stephansdom columns

Vienna Secession

Vienna, endlich!

In a few hours we will going to Vienna, and I am so excited.

Schönbrunn

Natural History Museum

Hofburg


And let me say now, that I have really grown tired of the fucking German keyborards. And I am no longer feeling obligated to s0pell correctly. But that could also be due to the copius amounts of bier that we have had to drink tonight, plus vodka.

We are running out of time, but we are determined to enjoy ourselves this weekend.

Obergurgl, 'Diamant in den Alpen'

After our appointment in Obergurgl, we changed clothes at a turn-off on a hairpin corner, on our ascent to the Italian border. We eventually went through a tunnel and when we came out the other side, we were in Italy. My first time in Italy. In a way, though, it doesn't feel like I've been to Italy.** But on the other hand, it was like Italy because the drivers honk at everything and everyone. Traffic jam -- what to do? Why, honk the fucking horn, of course. No traffic jam whatsoever? Honk even louder!

We ate at a pizzeria in Merano and walked around the old part of the town.

And, as of last Friday, I no longer own a house. I kept a key to it, though, because I couldn't bring myself to send it with the paperwork. And I hope, from the deepest part of my heart, that those new owners will treat the Kinder Street Squirrels as well as I did.

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** I wasn't in the Boot
** More people spoke German than Italian
** I haven't seen any aqueducts or coliseums

Austro-Italian Border

Today we had to go to Bad Ischl again, and then we went for a short drive to Altausee, in Styria, where there is a road that takes you up very high, so high that you can see the Hallstätter Glacier at about eye level. We had coffee at the only restaurant there, and sat on the terrace so we could get some sun and wind while our eyes squinted through the thick haze. My face is still radiating heat. We watched a hang glider take off. There was a very short running distance before he had to jump, and my breath caught as I watched him leap from the platform. He took off gracefully, circled back, and then spiraled up higher.

Golden Arches on Getreidegasse

The weather has been better for the past three days -- finally! a little sun -- which enabled us to go for a couple of walks and to take the boat out again. On Thursday afternoon we hiked up to the waterfalls beyond Malerweg Straße. They are named Waldbach Strub and Schleier Falls. Waldbuch Strub is large and powerful, and the other is more of a wisp. Fittingly, Schleier is the German word for Veil.

Then yesterday we took the bus over to Gosausee and walked around that lake, which was quite beautiful and also an easy ramble. There are more deciduous trees over there, so the colors were a little nicer than they are on this side of the mountain range. Also, Hallstätter Glacier can be seen from the valley floor. It looks down from Dachstein peak, which has an elevation of 3004 meters and is the highest peak in OberÖsterreich. This is the first glacier that I've seen in a long time and I was jazzed about it. There was a chilly breeze that came from the direction of the glacier, making my nose turn pink and my cheeks sting a little. Stefan got quite cold because he was dressed lighter than I was. But it was a lovely walk, and the mosses along the trail were amazing! Really, really great colors and textures. I wish that I knew more about the flora and fauna here. I want to buy some reference books on these things, and soon. Anyhow, since we hadn't eaten any breakfast, we were famished by the time we got back around to the restaurants and hotels. We had a large meal there before coming home and watching a movie. Spy Games. Then today was spent on Hallstättersee, watching paragliders do their safety training manuevers and soaking up the dwindling sunlight. Not many more days like this left, I think.

Been missing a few things. Bennie, Bun, Wisconsin's Autumn colors.

But I've finally found a grocery store that has Skippy peanut butter.

Visas and work permits; doctors and cows

It isn't so easy to deal with the Austrian bureaucracy. One person tells you one thing, and the next, another. Back and forth, repeatedly. Really gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. The last man said that I will not be able to have a job in textile design and that I can only get seasonal employment, like working in a hotel or restaurant. And I can't get a visa until I secure a job. But others say that I need a work permit before I can get a visa. But just yesterday, we were told that the future employer must apply for the work permit for me. So now it's a matter of finding an employer who is willing to do so.

What it all boils down to is that Stefan and I are now looking for jobs in Tirol (the Austrian state where everyone travels to ski, in the Alps, to Innsbruck and whatnot) for the winter. I will probably end up working as a Zimmermächden or Abwascherin, if I am lucky. If you know how those words translate, then you can feel my pain.

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Recently I had another Depo shot. In the US I was paying a little over $60 for it, which doesn't include the office visit, which is another $60. It gets fairly expensive. So about a week ago, I went to Stefan's doctor to have my shot renewed. First of all, in the States, it was given to me in the arm. The doctor here, Dr. Maier, asked me where I was planning to have the shot, because I was obviously ready to get it in my arm. I had even dressed strategically, with a tank top under a button-up shirt for easy access.

What do you mean, where do I plan to have it? In the arm, of course.

Then he said that here in Europe, they never give it in the arm.

In den Hintern, he explained.

At the end of it all, so to speak, I ended up paying all of € 33, which is about $38. For both the shot and the office visit. So, this is how I see it:

In the States, the doctors may tell you that they're only giving you that shot in the arm but, in reality, they are really sticking you in the ass, too.