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

Hi Everyone!

            Before we even get started this week, I wanted to remind everyone of my monthly giveaway. I’m giving away a $25 gift certificate of your choice. The rules are all listed in the right column of the blog and here’s the recap: You must comment to enter. There’s a few other technical things but really, all you need to do is read the post and make a comment on what you’ve read. It’s that easy. Let’s get to it…

I am so sorry that this week’s scoop is late! My allergies have mainly be on hiatus while here but this year is very different and they are kicking my butt. What’s strange is that I really don’t know where they are coming from because it doesn’t seem to be any different than previous years. But what happens until I get used to living with allergies is I sleep a lot and some days more than others. 

Other than the allergy issues, this past week has been pretty much slow as life has been plodding along at a leisurely pace. The weather has been overall beautiful as there was little to no rain and the temperature has slowly risen. It’s finally turned into spring and I for one love it.

Saturday was the yearly marathon that closes down the ring as hundreds of runners take to the streets. What this means for us is that the strassenbahns, or street cars, don’t run as they go around the ring then off into the neighborhoods all over Vienna. Matter of fact, there are four of them that have limited routes during the marathon. It was really interesting not hearing them run outside my window during the day.

Also, this week, my dear husband left for a conference in the Middle East and I stayed home with Pup Harry. With the allergy issue, trust me, this wasn’t a bad trade. Pup Harry is even having his own allergy issues, so I know that this year is unique. He’s arrived safely but learned just what it meant to go to another religious country as it is the Sabbath there. His opening reception had limited drinks, including water, and only cookies for snacks. When looking at the room service menu when he returned to his room, many of the items noted that they weren’t prepared on the Sabbath. He had to pull out his emergency supply of peanut butter and graham crackers for only a snack supper. 

While here in Austria, I was enjoying the leftovers from our night out. Pup Harry enjoyed his chicken and rice along with some dry. Yes, Pup Harry is the most spoiled pup but he also has a really irritable stomach, so many times it’s just better that we feed him a mild diet that we made as opposed to wet dog food.

Since this week has been so uninteresting, I’m going to leave you with some wonderful pictures of the season. We have tulips coming up all over the place right now. They come in many different colors and brighten my steps as I walk around the city. I’ve also included some of the amazing time pieces seen at the Clock museum here. It’s a little known out-of-the-way place that we discovered when some friends were here last year. 

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

Lynn 

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

           

Hi Everyone!

            First up, the picture above is one of the many wonderful clocks at the Vienna Clock Museum. It was only when I went looking for a rainy day picture that I realized I didn't have any. I'm will rectify that at a later time. 

            Yes, I’m going into the hospital today but that doesn’t mean I can’t give you the scoop on how it’s been in Austria this past week. Weather was weird yet again. It’s been cloudy and overcast for much of it and again, I understand why Eisenhower and other WWII generals hated the European weather.

            We’ve had a very mild winter this year with only two times when the snow actually stayed on the ground for longer than 24 hours. We even had a few flurries this week as we went from warm to cold in a flash. It’s really interesting when that happens. You go out in a spring coat and realize you’re going to freeze. And that happened on numerous occasions this week.

            Otherwise, Austria has been quite pleasant. It isn’t so beautiful yet as if it were I’d be gazing out my window at all the wonderful flowers instead of writing. But things are budding and we were thinking we’d have flowers this week. However, the weather did another dive and it became cold.

            Then there is the rain. It is interspersed with the cold and makes it even more interesting because sometimes this week like I mentioned, there was little white particles along with it. I kid you not. Rain and snow, the common thing this winter. And what’s even more amazing, one day it will be a warm rain the next freezing cold.  We can’t win here. LOL!

            We did manage to go out a few times this week as Sunday was our 29^th wedding anniversary. Cold weather won’t make us stay in for that one.

            See you all next week!

Lynn