Monday's Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna

Hi Everyone!

This week I’m in sunny Spain spending a little R&R time with my writing pal, Nina Croft. I decided that I needed a break from the big city life and wanted to spend time in the country. Nina’s place is certainly that, so check out her website on the scoop about her place.

The DH & Pup Harry Night Walking at Karlsplatz

Basically, I’m writing this on Friday but things won’t change that much over the weekend. Right now, it’s been fairly sunny, mostly warm and life is just rolling along here. We’ve watched the Christkindlemarkt at Karlsplatz being built and it will basically start the day I come back to my flat in Vienna, which is next Friday.

Pup Harry Ready to Travel

Pup Harry has seen the suitcase and is trying his best to find his spot in it. I have never seen a dog who loves to travel as much as he does. The moment he’s sees the travel bags, he’s trying to get into his own carry bag because he wants to go. I truly can’t wait to get back to the States as he’ll be going to a lot of places with me. Of course, he has to be allowed over there. Here in Austria though, you can take your dog everywhere except in grocery stories.

And that brings me to a set of news that many of you knew was coming for a long time. It’s official now and I can share it. My dear husband put in his resignation this week. Better yet, it was signed off from all the parties meaning we can now seriously pursue returning home.

Flowers at the Naschmarkt

So this has been a boring yet happy week. Watch my Facebook Page for updates on my trip and to see writers in action. Yeah, this is a wonderful writing week coming up.

The pictures of are Pup Harry and a few around the city. Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday's Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I’m late this week. So many personal things happening that I really forgot all about posting something about Vienna. Better late than never, like the cliché says.

November 2015 Autumn Leaves

This week has turned cold and more like the fall I’m used to here. On thing that struck me funny this past week is the lack of Halloween. Though we did see some folks in costumes on the night itself and there were plenty of costumes in various shops around the city, by and large, Halloween is not a celebrated day. Now, I would say it’s mainly because All Saints Day is November 1^st and religious holidays do seem to take precedence here.

But I had to chuckle this week as I noted some lamenting on Facebook about people and stores already having Christmas decorations up. Heaven forbid…it was before Thanksgiving! Well, of course, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut and had to chime in my 2 cents…wait for it…how would you like to live in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving? Or any kind that we can figure out.

Nope, this place has no Thanksgiving and frankly, that’s very depressing when you think about it. I’m so used to having a houseful of people around me that these past four years have been a virtual emotional desert for me. We were lucky in the first year that we had some friends who were here and we invited them to join us. The second year, we invited a whole bunch and had a table full. The third year was pretty bare and last year, I spent it with a group of my husband’s co-workers because he was in Jordan for six weeks. This year, we’re hoping to have a tableful again as this will be our last one and we really want to get people together to say how thankful we are for them being in our lives.

Now that’s on the personal part but as far as Vienna goes, there is nothing between

Setting Up Christkindlemarkt 2014

Halloween and Christmas…so why not start putting the holiday stuff up? We noticed on our walks the last couple of nights that they have started setting up for the Christkindlemarkt that will be held in Karlsplatz as usual. It will open in about two weeks. They are probably putting up the lights on Kartnerstrasse and the Graben this week as well. When we were shopping at IKEA this weekend, we picked up some really neat hanging snowflakes with lighting.

Yeah, we’re buying into this early Christmas thing because it’s all a matter of perspective. I mean, when I’m in the States, I actually hate that the stores are trying to make the holiday happen before Thanksgiving. I like the one-holiday-at-a-time mentality. However, when it doesn’t apply, you need to go with the flow and that flow states that in less than two weeks I will be inundated with all sorts of Christmas things from presents to decorations.

Kartnerstrasse Lights 2011

What’s your perspective on this? Do you love or hate the fact that US retailers push the envelope out a little further each year? How would you deal with something like what I have to do in Vienna? Would you go with the flow or be resentful?

I look forward to hearing from you as you’ll be in the running for a $25 Amazon gift certificate. BUT you’ve got to comment to be in the running. It hasn’t been awarded in a long time because people will come and look but not give their opinion. I’d love to see your opinion.

The pictures are labeled as some of them have come from previous years. Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday's Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna

Hi Everyone!

It’s been over a month since I’ve posted and I do apologize for that. Unfortunately, it all had more to do with minor health issues than anything else. I had told you about my foot last month with it’s plantar fasciitis. It seems to be better with acupuncture and shoe inserts but only time will tell. The other is more nasty as it involves blood.

Yes, you heard me right…blood. I have nasal allergies and for years have been plagued by nosebleeds, sometimes two or three a day. The first couple weeks of October were horrible and I finally relented to go see a specialist here in Austria. And what a process…similar to the US but not quite…still, it involved a minor surgery that I’m not sure took. It will be another week or so before I know for sure but I’ve already decided to start doing some more holistic type things. Like adding some supplements, doing less of others and maybe…wait for it…even more acupuncture because if it doesn’t hold, it would be another minor surgery under general anesthesia because of the high pain involved. So, not looking forward to it.

Still, Austria has had a lot happen in the time since I was last here. We had a Night at the Museum, where we purchased a ticket good for 140 museums here in and about the city of Vienna. Of course, my foot was still hurting but we did manage to go to 4 museums that we’d never been too and we got an awesome book to go with it all for the price of just 13 euros per ticket. That’s normally the cost of just one museum.

On last Thursday morning, we were awakened by the sounds of tanks rolling by our flat. I can honestly say that I will never get used to that feeling. The whole house is rumbling and for the first few minutes after you awaken, you lay there in the dark and wonder what the heck is happening. Then you remember that the tanks go by your place when they are getting ready for Austrian independence day. Once that crosses your mind, you just listen and for me, being the writer that I am, wonder if this is what it would be like to be in a war. Or seeing loved ones leave for war. It makes me shiver sometime.

We also stumbled upon electric go-cart racing in the park where we walk Pup Harry. By this time, my foot is much better though the nose is still being a pain. Anyway, they had fenced off certain sections of the park and when we first saw it, we just didn’t know what to think even though we did see a banner. The next evening, we happened to see the races in action and took quite a few pictures, one that you see here. Sorry that it's a little bit blurry but the go-cart was going amazingly fast for it's size and the course. 

The weather for the most part is nice fall weather and of course, we have some color but not as much as previous years. As this will be my last year in Austria, I am wishing it were so much better like before. The fall picture is of the one that I feel is the best from all the years.

I promise that I’ll be better since my time is limited in the beautiful city. We’ll be doing some more exploring ourselves since it will be out last fall and winter as we’re planning on moving back to the States right before spring. At least that’s the plan, so keep your fingers crossed for us!

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #PCers

Colorful Veggies at the Naschmarkt

Hi Everyone!

While there are lots of things happening here, many of them good, I haven’t had fun this past week. Matter of fact, it was just a week ago Friday that I realized just how bad my left foot was. Whoa ~ I can see it now, you don’t know what I’m talking about so let me rewind this a little bit.

All last weekend when I was being part of history, my foot was being a real pain. I had woke with heel discomfort and thought it must be plantar fasciitis. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s the thick band of tissue called a ligament that connects your heel to your toes. The pain is normally worse the first part of the morning and lessens during the day.

At first, that was true for me but as the week went on, my foot started hurting all the time. I probably exacerbated the problem when I didn’t slow down my walking schedule at all. Another thing that I probably should have been doing was leg stretches before walking. I haven’t been because I saw no need. I’ll learn more Thursday from the podiatrist as my general doctor thinks it is something else. Lucky me.

I’ll keep you all post but realize that as I’m less and less mobile, chances are I’m on my bed or couch with my feet up. Since this computer isn’t in bed with me, things will not get done as quickly as I hope. Things like email will pile up because my phone is normally overwhelmed by the number of messages I get. It’s harder to search and definitely harder to answer things. Overall, I really don’t do much from my phone except Facebook, Skype, some Twitter and reading. And of course phone calls. 

However, this column is supposed to be about Austria not my foot but trust me, the two are related because this past week has been one of the most beautiful since we got here. The temp was moderate and the humidity low. Most days the sky has been a wonderful blue and when it hasn’t, the clouds haven’t been threatening. We’ve had some sprinkles but it wasn’t until today that we actually got some showers.

Still all in all, the week has been fabulous. And there are many things to see but alas, I couldn’t get around to doing some of these things. Like going to the Bruskers Festival. That’s where all the street entertainers get together in one place and do their thing. It was in Ressellpark this year and since it’s our last year here, I wanted to see it but when it took me hours to walk without pain, it wasn’t in the agenda.

One of the many Naschmarket Flower Shops

We did manage to walk through it though as we came back from the Naschmarkt where I had to get my apples and fresh spinach. That’s another thing I’ll miss and I definitely want to go someplace where we’ll access to a Farmer’s Market. The pictures this week are from another visit to the Naschmarkt but little changes there. There are flower stalls, produce stalls, clothes stalls and restaurants.

A Clothing Table at the Naschmarkt

Frankly, since the day was beautiful, I was happy to be out and about even with a hurt foot. Never mind that it took me twice as long to get to places. I was out in the beautiful weather in a place I’ve been privileged enough to call home for a short while as our time is coming to a close here. More on that next week.

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #PCers

Hi Everyone!

I think I can finally say that summer is over here in Austria. They tell me that we’ll have at least one more hot spell but I’m not so sure. It went from being in the 70-80 range to in the high 50s to 60s range. A drop of 20 degrees is exciting in anyone’s book as far as I’m concerned. Add some rain to that and you’ve got a drastically different temperature than the scorcher that happened last weekend.

Beyond that, two other momentous things happened here in Austria this past week. First was a rather hazardous happening. One of the new buildings down the street, it was being completed as we arrived here, lost a tile. Now, that normally wouldn’t be much for anyone but when that tile is over a 100 feet up, it could have been a very tragic moment.

Where the Tile Fell From

The DH happened upon it right after it happened and took these pictures. One is of the spot it fell from and you can see there are many more like it in place. Very quickly they cordoned the place off and made sure that no one could walk the sidewalk around the building at all. And while this has caused some despair on my part since this is our most common route to places, we don’t know just what happened.

The Pieces

We speculate that the heat was so high it actually did something to whatever was holding the tile in place. We don’t know if glue was a factor but we do know Austria is not prepared for the heat we saw this past summer. Most of the older buildings have no air conditioning and it’s only been in the last decade that it has been an option in newer homes. There were many nights that people just stayed outside around fountains because it was much cooler than being in their own homes. Like I’ve said before, unfortunately, this is not going to change at all. As the climate changes, the earth will be getting hotter. So we all better prepare now, no matter where we live.

The Lack of Sidewalk

Another event that happened was even more momentous to me. I have not hidden the fact I’ve always been weirded out about where I live and the relationship it had concerning World War II. My DH says I’m just strange for feeling this way but part of that has come from the Austrian people themselves. While most are friendly there are just as many who are standoffish and don’t like foreigners. They are a stoic people that just have never given me warm fuzzies. Now there are a few I have come to dearly cherish but overall, not so much.

On Saturday, we went to the mall at the Hauptbahnhof, which is just up the street from our flat. It’s become a very convenient place to shop since it’s just a train ride away.  When we arrived at the station where we get off, we were greeted with a mass of humanity. There were people and clothes plus other essentials everywhere. At first, the DH and I thought it must be a fundraiser for the Syrian refugees we knew would be passing our way. We went about our business and walked the platform toward the grocery story. One of the tracks held a train where people were getting on and off but we really couldn’t see since it was on the next platform over.

We speculated just what that train was as we went on our way. I was only getting bananas at the SPAR grocery store so it would be a fast visit. It was our last resort since we’d been to the Naschmarkt and didn’t find any nor at our grocer around the corner either. I was thrilled they were unpacking them when I walked in, quickly picked my bananas and paid for them.

When I came out, we went back up the steps and were again greeted by a mass of humanity. There were kids everywhere and I was never so proud of Pup Harry as when those kids ran to pet him. He took it all in stride and was very good considering he’s only been around the grandkids once. We went back through and the train was still on the tracks, which was odd and by the time we got to the end of the platform where we’d catch our Stassenbahn, there were cots set up.

We knew immediately it had to be some refugees and that those children we’d seen were just happy to be alive as well as seeing a dog. Their parents had to be equally happy to be in a country where it’s peaceful and they aren’t fearing for their lives. That evening as we listened to NPR, our thoughts were confirmed as Austria was one of only two countries who were going to take in hordes of these refugees flooding Europe. The other was Germany. Imagine that…the two who has started the worst war in history with some of the biggest atrocities stepped up to the plate whereas my own country floundered…and I wondered what was in the thought process of the US that very little was being done to help these people, who no fault of their own, were displaced.

In that moment, I couldn’t have been prouder to be here rather than at home. I had always wanted to help those without or those in desperate need. My best friend and I were all prepared to sign up for the Red Cross during the Katrina crisis and were talked out of it by our husbands. She and I have regretted the fact we didn’t just go and do something. Today, I live in a country where the UN is very prominent. And I if I can, I’m going to find a way to help these people as much as I can. Just as soon as I figure out where to go and if they will take someone who knows only English.

I flipped through the stories at NPR and came across one about those refugees. They had been held up at the Austria-Hungarian border while awaiting visas. Hungary wasn’t going to let them through without a valid visa to somewhere in Europe. Germany had started issuing them a while ago and at first Austria was a little hesitant but eventually got on board. Once that was all decided, the trains started and had been going. The picture of the young child being held by his mother made me tear up. The country I was living in was helping those kids and I was deeply touched.

I try not to make this blog or this column anything that it isn’t supposed to be but here goes…humanity is just that…humanity. It doesn’t matter what color we are, what religion we are, young, old, rich, poor, straight or gay – we are people and we need to learn to value everyone on the planet. I feel that there will come a time when we as a species start dying out and we’ll need every one of us. It’s as important as the need to get off this rock someday. We need to care for each other and live those Christian values we are taught because if we don’t, we aren’t living the life intended by the covenant of our religious teachings. The wellbeing of others is part of that charter and it’s time we start making good on it. Love is love and we need to start spreading it around.

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #PCers

Hi Everyone!

Yes, I’m horribly late but this is a week that is rare for me. I actually have people here from the US and that makes me excited. Yeah, sure, they’re actually here for a meeting in regards to my husband’s job but along the way, I’ve become good friends to many of them. And for that I’ll be forever thankful.

But to be honest, this past week in Austria has been boring. And I’m not saying that just because there was nothing to do but more in relation to what was going on. This is one of the few weeks where there isn’t a festival of some sort and that’s because school started on Tuesday.

However, the days have been cooler and I’ve slowly got back to where I even wanted to do things. Like long walks. So, on Sunday we finally got to walk through city center and all around the old part of Vienna. This is one of my favorite things to do as the streets are narrow and you’re never quite sure what you might find.

Another thing that we noticed during this long walk was that the leaves from certain trees were falling off. Many were on the ground and we’re wondering just how the trees are going to fare for the winter since they are dropping them way too early. I’m pretty sure it was because of the massive heatwaves we’ve been having for much of July and August. Now, that’s changed but it’s much too late to reverse the damage to the trees.

Leaves at Resselpark

Leaves around the Brahms statue

We also noticed a wonderful display at Resselpark in Karlsplatz. It didn’t take long for my eyes to tear up as I walked through gazing with wide-eyed wonder as I lived a second time something very important. The world has changed greatly since I was born but one of the greatest changes came when I was in my early thirties because the world as I had known it was suddenly gone.

Communism's Fall

Pictures from the Fall of Communism in Europe Exhibit

My husband had direct exposure to some of the events as he ended up stuck in Germany for 6 weeks as they, mean Russia, tried to decide the route it was going to take. And that’s a lot of what the exhibit was about. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the events leading up to the end of Communist Europe. It was a stressful yet exciting time as we negotiated just who was going to end up with nuclear weapons, who was going to rule the now free states and how Europe was going to look afterwards.

Informative Exhibit about the Fall of Communism in Europe

I can say, I think they turned out pretty good. For that I am grateful as I am allowed to cross borders easily and see places it quickly. My husband was in Europe during that time and he definitely likes this place much better than before. We both didn't realize until seeing the pictures just how much had gone on while we were young. It all came to a head when the Berlin Wall came down but had been stewing for many years prior. 

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #PCers

Lower Belvedere Garden During a Rain Shower

Hi Everyone!

Hope you’re having a great day today. Yeah, I know, I should have warned you about not being here the last two weeks but the fact is I think I’ll be taking off most Julys and Augusts in the future. This is for a variety of reasons, one of which is the heatwaves that seem to be part of the weather landscape right now. And frankly, it’s not going to change but that’s for another day and another blog.

We have come through two scathing hot weeks that I felt I wasn’t going to survive. We even did a staycation this past weekend only because we couldn’t find somewhere cooler to travel to and rented a car so we could go see the Perseids late last week. It was a nice little Mercedes and I didn’t even ask to drive it once. The DH even commented that I must not be feeling well since I’ve always driven the cars we’ve rented over here. Hey, they’ve been great cars by and large…so why not?

Anyway, he was correct in assessing my well-being as I was not reacting great to the heat and high humidity. It was easier for me to crawl into bed with a good book than it was to sit at the computer to do anything. I was that miserable. I thought it was me just being a whiney butt only to find out many people were feeling the same effects. At least that made me feel not so bad but it did point out my inadequacies as far as getting words on the page.  

The one thing I am sad to note is that Europe is going to have to change its attitudes about summer heat and air conditioning. Most nights when we were out on walks, we’d find people surrounding the many fountains just to get a cool breeze because it was cooler than their homes. Most places in Europe do not have A/C and that includes the new places being built. We were lucky as it was put in after we took the flat. This also includes hotels. So if you’re booking a European vacation, remember to ask about A/C and plan accordingly. The summers are getting hotter here and the very young as well as the very old do not tolerate it well. So things have to change.

My writing habits will start getting better this week now that I’m functioning but I still need to add more. This week’s inspiration came in spades as we went to a place called Grossmugl and did part of their Star Walk. You can find out more about them here and here and even here. It was one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever been. However, getting there was a little exciting.

We had rented the car earlier in the day but didn’t leave until just about 11 pm as we wanted to get the best views possible. Vienna actually dims a lot of their lights past that time and we thought maybe the visibility would be great somewhere in the city but no such luck. So we decided to get out of town where there were no lights. Turns out that was the least of our worries. While the directions were clear, the road signs weren’t and we found ourselves going about 5-10 miles out of our way just to find a turn around.

Once we got on the right track again, I noted to the DH that he needed to slow down so I could see the signs. Sure enough, he had to back up in the middle of the road as it was easier than turning around. Finally, we’re on the right road and got to an intersection where I felt we needed to turn left and was supported by the hard copy map. Not good enough, he wanted to see it on GPS. Turns out I do know my directions and off we went.

Since by this time, it was sometime after 1 am, we stealthy went through town as we expected to see some signage indicating the start of the Star Walk. Fie on us for thinking it would be that easy! But at least this time, we found an easy turn around spot. I was looking for stars and when I read the description again, it jumped out that the stars were actually on the ground. Finally, we found the pub where it started and sure enough, there were stars on the asphalt. So we started to follow the stars.

Now, for whatever reason, it hadn’t sunk in that this walk was actually through private farm property for much of it. As we follow the stars to where the pavement ended and the country lane began, we wondered just what we got ourselves into. We’re slinking around houses and found ourselves in a tree tunnel that is very reminiscent of the ones you’d see in a horror flick. Yeah, you know where my mind went as we could hear others somewhere on the walk, lots of rustling in the underbrush and every little distinct noise. It was so eerie in spots that Pup Harry didn’t like it either.

We walk up a small rise and I comment that I wonder where it will end when suddenly we pop out of the tunnel. All we could say was ‘Wow’ as our gaze was pulled to the sky. I have never seen the Milky Way as much as I did that night. It was an experience to remember. We stayed about 20 minutes just standing and watching the sky. We saw about 20 meteors during that time and were very jazzed. The DH didn’t want to sit down as he was really afraid that he’d fall asleep.

When it was time to go, we backtracked through the scary tunnel, past the farm house that suddenly had barking dogs to our car. Vienna had seemed so far away when we were out in the field but once we got into the car and took off, we discovered it was only about 40 minutes from our flat. Needless to say, we slept in the next day as it was around 3 am when we got to our place and had a very lazy Friday.

Sorry that I didn’t take any pictures…I can’t believe I didn’t…the picture is from Lower Belvedere taken during one of the rain showers last year. Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #PCers

Hi Everyone!

Today was full of reading and writing as I try to move ahead with my writing career. Sometimes, it’s harder for me to do a column than it is to write a story. Other days, this is much, much easier. Last week was one of the most beautiful weeks we’ve had so far this summer. The temperatures were cool, the evenings lovely and there was even a night or two where I had to wear a sweater as it had quite a chill in the air.

Not so much this week so far. I woke up this morning to one very wet dog trying to kiss me away. Apparently, it rained unexpectedly while Pup Harry and my dear husband were out on their morning walk. It was a surprise to both of them since there wasn’t any rain predicted at all. Matter of fact, we were lamenting the news that it was supposed to get heat-wave hot again with temps soaring to the high nineties to low hundreds with plenty of humidity. So not good.

But there was one good even that we celebrated this weekend. Now most people wouldn’t celebrate this but it’s incredibly important since the celebration was in regards to my close companion since I’ve been in this country. Pup Harry turned four years old on Saturday. In many ways, he’s still that little, tiny puppy that we brought home from Salzburg one October day. He’s been with me through thick and thin. He’s been my companion when the DH has been on travel.

I actually think of him as a savior because with him I had to exercise and get out of the house. Since I brought him home, I’ve lost fifty pounds – that’s right – 50 pounds and that’s nothing to sneeze at. I had lost a little more but with two hospital visits, one for my kidneys and a minor surgery, I’m allowed to gain a little back but the fact I’ve kept it off is testament to his influence on me. I’m hoping that with him, I’ll lose another fifty because a dog can’t live in a flat without going out. A lot.

Our celebration consisted of doing a long, and I mean long, walk through the Graben and back around the Opera House. It took a couple of hours and it was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. We also gave Pup Harry some steak since it’s his favorite food. He’s the first dog I’ve ever had with a sensitive stomach so we have to be careful and not feed him too much people food.

Here’s some pictures to show Pup Harry as he’s grown up. The captions say it all. He’s a Parsons Russell Terrier and is a little big for his breed. He’s about a half inch taller but with that half inch comes another almost 4 pound but he’s still only 20-22 pounds, which is the smallest dog we’ve ever had. He has a fantastic lineage and it’s our hope that we can breed him once when we get back to the States. I haven’t got a picture of his stance but it’s awesome because you can tell he has champion lines.

Pup Harry's 1st night

Pup Harry in my office

Waking up from a nap

Am I in trouble?

Pup Harry in Rome

Pup Harry in Venice

Pup Harry in winter

Pup Harry in summer

Pup Harry sleeping in his travel bag as he waits for his next great adventure

He’s a great little dog and is the thing I’m most grateful that Austria has given me. Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #AWriterInVienna #LynnCrain #PCers

Hi Everyone!

Or should I say...good afternoon everyone. Sorry to be a meandering writer but that’s me today. A lot has happened in Austria since I was last here. I have some wonderful wedding pictures to show you. I went on a trip to Munich, Germany. And the heat wave that was crippling us finally broke. I mean there were days I couldn’t get out of bed because I was so tired from the heat and humidity. We’re lucky that we have an air conditioner but sometimes that isn’t enough when you have to take Pup Harry for a walk. More on that later.

One of the most fantastic events a romance writer can witness is a wedding. The first weekend of July I was invited to what was considered a typical Austrian wedding. It started at 2 in the afternoon and wouldn’t end until 4 am the next morning. Unfortunately, I could keep my eyes open to stay the whole time but the time I was there, it was magical.

First, the church was magnificent as seen in this picture. The groom was English and it was in the Christ Church in Vienna. This church was only a few blocks from our flat but we took a taxi as the heat was unbearable that day. Besides, who wants to walk in a silk gown in the humidity?

Christ Church Vienna

Second, the reception venue was also just a few blocks from our flat. We were surprised that we had never walked past it before. The Palais Schonburg was where it was held. It had wonderful grounds and the dining room was spectacular. The food was wonderful and you can see what we had on this menu. 

Our Dinner Menu

I’ve also included a picture of us walking up to the place. You can see people but not really their faces, so I don’t think they’ll mind much. (Especially since I’d warned them this was going on my blog in the near future.)

Palais Schonburg Wedding Venue

The trip to Munich was nice and the heat wasn’t so bad there. However, what I did there and pictures from the trip will on tomorrow’s blog. Just suffice it to say, I had a lovely time and met some wonderful people. I was also welcomed back again if I wanted to come.

Now, the past two weeks, and a big part of the reason I didn’t post last week, was because the heat here has been horrible. And I mean the worst it has in the whole four years I’ve been here. We’re talking humidity over 50% each day and temps near or over 100 degrees. To be honest, it’s not the heat that gets to me. I used to that having grown up in the Southwest US but throw the humidity in and you’ve got one unhappy writer.

There were days where I didn’t want to crawl out of bed but knew I had to get a few words down on paper. I mean, a few were better than none…right? Still, I’d rather have the wonderful Austria I’d had in the past summers where the heat lasted only a day or two. This had lasted nearly a month and the only reprieve I got was by getting out of the country.

Many people this year have gone to the mountains only the find that they too are unbearably hot. It’s been eerie a few nights to walk down the streets and absolutely no one is parked there nor is there anyone out. We thought about going out of town too but realized very quickly there was no place in Europe would be cooler than in front of our air conditioner.

So began two weeks of only going out before eight in the morning or past eight at night. There were still times when I would get a headache from the humidity. It was hard to do because even Pup Harry was miserable.

Then a miracle happened. I noticed that my phone’s weather told me that the weekend would have some rain. Rain usually meant a break in the heat. The DH and I compared notes for days and crossed our fingers. We woke up Sunday morning to a substantially lower temp. It was in the high sixties. Today, it rained and now we can go about our business and not fear someone or some pup is going to pass out.

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #PCers

Lipizzan Mares and Foals

Hi Everyone!

Of the many things that I’ve seen in Austria, one of my favorites has been the horses in the park. In July, at the Burggarten, the Lipizzaner mares and foals are normally on display. The first year, I wasn’t here and I missed the second one. Last year I was so lucky to be here when they came. This year, I am waiting in anticipation for the announced dates.

There were tons of people waiting to see this very special event. It is considered a tradition here and brings the beautiful horses a little closer to their loving public.

Mare and Foal

Here’s are ten facts about this special breed of horse:

ð There are two common terms used for the horses, either Lipizzans or Lipizzaners.

ð  Most Lipizzans measure 14.2 to 15.2 hands high with the original carriage horses approaching 16.1 hands.

ð  Lipizzan horse mature very slowly therefore allowing them to live and be active longer.

ð  Most Lipizzans are gray with the occasional rare solid colored horse being born.

ð  When they are born they are very dark in coloring, usually bay or black, and become lighter each year until the process is complete sometime between 6 and 10 years. Yet they are not a true white horse as they skin is pigmented black as are their eyes.

ð  While most are gray to white, there is a tradition that one bay stallion is always in residence at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

ð  They have been a breed since approximately 800 AD with their predecessors brought to Spain by the Moors.

ð  The Habsburgs wanted a powerful but agile horse for both military and at their riding school. IN 1580 Archduke Charles II established a stud Lipizza, located today in modern Slovenia, which consisted of Spanish, Barb and Arabian stock crossed with the now extinct Neapolitan breed to produce Lipizzaner horses.

ð  Every horse that one sees in the classic Lipizzaner displays is a stallion. They are each chosen specifically for their ability to get along with other stallions and some are quite attentive to each other.

ð  The most difficult display they do is known as classic dressage and commonly called airs above the ground. 

They have a varied history during wartime that include many relocations to ensure the breed was safe from extinction. During WWII, the German high command transferred most of the stock to Czechoslovakia. This included all the breeding stock from Piber in 1942. The Spanish Riding School stock was moved to St. Martins, Austria when it was feared the horses were in danger from the bombing raids on Vienna. In the spring of 1945, the horses were threatened by the advancing Soviet Army who might have used the horses for meat.

Mare at Burggarten

The head of the Spanish Riding School at the time, Colonel Alois Podhajsky put on a display for General George Patton, who was a horse man, and requested his protection.  The site where the horse were located had been occupied in late April by allied forces. The operation became known as ‘Operation Cowboy’ and resulted in the recovery of 375 Lipizzans.

 The stallions were returned to the Spanish Riding School in 1955 once the Russian occupation was over. In 2015, to commemorate their rescue, the Lipizzaners celebrated the 60^th anniversary of Patton’s rescue by touring the US.

The stallions come to the Riding School when they are just four years old and it takes an average of six years for each horse to be trained. Schooling is only considered complete when they have mastered the skills required to perform what is known as the “School Quadrille.” The three skill sets taught to the stallions are forward riding, campaign school and high-school dressage and this is where the horse maybe taught ‘Airs Above the Ground.’ It all depends upon the horse how high their training sights are set for that particular animal.

Dappled Lipizzaner Foal

The pictures are self-explanatory. For a more elaborate look at the Lipizzaners here are a few websites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipizzan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY3wmWT-sb8

http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/spanish-riding-school

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/legendary-white-stallions-video-the-world-famous-lipizzaner-stallions/8286/

http://www.viennaconcerts.com/riding_school_vienna.php

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn