Advent

Posted on November 26, 2011 by admin

Advent calendars are big in Vienna — they’re in many shop windows: card shops, paper shops, toy stores, candy stores, book stores — even one tobacco shop seems to sell them. Everyone seems to sell Advent calendars this time of year. I’ve always loved them. I have very fond memories from when I was younger of sitting on the floor of the Cricket Book Shopin Ashton and selecting my very favorite. As I was about so many things (pumpkins, Christmas trees, Easter eggs) I was very particular (I always liked it best if the pictures in the windows told some sort of story, or were related to the exterior of the advent calendar — like opening up windows onto a scene inside of a house, rather than just random pictures of cute Christmas things) so the process of selecting one took a while, and I would secretly lament that I couldn’t bring home several. Now that I’m a mom, I get to do just that . . . one for Benjamin, one for Liam and one for me (and Dan can share, too)!

The Rathaus (city hall) here apparently decorates one of its actual windows every day of advent — I can’t wait to take the boys over to check that out each day. It’ll be like a real life advent calendar!

I sent my parents and siblings Advent calendar Christmas cards this year, so we could all open them together, even though we’re far apart. I’m really excited about this tradition — familiar for me, new for my boys, shared with my family, and different here in Vienna. It’s almost time, and we’re all looking forward to it.

Contemplating Thanksgiving

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

Thanksgiving is one week from today — in the US. Austria doesn’t have Thanksgiving, so far as I know, and it certainly doesn’t have it next week. Next Thursday is just a normal day here.

The most important thing to me about Thanksgiving has always been getting together with my family. The food is good, and football is always fun, but the real reason to celebrate is that everyone is off of work and able to be together. This year, we won’t be there.

So, if Austria doesn’t mark Thanksgiving, and the reason we care about Thanksgiving is entirely on the other side of the Atlantic, what does that mean for us? We’ve debated. We were going to take a long weekend and travel away from Vienna — go and see another part of Austria, maybe Salzburg, maybe the mountains. I thought it would be a good chance to take advantage of it being a festive time for us, but without any additional “holiday” charges at the hotels, and without having to worry about what would be open or not. Good idea, but I didn’t get it together to actually make any plans.

Our next plan was to do nothing — just have Dan go to work as usual, have B go to school as usual, maybe do dinner out somewhere on Thursday, but otherwise, not really do anything and save our vacation time for another time (maybe when I actually *did* get it together to plan an excursion).

But that didn’t really feel right. The thought of basically ignoring Thanksgiving, although it made some logical sense, was just a bummer. So, we’re going with “plan C”. Dan’s going to take Thursday and Friday off, and we’re going to do some fun things around Vienna as a family — go to dinner (we’ll look for turkey, but everyone is serving goose here now, and that’s probably close enough), explore some Christmas markets, try and sleep in, maybe go to the zoo, and see if we can find some Christmas movies, or maybe even the Macy’s parade, on TV or online. And we’re definitely going to try to Skype our family at home so that we can be a part of Thanksgiving there, too.

It’s certainly not our usual Thanksgiving itinerary, but I’m looking forward to it. I think it’ll be fun, festive and relaxing, which sounds perfect.

It’s also going to give us a little taste of what Christmas will be like. Of course, Christmas is enthusiastically celebrated here, so it won’t be a “non-event”. But, it’s going to be really strange to be away from home, and away from our family’s celebration, for Christmas. I’m really glad we’ve decided not to ignore Thanksgiving — it’s a chance for us to take what’s familiar from home and tweak it to fit our current surroundings. At Christmas, in particular, it’s going to be so important for us to do that — to mix the familiar and the new — so I’m glad we’re going to practice a little.

My first Christmas Market

Posted on November 12, 2011 by admin

Today was the opening day of a few of the Christmas Markets in Vienna (everything will be open by next weekend) including one of the closest to our house — the one at the town hall (Rathaus). We decided to stop by the one at the Rathaus on our way home from dinner out with friends.

I’ve been really excited to see what a Vienna Christmas Market is like — I had visions of a scene out of a Christmas card, of an open air market filled with shops selling mulled wine, cider, roasted chestnuts, hand-knitted mittens and hats, charming ornaments and maybe even fresh Christmas wreaths. I was hoping it would be a place for the boys to get to run around a bit and take in the sights of pre-Christmas merriment, and for us to do some of our holiday shopping.

No — it was insane. It’s like a county fair, a bar on Saturday night and the Atlantic City boardwalk all wrapped up in a big Christmas bow and wearing a flashing, light up Santa hat (seriously, they actually sell those — at several different shops). It was so crowded that it was hard to walk, let alone maneuver a stroller through the throngs. The shops were plentiful (over 130) but heavy on the “punsch” and “gluhwein” and pre-packaged sweets. Benjamin wanted to have a cookie, and we actually couldn’t find one (which was disappointing). There were lots of shops with little, cheap, stocking-stuffer type toys, and quite a few that sold either hats or Christmas ornaments (although all the hats and all the ornaments seemed pretty much the same, regardless of the shop). The crush of people was heavily populated with the young and intoxicated, and there was a lot of smoking (which isn’t surprising for Vienna, but it was so bad that we actually came home reeking of smoke, as though we’d been inside and surrounded by smoke).

On the other hand, the enormous Christmas tree is beautiful, and the lights displays they had off of the main part of the market were elaborate and pretty, as well. There’s a train that runs around the entire Rathaus park — Benjamin really wants to ride on that soon (and I know we will).

I’d been warned that the Rathaus Christmas Market was the most touristy of all — that the shops there would be selling mass produced, and overpriced, items. There was a certain festivity to it, and it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t at all what I expected it to be. Maybe it was just the first night? Maybe it was because many of the other markets aren’t yet open? As we get into December, the entire Rathaus is turned into a giant advent calendar (they decorate and reveal a different window every day) so we’ll definitely be back over there between now and the holidays. I’m curious to see what it will be like in the coming weeks, as well as how it’s different during the day, and during the week. We’re going to check out the other Christmas markets, as well. I’m hoping I find my perfect Christmas card scene somewhere.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Posted on November 9, 2011 by admin

As much as I love Starbucks, I’ve been feeling left out — they didn’t have any of the typical US autumn offerings here, and I was thinking that Vienna is probably too cool for Starbucks’ traditional red holiday cups and tasty wintry drinks. I’d kind of resigned myself to paying the price of giving up my usual coffee holiday merriment in exchange for spending a wonderful, festive holiday in one of the most Christmassy parts of the world. (It’s a rough life — oh, the sacrifices I must make!)

But today, I went in to Starbucks, and they had the red cups and Christmas drinks! I know it’s a little thing, but thinking about Christmas has been making me really miss home lately, and this was just a little, familiar thing that made me smile.

There’s a lot to smile about in Vienna right now, though, and it’s absolutely impossible not to feel wrapped up in the Christmas spirit — already.

The first of the Christmas markets open this weekend, and preparations are well underway. Trees are going up, lights are being strung, wooden stalls are being filled with wares, boughs of pine are decking the aisles, giant chandeliers are being hoisted (literally) into the sky. Nothing is quite ready yet — the stalls and booths are roped off, and the lights aren’t on yet (mostly), but even so, I feel the excitement and the anticipation of the Christmas season already.

Walking down the Graben (a huge pedestrian shopping area downtown) this evening, and looking at all of the (as yet unlit) decorations, I actually got a little teary. It’s already so beautiful, and I’m impressed and amazed by the city-wide feeling of festiveness and imminent merriment.

When I came home and walked through the front door, I heard the Christmas music that Dan had put on while I was out. Some of it is music I grew up listening to at the holidays, some of it has been added to Christmas more recently (mostly by my sister) but all of it means HOME and HOLIDAY to me. It made me very, very joyful.

I’m very excited about Christmas, but I also miss my family. I’m not sad, but I so badly wish that I could share all the magic and wonder of this experience with them. They mean so much to me, and they ARE Christmas to me. I am here, eagerly anticipating the Christmas season in Vienna, but my heart is split between here and home.

Halloween, Austria style

Posted on October 31, 2011 by admin

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I love Halloween. I have so many memories of it from my childhood — picking and carving pumpkins, dressing up and going trick-or-treating, going to creepy houses, on spooky hayrides, or through haunted forests, or just staying home and giving out candy. I like it all. Benjamin has experiencesd enough of Halloweens at this point to remember it, and to look forward to it this year. So, although we really didn’t know how Austriants celebrated Hallloween, it was important to me that we do something to make the occassion.

Benjamin really wanted to go trick-or-treating, but after our first investigations, the prospects looked pretty dim. This time of year in Austria is much more about celebating fall than it is about celebrating Halloween. But, we persisted, and finally found out (through an American coworker of Dan’s) about a little bit of trick-or-treating done in Vienna. It took a while to get the details, but we finally found out exactly where to go.

So, we set about making things happen. We made treat bags for the kids (as our treat pumpkins are apparently in storage at home) and dug out costumes. Dan came home a bit early from work, and we got everyone dressed and ready and headed out. We took the tram, then took the same tram again (got a little lost), hopped on a bus, rode it out to the end, and trekked up a really big hill.

We’d been told that the houses participating in trick-or-treating would be decorated and easy to find. The first house we tried — no one home. But, we continued up the hill and came upon an entire neighborhood of homes decorated in pumpkin lights or jack-o-lanterns. By the second house, Benjamin was bounding up to the door shouting, “Trick or treat!” before the door was even opened. By the time we were through the one neighborhood, we had successfully visited about a half dozen houses. Benjamin had a fantastic time, and Liam, who was enjoying his first trick-or-treat (he slept through last year) had a great time and kept his costume on the entire time. We walked back down the hill, got on the bus, walked for a bit, got on the same bus again (not lost this time), got on the tram and came home. Then, we lit the pumpkins and had the boys try out their trick-or-treat skills here at home. It was a successful evening.

Trick-or-treating defintely seems to be an American thing: every house we went to was inhabited by Americans, and most of the trick-or-treaters we came across were English speaking. But it’s catching on here — we saw a few groups of German-speaking kids going from house to house, and a few of the houses we went to this evening had run out of candy (before 8:00), so I’m guessing that they had more people come by their houses than they did last year. We saw a few costumed kids on the way back, as well (including one little girl with quite a bucket full of treats). The Austrian kids seem to be as in to the “tricks” as the “treats” — we encountered “silly string” and shaving cream all along our route.

We didn’t really experience an Austrian Halloween — we experienced an American Halloween transplanted here. Mostly, we want to try to experience local culture while we’re here, but for today, my kids got to have their Halloween, and so did I. I’m happy we did it, even if it was a little American. We all had a good time, but Halloween is definitely something I miss about home.

Dinos!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by admin

Today is the National Holiday in Austria. It’s a national day of rest (nearly everyone takes off of work) but it’s also a day to learn about and celebrate all that Austria has to offer: the Parliament and the National Library hold Open Houses, the military displays some of its major equipment on the lawn in front of the Hofburg, and many of the museums have discount admissions to encourage people to come out.

Well, it worked — people were out and about, all over Vienna, enjoying the city and taking full advantage of the tours and discount admissions. Dan had off of work, and Benjamin’s school was closed, so we decided to do something fun (and discounted) as a family: we went to the Natural History Museum to check out their recently reopened (and rumored to be excellent) dinosaur exhibit. On the way, we walked past the Parliament (which had a tremendous line out the door of people waiting to get in to see it) and when we arrived at the museum, there was a long line, outside in the rain, to get a ticket and get in. We waited, and got our tickets and went inside, where it was even more packed (I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a museum so populated).

The exhibit was fantastic — Benjamin and Liam were thrilled. The exhibits were impressive, from skeletons of a giant prehistoric armadillo and a humongous Diplodocus, to the skulls of a Tyrannosaurs and a Triceratops, to a model of a Pterodactyl and a Tyrannosaurus, to a fantastic animatronic Allosaurus. It was great. When the Allosaurus model started moving and roaring, Benjamin got very worried and decided that he wanted to go home (until I explained that it was 1) a robot and 2) attached to the table it was mounted on — then he decided it was pretty neat). I, personally, learned a lot about Ichthyosaurs. Liam had a great time checking everything out and patting the model of the Woolly Mammoth.

We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I noticed that the descriptions on the exhibits (which, luckily, were in English as well as in German) had a very different tone here than I’m used to at home. Here, things are stated much more absolutely — the layer of soil deposits is “proof” of a meteoric extinction event (at home, I think they would have said, “strongly supports” or “is evidence of”). Here, there is no “theory” of evolution — it’s just stated as fact. There is much less equivocation — much less concern about being politically correct (which shouldn’t surprise me, really, after having lived here for 6 months).

On the way home, we went by the Hofburg and checked out some of the military equipment. B was fascinated, and really enjoyed getting to climb on everything — he and Dan even waited in a REALLY long line to get to go inside of a portable radar vehicle, which turned out to be his favorite part of his day. The highlight for me, though, was watching both of my boys be amazed and impressed by the dinosaurs — finding out that they were real, and not just something from cartoons and tv. It was a great Nationalfeiertag!

Missing home, but not too much

Posted on July 4, 2011 by admin

Cookouts, fireworks, swimming pools, family and friends — all over the US, and most importantly, in a couple of specific places in Maryland and Virginia, that is what’s happening today. I’m really missing home — I’m really wishing I was there. July 4th is nothing other than the first Monday of July here, of course, and it’s a weird, lonely feeling — like everyone forgetting your birthday. Intellectually, of course, I completely understand, but emotionally, I really feel like I’m missing out. I also know that these are formative years in terms of my kids understanding and appreciating holidays, and I worry that they’re missing out, too.

We had a nice day today, but it was one of those days where we start trying to leave the house around 8:30 in the morning and actually get out of the house at 4:30 in the afternoon. Once out, though, we revisited St. Stephen’s (Benjamin did another, “I wish for all my family to be happy” prayers, and really, how can that not make my day?) and went to the Vienna Opera House.

But the best part is happening right now. I’m listening to Benjamin ask questions and respond to things from his bedtime story, and he is absolutely astonishing to me. He’s already told us, “The sun is not a planet” and “I love dark rain clouds — they’re full of lots and lots of rain that goes drop, drop, drop”. I can’t think of a better thing to help mitigate my feeling of being far from home than being near my children.

Happy birthday, America: I miss you.

Surprise holiday

Posted on June 10, 2011 by admin

Monday is a government holiday in Austria, and even better, it’s one of the holidays that the UN observes for their employees, so Dan doesn’t have to go to work. Great! We’re really excited to have a three day weekend, and there are some things we’ve really been wanting to do and to get done, so it comes at a great time. We didn’t find out about this until yesterday, so it came as a complete surprise to us.

It’s a weird sensation to be taken by surprise by a holiday. (This one, Whit Monday, I had to look up, because I didn’t even know what it was.) We’re still adjusting to things here, and it often occurs to me that once we adjust, it’ll be time to go home. I know that at some point in the past few months, we’ve read a list of the holidays for the UN employees (in fact, I know we’ve read it several times) but it just hasn’t sunk in. We’re just getting past the point of being in a kind of “panic” mode, where we only had time to focus on things that had the potential to wreak havoc — things like work holidays, being good news, just didn’t sink in. But that kind of makes it extra special, because finding out at the last minute, it’s less like a holiday, and more like getting an unexpected snow day in the middle of June.

Dan has 10 work holidays here, similar to what he had at home. Some are the same (New Year’s, Christmas) while many are obviously different (no Thanksgiving or Independence Day) with an strong emphasis on religious holidays here (Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday) and some that just make sense (UN Day, of course!).

For now, we’ll take it. On the list of things we’ve found out about that have come as a bit of a surprise, an unexpected day off of work rates pretty pleasantly.

A Mommy Abroad

Our big adventure, as a family of three.

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