July 2, 3, Lake Bled

Hot!  Nothing but an air conditioned room will do. 60 euros a night, I love Best Western, coffee in the room, a terrace, yummy bruscheta with artichokes and cheese.
Walked around Lake Bled, 6km.  Went swimming three times along the way fun!

July 1st

Drove to Ljubljana, the town of three bridges, a castle on the hill top.  A great walking town, lively, picturesque.  Didn't get to the library, supposed to be special.  I may have to go back.

Summer 2010

Even though this blog is called Odetoaustria, I post mostly about my trips outside.  So this is more like, my two years at VIS and my adventures.

Jen and I took off from Vienna on June 30th, car packed, Susie Q in the back seat.  We didn't have much of a plan, both of us wanted to see Plitvice Lakes, Croatia and Lake Bled, Slovenia.  Jen had to be in Split, Croatia on July 7th.

Took off about noon, stopped at a Hundertwasser rest stop grill.  George, my GPS system, quit on us and I got lost.  Not a news flash.  We wound up in a spa town called, Rogaška Slatina. Delightful spa town, with disgusting tasting water, heavy on magnesium.  It is supposed to clean you out, we got on the road instead. 

April in Morocco

I'm on a rooftop in Fez. It is about 10 pm. I just finished dinner, pastille de pigeon. It is Tuesday night, we have now been in Morocoo for five days. What I saw of Casblanca was a big, dirty city. We didn't plan to stay there. We arrived at night, had pizza for dinner and left the next morning. We boarded a bus to Essaouira. Four hours in a comfy bus to a sweet, seaside town. Our riad was comfortable and cute, the green room, The people were lovely at Dar Liouba. The town was relaxed souk with old Portuguese battlements.

We discovered thuya, a wood native to the region, from which beautiful items are made. We also discovered argan, a tree from which many things are made. We took an early, 9am. bus to Marakkeh, which broke down at 10 am. We had a lovely two hour roadside wait for a replacement bus. We were next to a field with olive and argan trees. Since we had no schedule, it was not a bad day.


We arrived in Marrakesh in the late afternoon.
Marakkech is intense, too intense for me. It is also very dirty and crowded, with mopeds and cars in the medina. We paid a visit to "the square" and it is a site to behold. We had ice cream for dinner. The next day we visited Majorelle Gardens that Yves St. Laurent and someone redid, a number of years ago. Lunched in the new city and bought English language books and beautiful jewelry. Dinner in the riad was a disappointment food wise, but picturesque and peaceful. Riad Nabila was wonderful but the location was too far away from the center.

We boarded a train this morning and spent seven hours traveling to Fez. I'm glad we got to see this much of the country. The ride from Rabat to Fez is beautiful. Checked into another beautiful riad,enormous room with a great view from the roof. I've fallen in love with Fez already, much cleaner and feels more comfortable. Less hassles,(not all gone)on the streets. Guides are offical and taxis are metered. The streets are too narrow for motor vehicles. Really it is the air that has captured me, the mountains are around us, there are vistas everywhere. Tonight as I sit here with a sweater it is quiet. The call to prayer at seven was amazing. It had power. I later learned there are over 300 mosques here. The city glows behind me.

Winter in Paris 2010

I am such a lucky person! I just returned from a week in Paris with my sister Serene and cousin, Anita. We had a blast, with some significant ups and downs. I was basically sick when I arrived on Saturday and put a good face on it for Sunday and Monday. Sunday was Ile St. Louis and Monday, I stayed home when they went out for dinner. Tuesday I finally went to the doctor, a cab ride to the American Hospital because it made me feel better than the closer French ones. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and sinutis. Wednesday. had a great day reading, U is for Undertow, warm and cozy in our Paris apartment. One of our favorite restaurants was directly downstairs. Good coffee, soup, wine, port, croissants you can only get in Paris. Thursday, we had a great day walking and shopping$$$ in St. Germain en Laye, a suburb of Paris. That ended with an encounter with the Chalelet Metro station, or something. We couldn’t get out. It was surreal. Friday morning I went down for breakfast, then came upstairs and Serene made me an appointment for a dentist, back to the American Hospital. I took a cab to the hospital and a very nice dentist relieved the pain of an abscessed tooth and made me an appointment for a root canal. I walked Paris for a couple of hours, having coffee and buying more antibiotics. At six that night, I was finished. Serene and Anita picked me up. We took a cab home and I went to bed. I was fine the next day. A bit sore but that didn’t stop me from buying a new blue backpack, a 60th birthday present for Serene, earrings, black pants, a new top. Serene bought me a great blue hat to go with my new coat and backpack. Our last night, we had pizza and took a cab ride to Sacre Coeur and to the Eiffel Tour and then home.
I am lucky to have wonderful people in my life. I am incredibly lucky to be able to travel like I do. I am lucky to have money for these emergencies. I can afford health care, that is huge.
Back at work tomorrow, but good times ahead.

Happy New Year!

I had a great year. Hope you did too.
See you in 2010.

Make a Smilebox greeting

Christmas in Azores

December 21st.
Angra de Heroismo
Hamburger in a café, then fried sugary, flat donut. Then I wandered through the city, looking for the Municipal Gardens. I would up at the Memorial with great vistas and down through the gardens. I went back by way of the fort and was surprised to find a sign with Hebrew writing. I happened upon the Jewish Cemetery. Then back to the hotel for a good dinner and nights rest. Fly to Pico tomorrow.
Pico
December 22,23, 24, 25, 26.
I am staying in a basalt house in Pico. It is quiet, except for the humming refrigerator. It is cold and beautiful. Spent the morning drive the coast, old winery in Lajido, to the port Madalena. I caught the 13:45 boat to Horta on Faial Island. There was a rainbow as we left. The ride was rocky, but I could be outside and it only takes half an hour. In Horta I got a map at the tourist office and started walking. Lunch in a Chinese restaurant, coffee and a palmeira at 4, back to the boat by 5 for 17:15 boat back. The ride back was like a roller coaster. I hate roller coasters. The rain started as we took off and the ride back was thankfully just a half hour too. Guess I wouldn’t make it on the open seas.
Next day, I drove around the island. Too many awesome wave photos but I kept trying to capture the turquoise. Lunch in Lajes, good pizza, all of the whale museums are closed and most shops and restaurants too. I expected Christmas to be like that. I had planned to just walk tomorrow. I hear the rain is not going to stop. So I’m in the middle of the Atlantic but warm and dry in my cute little house.
Back to Angra, rented a car and drove around the island of Terceira. Looked at the Air Force base, great location. Had a great lunch at a restaurant called Caneta. Green, and lovely and rainy. Hotel in Praia de Vitoria, pouring rain from 6pm on. After 4 hours in the airport the next day, our flight was canceled. They put us up in a nice hotel in Angra and we got an extra day, the rain stopped in the afternoon. Got out and made all my connections the next day. Even had my luggage at the end! A restful and beautiful trip.

October 2009

October started out with a lovely walk with staff inKorneuburg. We went from the Gruber’s house to a heurigan, winery/restaurant, and back again. Ten of us from school, two dogs, about an hour each way, delightful! There was an “art walk” the Path of Life, on the way back. A sculptor that lives nearby and other artists from around the world, created outdoor art, depicting the stages of life. Interesting stuff. The Path of Life does end at the village church. This is Austria.
We had some staff development days and Parent/Teacher conferences so I had some time to catch up on the behind the scenes library work. I’m learning a lot, PYP, primary library programming in the library, the workings of VIS. Then…
Midterm break. We word hard at international schools but I love the breaks. Mary, another American staff and I went to Wabi, www.wabi.hu. We checked in, then checked out the nearby town, pictures attached.

The next morning, we took a drive , first to Lake Ferto, probably more fun in the summer, and found a winery on the way back. Harvest time in Hungary.
We went back to Wabi for lunch and our spa day, full body massage, manicure with wax, pedicure with wax and a facial. Lovely!
The next day we drove to Budapest, sort of. Even with a GPS, I managed to get lost. We typed in Gyor and would up in Gyoro, who knew? About an hour out of the way, but it was a beautiful autumn day. We stayed at the King’s hotel. I took a long walk that night, safe and happening Budapest. Beautiful and crumbling, both.
Toured the Budapest Synagogue, then walked to Margarit Island. Dinner at Hotel Astoria. The next day we went to the Flohr Market/Flea market. We spent hours searching for treasures. It is like hundreds of garage sales in one place. Drove home that evening, about two and a half hours.

Autumn

These pictures are taken near my apartment.

Tonight, on our walk, I was looking forward to snow. The area I live in has a park nearby with large meadows. I was imagining it covered with freshly fallen snow. There is a chill in the air that makes me think of winter. Autumn is my favorite season as I get older, without the extremes of temperature. The light in the fall is also special.


These were taken in the ninth district, on the day I went to the Austrian equivalent of the DMV. I am in the process of getting an Austrian drivers license and registering my car. I also have to get snow tires by Nov. 15th.

Early I commented on how calm Vienna was. Well since the end of summer it has filled back up. The trains are crowded in the morning. I live almost at the end, so I always get a seat. I take two trains, about 20 minutes each. It is still not a frantic city. The pace is fast but not crazy and mostly people are friendly. There is also an amazing variety of people. People of all ages and classes ride the trains, Curly is allowed on all the trains, trams and buses.

Home in Austria

As I was walking last night, admiring the buildings and getting to know my neighborhood, it suddenly dawned on me, I’m in Austria. They don’t park on the sidewalk here.

I love the food here, lots of wonderful bread, kaseweiner ( a cheese hot dog), dumplings. I can get sour cream and cottage cheese here. I miss Portuguese coffee and American sharp cheddar cheese.
I’m much more used to German but not ready to speak, still absorbing sounds.


I finished unpacking all of my boxes and spent the weekend cocooning. It feels like home although I still need a few things, an office chair and rug for the living room. I’m set on enjoying the seasons. Right now the air is crisp but it is still warm. Pulling out the sweaters.


Work is busy so I’ve had little time to explore. I went to Schonbrunn, a beautiful castle/estate and have ,checked out some neighborhoods. I’m saving the museums for colder weather. I’m in Austria! Come have a pastry with me.

Week 3

Week 3 is over and I’m not sure how. I am now internet connected and my stuff has arrived from Portugal. All of that is very nice but I went from minimalist to 16 boxes of stuff. Glad to have silverware and my pictures but I wish this had arrived two weeks ago, when I had time to find a place for it, before work started. Ah life, rarely a dull moment. So I had classes in the library all week, getting to know the teachers, getting a feel for the school. The surprise for me is the amount of time I have with the littlies. I have 4 preschool classes and 4 kindergarten (called grade primary here), for 40 minutes each week. I’ve gone from teenagers to toddlers! What do I do? There is a bit of a panic but also a bit of fun. It means I have a lot to learn, strategies and tricks for the littlies and books to read and learn.
My schedule is busy! The library is busy, non-stop. Not the stereotype of quiet, quite the opposite. I have two bright upbeat adult helpers, thank goodness. Last week at the end of one day, as I walked to the subway (U bahn), I was surprised to hear German. I had been so immersed in English all day. Then there is the after work stuff of negotiating the grocery store or…and it all comes back to me. I’m sleeping better still not settled yet still enjoying life!

Work!

"Work!" said Maynard G. Krebs.
I started work on Wednesday, orientation for new teachers. So much information, so many new faces and personalities.
I moved into my new place Monday evening, I took a two bedroom in the thirteenth district, Hietzing, which I have learned is quite posh. Notice my language changing, hanging out with Brits and Aussies etal.

The apartment is far from school, 45 minutes door to door on the subway. It is also on the 4th floor without an elevator. Those are the negatives.





It is furnished with nice furniture, including two televisions, patio furniture and a sound system and DVD player. It has two terraces, one on each side, on the top floor of the building. I have a view of the hills from one side and part of the city from the other. It is a quiet neighborhood, with a grocery store on this street and a bakery. I'm loving it and so is Curly