I went for a stroll

. . . and this is what I saw.

Café Bräunerhof on Stallburggasse

Empty chairs waiting to be filled in front of Café Bräunerhof

Resting wheels along Plankengasse

Stepping on Monet

It must be hard work holding up all that water

Last little bit of the tulips in Vienna before summer's heat creeps in

Wishing you all a happy Sunday!

Life, according to my iPhone

There have been several moments this past week when I've felt the urge snap a picture but had no fancy camera to do so.  Alas, the iPhone to the rescue!

With the May Day holidays this week and, consequently, fewer tutoring sessions, I found myself doing a lot reading, rollerblading, relaxing, and refueling with my Vienna-style Cup of Joe.

Enjoying a new book after skating up and down the Prater-Hauptallee

While in the middle of a jog yesterday (let's be serious, it was more like a fast walk), the skies opened up and rained down on my umbrella-less self.  Luckily, I had a 10€ bill with me, along with my house key, and Handy, so I made a quick decision to sprint through Stadtpark and seek refuge in the Kurkonditorei Oberlaa.  I realized while sipping my warm Melange that I could have just bought a 2€ transit pass and ridden the U-Bahn home.  But what's the joy in that?  I think my euros were better spent in a cafe than in a subway, no?

Colorful lunch

OK -- So, technically, I did have my camera with me here.  But, I liked the scene where my three favorite K's were displayed in front of me: Kamera, Kaffee, and Kindle!

Latte Art

So, I order a cappuccino at ODC and not minutes later was this gently placed in front of me.  After I made the appropriate "oh, ah, toll, schön!" noises, the waiter smiles and says to me, "Ein Spiegelbild" (a mirror). 

Um, ok.  A bear?  Really?  I'm not sure how to make sense of this.  Is he suggesting that I'm cute or hairy?  Either way, it's cool.  The bear tasted as all good Italian cappuccino bears taste, heavenly.  And my hair keeps me warm in the winter.

Isn't latte art cool?  What's the best design you've seen?

New Wheels!

On Sunday, we took our new skates for spin along the Wienzeile ("Vienna Row") and then relaxed afterwards at the Gregors Konditorei.  This summer's going to be all kinds of fun!

Don't Judge

Happy Friday to you all, wherever you are in the world!  It's a beautiful one in sunny Vienna and I'm happy to share with you my inspiration for the day from Kālidāsa, the 4th Century writer:

Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendour of achievement
Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well-lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

Look to this day: For it is life.  Are you inspired yet?

Now, don't judge, but below are the first few pictures taken with our new dslr camera!  I'm still trying to get used to it -- and I've been told that it takes some time -- so please be forgiving in your observations.  Fear not, though!  I'm motivated, and most inspired, to continue developing my craft of photography and in time (I hope) we'll all see some improvement.

Orchids in front of the dark night

Grand Hotel Wien

"Life of Pi" on the Kindle, "Gregs Tagebuch Von Idioten umzingelt!" in classic book form.

Empty cup of tea outside of Blueorange

 David's first picture :-)

When I'm Alone

Being alone isn't so bad.  It's being lonely that's tough.  I've been alone this week since David's in London, but I've kept myself busy enough not to get too lonely.  "Busy" to me, looks like this:

Lesson planning

Fun activities for learning consonant digraphs

My children's book library.  It's small, but something.

And while I plan, oftentimes, I have a movie on in the background.

I certainly don't eat lunch out every day, but yesterday I spoiled myself at Cafe Wortner :-)

Ich übe mein Deutsch mit einem deutschen Buch.

While I was enjoying a Melange and my book, the city maintenance men came by and turned on the fountain.  I guess we're officially out of the freezing temps.  Spring is here!

Fortunately, my main squeeze comes home tonight and then we begin what promises to be an epic weekend.  I wish you all a fabulous couple of days too!

Strolling through the Second

Since we moved to Vienna over one year ago, David and I haven't spent as much time in the 2nd district as we'd like.  Fortunately, the weather's been really lovely here this past week so we took the opportunity to stretch our legs and soak up some sun in the peaceful district of Leopoldstadt.

 Sun lovers enjoying the rays along the canal

 

Scene at the Karmelitermarkt

Friends meeting for an afternoon coffee at the Karmelitermarkt

Feeling the love on part of the original wall of the Augarten, dating from the early 18th century.

Augarten in the spring

Augarten Porcelain Manufactory

Cafe outside the porcelain museum

We sat inside since there were no seats available outside

Enjoying yogurt with honey and fresh fruit and, natürlich, eine Wiener Melange!

Mono & Sky Blue

How was everyone's weekend? Besides discovering a new cafe in the 18th district and enjoying a lovely brunch with new friends, we took the last couple of days very easy. I think I'm at the peak of my mononucleosis (or as they call it in German, Pfeiffersches Drüsenfieber), so I've had very little energy lately to do much more than roll myself out of bed and onto the couch. And even this simple activity exhausts me. David's been so sweet and patient and he proves to be a very good nurse, despite the fact that he probably has mono too. My husband's a saint and my favorite person in the world.

Because he's my favorite person in the world, I wanted to share with him the new cafe that I tried out last week. David and I first read about Himmelblau in the newspaper and the review was so great that I made a mental note to stop by this 18th district cafe/shop after my tutoring session which happened to be in the same neighborhood. I'm so glad that I did! The minute I stepped into the tiny space, I was in love. The cafe is cozy, yet fresh and airy. The food is top-quality and affordable. The coffee and tea are both excellent: the tea, in particular, is of pharmacy quality and comes in gigantic glass mugs, which, let's face it, just makes the experience all the better. The service is fantastic and I feel like I'm part of the family when I'm there. The tiny shop to the side is stocked with all kinds of goodies like candles, soaps, journals, pillows, chocolates, and Himmelblau's special teas. It's all just divine, really. Being at Himmelblau is so relaxing, yet refreshing that it even makes folks with mono forget their problems. I'm so grateful that one of my little tutees lives around here and I have an excuse to come every week!

Now, back to sleep. Zzzz...

Shades of Blue

Blue Winter

Winter uses all the blues there are.
One shade of blue for water, one for ice,
Another blue for shadows over snow.
The clear or cloudy sky uses blue twice-
Both different blues. And hills row after row
Are colored blue according to how far.
You know the bluejay's double-blur device
Shows best when there are no green leaves to show.
And Sirius is a winterbluegreen star.

- Robert Francis

Vienna remains very cold and blanketed in blue-toned snow. I'm taking a cue from the wise animals and spending my time these days hibernating. Or, rather, holed-up in my favorite neighborhood cafe with my beloved Wiener Melange.

Tell me, my friends, how are you staying warm and managing your winter blues?

How to be Philosophical

"Coffee makes us severe, and grave, and philosophical."  ~Jonathan Swift  

 

A Coffeehouse Legend

While there's a drought in Somalia, a heatwave in the US, and suffocating humidity in Japan, the temps have been quite mild here in Austria (with the exception of a few super hot days sprinkled in here and there).  This past weekend the highs barely reached 18'C (65'F).  We've had thick cloud coverage since Friday.  Therefore it's been quite dark and dreary the past couple of days.  In fact, I've been feeling a bit gloomy.  (I imagine this is how Eeyore feels.)  Not sad, or depressed really.  Just lazy and, well, gloomy.

Gloomy can be good sometimes, though.  Dreary days are sort of like forced holidays, aren't they?  The weather this weekend certainly enticed me and David to take a rest from our usual weekend bike ride or hike to do some museum and cafe hopping.  We took advantage of the Free Saturdays at the MAK and roamed around the top floor for a bit (we saved the other 2 floors for our next visits).  After visiting the MAK, we refueled ourselves with another first -- a visit to the legendary Cafe Hawelka.

I've read about this cafe in various Vienna guide books and on other blogs about the city.  I put off the visit because I figured the famous establishment would be packed with tourists and the cafe experience would be more frustrating than enjoyable.  Boy was I wrong.  Yes, the place was packed.  But we easily found a cozy table for two.  Yes, there were tourists.  But not the frustrating, obnoxious type.  The respectful type.  The kind of tourists that use their broken German to order a Wiener Melange and then chat quietly with their friends in their common language.  Good people.  And to top it all off, the Hawelka family roasts some pretty fantastic coffee.

So, actually, now I'm a massive fan of Cafe Hawelka.  It was inspiring to sit in a place where for decades writers and artists like Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Arthur Miller, and Andy Warhol discussed their ideas, wrote their stories, and sketched their masterpieces.  Next time, I'm going back in the evening so to enjoy Frau Hawelka's famous Buchteln.  Maybe tomorrow?  And, I'll take my book.  Catching Fire's getting real good folks.

Here's to gloomy days!

"A picture means I know where I was every minute. That's why I take pictures. It's a visual diary." ~Andy Warhol

"A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself." ~Arthur Miller

"When we dream alone it is only a dream, but when many dream together it is the beginning of a new reality." ~Friedensreich Hundertwasser

 

"The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less."  ~Arthur Miller

Lyd takes Vienna (Part 2)

More apologies for neglecting our blog readers. Lydia's visit has been so precious to us that we've not wanted to spend one mental moment away from her.  I'm sure you understand.  Alas, here's what we've been up to since Friday. . .

Saturday - The Prater Day

Sunday - A Wienerwald Day (Stadtwanderweg 6)

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day (lunching at the Gloriette Cafe)

Monday - A Heurige Evening

Tuesday - A Laxenburg Day

Wasn't Lyd a trooper?  We drug her all over the place, but she went along skipping and smiling.  Her enthusiasm made us even more enthusiastic and so we were just one big ball of fun - nonstop for 9 days straight!  It was fascinating for us to experience the city again through her eyes.  But more than that, just being with Lydia -- anywhere in the world -- is soul soothing, yet electrifying at the same time.  Our precious time together in the same city was truly a meaningful and memorable one.

Vielen, vielen Dank Lyd.  We love and appreciate you more than you can know. 

(ear <-----> ear)
Daveed & Fred-a-sisi