Schönbrunn Palace

Posted on April 22, 2011 by admin

So, Schönbrunn Palace. Wow. Amazing. Unbelievable. Truly on a scale beyond anything I had ever seen before, or even imagined. I’m not overselling it — those of you who have never seen it will STILL be amazed by it when you see it. And we didn’t even go inside — this is just my reaction from seeing a part of the gardens. Opulent, excessive, beautiful, lush and peaceful. I loved it. Easily my favorite place in Vienna so far.

Dan, Benjamin, Liam and I went today, and we had just a wonderful time. They have an Easter market going on now, which was fun (and made getting lunch easy) and then we explored the grounds and marveled at the exterior of the palace itself. It just defies explanation to try and convey the scope of this place. We saw only a small part of what the palace grounds have to offer (we didn’t visit the labyrinth/maze or the zoo, for example) and they aren’t even yet in their full splendor (they’re in the process of planting the yellow tulips, but nothing else is in yet). I just loved it. We played hide and seek among the trees. We visited the koi pond (there’s probably more than one). We saw amazing statues and topiary. We kept Benjamin out of the fountains (he asked me several times to take his shoes off). Benjamin just ran and ran. At one point, I was holding Liam as he gazed up through the trees, and I imagined what the princes and princesses must have experienced when they strolled the grounds. It was so fun and beautiful. We saw just a little bit of the “wilder” (the less manicured, forest-like) sections, but that part was too hilly for us to explore too deeply with the stroller. The only downside is that we had to stick to the shade, because (of course) all of our sunscreen is in the air shipment that we can’t get to. (We’re going to go out and purchase some more tomorrow.) On the way home, Liam made eyes at an entire family on our tram. What a great day!

All that, and it was only about 10 minutes on the tram from our current apartment. I can imagine that it’s somewhere I may even go with the boys on nice afternoons while Dan is at work. What an amazing place to be able to visit, just on a whim, whenever we like! What a treat. We loved it. We’ll go back. Soon.

Holding hands

Posted on April 21, 2011 by admin

Today was a quiet day for our family. Other than stocking up on some groceries (we’re going in to a long holiday weekend here, which means most stores will be closed) we stayed in. Benjamin took a 3+ hour nap this afternoon (half of it with me accompanying him). At dinner time, we decided to all go out to pick up our pizza, just for the sake of us all getting out of the house and getting some fresh air.

On our way, Dan was pushing Liam in the stroller, and I was walking with B, holding his hand. It was a beautiful evening, and I was enjoying the company of my little family. It was so nice to be holding B’s hand, talking to him about what we were seeing along the way. I love those moments with him. He is so little, yet already so grown up. I see the children in Vienna — they are autonomous so quickly. They ride the trains alone, and walk around the city unescorted by 8 or 9 years old — much younger than that if they’re being “supervised” by another child, often younger than 10 themselves. We won’t be here long enough for that to be his experience, but I do know that he’ll grow up quickly, wherever we are.

I love both of my boys so much. I love the way they are right now, and I know I’ll love it as they get bigger, too. For today, though, it was just nice to have a quiet day, and enjoy holding hands with my little boy.

Easter shopping

Posted on April 20, 2011 by admin

Part of preparing for our move involved separating everything in our house into one of four categories: air shipment, sea shipment, storage and things to pack in suitcases. The idea is for the air shipment to arrive 10 – 14 days after it’s shipped (to provide things you don’t immediately need in your suitcase, but to tide you over until most of your stuff arrives) because the sea shipment doesn’t arrive for 4-6 weeks after it’s shipped. Since Easter is happening almost 3 weeks after we left, I made sure to pack everything we needed for Easter in the air shipment. It’s not a religious holiday in our family, just a tradition, but I was careful to plan to have the things I’d need when we arrived. I packed up cute Easter hand towels for the kitchen, and stuff to decorate eggs, but most importantly, Benjamin & Liam’s Easter baskets and the things that were to go inside of them.

Well, one of the wrinkles with the whole paperwork/red tape is that we can’t access our air shipment. It’s here, in Austria — it has been for about 10 days. But, without some of the paperwork, which we can’t get until Dan actually starts work, we can’t get to it. This has caused a lot of frustration, because there were a lot of things in there that we were counting on having sooner rather than later. But nothing has been as disappointing to me as not having the Easter things for the kids.

Given that Friday is a holiday here, I finally accepted today that we really aren’t going to get our air shipment before Easter. I’m disappointed. But that’s not going to stop the Easter Bunny from visiting us here in Austria, so today, we went shopping.

We all headed off to the mall together, and Dan distracted the kids while I went to play the Easter Bunny’s helper. I didn’t want to replace their Easter baskets, since we have perfectly nice ones that we just can’t get to, but which will available for subsequent Easters, so we found cute Easter-themed gift bags which should work well. Then, I set off to fill them. Since Liam is only 6 months old, and B doesn’t need any more sugar than his current gelato habit provides, I decided to go with toys, rather than candy. I ended up spending about twice what I’d been planning (I found the perfect thing for B, but had to decide between two things, and then found the perfect thing for Liam, but it was really expensive, and after searching for something less expensive, I gave up, bought it, and went ahead and bought BOTH things for Benjamin because his things were so much less expensive — which was less about needing things to be even and more about justifying to myself buying both, which I really wanted to do in the first place). Dan was supportive of my decisions when I got back, so we called it a success and headed home.

It feels good to make Easter happen. A lot of what Easter is for my family is a time to get together — we’re not going to get to do that this year, which is enough of a loss. I was really sad that I ALSO wasn’t going to have all of the right stuff to make their baskets, but it feels really good to improvise with what I have available. I know that, right now, it means more to me than it does to my kids, but it feels good to make it happen, just the same.

I definitely don’t have it together

Posted on April 19, 2011 by admin

We’ve found a place, but we can’t move in yet. We haven’t gotten our relocation grant, so we can’t go buy a washer/dryer or any other major purchase for the new place. Dan’s work doesn’t start until next Tuesday. So . . . . we’re on vacation! We really can’t do much that’s productive right now — we might be able to later in the week, but right now, we’re waiting for a bunch of other people to do things, so we decided to have our first really leisurely day since we’ve been here.

We took the boys and went to the Donaupark, which is a huge park near the Danube. It’s got a lot of open green space — people were playing games, sunbathing, picnicking. It also has playground equipment for little (and not so little) kids — the typical stuff we have at home and then way crazier stuff that you couldn’t get away with at home for fear of lawsuits. It has at least two skate parks, lots of table tennis and trampolines. It has a little train that takes a 20 minute trip around the park, and these huge mechanical animals that kids can ride around on. We rode the train, helped B ride the animals and play on the playground equipment and just generally enjoyed a beautiful day out with our kids. We had lunch out, and we stopped for gelato on the way home. Benjamin had his very first bus ride today, too! It was a great day.

As part of being out all afternoon, I needed to feed Liam. I’m still nursing him, and I’ve never really gotten the hang of doing it in public. At home, I would have been really stressed about it, and maybe even avoided it altogether. If I had done it at all, I would have made sure I was somewhere out of the way and as inconspicuous as possible. Today, when we were out, and Liam got hungry, I just found a mostly shady spot on a bench, got him all situated and covered up, and fed him. No big deal. It wasn’t until we were finishing up that I realized that it was significantly less stressful than usual for me. Is it the European mentality that nursing a baby in public is less of an issue? Or just because no one knows me here, so I’m not worried about being embarrassed in front of someone I know? Maybe a little of both. But thinking about it, the single biggest difference is that at home, I would have been embarrassed simply by not being slick at nursing in public — the fact that I’m awkward makes me really self conscious. Even if nothing “went wrong”, I want to seem cooler than that — I really want to seem like one of those moms that has it all together.

I’m having to let go of that. I so do not have it all together. I don’t think there’s any way to take something like this on and still keep the facade of “togetherness”. I’ve really had to send my ego on vacation these past couple of weeks. I don’t speak the language, I don’t know the etiquette here of riding the trains or the buses, I’m living out of my suitcase (which means I don’t have many clothes or most of my “mom supplies”). But, it’s forcing me to really focus on what’s important, rather than “doing it right”. I might be ordering lunch in broken English/German/gesticulation, but Benjamin is getting fed. I might be standing on the wrong part of the train, totally blocking everyone from getting in or out, but we’re all ON the train. I might have spilled half of the milk I bought from Starbucks for B as soon as I got to my seat on the plane (and delayed the plane backing away from the gate while I got it cleaned up) but he had milk to drink before his bedtime, even at 38,000 feet. And today, feeding Liam peacefully in the park, it was nice to realize how easy it could be. Worrying about doing it “right” has been making it hard. Today, I wasn’t “super slick international travelling mom”, but I had a great day.

Our new place

Posted on April 18, 2011 by admin

Just over a year ago, I came to Vienna for the first and only time before I decided to move here. I was here for four days — I came to meet Dan on one of his business trips. I wanted to get a feel for the city and see if I could even imagine myself living here. I wasn’t here for long, but we tried to get out, see some sights and experience as much of the city as possible.

Sunday morning of my trip here (which was also Valentine’s Day) we got up very early (not easy to do, due to the jetlag) and went to see the Vienna Boys’ Choir. We weren’t entirely sure where we were going, and we got a little lost on the way. We came up out of the wrong exit from the U station into a silent little square. It was cobblestoned and deserted. We set off, trying to find our way, and encountered a few people making their way to the church that was a little further along the square. It was quiet, beautiful and perfectly my idea of Europe. I loved it instantly. I wanted to know where we were, but we were running late and didn’t have time to explore. We eventually found our way to our destination, and didn’t get a chance to return.

A few months ago, when we made the final decision to move here to Vienna, we began to look for housing. At one point in the search, I asked Dan, “Do you think we could live in that little square we found that Sunday morning?” It was half-joking, since we didn’t know where it was exactly, and we both figured that area would be too expensive, since it was right in the heart of the city.

This morning, we were heading back to our favorite apartment, to take a second look at it and make sure it’s the one we wanted. Since we’re staying in a different part of the city now, we arrived by way of a different U station than we did the first time we saw it. We came up out of the station on our way to the apartment . . . and we were in the little square. No kidding. I couldn’t believe it at first, but it was the same. It’s busier on a weekday, and more beautiful in the springtime, but it was the same place.

We went on to see the apartment — it’s as perfect as we remembered, and we’re so excited to have found a place. But, how amazing to have found that it’s just next to the little square we found that morning — the same little square we’ve been thinking of and hoping to see again. This apartment, this neighborhood — they really feel like home to us. When we visit there, it feels like where want to be. Finding our little, quiet square this morning just made it seem that much more perfect, and we’re so excited to be moving there.

A day outside of Vienna

Posted on April 17, 2011 by admin

One of Dan’s future co-workers invited Benjamin, Liam, Dan, Bailey & I to lunch today with his family at his home outside of Vienna. We were really excited to get to see some of the area around Vienna, and to hang out with some Americans who had been through what we’re experiencing. When Scott arrived to pick us up, they had outfitted their car with carseats appropriate to our kids’ ages, so we packed Bailey into the back of the minivan, and we all trekked off to Korneuburg.

It was so reassuring and validating to talk to them and compare notes on our experiences. Ada, Scott’s wife, talked about looking at her “to do” list shortly after arriving here in Vienna and just starting to cry. She also talked about showing up at the first temporary apartment with two kids (the same ages, at the time, as Benjamin and Liam are now — AND she was 8 months pregnant with their third) and insisting vehemently that whatever happened, they were not staying in that place. On both points, I can really relate. In terms of my “to do” list, most days I’m just not looking at it, and when I do, the word that keeps coming to mind (and more than once out of my mouth) is “unreasonable”. As in, “This is an unreasonable amount to expect of any one person”. And although I haven’t had to insist on any last minute heroic changes in accommodations, I was well prepared to do that yesterday (was it just yesterday?) had this place not turned out to be suitable.

But to see them now, seven years on in their journey, it’s hard to believe that was ever true. They have a lovely home in the suburbs of Vienna, their kids are enrolled in school, and even their dog has a great yard to play in. Ada mentioned that she recently found the list that had brought her to tears, and looking it over, realized she had survived accomplishing every last thing on that list. So, we will get through this — this too, shall pass.

We had lunch, and chatted about relocating and things to keep in mind. Ironically, they are moving to Northern Virginia in July, so we were able to offer our own advice and encouragement, as well. Their kids helped Benjamin through an Easter egg hunt they had set up for him. Then, we stayed for dinner. Our beautiful day turned into a lovely Austrian evening. Our kids played soccer — the dogs played, too. (Bailey makes an excellent goalie.) By the time we headed back home, well later than we had expected, we were all tired. But we had a great day. Their hospitality was so appreciated, and so was the encouragement.

Auf Wiedersehen, Hollandstrasse 8.

Posted on April 16, 2011 by admin

We left behind our first “home” in Vienna this morning. I already miss it. We moved into a new place, in another part of the city. It’s smaller, it’s not as nice, and it’s not as much in the area that we want to be in. That said, it is really neat to check out a different part of the city, and I think it will ultimately give us a more well-rounded view of Vienna. It’s clean, it’s safe, it’s near a metro and it has everything we really need. Benjamin is sleeping in the living room, but he’s happy. Liam has a gigantic portacrib (I think he’s the only one whose sleeping situation improved) and he’s asleep and happy, too. That’s what’s important.

Yesterday, I was really stressing about this place and this move. It’s not ideal, and it’s not what I wanted to have happen. I can think of several other places I’d rather be staying at the moment (not all of them on this side of the Atlantic). But, so what? It’s not really a big deal. As my sister, Amanda, said, “This will be a fond memory soon.” She may be entirely right. It’s quite possible that the effort that goes in to making this place our home for the next week will cause it to be remembered fondly in the end.

So often, it’s the shared challenges that we remember with a laugh and a smile with our families. I was talking with my dad this afternoon about exactly that, when he reminded me of “that camping trip when it rained”. I think everyone who has camped with any regularity has a good “rainy camping” story, and in our case, we awoke in the middle of the night with the runoff from the mountains actually running (with some volume and force) THROUGH the middle of the tent. I think it was spring time, and not warm at all. We spent the rest of the night cranky and sodden in the car, and went damply home (early) the next day. At the time, I’m sure I was grumpy about it. I know I was wet and cold. Today, my dad and I shared a sincere and happy laugh about it. I really, truly, remember that trip fondly. It’s a memory I share with my dad and my siblings. We ALL remember it. We shared the struggle together, we got through it together, and it even contributed to my mental picture of myself (and my family) as relatively hardy campers (even though we didn’t last the rest of the weekend, it didn’t stop us from camping again, many times). I don’t remember exactly how old I was (early teens?) and I don’t remember much of the other details about that trip (they all tend to blend together as a happy melange in my mind). But I think of it fondly. I think if it’s possible to have a happy teenage memory of being soaked, miserable and cold in the woods with my family, then it’s certainly possible that this little apartment will be remembered with a laugh and a smile (if at all) as part of our adventure. Thanks, to my family, for reminding me of that.

We’re moving tomorrow . . . and I’m not sure to where

Posted on April 15, 2011 by admin

Our stay in our first temporary apartment is coming to an end. We have to leave by 10:00 tomorrow morning. It’s been great. Super-IKEA-ified, really comfortable, really clean, safe for the kids, and the location is super convenient. It has served us well for our first 10 days here. (I can’t believe we’ve been here for 10 days.)

So now, it’s on to the next place. But until 3 hours ago, we didn’t have a “next place”. (I’m still not sure we really do.) This past week, we’ve been mostly focused on finding a place for permanent housing (and we’d been kind of hoping we might get that settled fast enough to not have to find a second temporary apartment) so we let the search for tomorrow’s apartment go until way too late. We do have a favorite permanent place picked out, but we won’t even see a lease on it until Monday, so we need a place for the next little while.

We were being really flexible on location, price and size, so we didn’t figure it would be too hard to find a place. Well, it turns out that finding a place equipped for kids (we need a porta-crib for Liam), walking distance to the U and which would allow Bailey wasn’t that easy after all. Also, most temporary apartments in Vienna are listed with multiple agencies, so three times now we have had places promised to us which are not actually available. Also, the Vienna City Marathon is this weekend, and is apparently really popular, so finding a place has been really challenging.

But, we have a place. At least, I think we do. It’s not ideal — it’s very small, no tub, only one bedroom. And hopefully a porta-crib. Ok, so it’s very not ideal. Sigh. Looks like I’m off to do more hotel/apartment searches . . . there has to be something out there that will work for us.

Red tape

Posted on April 14, 2011 by admin

I mentioned, in a previous post, that the pace of things is just slower here. Although Vienna is a bustling city, the vibe is just different than home. That’s fine. I actually think that I will come to really appreciate this about our experience here, and it’s something I’m already getting used to. Dan & I were talking today about going back to look at our two favorite housing options. My first instinct was, “Email them now so maybe we can go see the places tomorrow!”, but then I realized that no matter how quickly we contact them, we’re not going to go look at those apartments tomorrow. That just isn’t how it works. We’ll email them today, talk about it tomorrow and go see them Monday or Tuesday (because very little happens here on the weekends — I guess apartment shopping might turn out to be an exception).

I don’t mind the slower pace of life. I like the fact that at 5:00, people are generally unreachable by email or at their work number. People don’t work into the evening here, or over the weekend (unless that’s typical of their job). I like that, because we will soon benefit from that lifestyle, too. Dan isn’t going to have a laptop to bring home from his new job. He isn’t going to be expected to get anything accomplished between the close of business on Friday and when he arrives on Monday morning. He’s not going to answer work calls at 7:00 in the evening or on a Sunday. And if he’s sick, or on vacation, he’s simply out, and no one expects him to check in or do any work until he returns. That sounds excellent.

The non-excellent part of this is the red tape part of it. And it’s not exactly “part” of a slower pace of life, but it exists side by side with it. We’ve been jumping through hoops since we got here, and we’re still finding it difficult to make any progress on very basic things. Our journey through red tape began with shopping for cell phones. After finding a place that carried the cell phones that we want, Dan went to purchase them. At home, this would be as simple as producing a credit card and signing a contract. Well, Dan had neglected to bring his passport, so he came home to get it. I went with him, and brought mine, for good measure. We got back to the cell phone place, only to be told that we need proof of employment, proof of residency and a bank account. Ok. So, we head back home.

Dan figures the easiest way to get proof of residency is to get his “legit” card (which is what you get here instead of a visa if you or a family member is working for the UN). So, he contacts his work to get it. Well, turns out that you can’t get your legit card until you’ve signed your contract for work . . . and you can’t sign your work contract until your first day of work. Turns out you also need your legit card to recieve your items shipped from home. This includes the stuff we had shipped over by air so we could receive it 10 to 14 days after departing. Nice. (The latest we were expecting to get that stuff was today.) The people in HR that Dan was dealing with knew that we were planning to be here 3 weeks before he started work. Did it really not occur to them that we might need phones, or our stuff, or even proof of residency in the first 3 weeks we lived here? (Or, at least, to tell us that we wouldn’t be able to have those things?) Turns out, this is a common problem — happens all the time. It’s something that is an issue for most people starting work at the UN. Thanks for letting us know BEFORE we got on the plane.

So, one of the ideas we had was that maybe Dan could start work a bit earlier. We’ve made excellent progress with the house hunting, and if it’s going to make our lives easier and allow us to make progress in getting settled (which was the whole point of coming over 3 weeks early) then why not? Well, it turns out, he can’t start early, because the paperwork is done and people are already planning on his start date. Sigh.

But, they did give him proof of employment!. Starting with that, Dan went on to get his Austrian bank account (that part was remarkably easy) and then went to talk to the people in the visa office about maybe moving the paperwork ahead to get his legit card, or at least helping us get our air shipment stuff (which has been here since the beginning of the week, but which we can’t get to). They started working on it (not sure what they can do, but apparently they like a challenge) and one of the things Dan had to go was to get pictures taken for his card. So he did that. Well, the boys and I need legit cards, too, so today we trundled off (looking presentable) to the UN to get our pictures taken, too . . . only to show up and find out that the picture taking office closes an hour earlier than everything else there. Seriously?

So, now back to the phones. On one of Dan’s trips to try and buy the phones, he was told to come back if he had at least proof of employment (including contract duration) and a bank account. Great! We have that now! So, we went back today (after our failed attempt at getting our pictures taken). Turns out, no. Didn’t work. Still need the legit card. Argh!

So, here we are. No phones. No stuff. The ridiculousness and inefficiency of it is enough to drive me crazy if I think about it too long. If it were me (read as, “If I were queen of the universe, which sometimes I really think I ought to be . . .”) there would be a straightforward checklist and procedure for every incoming UN employee to follow: start at this office, sign this form, go here, produce this paperwork, take a picture, submit this form, the end. (But apparently, no one asked me.)

But there’s really no harm done. It’s just a delay. (A frustrating delay!) Lest anyone worry, we really do have the things we need. At least this way, when we move to our next temporary home this Saturday, we only have to move the 5 suitcases we arrived with. Since we haven’t gotten our air shipment, we don’t have to move it. And we’re surviving without phones — that’s not easy, but it’s ok, too. And, just today, we found out that Dan may be able to sign his contract early . . . whether that means other things will happen sooner, remains to be seen. And I have no idea why something that was impossible a week ago is suddenly possible, but I promise not to complain.

Out in the rain

Posted on April 13, 2011 by admin

It was a chilly, rainy (on and off) day in Vienna today. We were out apartment hunting, and we really felt not having a car. The public transportation here is phenomenal, but there’s just something so easy about having a car. We’re not “good” at being car-less yet, so there’s a lot to think about and plan for.

Here in Vienna, lots of people don’t have cars. But they also aren’t living out of 5 suitcases. They have great little buntings and rain covers for their strollers. They have umbrellas. They have boots. They have raincoats. We have some of those things (not very many). It wasn’t a bad day, just a challenge.

The first place we went to see was an 18 minute (entirely uphill) walk from where we’re staying now. We ended up rushing out the door to get there (because we’d been waiting for the realtor to tell us which place to meet him, and he didn’t tell us until we actually needed to be heading out the door . . . and Liam was sleeping, so it was an ordeal to get going) and therefore just didn’t have our complete arsenal of “stuff” to battle the conditions. Liam was still in his pajamas, I forgot the fleece blanket for B in his stroller, I wore the wrong shoes, I didn’t bring Benjamin’s snack, Dan didn’t realize I’d packed a hat for Liam, so he didn’t put it on him for the first half of the day. I’ve always kept a stock of things in the car trunk, just in case we needed them: jackets, hats, blankets, sweatshirts. I’m so used to having that safety net, and I really missed not having it today.

But, we were rewarded. I think we found our place. It’s beautiful, it’s in the center (nearly) of the city, it has plenty of space, and even a little storage, it has a (very small) elevator and it’s walking distance to shops and the U (metro). I love it.

We had one last place to see, though, so after our 18 minute walk and our brief visit to the apartment, it was back out into the rain to get on a train, to get on another train, to get on a tram to get off and switch trams because we were on the wrong one, and then a walk. The second place we saw was beautiful, too, and would be my favorite but for the 8 or so marble stairs in the foyer of the building which would make it nearly impossible to use the stroller by myself. And then, it was back out in the rain and the cold to head home (by way of the gelato place — we were nearly the only customers today).

I am amazed by my children. However much fun I might have found it to explore these apartments, I suspect there is significantly less allure when you’re 6 months old or two and a half. Through this entire adventure so far, they have been amazingly happy, relaxed, flexible and understanding. (I have no idea where they get that from.) I can’t believe the way they’re adapting and really enjoying themselves in what could be a difficult situation. They inspire me. It’s hard to give in to being grumpy or exhausted or irritable when your 2 year old isn’t. It’s even harder to give in to it when he’s having a hard time and it’s the first time all day he’s complained. They help me to remember that although it’s easy for me to slip in to the expectation that this will be “tough”, it doesn’t actually have to be. There’s lots of things to enjoy — like running laps through empty Viennese apartments or eating gelato on a cold and rainy day.

A Mommy Abroad

Our big adventure, as a family of three.

Category Archives: Adventure in Vienna