So, jetzt bin ich hier.

And by hier, I mean I’m sitting on this computer determined to write about the last couple of days. It is raining, and was threatening to do so all day. Glad I’m here. Andrea is having some dinner behind me and talking with her Freund. All is well.

So. Sunday night I came to the apartment. I am still amazed that even though it is smaller than where Rosemary and I lived, it has a lot of clever storage space. I felt like 208 was kind of cluttered sometimes, but here it doesn’t feel like that at all! Monday I woke up after Andrea, which may be always the case because she has to get up early for work, and went to register as a resident in the local government building. Which was beautiful. I walked all the way down Landstrasse Hauptstrasse toward the city center, trying to look for the different buildings that Ingerid Helsing Almass writes about in her guide to recent Vienna architecture. (Thanks Aunty Sylvia, it’s really coming in handy!) I just in time for the noon mass at Stephansdom and then made my way toward the Museums Quartier.

There was a neat exhibition outside, : they looked like yellow life rafts, and from where I was sitting I saw that Egon Schiele had a lot of his works on display in the Leopold Museum, which was also an interesting looking concrete building: so I went inside. It was very bright! The center of the building is a square void – a huge light well framed by the staircase on one side and galleries on the others, with windows opening into it as if it was the outside.

Staircase in Leopold Museum

And for some reason, wordpress is anti-rotating photos and I don’t want to re-upload these so Deal.

Afterwards I went on a mini Otto Wagner hunt and found a couple of his buildings, including the U-Bahn stop Kettenbruckengasse. I was pretty happy, and tired.

I wandered home around 5pm and had some food. The rest of the night was rather uneventful. I got lost in the Prater from 8-9pm for a little while because I wanted to go on an evening wander. I found my way back but by that point I was just tired. So I slept.

Tuesday I woke up and visited the office of Coop Himmel(b)lau in Margaretten near Pilgr

amgasse. I was really impressed. It then became my goal to go on a CoopHimmelblau buil

ding hunt.  This involved me getting lost by taking the wrong tram, but that was cool with me because I saw some neat things.  I’ll have a CHBL building post later on.

Wednesday I took a bus to Hornstein to visit Omama and the family. It was really beautiful, although I got off a stop too soon and then had to walk half the length of the town to get to my great aunt’s house. Go figure. Because I’m still learning German, when we were visiting relatives and friends I could understand the basic gist of the conversation (approx 85%) and have therefore developed a summary. The basic structure of these conversations: 1. How are you (you being my grandmother – I’m the child)? 2. How is your health (go into detail about the various things that have stopped working or ar

e wrong with your body) 3. Who has died recently? 4. Children? How are they? Oh you! What are you doing? Last time I saw you, you there this big  (show with hand or, if available, a photo) 5. Remembering the good old days, and if applicable, the war 6. Oh the young people these days! (Marvel at the differences in thought at opinion of those born after 1970 compared to prior to 1950) 7. How long are you here? Oh! Good then we’ll see each other again, if not, then in Heaven! And during this entire time you must be eating or drinking something. That’s just the way it is. This is applicable to all conversations that my grandmother and I have with all her friends in Hornstein.

We went with a family friend (and distant relative? I’m so bad at remembering, I really should write these things down) to Eisenstadt, the capital of Burgenland, to get some cafe. I was absolutely spoiled – it was wonderful Omama wanted to go to a church near the hospital

where my mother was born, so we went, and stumbled upon a string quartet playing Haydn-music. Es war echt schon.

It was wonderful to see Omama again, I will be going back there this weekend.

Today, I came back to Vienna by bus and went to Gasometer. It was really interesting, but a little dead. I think it’s hayday was probably around 2001-2004. There were some interesting green apartments next to it however.

Afterwards, the sun came out again and I went to Schloss Schonbrun, which reminded me so so so much of Versailles. Haha, I didn’t go into the palace there either, even though I lived there long enough to. So I wandered the gardens and the Gloriette, listening to music and getting some great views of the city.

Afterwards, like a good girl, I went shopping. I bought white pants. What was I thinking. Is Europe getting to me?

Haha, so I put a post-it note on my computer today that said “Pimp my BLOG” and so hopefully I accomplished this. I am still learning the whole inserting pictures and videos and links thing. If you have any tips let me know. I love feedback, who doesn’t? I’m hitting the hay. Bis bald!

Liz

Getting started

Today I moved into the Apartment in the previous post with Andrea. These past couple of days I ‘ve been in Neusiedler am See with the Zeger family as they have adopted me as one of their own.

Now for the details: Roswitha and Hans are die eltern (parents) and Andrea, 30, Ulli, 26, and Richard, 24? are their kids. It seems like they knew about my side of the family already and so I feel like I have to compensate. Ulli studies archeology (well, egyptology) Andrea, who studied psychology is working with students, and Richard is an engineer and live in Strassbourg, Germany. When we got to their house, we had a terrific meal (yes, every meal is an event, except dinner, which is largely overlooked), and then I got a cellphone (043 0699 103 859 05 if you’re calling from the US) and went driving around with Ulli. When I got back, it was about 5pm and so I decided to take a nap which turned into a 16 hour coma. That Saturday we stayed at the house and I met Andrea for the first time and her friend Sonya and we all went sunbathing in the backyard.  Hans grilled out and then Roswitha and I went to mass. I met up with Andrea, Sonya, Ulli, and Berni (their younger cousin) and we went to a Hueurigen (I know I didn’t spell that right) but its basically a family run wine bar with appetizers. It is very common to do in the summer. We went back home and I finished East of Eden before bed. This Sunday I woke up early and Andrea, Sonya, and I went to get some breakfast on the lake and when we got back I took a whopping four hour nap and woke up as we finished packing to leave for Vienna. So here I am.

Yes, this is just a play by play of the last couple days but because I feel like if I didn’t write it down, I would forget, and I forgot to take pictures. Deal.

I’m looking forward to walking around Vienna tomorrow. All the Zegers can speak English about 90% perfectly, so it is easy to speak English with them. Only every once in a while do I muster the courage to speak to them in German. I’m learning… and as I was reflecting about the last couple of days, I finally understand how Colleen felt in France when she said that she expected much more of herself then was actually possible in a couple days. I suppose writing in English doesn’t help, but don’t worry, I think I would go insane if I didn’t do something in English. At length. That requires thought.

More to come later.

I miss you family!

Love,

Liz

ADDRESS

Elizabeth Keane

Schrottgasse No. 5  Apt. 17

1030 Vienna, Austria

Europe

Neusiedler am see

Hello!

 

I arrived safely, the flights were punctual and full of reading. I started East of Eden, because I knew it was Anne Marie’s favorite book, and it looked interesting. It’s as dark, if not darker, then Flannery, so I’m glad that I was prepared for it by our ‘book club’.

At the airport, I was a little confused because I wasn’t quite sure who anyone was or what they looked like. I saw Stefan first and then was approached by the Zegers! I am now sitting comfortably in their home on a beautiful late morning wondering how in the world I got to be so lucky.

Will write more later.

Back from the Dead

Dear Avid Readers,

Your favorite blogger has nearly survived her undergraduate degree in architecture. And now she will be traveling to Vienna for an internship with the firm Coop Himmelblau.

Yes, I will be leaving May 21st to live with good friends and distant relatives Ulrike and Andrea Zeger in Vienna. Keep reading – I will be posting.