The following is a list of things that we either will or won't miss about living in Vienna. The will's and the won'ts are intermixed, so you will have to use your deductive skills to understand each item. Also, the list is in no particular order.
1-Laugenzopf from BackWerk
2-old Austrian ladies scolding me or telling me what to do
3-strangers on public transport who interact with and enjoy Hersh
4-t-shirts that say something in English that lead me to believe that the person wearing the shirt must not actually understand what the shirt says
5-the fact that everything is closed on Sunday
6-______ g'spritzt (fill in the blank with any sort of beverage)
7-Otgo
8-Dr. Sattler-Ertl--"Yah, they do dat."
9-Stadtpark and the occasional baguette from Rudolf Olz
10-Schonbrunn
11-Tiergarten Schonbrunn
12-the U3, and trams 10 and 49
13-H&M, especially the kids sections
14-VBC
15-the beginning of "work week vegan"
16-the internet
17-Flughafen Wien
18-the voice of the announcer on public transport--"Dr. Kaarrl Rennnner Riing," "Ausstieg Links."
19-Merkur, DM, Penny Markt BioMarkt, asian market
20-our produce guy and our Iraqi goods guy at the MeislMarkt
21-fresh Felber Butterstreizl every Friday
22-the "gypsy" on the U3 who doesn't really seem to be a gypsy
23-elevator etiquette
24-schwimmen at the Hallenbad Hutteldorf
25-berries at Heitzing
26-the ergo cover
27-Hersh saying "bung, bung" every time he hears the bells chime
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Savoring each day
Now that we are in the home stretch, I find that we are truly savoring each moment and each privilege that our life in Vienna has afforded us. From the outings we are taking to the midday naps that we enjoy while Hersh naps, this has been a sweet year. That is not to say that this year did not have its ups and downs, which it did, but overall, this year has been a gift.
It feels like the end snuck up on us. It always seemed like August 2 was far off, yet now it is almost here. We have spent much of the past week packing, sorting, having International Movers come and assess our belongings, and start to sell our things We have also been doing some more touristy outings, as the clock is ticking and there are a few more things to see!
Last week we visited the Leopold Museum, which has a wonderful collection. Although, I have to say, it is the least child friendly place we have been in all of Vienna. In my opinion, Vienna is an incredibly child friendly city. Well, let's just say that when we asked the coat check at the Leopold if we could leave our pram so that we wouldn't have to drag it around the galleries, it was like we were the first people to ever bring a child or a pram to the museum. We also visited the Naschmarkt one more time, and just had our final meal at Cafe Dammeyer. We are also enjoying our zoo membership as much as we can before we leave, and I must say, yesterday morning's visit to the zoo was amazing! We saw the baby giraffe, which has a spring in its step! We enjoyed nice view of the lioness, and got so close to two hippos that we literally could have reached out and touched them. In fact, as the hippos got closer and closer, Jacob started to tell me all about how hippos are the most dangerous animals in all of Africa, and kill the most humans. Well, that is when I suggested that we begin to step away. We also saw panda bears and a baby panda, giant turtles, black and white salamanders eating fish, and flamingos. It was really amazing!
We will see what this last week will bring, but we plan to enjoy every minute!
Naschmarkt:
Leopold Museum:
Tiergarten Schonbrunn:
It feels like the end snuck up on us. It always seemed like August 2 was far off, yet now it is almost here. We have spent much of the past week packing, sorting, having International Movers come and assess our belongings, and start to sell our things We have also been doing some more touristy outings, as the clock is ticking and there are a few more things to see!
Last week we visited the Leopold Museum, which has a wonderful collection. Although, I have to say, it is the least child friendly place we have been in all of Vienna. In my opinion, Vienna is an incredibly child friendly city. Well, let's just say that when we asked the coat check at the Leopold if we could leave our pram so that we wouldn't have to drag it around the galleries, it was like we were the first people to ever bring a child or a pram to the museum. We also visited the Naschmarkt one more time, and just had our final meal at Cafe Dammeyer. We are also enjoying our zoo membership as much as we can before we leave, and I must say, yesterday morning's visit to the zoo was amazing! We saw the baby giraffe, which has a spring in its step! We enjoyed nice view of the lioness, and got so close to two hippos that we literally could have reached out and touched them. In fact, as the hippos got closer and closer, Jacob started to tell me all about how hippos are the most dangerous animals in all of Africa, and kill the most humans. Well, that is when I suggested that we begin to step away. We also saw panda bears and a baby panda, giant turtles, black and white salamanders eating fish, and flamingos. It was really amazing!
We will see what this last week will bring, but we plan to enjoy every minute!
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| Mini Heirlooms--delish! |
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| Grasshopper on our balcony during the rain. |
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| Exploring the grasshopper. |
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| Giant turtle. |
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| Inspecting the statue. |
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| Getting ready to climb on the lion's back. |
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Playing at the Park
This afternoon we met our good friends--The Asher Family and The Hinton Family at the park. Hersh and friends Olivia and Ilana enjoyed a good romp at the playground. As hard as it is to wrangle three one-year-olds, we got a great shot of them relaxing on the bench after a long afternoon of play. Aren't they hilarious?
Croatia...just drive through Slovenia, and then you're at the beach!
We have just arrived home from a wonderful holiday in Croatia. Last Monday we rented a car and hit the road--the drive was approximately 6 hours plus traffic. To get to Croatia from Vienna, there are numerous routes. We drove through Burgenland, "The Sunny Side of Austria," through Slovenia, where we had lunch (both ways) at Pizzeria Diavolo (where they brew their own beer), and then down the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia. The drive was beautiful, although we did hit a bit of traffic each way. In fact, today it took us 2 1/2 hours to go about 5 miles, crossing the Croatia/Slovenia border. It was like sitting in Jersey Shore Traffic on the GSPW on a Saturday morning in the summer.
We stayed in the small town of Banjole, which is in between Pula and Prementura. It is a lovely little spot, and the location was perfect. We stay at the Aparthotel Del Mar, which we would give *** out of *****. Some things about the hotel were perfect--nice people, helpful staff, great pool, nice restaurant that was also Hersh friendly, and perfectly located. We had a one bedroom apartment, so we could put Hersh to bed and then make dinner and enjoy our evening. At the same time, there were some not so great things--one roll of toilet paper for your whole stay (we bought our own!), and broken air conditioning!!!! It was sooo hot the first few nights, that Jacob and I each freaked out--me about not being able to breath because of the heat and Jacob because of all of the mosquitoes that came in because we left the window open. You see, we didn't realize the A/C was broken. It turned on and some air came out. Also, hotel (and Croatian) policy is that the A/C can only be 5 deg C less than the outside temp. Thus, we thought that although very hot, it was working. Well, I couldn't take it anymore and contemplated sleeping in the car. I spoke with the front desk and they fixed the A/C that day. Needless to say, we slept much better after that.
Each day we woke up and spent the morning at the pool. Hersh loved swimming around, jumping in and out, and standing in the shower. We also enjoyed the poolside entertainment each morning--so hilarious. We then had Hersh's nap, which gave Jacob and me time to watch some TV (which we love to do while on vacation). Then we grabbed lunch and ventured out for the afternoon. We visited different beaches each day and went into Pula to tour their Ancient Roman Ampitheatre. Although there were free beaches everywhere, we really enjoyed the beaches inside of Kamenjak National Park best--well worth the 25 Kuna admission. We found all sorts of slugs, snails, crabs, rocks, shells, and anemone for Hersh to enjoy and explore.
It was such a wonderful week. Freedom, beach, sun, and just the three of us. And Hersh, there is so much to say about him. I can remember back to last summer when he was this wonderful new baby--the best baby I had ever met. And now, he is a wonderful 1 year old. He is easy going, happy, adventurous, funny, and just overall delicious. He loved swimming and exploring, seeing new people and places, and trying new foods. We just feel so fortunate to have him as our son. Each day with him is better than the last and it is so nice knowing that he is enjoying the life that he has been given.
Now we are turning our attention to these last two weeks of our life in Wien. There is so much to do to be packed and organized before we leave. At the same time, we will do everything we can to enjoy the time we have in this wonderful European city we call home.
Enjoying time at the beach:
Ampitheatre in Pula:
Hanging out:
We stayed in the small town of Banjole, which is in between Pula and Prementura. It is a lovely little spot, and the location was perfect. We stay at the Aparthotel Del Mar, which we would give *** out of *****. Some things about the hotel were perfect--nice people, helpful staff, great pool, nice restaurant that was also Hersh friendly, and perfectly located. We had a one bedroom apartment, so we could put Hersh to bed and then make dinner and enjoy our evening. At the same time, there were some not so great things--one roll of toilet paper for your whole stay (we bought our own!), and broken air conditioning!!!! It was sooo hot the first few nights, that Jacob and I each freaked out--me about not being able to breath because of the heat and Jacob because of all of the mosquitoes that came in because we left the window open. You see, we didn't realize the A/C was broken. It turned on and some air came out. Also, hotel (and Croatian) policy is that the A/C can only be 5 deg C less than the outside temp. Thus, we thought that although very hot, it was working. Well, I couldn't take it anymore and contemplated sleeping in the car. I spoke with the front desk and they fixed the A/C that day. Needless to say, we slept much better after that.
Each day we woke up and spent the morning at the pool. Hersh loved swimming around, jumping in and out, and standing in the shower. We also enjoyed the poolside entertainment each morning--so hilarious. We then had Hersh's nap, which gave Jacob and me time to watch some TV (which we love to do while on vacation). Then we grabbed lunch and ventured out for the afternoon. We visited different beaches each day and went into Pula to tour their Ancient Roman Ampitheatre. Although there were free beaches everywhere, we really enjoyed the beaches inside of Kamenjak National Park best--well worth the 25 Kuna admission. We found all sorts of slugs, snails, crabs, rocks, shells, and anemone for Hersh to enjoy and explore.
It was such a wonderful week. Freedom, beach, sun, and just the three of us. And Hersh, there is so much to say about him. I can remember back to last summer when he was this wonderful new baby--the best baby I had ever met. And now, he is a wonderful 1 year old. He is easy going, happy, adventurous, funny, and just overall delicious. He loved swimming and exploring, seeing new people and places, and trying new foods. We just feel so fortunate to have him as our son. Each day with him is better than the last and it is so nice knowing that he is enjoying the life that he has been given.
Now we are turning our attention to these last two weeks of our life in Wien. There is so much to do to be packed and organized before we leave. At the same time, we will do everything we can to enjoy the time we have in this wonderful European city we call home.
Enjoying time at the beach:
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| Wading through the clear waters. |
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| Inspecting snails. |
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| A little swimming spot. |
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| Jacob carries Hersh down the rocks to the water. |
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| Post-swim chit chat. |
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| Hersh telling Abba about what he sees in the trees. |
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| Drying off after a swim. |
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| Local Croatian wine; very nice. |
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| Our favorite Slovenian pizzeria. |
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| Enjoying breakfast. |
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| Jacob explaining the map. |
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| Underneath the olive tree. |
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| Twins! |
Saturday, July 2, 2011
"Normal" Week
This past week was normal--no traveling, just the three of us at home--and it was great! Jacob was very busy at work, as his department was hosting a conference, so this made for quite a few very long days for all of us. Even though I was really tired at the end of each day (Jacob had the conference over the weekend too so there was no weekend for us last weekend), I so enjoyed my time with Hersh. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoy my time with Hersh, but this week was different. This week made me even more appreciative for the close relationship that Hersh and I have. He is just so much fun to do things with, sharing his smiles and sense of humor. When we ride the U-Bahn or when we are at the playground, he shouts "Hi" and "Bye" to all sorts of people. It's so wonderful to see people's reaction to him, and the way he says "hi" and "bye" is just so American. Here, people say "Hallo" and "Tchüss," so often they have no idea why this one-year-old is shouting "hi-yee!" and "bye-yee!" We think it is just the best!
Hersh has started to enjoy "dress-up" and is making lots of animal sounds, as well as saying new words each day. Today we went to lunch at a restaurant we had been wanting to try, visited the Naturhistorisches Museum, and then walked around Museums Quartier. The Natural History Museum had some really old artifacts (like the 25,000 year-old Venus of Willendorf, and an octopus that had been preserved in formaldehyde 250 years ago). Needless to say, it was a great day and we were very glad to have Jacob back with us! It's strange that our time in Vienna is coming to an end--bittersweet actually. We have had our ups and downs this year, but Vienna is a beautiful city that we have come to really enjoy and feel fortunate to call it our home.
Hersh turned 14 months old, 27.6.11:
Fire Marshall Hershel:
Exploring the Natural History Museum:
Hanging out in Museums Quartier:
Hersh has started to enjoy "dress-up" and is making lots of animal sounds, as well as saying new words each day. Today we went to lunch at a restaurant we had been wanting to try, visited the Naturhistorisches Museum, and then walked around Museums Quartier. The Natural History Museum had some really old artifacts (like the 25,000 year-old Venus of Willendorf, and an octopus that had been preserved in formaldehyde 250 years ago). Needless to say, it was a great day and we were very glad to have Jacob back with us! It's strange that our time in Vienna is coming to an end--bittersweet actually. We have had our ups and downs this year, but Vienna is a beautiful city that we have come to really enjoy and feel fortunate to call it our home.
Hersh turned 14 months old, 27.6.11:
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| Enjoying a nectarine. He says, "bite?" to let us know that he would like a nectarine or plum. |
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| Jacob insisted we needed a picture of the Honey Badger. |
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