping around the exhibit, I decided to do something ultra touristy before I set off to meet Romeo at the movies. Right across from the Albertina is the Hotel Sacher, which is famous for the Sachertorte. I couldn't resist going in there for some of the best Darjeeling tea I've ever had, plus a piece of the most heavenly Kirschtorte. I only settled for this after I learned that they had no Sachertorte today. I mean REALLY!  Are they kidding? That's like going to Disney on Mickey's day off and getting stuck having your photo taken with Goofy.

All fueled up and ready to go, I set off to the movie house early to make sure I could get good tickets. (You get assigned seats here in Austria.) Of course, to get to the movies, I had to cross one of the most dangerous streets in the world: Kärtenerstrasse. What makes it so dangerous are the hundreds of shops! First I stopped in to get a new tube of Labello lip balm, since I was out. Then I stopped into the perfume store down the street so I could by the perfume I love but can't find in the US. 

And just around the corner from the theater is the cutest little leather store where an adorable red wallet caught my eye. My own wallet has been falling apart for some time now, and I've been looking for something unique and durable. After pelting the poor saleswoman with questions for 20 minutes, I pulled out my Visa, and away I went with my new wallet.

Unfortunately, just as I got to the theater I got a text message from Romeo. He has to work late tonight and can't make it to the movies. Pfüi!!!!  I sucked it up and walked home. Boy do my legs ache. The only thing that can cure this kind of exhaustion is some local wine. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Happy Austria Day!

Today is a national holiday in Austria, akin to an independence day. As such, everything is closed and military-type parades will fill the streets in a few hours.

To escape the chaos, Romeo, his mother, Kristina, and I are escaping to Hungary for the day. We're not going to Budapest, because we've all been before. I can't tell you the name of the town we are going to though, because if I ask again, I'm going to get slugged. We're going to eat fish. That's all I can tell you.

Yesterday was nice, if not lazy. We took a walk in the park with the (screaming) baby and then drove off to Klosterneuberg to the opening of a new contemporary art store. It was pretty fantastic. We were greeted with wine and cheese and led to a buffet of nasty looking meats. But next to the meats was Liptauer - a very yummy spread to put on the wonderful Austrian bread.

But yeah, we looked at the art, which consisted of crochet dolls and tin boxes. Fun stuff to be sure, but nothing I can't live without.

In the evening, Günter came by and we watched an Austrian movie called Slumming. I dont know if I'd call it strange or deep. After the movie, Romeo and I looked at each other's Facebook pages (I'll show you mine if you show me yours) and then layed around reading the Sunday paper.

I'm hoping now that someone is out of the bathroom so that I can dry my hair. It is so damp here that it looks curly, frizzy and crappy pretty much all the time. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try.

So what day is this? Three? Dunno. I only know it is Sunday morning and tomorrow is a holiday and we're going to Hungary.

The last couple of days have been calm and relaxing. Friday I woke up to a breakfast prepared for me by Romeo's mother. I like the way this woman thinks, by the way. Breakfast consisted of Baniza (think Burek) and cake. Then I set out to see if I remembered my way around Vienna. It was quite a walk, but after two hours I had convinced myself that I knew where I was going. And what was waiting for me when I returned? Lunch! Tomatoes stuffed with rice and peppers and probably the best salad I have ever eaten.

I could go on and on about the food, but I'll try not to. Romeo's mother is an amazing cook and spends most of the day in the kitchen. Those times when she isn't cooking, she's pushing food on someone. I've taken some pictures and I'll share when i get back home.

The 23rd was Romeo's birthday, and we celebrated by going to a jazz club with some of our friends. Although I'd hardly call the music jazz (think Cat Stevens meets Eric Clapton), it was really good. So was the beer. Stiegl! We got back to Romeo's at about 1am, stinking in a way I had forgotten people stink after a night out in Europe. Smoke, smoke, smoke, people here smoke like crazy. And since fresh air seems to be the catalyst for most diseases suffered in the industrialized world today, there is no ventilation in these bars. My clothes and coat smell like the bottom of an old ashtray.

Yesterday, Romeo and I went for a long walk around the Tabor street. It is kind of a shopping area, but also where the Orthodox Jews live. It was the perfect European morning. Espresso outside, window shopping, mimes, and at the end we ended up at an outdoor market. A HUGE outdoor market with all kinds of fresh things (including fish) and flowers.

Anyhow, we had a party last night and then went to a bar called Cocktail where, well, never mind.

Hope you are all groovy! I need to go have some more fun.

Pre-Vay-kay Jitters

The worst part of any trip has got to be packing. This time tomorrow I'll be nearly three hours into my flight, and I still haven't packed a thing.

Sure, I've done the pre-va-kay shopping, bought tiny versions of my toiletries (except contact solution. On my list for tomorrow.) I've got some new clothes, a bunch of gifts for my friends. But now I'm doing laundry and everything is in bunches all over the condo. Don't even get me started on the cleaning that has to happen between now and the time I leave for the airport.

And what am I doing to relieve the stress I'm causing myself? Packing? No. I'm blogging.

Don't get me wrong - I'm excited for the trip! I'm just not in the mood for picking out my wardrobe for the next two weeks.  A quick check of the weather tells me to pack warm clothes and an umbrella - not that I was expecting a beach vacation in Vienna this time of year. But rain nearly every day?

Today, I'm most excited about my trips to and from the airport. I've got rides, both ways! that means I get the luxury of using the big suitcase. And you know what the big suitcase gives me license to do? Buy boots in Vienna. Oh, the shoes that are waiting for me...

Because Obama said "change"

Yeah, I've made some changes around here. The website that used to host this blog is gone forever. I hadn't updated anything other than the pictures in years, and the design was lamer than lame. I might get around to making a new website someday, but since I do this at work, it isn't something I really do for fun anymore. But, uh, speaking of pictures - anyone looking at the archives will see that all the pictures are gone. They resided on the old website and I just don't feel like updating all the links.

T-3 days until Austria. I'm excited as can be, but I haven't really started packing yet. There are still a few more gifts to be bought, maybe a fancy dress, and I have brought up the suitcase, adapter, and euro hairdrier. The actual packing will take place on Wednesday, since my flight doesn't leave until 7 and I took the whole day off. The bills are paid, the blog has been moved, and the camera has been charged. So really, what's the big deal about stuffing a big wad of winter clothing into a bag? Easy Peasy.

(Stay tuned for the packing meltdown on Wednesday!)

Kirche am Steinhof

Click on any of the photos to get a larger view. If you click twice, you'll get a zoom.

Below are unfortunately unstunning pictures of the spectacular Kirche am Steinhof in Vienna. It was built in the Art Nouveau/Art Deco style by Otto Wagner between 1903- 1907. As we arrived, the sun started to set, making it difficult to photograph, because the golden dome was reflecting the sunset, causing an awful glare.

I'd never seen a church in this style - the ones I am most familiar with are Gothic or neo-gothic, or Baroque.



Because the interior of the church is being renovated, we couldn't go inside. This is a shame, because there are fantastic looking mosaics inside. I peered through a window to see what I could, but the glare from the glass rendered photography impossible with my tiny Cannon digital. Rumor has it, there is work by Klimt inside.


The bust you see below is a bronze of Leopold Steiner, a major figure in lower-Austria politics after the first world war. He is credited here as the "creator" of the church.

This church is located on the complex that holds the Lower Austrian State Healing and Care Institution for the Neurologically and Mentally Sick. Between 1940/45, this institute was used for the "euthanization" of the handicapped and mentally ill. . It is estimated that 3200 Germans were experimented on and murdered at the institute. 200 of these were children.

Romeo took a lot of pictures of this church, but I haven't gotten a copy of his CD yet. I'll post any good pictures he took too. Click on any of the photos for a larger view.

To lighten up the mood, here's a picture of a building I like to call "The Phallus of Vienna" I think it is the exhaust tower of a factory of sorts. The body of water in question is the Danube.

Czeski-Krumlov

The vacation picture posting has begun! For fun, I'm doing them in reverse. This is my last day in the Czech Republic. Click on the pictures and they will get larger. I recommend doing that with the mural below.

When the Party's Over

That's right - 7 hours 43 minutes since departure, 445 miles left to go. Right around the time I want to get off the plane THIS INSTANT, no matter where we are. Leave it to United Airlines to take the long way through Canada.

I've downloaded the pictures from Austria, Hungry, and the Czech Republic and have spent tonight sorting through and editing them. There are over 250 to go through, so it might be a little while longer before I start posting.

But I'll leave you with this shot of me and the boys:


And one of my dear friend and host Romeo in probably the most apropos photo I have ever taken of him:

Vienna and Beyond

Now where was I? Ah yes, Friday evening! Fun, Fun.

Romeo met me at the train with his bike, and we went over to one of the rental bike kiosks that are scattered all over the city. You stick your debit card in, you rent a bike, you return it at any of the other rental locations, you pay a small fee. I wish we had this in Chicago.

We rode around the Mariahilferstrasse a bit so I could get my bearings, and went out for dinner at Nice Rice, a vegetarian restaurant with outdoor seating. I got a dish of spicy lentils with 'soya fleisch' and paired it with a Grüner Veltiner. As we called the waitress over to get the bill, the cell phones started ringing. Friends of ours I hadn't seen yet were hanging out at pub around the corner, so of course we met up with them.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures of this evening. We ordered some drinks, sat around on some really posh couches and after catching up, we had the conversation I was fearing: 'Who do you think is going to win? Obama? Clinton? Oh, and What the HELL are you people doing to Iraq?' It is amazing how quickly I forget how to speak German when topics that annoy me come up.

It was an early night for Romeo and me, because we had to get up early the next day and drive to Budapest. The ride home was fantastic- I love biking in the city. The bike paths are really well marked (and full of pedestrians to ring your bell at) We zoomed past the downtown area with all the lights and sounds and smells.

Then it was early to bed and up at 7 on Saturday. We were on the M1 before 8 and had a very pleasant drive. It is interesting to see what has become of the boarder that once created 10-mile traffic jams in the days of Communism. The customs booth is still there, but it is full of ads for oil companies and places to exchange money. Just across the boarder you buy your toll sticker for the Hungarian highway system, change money if you like, and zoom. You are on your way through flat, green, amazingly unpopulated Budapest. Suddenly, all of the signs and advertising on the highway are in Hungarian, including the warning signs. I mean, what is the non-Hungarian speaker supposed to do when confronted with an urgent-looking computerised message over the highway that says:

!!!!!RTZU sdflib gsdlkflökölkgh JJL*ÄÖÄLÖÖÖ!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as I know, it was just telling us rather emphatically to have a good day, because we saw no cause for alarm.

We got to the city, car parked and all by 11 and started our long trek through both sides of the city. Parking is FREE on Saturdays, and that is awesome. Because the rest of Budapest? Definately not free. In fact, it was about 3x more expensive than I thought it would be. The wine I was asked to bring back from Hungary was never purchased. It cost $60.

It was a day of food and lots of delicious coffee. We ate lots of spicy eggplant spread on crispy bread, a few strudels (apple, cherry, and cheese)and had dinner at one of the few and hard to find non-touristy Hungarian restaurants. If we had wanted Wienerwald (schnitzel place) or Burger King, it would have been less of an adventure. All kinds of American and Austrian chain restaurants all over the city have taken over. We went into the cathedral, window shopped all around Vaci street in Pest, and then crossed the bridge into Buda to look at the palace and churches there. We didn't go into any of the museums because it was so beautiful outside. I took many pictures of Parliament and the bridges over the Danube. No discription of the city would do it justice without the pictures.

Exhausted and thirsty, we filled our water bottles at a fountain, and left Budapest at 8 and were home, in bed, by midnight. Well, I guess I would be remiss if I didn't add here that we stopped at a gas station on the way home and bought a couple of half-liter cans of Gösser beer to drink before bedtime. I mean, you've got to have something to drink while you hash over the day's events.

Beginning of Week II

The last few days have reminded me that 'busy' can exist without 'hectic'.

On Wednesday I did more touristy things, and surpise, surprise, it was another rainy day. I walked back into the First District and stopped at the St. Peter's Church, a baroque number that is as beautiful as many as I've seen around Europe. Lots of gold and marble. Then I wandered off into the shopping area where I bought postcards. I haven't addressed them or written them or anything, but be on the lookout: part of my plan for today is to work on that.

Then it was off to the Naschmarkt, which as the name suggests, is all about food. It is a 1.5 km stretch between the Linke and Rechteweinzeilen with vendors selling food of all kinds. Fresh vegetables and fruits, some of them really exotic, share center stage with the cut flowers. There are stores with health food products and several chinese groceries. Prevalent are the Turkish stands selling cherry tomatoes and peppers stuffed with feta cheese, olives, kebabs and other meat-on-a-stick type products. To get your attention, they yell, 'MY LADY' in as many languages as you can before you pass their stall.

There were stalls with alcoholic wares and sweets that I was tempted to try out, but it was so crowded despite the rain that the idea of opening my wallet seemed like a bad one.

I finally ended up in a cafe house for lunch, where I decadently ordered a Topefenstrudel (sweet cheese strudel) and a melange. And yes, that was my lunch. I mean, why should I suck down a big salad or something, when really all I want is a strudel?

Then I walked on over to the Museums Quarter and into the Leopold Museum for more art. On permanent display is the largest collection of works by Austrian artist Egon Schiele, an expressionist and cubist, plus other Austrians of the same period; Richard Gerstil, Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka. The few Klimt items on display were not the huge Jugendstil informed paintings expected of him, with highly detailed, gilded dresses. He did some surprisingly realistic work, including portraits and landscapes.

The main exhibition hall featured work by Albin Egger-Lienz. The display takes up nearly an entire floor, and was for the most part so gruesome, I sort of ran through it. He did some very realistic work as a field painter during WWI, apparently on-site, of battles and fallen soldiers. Some of the portraits were clearly meant to show how war as anti-humanistic and and anti-heroic, but I couldn't deal with it.

Then I walked my way back home and cooked dinner for my host and his friend. Several bottles of Burgenländishe Sauvignon Blanc were ingested, life was good, if not somewhat fuzzy.

Thursday was a holiday here, and I used the time to hop a train and visit friends from grad school in Salzburg, Paul and Doris. They have two beautiful little ones and a new house in the middle of nowhere in a part of upper-Austria known as the Mühlviertel. We did some walking around in his little town, I saw where he worked, where he lived, and his local hangout. Then we toured around Linz, ventured up to the closed castle, tried to climb the Pestsäule and sampled some local beer. (Wieselburger).

The next day found us up early, courtesy of his two children. We drank some green tea and dashed off to the playground to play soccer. The boy, Niklas, is 4, and already has a pretty good idea of how the game is played. The little girl, Anna, 2, pretty much just wanted to dance around and sing, which she did. She was on my team, and an excellent morale builder.

After a wonderful lunch of ratatouille and a nice, long chat with Doris, I caught the train back to Vienna, where I was greeted by Romeo and his bicycle.

Whew! I could go on and on, and I will for sure, but not now. It is 9 am GMT+1, and it is time for me to get dressed and find a place to write out those postcards!

For those of you playing along, ordering a shit scratcher in Switzerland will get you some chicken.

Arme Schlampe

Wow. I can read about it in the papers and follow exchange rates, but I didn't really understand how weak the dollar is until today, when I paid $7 for a cup of coffee.

Now don't get me wrong, it was a fancy coffee and probably the best I have had in years (melange) but this is kind of silly.

No, it is completely ridiculous.

However, theater tickets on opening day at the Volkstheater were only $12 yesterday. We went to go see Eine Heikle Sache, Die Seele by Dimitré Dinev. (A Tricky Thing, the Soul) enjoyable, completely macabre, and very funny at the same time. It is a farce about a wake that plays heavy with existentialism and living in exile.

Today is an excellent museum day; it is cold and rainy. I went to see the Paul Klee exhibit at the Albertina, and had to skip a few activities I had planned because I spent three hours on just that part of the HUGE gallery. Raise your hands if you knew that Klee was so fascinating. In fact, I found myself breezing through the Oskar Kokoschka exhibit at the same place because I had had enough culture for one day. At this point I should probably mention that I had gone to the museum because of Kokoschka in the first place. (Kokoschka is Austrian, while Klee is just Swiss.)

I did learn one new word in dialect from a friend who ha drecently been to Bern. Apparently in Switzerland, it is not unusual to see "Mistkratzer" on the menu. This translates to "shit scratcher" Can you figure out what dish this refers to?

Speaking German again has resulted in broken gears in my head. I've forgotten a lot. However, after three days I'm already at the language crisis phase where I also can't remember how to express myself to say in English, either. This is a good sign. After a couple of days of this, I generally speak much more fluently.

I wish I'd thought to bring my camera software. It would be fun to actually post the pictures on the day they were taken rather than two weeks later.

Feh.. eh?!

Or whatever.

So I posted the link about the CD mix, I started a list of songs for the CD mix, and then didn't do it. I don't think anyone reading has ever been inspired by my little advertisements, but someday - SOME DAY someone might do the mix because they read about it here. And it just wouldn't be right to not do the mix.

By way of explanation for my general silence, I'll admit that I dropped a few of life's curve balls. They've been coming fast and furious this year, so I guess this was bound to happen.

I'll get a reprieve from normal life a week from today though - I'm going to Europe for two whole weeks.

Here's the plan so far:

• Fly into Munich- spend the day, night and next day with Betti. Eat chocolate, drink wine.
• Travel by train to Vienna where I will be staying with Romeo and hanging out with several certifiable Bulgarians. Drink coffee and wine; eat Topfentaschen by the pound.
  
• Meet with friends for actual Sachertorte at the Hotel Sacher. I've been experimenting with this confection for about a year now, and I no longer remember what the real torte tastes like. Time for a refresher.
• Then, in no particular order: Bike day in Bratislava, some weekend with Paul and Doris in BFE Linz Land, Trip with Romeo to Budapest, actual culture of sorts will happen in Vienna.

So don't cry for me Argentina. Things may suck a bit today, but tomorrow's looking kind of awesome.

Five Things - East Coast Edition

Five things that are just better about the East Coast

1. The time zone - my body clock is just set for Eastern. I never have to look at my watch here.
2. Bagels - need I say more? I sent Lauren a text message when I got my bagel and whitefish to share my joy. She's either jealous or ambivalent, I don't know. She didn't respond.
3. "soda"
4. Kids sitting on the stoops on the street - I had forgotten that kids played there. In Chicago they hang out either on random apartment steps or in parks. Here in NJ it is just like I remember it on Long Island - you sit on the stoop with your feet in the street. And nobody even tries to run you over.
5. The beach. No, I haven't been to the shore and I'm not likely to on this visit, but just knowing that the Atlantic is so close makes me very happy.

Anyone care to add to this?

More on Binky's Big Adventure

When I last left you, Binky and I were about to embark on our final day in Chicago. We unfortunately had to start the day with my allergist, but by noon we were ready to go. We shopped the mag mile (she bought a necklace from an outdoor market), and then stopped off so she could see my office.

Her reaction was priceless:

"Wow, so you sit here? Is this your desk? Are these your papers? Is that your computer? Why do you have windows, but no door? You have a Slinky at your desk?

*pause*

What do you even do with all of these things?" We didn't stay long. I showed her the trading floor introduced her to a few people at work, and then we were off to the aquarium, albeit via some boutiques on Michigan Avenue.

We spent a glorious three hours at the aquarium - and it truly is a wonderful place, even if you don't like fish She photographed every tank in the place, ooohhed and aaahhd with the rest of them, and even knew some interesting facts about the fishies. We didn't go to see the otters in the Oceanarium because we were just exhausted at this point. Well that, and I thought I was going to lose it if I saw another wan group of campers running at the clownfish screaming N E MO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From the aquarium there was shopping on State Street to do. Binky found herself a few nice things and even bought her boyfriend an outfit. On the way home, I realized I was far too exhausted to actually cook dinner - so I ordered chinese takeout. I would like to report that the child ate tofu and broccoli! And liked it!

We watched the end of Little Miss Sunshine while I packed (big hit) and then it was off to bed.

Because I couldn't get the little angel out of bed on time, we very nearly missed our 11 a.m. flight on Tuesday. I did a great job of not flipping out. Really, I should get an award for keeping it real in front of the jr. section. I was cool, I was in control, and I got us on the plane with all our luggage, and truly minimal swearing.

We hit the ground running once in New Jersey. Yesterday we went to my favorite diner in northern NJ - The Chester Diner, where I had a Nirvana Burger with kosher dill pickles so good, that I was thinking of moving over from vegetarianism to picklitarianism .Tomorrow I'm getting up early and biking over to the bagel shop. I will be in true Jew heaven, because on that bagel that I will purchase just for me, will not sit the usual, revered lox, but rather a whitefish salad.

Anyhow... I played basketball with the kids for a few hours (and by the way, they won three games of HORSE over me in a row) before coming in to play with Oreo the dwarf bunny.

Binky's brother Stevie was so happy to see me I thought he was going to burst , He's 12 flipping brilliant, and sweet, open, and huggy. If it weren't 90 degrees and humid enough to rust my teeth, I'd be enjoying these hugs to the fullest. After another late night, I went up to Binky's room to go to bed. I wanted to do some cleaning in there before putting my face on the pillow (I share quarers with Oreo), but I was out like a light and stayed out until nearly 9.

While we were at my place, I could at least have a few hours of private time before Binky got out of bed. I'm getting crumudgeonly in my old age I guess, and I need some down time to blog and think and read, and breathe. Now that we're in NJ, there is no way I can get time alone during the day. Any time I plop down to read, someone wants to talk or play or go to the mall. I am having to re-learn the ways of children.

Tonight, Stevie and I cooked dinner for everyone - shrimp scampi and a salad of non-offensive vegetables. I taught him how to measure a teaspoon by making a dent in the palm of his hand. We talked about ratios and doubling recipies, and about testing for al dente pasta by throwing it up on the ceiling. He learned how to sharpen a knife and then chop red peppers and to wash his hands after touching the dog.

In the end, we had a yummy, yet artery clogging meal that Stevie helped make, and that the rest of the family melted over. He was so proud of himself that he couldn't sit still.

Tomorrow is Steven and AuntyEm Day - Binky and her mom will be at work, and the boy and I will get to bond. On the plan: swimming, baking cookies, more basketball (I need to prove myself out there!) and then I have to edit his summer writing project.

I hope everyone else is having an enjoyable week so far!