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

Harpist at Schottentor

Hi Everyone!

Okay…another late post…but yesterday was my birthday and I decided to lounge an extra day. That means I did absolutely nothing but walking around, trying new things, drinking beer at a pub and having a glorious couple of days. But enough about me…that’s not what you come to the Monday column to see…you want to know all about Austria. So, one with the show!

This week has been interesting in a variety of ways. We’ll start first with the weather as that seems the easiest to think about. LOL! Yeah, one of those weeks. Before we even get there, notice I’m not really late as noted in my explanation. If you’re wondering why, tune in tomorrow as it all has to do with my so-called writing live.

Now, back to the weather. We have gone from hot and humid to cold and humid. Matter-of-fact, last night I should have worn a coat. At least at the beginning of my walk but I only wore a sweater. It doesn’t matter that I peeled it off in the last 1000 steps, the fact is I had it on. That to me is so very, very weird. If your own personal experience tells you that something isn’t up with the weather, you haven’t been paying attention.

Closeup of Harpist

Everyone here in Austria says that the weather has changed since they were kids here. I know that I say the same about Nevada. My kids have been complaining about the humidity there. And with 110 degree temps, I don’t blame them. When I was a kid there, we always had blue, blue skies. In the years before I moved here, and the times I’ve visited in the summer these past few years, there are more and more clouds in the sky. Meaning it’s more humid. At 110, a person has a hard time tolerating 25% humidity as well as the heat. It’s just not good for you.

Still, even with weird weather, I did get out and about this week. I think I’ve mentioned my spa that I go to. If I didn’t, here’s my plug for them. They are called Aisawan and are in the heart of the city. They are on a street literally behind Stephansdom or the huge church at the city center. They are also in a building that was once part of the old city. Meaning, they dug out the basement and are located in the ruins from probably the 1200s. Lots of the shops and places take advantage of what’s under them in that area. For a spa, it makes it lovely as it’s cool and mostly quite below street level. Since other spots around them are being excavated too, you can sometimes hear that noise but it still makes no difference as the environment is so relaxing you just don’t care. And if you want to see what it looks like, I couldn’t take better pictures, so I’m sending you to their website here: http://www.aisawanspa.at/

One thing we did this week, and it was associated with my birthday, was to take a Strassenbahn line and ride it to the end. Now we already knew where a few started and stopped. Like the D that runs our street ends at Beethovengang and starts at the Hauptbahnhof right up the street from us. We noticed this week, theirs is going to be a new end place past the Hauptbahnhof soon. Anyway, we picked a line we knew a little about and definitely knew where it started. There are a bunch from a place called Schottentor or Scottish Gate, so we started there.

We decided to take the 43 and see where it ended. We’d been on part of this line before as our doctors are located about 4 stops in. This time, we went past that and got into the foothills. We past a lovely looking vineyard and finally stopped. Getting out, we found a wonderful little restaurant and continued walking up the small trail. It looked like a very nice place but we had to abandon the walk because it started to rain and we didn’t have rain gear. So back in the train we go.

We go all the way back to Schottentor and decide to take a 41. While it didn’t end up in a great place, the architecture that we saw on the way was fantastic. There were some art-deco buildings, some pre-WWI buildings and everything in between. We also saw a few buildings from the mid-1800s like ours is. Because these were far away from the city center, a few of them survived WWII. My husband and I hope to again go on these adventures to see where the line will lead us.

The pictures this week are simple and there are just three. Two are of a harpist I’ve seen quite a lot at the Schottentor Strassenbahn station. Quite frequently, you will have musicians setting up shop in a variety of places. Most of them are professionals and have applied as well as received a permit to play in public. While it all seems impromptu, many times it has been planned in advance so that there is no overlap of the pros. I don’t know how they do it but I do know that I find it fascinating they can work it out somehow.

Pup Harry and the DH in front of Karlskirche

The last picture is of my husband and Pup Harry on one of our many night walks. The church in the background is Karlskirche and is one of the most interesting churches in the area. We went to a concert once when my husband’s parents were here. The acoustics aren’t the greatest but the church itself is awesome with some great frescos throughout.

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

Lynn 

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

The Botanical Garden Trail

Hi Everyone!

Yup…late again…and I just need to get my butt in gear to post on Sunday. Today, my dear husband had a goodbye party for a colleague that he wanted me to attend. Since I don’t get invited to these things very much because of all the cut backs, I was happy to go. This one was put on by individuals and therefore cost nothing to the groups who employed everyone. Little more on that later.

The weather has been very humid, which is very bad for me. I have to be careful because I overheat and sweat. A lot. So much in fact, I’ve come close to passing out. Any time I exert myself too much, I get wet. Today at the party I mentioned above, I came in and was doing fine with minimal sweating. Within twenty minutes of being in a non-air conditioned room, I was dripping. Within thirty, I had to find a chair or risk passing out. Humidity is not my friend and I’ve been this way all my life.

On most days, it isn’t a problem because the temp is in the 80s and the humidity doesn’t get over 40%. That’s good. But this last week, the temperature soared as did the humidity. Most days there wasn’t a cloud in the sky but the last two have produced some thunderstorms in the area, so the heat wave has been broken with the temp going down but the humidity climbing. I am so not looking forward to this next week.

During this hot summer days, we try and do as much inside as we can. During the day, we catch up on reading in the afternoons and try to get all shopping done before noon. Most of the time we’re successful but occasionally we realize we have forgotten something and zoom off to get an item in the afternoon. I get water at every stop and keep the afternoon walking to a minimum if possible.

Praterstern's Hauptallee

Our longer walks are done in the evening and some of them have lasted a couple of hours as I try to get a certain number of steps every day. Yes, I have a FitBit Charge HR that is my lifelong companion and it keeps track of my walking. It’s one of the things I’ve had since I got here as I knew with my increased activity, I’d finally lose some of the extra weight I’ve been carrying around for years. That first year, I lost over 50 pounds and now I’m at around the sixty pound mark. I had a couple of hospitalizations that have made it slow going these past two years. Then last year my father passed away and I wasn’t thinking anything much but about numbers.

And if you all don’t know about a FitBit it’s all based upon the fact that everyone should walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. I started with a regular pedometer then graduated to a FitBit Flex that automatically recorded my steps. I’ve finally got what’s called a Charge HR that tracks just about everything. That’s all I did combined with just watching what I ate. Nothing fancy believe me as I’d never kept to it. I want the freedom to choose and do currently with the way I’m going about weight loss. But no matter what is happening in my life, I can do numbers. I have maintained a food diary for over a year and have been counting my steps daily since 2012. That’s without missing a day. The only times I had off were the personal things already mentioned. If I can do it, anyone can.

Vienna is perfect for the walking dieter. That has been my main form of exercise and I’ve been recently upping it since weight-loss wise, I’m at a standstill. Frankly, I just want to be healthier and if nothing else, this place has made me that, all without doing anything out of the ordinary.

The places one can walk here are absolutely amazing. At first, I would huff and puff and threaten to kill my husband with every step. I’d cry if it was too hot in the summer. Now, I’m only grumpy if I get the humidity headache. No headache will find me slogging along to get my steps in or see something new.

I’m always amazed to see something here I’ve never seen before. Like on Sunday, we went to see the movie Jurassic World. Loved it by the way and I’m a die-hard fan of the series. Anyway, I was low on steps and suggested we needed to walk home. The theater is two separate train rides away from our flat, so it’s definitely a bit away.

My husband decided to go a way I’d never been before. We went past some restaurants that I want to go back to and we also discovered that Pup Harry has been on that walk before. The DH thought it was me. LOL! Still, it was a wonderful look at the backstreets of Vienna that I normally don’t get to see. I enjoyed it very much and if it were daytime, I would have taken some pictures.

Amazing Schonbrunn Garden

One last thing this week, if you follow me on Facebook, you’ll note that Pup Harry had some trauma this week. On Saturday, he turned into a snarky terrier when the DH wanted to look at his paw. We had to muzzle him and perform minor surgery as we took a nearly half-inch thorn out of it. We aren’t sure how much was actually embedded in between his toes as it was covered in hair but we know it was some. Still his relief was palatable when we pulled it out. He’s happily on the mend.

Our pictures this week are of some of the places we walk to like the Botanical Garden, Praterstern and Schonbrunn. Yes, it really is that lovely at all those places.

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

Lynn 

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

Hi Everyone!

Yeah…I’m late…but when the weather has been enjoyable and there’s not much going on, what can I say? LOL!

Really, it has been nice with no rain even though the days are humid and humidity does not get along with me. I tend to have headache, sweat constantly and generally want to hole up in my office watching something on my computer, writing or even reading. Imagine that.

And there were quite a few days where the sun was bright but I stayed inside with the air on. Then I discovered Penny Dreadful on Netflix. That and the fact that it’s not available in the States. I even had a chat with them because I thought something was horribly wrong.

See, many times I log in remotely to a computer at home so that I can see a handful of TV shows I like. I will also watch Netflix then as well. I can’t do it very often as it really bogs down my internet, so I try to pick one day a week for using the State side computing power. I have to get in everything possible in a few hours then I’m back to being here in Austria.

Where we watch hardly any TV. MOF, I’ve been wondering just why we even have cable. When I’m at home, I load up on purchases at Amazon of movies, shows and more then I watch them at my leisure in my flat. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered Netflix is here in Austria and in English.

What is absolutely amazing is that the shows are so different. I mean, I have a lot of the BBC shows that aren’t available at home except on cable or by purchase. That means, I get to watch Penny Dreadful for free over here on Netflix. That and a whole lot more. I’ll let you know the amazing things I find when I catch up with this wonderful Victorian paranormal. It’s just right up my alley.

This week I have three lovely pictures for you. The first, at the top, is of Pup Harry in my living room on an oriental rug I purchased at the local flea market. It was deeply discounted and had all the tags on it so we can track the provenance. It will need some cleaning when we get home but it was an excellent purchase.

The next is one of Pup Harry in his travel bag. We couldn’t find him one day last month and when we did, we were amazed. He’d crawled in the bag and it’s a wonder he didn’t pull it off the chair. We’re figuring that he’s telling us we need to go on a trip sometime soon. I know that I’ll be going on one next month without the boys. Yeah, me.

The last one is of a statue in front of Karlskirche or Karl’s Church. Sometime this last winter, we rounded the corner and noticed that the front of the church got tagged with yellow graffiti. It took them a while to get all back in order.

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

Lynn 

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

Hi Everyone!

Today, was spa day! Yes, that’s why this post is up later than normal. Twice a month, I go to one of the many wonderful spas located here in the city. On one visit, I get a massage just like I have for years. Massage is very therapeutic and is probably one of the reasons I have few back problems. The other day, I get a facial, manicure and pedicure. Those are just for me to relax and enjoy life. Both of those things and have helped me tremendously bide my time while so far away from home.

This last week was totally filled with rain. The days would start out sunny then go to downhill and end up raining. One day, it was just sprinkles then next a full blown thunderstorm. It lasted all week until Friday and even then the night ended with sprinkles. We fully expected not to be able to do much on Saturday as the prediction was – you guessed it – rain!

But we were pleasantly pleased when Saturday morning dawned clear and bright. We were concerned when it clouded over but no rain was to be had. On Sunday, it was even lovely with only the big fluffy cloud types that make the sky so beautiful. We decided to take a long, long walk. We went our usual way through Stadtpark, across the Parkring up toward Stephenplatz.

Again, we were surprised because when we got to the top next to the cathedral, we ran right into the celebration called Stefflkirtag or Stephensdom church day. It goes right along with Friday, May 29 which was the ‘Long Night of the Church’ where the churches were open to everyone throughout the night. We had forgotten all about it because of the rain. If it hadn’t been raining, we’d have walked from church to church to gaze upon their wonders as many of them now charge a fee. But on this night, people can come in and look as they please.

The Stefflkirtag has a variety of booths to showcase some typical Austria goods, a beer stall with songs and a wurstel stand. It also had a shop for all sorts of sausages and a caroseul for the kids. It’s all around the church and is very interesting to go people watching as you’ll see a variety with tourists and locals alike.

From there we continued walking toward a place called Schottentor or Scottish Gate, in the hopes of finding a café where we could enjoy a cup of something. However, on a Sunday afternoon in Vienna there are few places with a seat. And since this was one of the first absolutely beautiful weekends we’d had since May started, everyone out.

All in all, the weekend and the week were a huge success. The pictures this week are of Stephensdom, with two of the outside and one of the inside. The first one is looking at the church from the front. The second one is of the inside and see the marvelous arches and the last one is a side view. Yes, I get to walk by that everything I walk my dog if I choose. We normally go that way on our longer walks.

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

Lynn 

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

Bamboo Grove at the Botanical Garden

Hi Everyone!

Today, everyone in the US should be participating in the Memorial Day celebrations across the country. In an unlikely fluke, it too is a holiday here in Austria and one we thought wasn’t going to have any good weather as it has been rainy and cloudy since last Wednesday when we started off with some thunderstorms.

Flowers at the Russian Memorial Park

Overall, it’s been a beautiful week because even though it was raining, it was warm and nice when it wasn’t. Also, things got a lot greener around here with a whole new and different set of flowers. We were pleasantly surprised with what appeared to by wild flowers in many of our local parks and I’ll be able to share some pictures of those with you here today. 

Another great thing we did was we took longer walks as the days are filled with sunlight to a much later time. Slowly, this part of the world is coming to late spring and hopefully, a more temperate summer. I don’t think I can take those hot, muggy days that give me horrible headaches. That is so not how I want to spend my last summer in Europe.

Ferns at the Botanical Garden

I’ve been writing lots and therefore, there isn’t much to say about the past week. But one of the most amazing things I did was to go through the Botanical Garden again. It’s such an amazing place that I know I can go through it a variety of times and still find something knew. So I’ll leave you with some great pictures and my monthly spiel. Here are some of the wonderful things we saw this past week and each of them are captioned appropriately.

I wanted to remind everyone of my monthly giveaway. I give 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. I even occasionally throw in an item or two from Vienna. The winner is chosen randomly via random.com for those who wonder. If no one comments, no one gets the gift certificate and I really want to give one away soon!

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

Lynn 

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

Hi Everyone!

Well…the best laid plans…LOL! Yes, I was totally ready to get this up way before time and low and behold, my internet was down. Most of the time it’s not an issue but today, when I had things to post and work to do, it was. So, that’s the first part of my post…internet is very, very sucky today in Austria.

And no, it’s not because the weather is bad. Quite the opposite, except for the humidity. We have had sun-filled days of near perfect temperature. This can be good and bad as it always makes me want to know just when the other shoe will drop. Life I’ve said over and over and over again, there was a reason the allies complained about the weather.

Again, because outside was so good, we decided to walk to Praterstern Park. It’s one of my favorite places here and I would go daily if I could. Well, let me rephrase that…I should go more…because there is nothing holding me back. But walking there with an excitable dog is a two-person gig and I normally wait for the weekends when Mr. C can go with me.

This weekend was no exception as we spent Saturday grocery shopping and lounging around the house. Sunday was spent outside. The only sad thing was that everyone had the same grand idea. We saw more people than normal. The real clincher came when we finally got to the park and header toward the bathrooms, we noticed they were porta-potties. Sometime during the last couple of weeks they had dug up the normal bathrooms and left a hole in the ground. Sadly, they didn’t do normal maintenance on them and it was no wonder that everyone walked by quickly.

Another great thing that happened this week was we were invited to a classical concert at the Muth Concert Hall. This was put on by the European Union for their anniversary and was well attended. The seats were the best I’d ever seen in a concert hall and the acoustics wonderful. It’s the same hall that the Viennese Boys Choir performs.

The pictures this week are from Praterstern but a couple of years ago during the fall. The park itself is timeless and there are many places that remind you it used to be a royal hunting grounds. I just love the green, the trees and the ponds everywhere. Of course, there’s the amusement park and more as well.

I wanted to remind everyone of my monthly giveaway. I give 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. I even occasionally throw in an item or two from Vienna. The winner is chosen randomly via random.com for those who wonder. If no one comments, no one gets the gift certificate and I really want to give one away soon!

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

Lynn 

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

Hi Everyone!

Late again…wouldn’t you know it? LOL! It is what it is and I apologize. Really. I have a few cool things to share with you. Overall, the week’s been great, the weather temperate with a few scattered rain showers. It’s been a killer some days with the humidity. More on that later. Still with it bein so good, makes me wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.

As you know, Mother’s Day was yesterday and with my sons far away, I was a little depressed and who wouldn’t be when their chicks were far away. Never mind that they are both grown men with their own lives, I like to know that at least once a year they think of me. But Mr. C and I had already decided how we were going to celebrate the weekend.

Stadtpark Gemuse Festival 

Leaving Pup Harry at home, we decided to go to a weekend food festival just two blocks away. The day was beautiful as we walked to the event. Once there, we picked a way in and went with it. We were trying to get the maximum coverage because Stadtpark where the event was held has lots of nooks and crannies one can put a kiosk in. There are more than a few paths and even a pond to round out the definite European flare of the place.

It is one of my favorite parks except when the homeless take over and that’s another story. This week, they had kicked them all out of the local parks close to me in anticipation of festival season. This one called Gemuse Festival, had various foods, cheeses and wine from every section of the country. That’s how they divided up the park.

When we first went in, we thought that it would be fine but the more we followed the trails, the more we realized the park was overflowing with people. It was hard to get close to any of the wares and for me it was really frustrating since I am not a crowd person. Finally, we decided to go to the fringes as it seems everyone was congregated in the central portion. We hit the jackpot and though there was still lots of people, we could at least move around and see what the vendors were selling.

Our first stop was at a place where we saw the most amazing carrot cakes. We got two to split for each of the weekend days. The next stop, we picked up some wine from northern Austria. From there we looked at hot sauces, whiskey from a nearby distillery which was news to us, more wine, bread and lastly some cheese that was so smelly I had to step back from the booth. Yeah, it was that strong.

It was such an exciting day that we almost went for a second day then decided that lounging was best. We took our afternoon walk close there and took the pictures then as if we’d taken them Saturday, they would have been filled with people!

Stadtpark Gemuse Festival

For us, this marks the start of festival season as from this point on, there were be many food, wine or cheese festivals in the area. Matter of fact, I think it actually started when I found that plant festival at the Botanical Gardens a month ago. This is one of the things I do plan on getting to this year and it looks as if we’ve made a great start.

Before I end this week’s column, I wanted to remind everyone of my monthly giveaway. I give 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. I even occasionally throw in an item or two from Vienna. The winner is chosen randomly via random.com for those who wonder.

Also, my traditional ePublisher, eXtasy Books, is having a 40% sale off of all books. If you’ve never read me before, now is the time to see some great titles by me. You can find them all here.

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

Lynn 

Monday's Austria Scoop ~ #AWriterInVienna #LynnCrain #BYNR #MSSAuthors

Hi Everyone!

WooHoo! Today I’m relatively on time. At least the column's up before 6 am PST and this is a very, very good thing. This past week has been pretty great with a lot of spring weather. In Austria, that means a lot of clouds, a lot of humidity and a lot of rain. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Trees in Stadtpark

Unfortunately, with the overall good weather, came the winds and the flowers got pummeled. Many petals have been floating around and it makes for a very unkempt look to the many parks with huge flower displays. I’m a little saddened by all the tulip petals around on the ground as you normally don’t see those. When you do, you know the winds were strong.

Because the weather had been so great, I pushed my dear husband to take some time off to recoup from all the company travel he’d been doing recently. It took a bit of talking to get him to do something like this. Normally, the only time he takes vacation days is when someone else is here so he can show them around Austria. We’ve taken a lot of trips that way but normally, when it’s just the two of us, we both work. Me writing and him going to the UN City daily to work his job.

Of course, the weather has not cooperated since. It’s been cold and rainy here since late last Thursday. Though I can honestly say that it hasn’t been in the downpour mode and I’m thankful. It reminds me a lot of the first spring we were here and there was severe flooding throughout the regions of the Danube. This year, not much snow, not much run-off and most of the rain has been light. In Scotland, it’s called a wee mist even when it’s a downpour.

So, there’s not been a lot of traveling with this vacation but more of a ‘let’s read’ or ‘let’s nap’ or ‘let’s walk Pup Harry’ mode for the past few days. Again, this isn’t a bad thing. It takes time when one travels internationally to different sides of the world for that person to get back into their time zone. And my husband needs that even though he doesn’t think so.

Rain at Lower Belvedere

For me, the week is going to be filled with writing and plotting and doing more on the many classes I’m taking this year. It’s always good to hone one’s skills and to try to learn new things. Even writers need to do that. Sure, we all have the basics down but it never hurts to learn to world-build or write flash fiction or create a language for a fantasy book you might be thinking about. One should be a lifelong learner because there is no way that you’ll know everything.

This week’s photos are just some taken when we were out and about over the years. They were all taken during the springtime and as you can see, most of the time it’s very, very beautiful around here. To see more about my time here in Vienna, check out A Writer In Vienna where there’s even more. I don’t post as much there as I do here but the posts tend to be longer and more about the special places around here. There are some writing related ones there but again, not as much as here.

Again, before I end this week’s column, I wanted to remind everyone of my monthly giveaway. I give 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. I even occasionally throw in an item or two from Vienna. The winner is chosen randomly via random.com for those who wonder.

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

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #MyWritingLife #amwriting #MSSAuthors

Ever have a morning where you just wanted to pull the sheets over your head and say to hell with it? Yeah, yesterday and today were those mornings. And it’s all because of allergies. Which reminds me of last week where I said all life was connected. This is true and no more true than in the spring time.

Many people are allergy sufferers and it used to be that I’d never count myself among them. It wasn’t until I was over forty that the allergies hit me full force. Only then did I realize just how much my brother had been affected all our lives. He suffered from horrible allergies from a very young age and I never understood the big deal.

When I started to suffer from them I asked him if this was what he was feeling and he told me honestly he’d felt that way every day of his life. See, when you live in some place like Nevada, the seasons aren’t very well delineated and that means there is something growing all year long. So, all year long, allergy sufferers have a hard time. It was only when he moved to Idaho, a place with four distinct season, did he feel better.

I was even luckier because when we moved to Austria, it took me three years before they came back full force. The first years I only maybe had a couple of days to a full week of symptoms. Most of the time, I didn’t even have to take any meds at all. This year, that all went away as a month ago, I started feeling the effects but hoped it was something different. About two weeks ago, I started with the nose bleeds that are so typical from sinus allergy sufferers. I was extremely happy that I had my nasal medicine.

Then yesterday, came the rest of the symptoms. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep. At home, it would take me up to three weeks to get out of this mode. During this time, I feel lucky to be able to function at all. My mind is groggy and life is hazy just like the smog hanging over Vegas in the winter time. I guess it actually happens more often now. At any rate, even with meds, I just want to curl up and not do a thing.

As you can imagine, this makes writing difficult. Damn difficult and makes me wonder if I’ve picked the wrong profession. Sure, since I do write so much, it’s not going to hurt for me to miss a week or two. But if one is not careful, a writer can get out of the habit of writing every day. And that is even when you’re as passionate about writing as I am. I live, eat, sleep and breathe writing. I couldn’t live if I couldn’t write. Yes, it means that much to me.

So, to keep me going during these hard allergy times, I do other things to keep my mental juices flowing. If I take to bed, I’ll lay there watching TV with a notebook in hand to jot down anything I might be able to use. I’ll read and just file things mentally away if something creates a spark in my mind. I never just do nothing.

Sure, there are times where I’ll just sleep because nothing else is working. Matter-of-fact, I feel a nap coming on today…but the point is…that I will do something that directly relates to my writing. Right now, if I can manage to sit up I will work on some of the classes I’m taking. Yes, I take classes, lots of them and I try to make sure I keep up with them.

I take writing classes, like now I’m taking one on how to create a language, to marketing and more. Writers need to be life-long learners because that makes our writing fresh and open to change. Now I’m not saying that writers need to change but we need to understand the market and how it works. Sometimes, that will require a change in how we look at things and occasionally how we write.

So, for now, I’m going back into my writing cave and try to do some research because maybe in my allergy induced haze, I can make something of the ideas that flow through my head. It’s my hope I’ve related just a bit of what it means to be a full time writer. Until next week…

Lynn 

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