Feuerwehrscheune

I’m up a little too early to go to work – so I’ll make myself write a post.

I never thought I would be able to listen to so much Tamburizza for long, but people change. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this weekend in Hornstein! Considering myself lucky – again.  So to get into the details… mhhhmmmm, well the weather started out cold and rainy as I carried all my stuff out to Stef’s car. It was great to talk with him! I think he is stuck with the rest of us in a state of transition, although he does seem to have a sweet job.

So I have to back track, haha, I’m looking at the pictures I took, and I forgot a whole part of Friday during the day! I went to find the Hunderwasser House, which is really close to where I live. That didn’t stop me from going one Ubahn stop too far and having to backtrack. I found it due to the fact that every tourist in Vienna was there. I’ll shove in a picture, why not? Only walked around the outside and tried to sketch a little but it wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. It is pretty funny looking back at what people thought was “green” architecture. Oh how the meaning has changed since.

I checked out a really interesting antique shop around the corner from this building, where I had to find a present for a friend. It was daunting to be the only person inside and having to speak only German, but the keepers turned out to be SUPER friendly and cut back on the price for me. Woot.

I met up with Andrea after wandering around near St. Michael’s kirche and the Burghof area, for a DELICIOUS (seriously, I haven’t eaten meat except for when I go out to eat, so this was great) lunch at a new Turkish place in the 1st Bezirk, Etap. Akat, her boyfriend, works there and was such a charmer. We talked about ancestry and where I could go find a good watch, among other things. I felt it was a really European affair, because normally when I go to lunch with my friends, it lasts an hour tops. We were there for 2.5 hours.  I came back to find Stef, and we left for Hornstein, driving through some countryside that never ceases to look beautiful to me.

I met up with my grandmother for mass, and afterwards went with Stef to a Tmbrza (thats my abbrev. for it) practice. I was unaware, but he is amazing with music. I am going to try to upload this movie I took: pah, nevermind. I am not going to purchase a video upgrade with YouTube is straight up free. So I’ll have to put it up there and then get the link here… Later. Moving on:

We got a couple drink’s at Lindi’s pub and then went home.

The following morning, I went and ran some errands with Stef. It was a great place to catch up, despite more awful weather. I think the plan was to walk to Loretto, but that was scrapped due to the weather. Some things I learned (I’ve known them already, but I think they’re an interesting comparison to the US culture)

-Cereal is rarely eaten for breakfast, its Yogurt and Musli, some combination of cold cut meat and bread/pickles, eggs and coffee, breads with jams/jellies.

-Automatic vehicles (as opposed to manual) are for the truly retarded

Okay, so those were only two, but I’ll be sure to keep up the observations.

Later that afternoon, I spend with Oma, sleeping. I suppose thats the only thing I did at Kuma’s house. Just sleep and eat. Wow I feel like a bum haha. Later that night, I went with Stef and his friend Michael to a Scheune in Trausdorf, a couple of towns away for some drinking, singing, and dancing. In no particular order.

Stef and Michael

We left Trausdorf at 12 or 1am, not sure back to Hornstein where I thought I was going to get into bed – I was exhausted. But no, I have to build up a stamina I guess, we went to the Feuerwehrscheune in Hornstein for another 3 or 4 hours, with more drinking and dancing. I met more of Stef’s friends, and it solidified my opinion of the people in Hornstein – genuine and good hearted.

The next day, Sunday, we all had to get up early for mass. Afterwards, I went back and slept. And then ate lunch with Kuma Marica, Uncle Paul, and Oma. Following this, I slept some more, and got ready to break a Guiness World Record. Yes, folks, you guessed it, all the tmbrza groups from the neighboring villages were gathering in Trausdorf (who was celebrating their 50th anniversary of their tmbrza group) to break the record (or more likely, create the record) for the most players in the same location, playing the same songs together.

All the Tamburizza musicians in Trausdorf

Dani and I

So we danced and sang and drank some more. The following day followed much of the same course, except I enjoyed a great lunch with the Matkovits family and played with my cousins (four times removed) Dominik and Belinda. I have yet to find sweeter kids.

I drove back and put off writing this. But I have to get to work, so I’ll just post this without checking it – love to my family in the US, I miss you all.