It's fall today

It's the first day of fall and I'm just now beginning to feel that I've got a handle on the new road that has become my life lately.  Days have been a whirlwind for David and me since I last posted.  A wonderful whirlwind.  Full of visitors from home, trips of our own, and new experiences (read: the school year has begun!).

Celebrating Midsummer in Sweden

A quick trip to Munich with my sister and brother

Happy

Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot. ~ Aristotle

Thanks for eight blissful years of happiness, David.  And thanks for a very memorable anniversary celebration -- especially the adventurous bike ride home :o)

I love you.

8 years.

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.”

~ Pable Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets

 I love this man an immeasurable amount.

Alles Gute zum Hochzeitstag, meiner Schatz!

Wandering: The Beethoven Way

There's been more heat to escape this weekend.  And so like many other Wieners, we fled the concrete jungle of the city and headed for the piney, shady (and indeed much cooler) hills of the southern Wienerwald, just as Beethoven used to do 200 years ago.  Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, but lived most of his professional life in Vienna.  During his summers, he would beat the heat by sojourning in the southern villages of Baden and Mödling.  At that time, the trip to Mödling alone took three hours.  Today it's a mere 15 minutes by train.  For those interested, it's now possible to retrace Beethoven's steps through the forest on what is called the Beethoven-Wanderweg, a hiking trail of light difficulty but immense charm (and lots of shade!).

We actually hiked only a portion of the Beethoven-Wanderweg on Saturday.  We started from the Badener Bahn station in Guntramsdorf, walked up the hill past Thallern and through the vineyards to the Richardhof, and finally headed north to Mödling where we eventually caught the train back to Vienna.

Enjoying our packed lunches at a pleasant spot under the pines.

We stumbled upon the 800-year-old ruins of the Mödling castle along the way.

Soaking our feet in the Mödlingbach toward the end of the hike. Very refreshing!

Good Things as of Late

It's been a great last couple of days around here.

David got cycling gear for his birthday!  Thanks again mom, dad, Lydia, and Andrew!  He went on an epic mountain biking tour this past weekend and came back looking like this (he left before I woke up so I didn't get to see how the ensemble came together until he got home).

Our first visit to the Krapfenwaldbad was fantastic!  The place was crowded, but there were at least 5 large pools spread throughout the grounds that comfortably accommodated everyone.  The best part of the Krapfenwaldbad is the view of Vienna that one gets while splashing around in the pool.  It's totally worth the 20 minute bus ride from Heilingenstadt up the hill.

We discovered Foxy Frozen Yoghurt in Vienna!  The best news here is that it's just down the street from our apartment in the 4th district!  While there is a plethora of ice cream salons around town, there are only 2 frozen yoghurt shops that I know of in the city (Foxy included).  While we were ordering, we started chatting with the owner and he told us that he got the idea to open up such a shop during a recent trip to / stint in Santa Barbara.  Ah, California, we feel close to you no matter how far away we may go.

 [photo by Christian Wind]

And lastly, my B1.2 Deutschkurs started this week!  After 2 months of being separated from my friends, we're back together again!  Well, Maria's in the B1.1 course, but her classroom is right next to mine and Angel's and we get to chat with her during the break and then after class.  I'm so glad that they're back from their summer holidays in their respective homelands. 

As you can imagine, it's be a great last couple of days around here.  I hope life's been treating you darling readers well too.  Pass auf dich auf!

When it's Hot

Summer

When it's hot
I take my shoes off
I take my shirt off
I take my pants off
I take my underwear off
I take my whole body off
and throw it in the river.

~Frank Asch

When it is hot enough to throw our whole bodies into the river. . .

we head to the Donauinsel. . .

and we eat strawberry and kiwi fruit pops. . .

and we lay like vegetables in front of this.

Allegedly, this weekend will be another hot one in Vienna.  So, I'll take my shoes off, my shirt off, my pants off, my underwear off, my whole body off, and I'll throw it in the river.  Or the pool.  We may meet a friend at this one.

I hope you all have a lovely, relaxing, and enjoyable summer weekend too!  

Asia Day

David's institute celebrates its international makeup and honors its diverse community by hosting several cultural events throughout the year.  Each spring an international dinner is organized and everyone (including staff, researchers, and family members) bring a dish from their own country to share.  In June there is a Midsummer party hosted by the Europeans (particularly the Scandinavians) to commemorate the summer solstice.  In early July, a ginormous pancake breakfast is prepared by the Canadian members for the entire institute to celebrate the nation's birthday.  Following this, comes the American sponsored 4th of July party with hotdogs, hamburgers, water balloon fights, a pickup baseball game, and some good old Rock 'n' Roll tunes.

Last week there was a massive Asia Day party to honor all of the Asian nations represented at the institute.  This particular party is usually the biggest and most well attended of all the international events throughout the year.  The food served is delish and diverse and I found myself returning for thirds and forths as if I wouldn't be fed again for a week.  My favorite dish?  Hm, maybe the coconut dessert drink.  But the Malaysian spring rolls were a close second favorite.  David dug the kimchi, but that's not too surprising.  Spicy, fermented cabbage is his kryptonite.  Aside from the impressive amount of the tasty homemade Asian dishes, the fashion show, Chinese dancing, and karaoke really set this event over the top.  No wonder it's an institute favorite.  It's mine too.

Fashion Show

Kinder

 

Asian Feast

Chinese dancing and Filipino singing 

The captivated audience

The event took place on the lawn behind the institute's restaurant

A little origami to boot

 

I'm not totally certain about the other events being held in the fall.  However I do know that there's talk of an Africa Day coming up.  Come November there's certain to be a Thanksgiving dinner and in December, either a Winter Ball or Christmas dinner (these events alternate each year).

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

Schwimmen am Schwimmbad

It is HOT in Vienna!  While yesterday we found an air-conditioned cafe to crash so as to escape the heat, today we decided to hit up a public pool.  Actually, we figured that Vienna's city pools would be too crowded, so we thought we were being clever by venturing south and trying a public pool in the adorable village of Mödling.  Well, we weren't clever enough since we certainly were not the only ones with that idea.  There were a kajillion people at the pool!  No sweat though, since we quickly found a shading spot under a tree and directly behind the diving zone.  Great shade and excellent people watching were very much enjoyed.

How awesome do the public swimming pools in Austria look?  The pictures barely do them justice.  Yes, they can be really crowded, especially on weekends.  But they are also squeaky clean, well organized, and full of all the amenities one desires (so typically Austrian, right?).  Check out the beer garden in the top right of the picture or the langos David's devouring in the center.  Really?  Really?

It was a clever idea to head to the pool after all.