A Happy Weekend In Vienna

Greg perusing the menu in German at Wortners on Friday evening

Where do the weekends go?!

We had plans yesterday to go with friends to the Naschtmarkt (food & flea market) but it rained most of the day. During a brief reprieve from the rain we rode the ubahn to Saturn to look at televisions. I couldn't hold Greg back any longer and we ended up buying a large flat screen TV (after all, have to keep up with the sons-in-law:) We had a rolling luggage carrier that the salesman strapped it on. Since we got a good deal on a floor model that had no box he had to package it in bubble wrap and tape. It was quite a wide load and as we walked out of the store it had begun to rain again. Greg and the TV took a taxi while I rode home on Ubahn and bus.

Saturn is on third floor

Columbus Center houses restaurants, a grocery store, Saturn, and other stores

It is amazing how creative people are here in getting items home. Last week I observed a woman wrapping a large rattan table with small rollers on the legs in rope and then proceeded to pull it down the sidewalk.

So, last night we watched Frost/Nixon movie (quite interesting) and Finding Nemo. We were mesmerized by how vivid the colors were on large screen LCD, especially in Nemo. We get no television reception so will be watching DVDs (maybe we can get caught up on some of the educational ones we've bought over the years.)

This morning we walked and rode public transportation almost an hour to worship with a small group of missionaries in their apartment. We are becoming more confident with singing in German and feel it has been helpful with our pronunciation. After church we got off at the Karlsplatz ubahn stop for lunch at a cute little outdoor cafe. On our way home we did some exploring and found a few larger grocery stores nearby. I would estimate we walk no less than an hour a day and more on most.

Our afternoon has been quiet and peaceful while we listened to a music DVD (Roy Orbison's "The Black & White Night"-thanks Will!) as we read. I can definitely recommend "Same Kind Of Different As Me" by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. It is a moving (true) story about a wealthy man and a street person who became best friends. You will not regret reading this one!

What a difference living in Vienna has already made in our lives. While we dearly miss our family and friends, we were long overdue for just some "us" time and we are making the most of it.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Clothing Recycling

Plastic

Weisglas-Clear Glass Buntglas-Colored Glass

Metal Cans

Composting Materials

There are also boxes that are delivered each week to entrances to buildings to collect milk and juice cartons

Talk about recycling! There seems to be recycling of just about everything here. Sure wish they would find a reason to recycle those cigarette butts. As "green" conscious as they are here it's sickening how littered the streets are with cigarettes. One day as I walked down the street I observed a man picking up the half smoked cigarettes to finish.

Speaking of yuck, I had lunch with a friend at one of those cute outdoor cafes. Feeling a little adventuresome I decided to try something different-Pork Cheeks in Root Vegetable Sauce over mashed potatoes. I'm thinking tender, succulent pork (not!) It was actually from the cheeks (that's face, not what you're probably thinking) and it was tough, flecked with fat strands, and had a bit of a liver taste. I would not recommend this dish.

So, I plan to be a good resident of Vienna and do my share of recycling, but I may not be quite so eager to try new dishes!

OOPS!

The washing machines here are brutal. Depending on which button you push they will run anywhere from 1 to 2+ hours. They sound like a jet taking off when they go into their spin cycle and the clothes are practically dry when removed. The only cycle I can find that uses cold water is for woolens. Yesterday was not such a good day for Greg's undershirts and shorts. A maroon cloth napkin accidentally got in with the whites and now the whites are no more. The color is sort of a peach color. I even tried soaking them in clorox (mixed with everything out of the cupboard I could find), but they're still peach. At least we don't have to worry about dinginess anymore. Sorry, Greg!

The peach colored undershirts on an Austrian drying rack

Our First Trip Outside Vienna

Today we had quite an adventure. A couple from Tennessee who are here for a few years invited us to go with them to Carnuntum, which is a one-hour train ride south through some beautiful countryside. Carnuntum is an ancient Roman military/civilian settlement that dates back to 200 AD. We toured ruins, archaeoligical digs, and buildings that were reconstructed using ancient Roman techniques and tools. We were impressed with how advanced the Romans were with their building skills. The homes were warm and inviting. They even had heated floors. The reconstructors actually made the roof tiles on site in authentic kilns they built. They were able to fire 17 tiles at a time and the entire process took 100 hrs. As you can see in the reconstructed home below, there were a lot of tiles to fire!

Reconstructed Roman Villa

Banquet Hall in the Villa

In-progress reconstruction of baths.

After our tour we attempted to catch a bus to see the gladiator re-enactments. Eventually we gave up waiting on a bus and walked. It was a three-kilometer hike down a two lane highway (with cars whizzing by.) At the gladiator show, all of the narrating was in German; needless to say we didn't get much of it. The audience seemed to really get into the show--especially the kids who yelled and stomped their feet on the bleachers.

Gladiators entering the arena.

Gladiators gladiating.

After rides on a train, a tram, and a bus, we arrived home just as the rain began. I really love the beauty of this country and the opportunities we've had to meet such nice people (most of whom have been from the US).

Lots of Change

I've been amused at the milk selection here. There is fat free, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 3.9% and even EXTRA whole milk, which is 4.5% fat. All of these selections, but it only comes in a quart size carton (to fit in those toy refrigerators, I guess!) I tagged along grocery shopping with two friends yesterday and picked their brains about different products. They have been so patient with me with all my silly questions (ex: mustard and condensed milk come in a tube?)

Here is another "Greg getting locked in" story. Today he had to take some canisters to another part of the building so he decided to use the utility elevator for the first time. As soon as he got on and the door closed he read on the panel to insert his key. No one had ever mentioned he needed a key. He sat on the closed elevator 15 minutes before someone finally responded to his SOS call. All I can say is that I'm glad it was him and not me. I would have freaked out! Speaking of elevators, I am finally riding the one (coffin box) in our building. After lugging a 35 lb. cart of groceries up the six flights of stairs I decided I would just have to get over my phobia.

I will be attending a women's retreat the end of September. A friend from church and I will ride the train to Fizmoos (not far from Salzburg.) We will be there Monday through Friday(this is what I call a RETREAT!) There is a festival in town that week to celebrate bringing the cows down the mountain. I can't wait to see how God brings us together as sisters in Christ despite the language barrier. When I saw the pictures she took last year I knew that I would not want to miss out on this.

The town celebrates bringing the cows down from the mountains while we're there so the cows are decked out in lots of flowers.

Thank Goodness for IKEA!

It is an absolutely gorgeous day in Vienna today. I know winter is fast approaching and there will be many indoor days, so will make a pact to take leave of the organizing fun and get out at least a few hours everyday.

We visited IKEA yet again last night and bought curtains for the place. I had planned to make them, but thanks to IKEA it was actually cheaper to buy them ready made. It is no trivial event covering all these windows since they are 300 cm tall (over 10 ft.) Pictures coming soon. So, I've been ironing wrinkles out of curtains and sheers all morning while Greg is hard at work installing shelves and counter top in the kitchen.

I finally ran out of steam after we returned home last night. It has been a long and exhausting week. Crashed on the couch and could barely get up to get myself ready for bed. My feet were hurting so bad. I felt I had adjusted to all the walking and then went to DC for a few weeks so now having to adjust all over again. If anyone has had experience with good shoes and can recommend a really good pair for lots of walking I would welcome it. I would love to have some that look stylish and cute, but about to give up on that one!

It is a holiday here today, yes even on Sat., (consumption of Mary or something-don't ask me what this one is about!) So a holiday means all the stores (including grocery) are closed. Since the grocery stores are also closed on Sun. that means no grocery shopping until Mon. We may be eating out a few meals since I never got to the store yesterday. Shopping here is pretty much a daily event since the freezers are about the size of a large shoe box. I feel like I'm working in a kitchen with toy appliances. The oven has one rack and only holds one 9x12 dish. I imagine holiday baking is very interesting. My first attempt at baking cookies was a fiasco (burned on bottoms no matter where I positioned the rack.) I even tried to turn the heat down and it still burned. Sounds like baking will be minimal unless I can figure out this oven. I will just have to be satisfied smelling everyone else's baking (since we are so close together and everyone has windows wide open the smells are heavenly.) Hmmm....wonder how the caloric intake is effected by inhaling through the nose?!

We were invited by another couple to ride the train a few hours to a medieval festival. It was tempting to accept the invitation, but glad we are having a more leisurely weekend. I love being with people and it seems there is always an opportunity to do so here.

I mean't to include some pictures in this blog, but will save that for future ones. OK, back to the curtains! Pray you all have a great weekend!

Ready or Not......

Well, it's about time to get in the groove of this blogging thing. I have returned from VA where I got to witness the birth of our 11th grand (Sheppard Turk.)

Joshua Sheppard Turk, born 25 July to Jimmy & Amanda Turk

Now it's time to get serious about getting this place in shape. One of my favorite things to do is organizing so I'm in my element this week. The difficult part of organizing here is that apartments have no closets. For some unknown reason the Austrians like to provide their own closets (thanks IKEA!) Not only do they like their own closets, they also prefer to provide their own light fixtures. So, we still have wires and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. This all calls for a little creativity which will take much energy to muster.

I have to share a funny story that happened while I was gone. Greg got locked in our apartment. The ancient lock on the only door failed. He called and muddled through the whole saga with the mostly German speaking wife of the landlord. Before she called the locksmith she suggested that he drop a key down into the courtyard to the housekeeper to see if she could open it from the outside, but to no avail. The locksmith arrived two hours later. Greg's boss thought this excuse for being late to work was the best he had heard.

I feel sure that this is just one of many wild experiences we will have in Vienna.
Let the fun begin!