New York - Feel the City

Last weekend, my school had a ball. The theme was New York City - and, of course, as the American in residence, I found it rather amusing.

The decorations were great. The Midnight Show (sort of a variety act the 5th year students directed and performed) was adorable - about this little Austrian girl who goes off to the big city and  gets into a production of Fame.

The venue was the sports hall across from the school. And the one thing that totally freaked me out was the drinking -  even though I should be aware of this by now. Seeing as kids can drink at 16 in Austria, they are going to...I was just a bit taken aback by how much they drank at a school function.

And smoked.   I felt like a strip of bacon by the end of the night. And smelled like an  ashtray.  

And there was not much dancing - except by the old people doing the waltz. Mostly it was just standing around with a beer or  glass of wine and listening to the band - there was a live band!

But it was enjoyable nonetheless.

 Here are the pictures I took of all of the great decorations.

There are also some pics of what most people did all night - stand around.

guy in Lederhosen

There is also a great one of this guy in his Lederhosen. Yes, in Austria some people really do wear their Trachten as formal wear. They are typically older, conservative people. But there were plenty of ladies in Dirndl wandering around. Most of the teenage girls wore American-style prom dresses...appropriately enough.

Subway - to hell?

my camera also had something to drink ;)

People *actually* dancing!!!

And finally: the Liberty Cafe. I sort of supervised/helped out here for a bit at the end of the night. I was kind of surprised how many people came to drink coffee at 3am - but perhaps I shouldn't have been!

Also, the overabundance of Statues of Liberty at the dance reminded me of my own Junior Prom, whose theme was "Paris in the Moonlight" and where there was an overabundance of Eiffel Towers as well. It seems national monuments can spontaneously multiply if they figure in a school dance theme...

Statue of Liberty #7? 

I want a bike

I want a bike.

Bike by BMW - a bit out of my price range

Although this sounds impractical considering winter is right around the corner (and it could begin to snow any day now in Amstetten), having a bike would improve my mobility.

I would not have to walk everywhere. I could take the bike trails instead of the same old ski/hiking trail next to St. Stephen's in Amstetten which is not actually a continuous trail, and thus annoys the hell out of me.


I could take the bike trail along the Danube that goes to Hungary! It takes four days to make one leg of the trip, and as I've mentioned, it could snow any day now. But if I had a bike, I could do it. If I get a bike in spring, I can do it!

bike trail in Hungary

If I had a bike, I would not have to take the train to the little towns around Amstetten, like Waidhofen, or Wels, or Krems a.d. Donau, or Melk, or wherever else I might find myself - those itty bitty places that aren't more than a bakery and a row of houses. Wouldn't that be fun??

Anyway, I need a bike. I don't even have a bike at home. Well, I do, but it's my sister's (sorry, Sam. you knew I used it when you weren't home anyway, right?) and I want my own bike when I leave home for real (not for nine months on a scholarship...somehow thinking about what I'm going to do when I get back takes the magic out of being here...trying really hard not to do that, but a gal's gotta be realistic, right?) and I really want a bike, but I don't want to buy an outrageously expensive one here and then have to pay some exorbitant shipping fee when I want to bring it home. But I also don't want to buy a cheapo bike that will break down on me in the middle of Hungary (if I do decide to take the trail...which, considering, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right?) because my Hungarian is really not that good...by that, I mean nonexistent (well, I can do the important things like introduce myself and order a glass of wine, which counts for something, right?) and, well, life is an adventure and needs to be executed as such.

Right??

I want a bike.

Goulasch!

In keeping with my new theme, I must, of course, show you what I made for dinner.

Although typically Hungarian, goulasch is still considered a staple meal in certain circles here in Austria. There are some "leftovers" (tee hee) from the Austro-Hungarian Empire that are just harder than others to...throw away. Such as:
                         1) Austrians are very proud of their distinct historical and cultural heritage

                         2) Austrians can sometimes be assholes about other people's cultures because they are so   

                          proud

                         3) Austrians still eat a lot of goulasch.

OK, so here I am, little miss vegetarian sitting in the land of Wiener Schnitzel and goulasch. I can't go out and try the "authentic" versions in a restaurant because they will all be chock full of meat...I want to experience real Austrian culture, but I have my principles! And plus, I find meat disgusting, if you want the honest truth. After 15+ years of being vegetarian (thanks, Mom!) I have no desire to eat *actual* beef stew or deep-fried pork.

Yet, I am feeling a bit left out. So I decided to make my own. Substituting potatoes (and more vegetables) for the meat.  From a recipe I found in Woman. See, the magazine was totally worth it!

I ended up serving it over rice, because, although you can serve it as a soup, I am getting sick of soup (first I made a garlic-cream soup - also an idea originating in Hungary - and then all I ate was broth when I had my cold...)

My other option would have been spaghetti. So, I think I made the right choice. I do not know how to make the noodley dumpling things they serve all over the place here: Spätzle, or Knödel or whatever else there is - like twelve varieties of potato- or egg-dumplings... Plus, you can buy premade ones at the grocery store, but they are way too salty (high blood pressure, anyone?) and I don't like them. Mom's are the best anyway :)

To serve with, because I am totally nuts about wine...and getting the best bang for your buck (or Euro, as the case may be...) I got this white Hungarian wine at the the grocery store - €1.99, dude! From the Lake Balaton region, which sounds nice.

Unfortuantely, once I tasted it, I discovered that "lieblich" means sweet. Like a dessert wine. Which does not go very well with goulasch. Did that stop me from enjoying it? Hell no. I just had to have a dessert then. Manner wafers do very nicely as a follow-up to goulasch...or just about anything.

Goethe!

I noticed in the paper the other day that a movie is coming out about the life of the young Goethe...

Of course, I have to go see it, right? I mean, a) it's about Goethe's life and any self-respecting German major would go see for that alone; b) though the reviews were not great, it has eye candy (Alexander Fehling, anyone?) and it's a costume drama. What more could I ask for? As far as I'm concerned, it's already tied with Young Victoria...and c) whoever titled it put an exclamation mark at the end. Genius.




So, I'm looking up showtimes online...and guess what? It is playing in Vienna, or Linz. Not Amstetten. And, yes, Amstetten does have a cinema. This means that I have to make an "excursion" to see this movie!!! WHY?? Well, my options are limited, and must wait until the weekend. This weekend, perhaps! Because Tuesday is Austria's national celebration, (26 October - which is incidentally, my parents' 25th wedding anniversary this year) I get a four-day weekend! Which will most certainly find me in Vienna. Because, well, Amstetten isn't big enough for a four-day weekend. Plus, isn't it always exciting being in a capital city on the day of national celebration?

I was in Berlin on 3 October three years ago (Tag der deutschen Einheit) and I was in Paris on 14 July two years ago (Bastille Day) but I was never in Washington, D.C. on July 4.








 Sad sad sad, because when I was 12, we took a road trip to see certain Civil War battlefields, and catch up on some American history. It was really one of the best family vacations we ever had. We went to Vicksburg, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg; took a tour of Monticello and Madison's house, Mount Vernon, and Colonial Williamsburg. We got into Washington D.C. on  July 6. Two whole days late! And we didn't even stay there. We took a bathroom break near Capitol Hill and moved on to Gettysburg.

Parade at Colonial Williamsburg

Well, I would consider these things important! National pride and all...it's always great to get an insider's view of such things - if you can objectify your own nation's world P.O.V. Which I think I can do (and do do) pretty regularly.

You may have picked up I have a thing for the Enlightenment...or the 18th century on the whole...

I think it's the hairstyles. This picture is of men, and, thus, cannot count. If you're in doubt, look up Marie Antoinette. Oh. That and the whole Enlightenment attitude of "pure faith is not good enough! We must find truth in analysis!" I analyze things to death.

The Long and Short of It

It is apparently a fashion no-no to wear shorts in October in Austria.

Despite what your fashionista or women's magazine (Woman included) might say, the average Austrian prefers to both wear pants and see them worn...no exceptions! Especially in October. When your are more than likely considered crazy if you drift from the "norm." 

not my legs

I'll put it this way - I ran out of long pants (need to do laundry) and decided, what the hell? Though shorts with leggings and/or tights are not normally my thing, I might as well wear the shorts I packed, and instead of wait until summer (which is a long way off at this point...) I could wear them before it snows.  

So, I leave the house this morning, thinking...well, OK, I am a little chilly...but I will be inside teaching most of the day. Or walking around or something. Plus, they totally overheat the school for this time of year...guess I'm used to freezing in the Green Bay Public Schools...and I'm wearing knee-high boots and a turtleneck sweater. The only "exposed" parts of my body are my thighs.

But, as soon as I get into the buliding, what does my supervising teacher say to me? "Frierst du dich - oder?" No, I am fine. Thank you.

After class, I went to the grocery store, and while I was packing my things into my purse (forgot my bag at home - and, by the way, you have to pay for your grocery bags in Austria. Best to bring them with), the guy in line behind me asks, in German:

 "Aren't you cold?" 

"I'm fine," I say.

From which he persists, "Do you go around all winter in shorts?"

What would give him that idea? "No, it just takes me time to get used to long pants," I return. Just kidding.

He then gets the idea that we are having a conversation. "Where are you from?"

"United States."

"California?!" he says hopefully. "Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

Uh, no. I turn around to leave, and almost forget my beer...

Mr. Helpful comes up behind me and says, "So you like Austrian beer?"

"Yes," I say. Then I add a danke, taking it from him. 

"What are you doing in Amstetten?" 

"I'm the foreign language assistant at the HLW."

He bursts out laughing.

Huh.

"I went there!" he says. "Ten years ago. We had a British assistant named Tracy."

Lovely?

He switches to English. "Everything I know, I learned from her!"

He beams proudly.

"Very good. Well, nice to meet you..." 

And I duck down a side street toward my apartment.

Not what I expected from wearing shorts. I was actually hoping to run into that little twit in the 4th form who said Americans had no fashion sense last week. So she would see how fashionable I am and shut her trap...but I didn't even see her today! Maybe that is for the best, though...she could very well also think I'm nuts.

Voralberg is not Wisconsin!

Another crazy story: when the guy asked me where I was from, I couldn't help but think of the girl I was talking to yesterday (in German - after class, of course) who said I speak German like her cousin from Voralberg. Not exactly a compliment, considering the Voralberg dialect is basically incomprehensible...but at least I don't sound American, right??


My life's work is complete when, while in a foreign country, I either a) blend in well enough to trick people into thinking I'm a native or b) confuse locals by being ambiguously foreign (i.e. not obviously American) because it's always fun to mess with people's perceptions...isn't it?

Woman

I picked up an Austrian fashion magazine yesterday - Woman.


Now Woman might be little know outside of Austria, but it is full of advice for the German-speaking Frau.

I now have the vocabulary necessary to discuss yeast infections, adding volume to my hair, what's up with Vanessa Paradis' new Glam Rock look, and I know the general Austrian reaction to women wearing burkas - as expressed by this chick living in Vienna who decided to try one on for a day (sort of like the women's magazine version of Black Like Me).

Plus, I got a free sample of hand lotion, a tear-out home makeover guide by Diane von Furstenburg and department store coupons for 20% off...exciting, no? All for €2.50

It's always really great to experience the less-obvious parts of cultural immersion. Like, obviously, people all over the world read magazines. I read magazines. And rarely does it occur to me that magazines will be different in other parts of the world, because (although that's an obvious DUH) I don't ever really think about. And such a thing would not be available to me if I were not in Austria because, well, I can't imagine Woman has a very high circulation rate. I mean, if you're not Austrian, why would you read it?

I'm going to compare Woman to Glamour or Redbook - for the average woman. Not as high-fashion as Vogue or Elle, but not as housewife-friendly as Ladies' Home Journal or as progressive as Ms. Just in the middle. Fluffy with important stuff, too.

I am looking forward to other exciting finds...Austrian soap operas, anyone?

Obviously.

Die Wachau - more fun sightseeing in Niederösterreich

There are lots of really great places to go explore in Niederösterreich. Even though tourist season is winding down for the year (and most tourists have packed up and gone home), it's the perfect time of year to check out the traditional tourist traps. The days are shorter and crisper, but the little cobblestone streets are less crowded - thus, normally impassibly narrow gangways are (gasp!) usable - and the wine shops, chocolate shops, and so forth want to get rid of their stock before they close for the winter, so you can get certain things at a reduced rate. Much like an end-of-season sale! Which, as anyone who really knows me can tell you, I absolutely adore. I think 90% of my shopping is done at end-of-season sales. 

These photos were taken in Aggstein, an AWESOME medieval castle next to the Danube. My Betreuungslehrer for the HAK, Elfriede, took me :) 


The castle is in ruins, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but in its heyday, back in the 12th century, it was a hideout for pirates and thieves. 


The castle is built right into the stone cliffs next to the Danube, and the pirates used to sit in the castle and wait for ships to come by carrying freight...and then they'd pounce! And bring all their booty back to the castle! 

me in front of castle

view from back of castle

actual sandstone cliff face in coutyard

Today, they still have falconers come and practice on the grounds, as well as knighting/jousting tournaments (don't know if the SCA has any affiliation...) and a tavern, where you can have parties. There is also a chapel, and a fair number of people hold their wedding at Aggstein! Sort of cool. As long as you don't go overboard on the theme wedding idea...

firepalce/oven

view from window
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V

window in "kitchen"

 In the lower left-hand corner, you can see the Danube. Pretty easy to imagine ship-watching from the top of the tower, eh?

Again, the Danube -->

....and then from the other side :)

beautiful fall foliage

OK, this is probably more pictures of Aggstein than you ever wanted to see in your life, but...here are more! 

I have NO idea why, but I am totally obsessed with ruins. I think it has something to do with the idea of civilizations that have come and gone. And the idea of comparing them to our own (which, if you want my opinion, could use a little hint or two...) It's all sort of mystical, isn't it?

Another look at the Danube -->

view from top

After Aggstein, we went to Dürnstein, which, among other things, is noted for being the stage for the story of Sänger Blondel. I shall relate....


The story of Sänger Blondel is a legend from the middle ages. In 1192, Richard the Lionheart was making his way back from the Crusades and decided to meet up with King Leopold near Vienna (i.e. Dürnstein) for a beer...or whatever. Well, no one told Blondel, his trusty minstrel and loyal servant a) that the war was over, or b) that Richard was still alive. So, poor Blondel went from castle to castle looking for insensitive Richard, running to the top of each tower and singing, "O Richard! O, mien König!" at the top of his lungs. They finally met up in Dürnstein.


There is also a new musical by Tim Rice called Blondel about the saga...which may or may not be the next Jesus Christ: Superstar.

very Baroque...don't fix it,though

There is also a church/monastery in Dürnstein. Here is the courtyard  -->




It was closed for the evening when we tried to get in :(

courtyard of Stift

And last but not least, a final look at the Danube!