Pummerins, Prancers and Palaces. (Prancers)

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Our last few days in Vienna were devoted purely to sightseeing.   Bill’s birthday wish was to see the Spanish Riding School again, this time in performance.   OK!  Since I grew up riding, anything with horses is fine with me!

The performance isn’t that much different than the practice session we saw, except it is narrated in German and in English, which is helpful in explaining all the exquisite moves these horses do.  I was able to surreptitiously sneak a few photos before the attendant spotted me and asked me to stop.  (not sure why they didn’t get the guy down the way who was taking FLASH photography… perhaps it has something to do with the overpriced videos they sell in the shop!)

 

 

the stables for the Spanish Riding School

one of the stallions

 

The stables are very clean, and simple.  I’ve seen fancier stalls in Kentucky.  What is amazing is how calm these stallions are…considering they are all stallions!

 

our view of the hall - great seats!

One of the main differences in the Practice Session and the Performance (besides the huge difference in cost!) is that the track is completely groomed, and attended to during the performance if, say, one of the stallions needs to use the facilities, which they did, much to the delight of the little girls watching!  They must not be from the country!

 

 

little girls (most) always love horses, even when the horses poop!

The riders enter in a line and remove and replace their hats to the painting of the royalty opposite from where we sat, all in slow motion.

 

 

entering the hall

The horses perform in groups of six, beginning with the youngest stallions, who are about 6 years old, and who are still changing from the black they are born as foals to shades of grey to the full white coat of mature stallions.

 

they moved in various formations

A lot is made of the airs above the ground moves the horses do, both on long line and with a stirrup-less rider (I never would be able to do that!), but I found the passage (a movement done at the trot, in which the horse has great elevation of stride and seems to pause between putting down its feet –it has a great amount of suspension in the stride) and the quadrilles (a choreographed horse ballet) done at the half-pass or diagonal to be the most interesting to watch!

All in all, a great time!  Piber, the stud farm where the horses are bred, is close to Graz and opened for visitors mid-April, so that will be our next trip concerning horses!

 

 

Pummerins, Prancers and Palaces. (Pummerins)

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Once we got settled in our hotel in Vienna (the afternoon of April 6), no small feat in itself (another story), we were able to relax a little and start to enjoy all that is Vienna.  Our hotel was right off the Grauben, Vienna’s big shopping street.  It’s a wide pedestrian walkway (except for the early morning delivery hours and then watch out!), and with the warm weather Austria has been having it was packed!  Or maybe it is always that way.  Lots of tourists, lots of regular Viennese, all milling about.

One of the charms of the street are the buskers.  We saw everything from classical musicians to very bad break dancing.  Definitely NOT candidates for So You Think You Can Dance!   This group, however caught our fancy.  Have a listen and see what you think!

From Graz-April 6 2011-to Vienna = train accident and requiem

They were certainly lively and collected a lot of coins!

Many of the people on the Grauben were headed to Stephansdom, and after dinner, so were we!  I’ve already posted (Remember) about the Kentucky High School singers who performed the Mozart Requiem.  The next day, we were able to spend some time in this remarkable cathedral.

Stephansdom dates back to 1147, when the first Romanesque church was erected on-site.  Like most of the churches in Austria (and other parts of Europe) the  building has been added to and reconstructed over the years.  Probably the most famous parts of St. Stephans are the towers, emulated by nearly every church in Austria.  The south tower was finished in 1433 but the north tower languished and finally, with the great Gothic period over, was capped off at 223 ft, or half the height of the south tower in 1578.  The entire structure burned after it was ignited by sparks from a WWII bomb, and the bell, the roof and many main features of the church were destroyed or damaged.  Nevertheless, all of Austria pitched in to rebuild, and it looks like the rebuilding goes on even today!

 

twin towers or pagan towers - oldest part of Stephansdom

 

Stephansdom-north tower with its cap

Stephansdom - under construction, again!

We took the elevator ride up to the North Tower, the South Tower being closed (and who wanted to walk 325 steps, anyway?)  There were great views of Vienna, the roof, the street and the Pummerin Bell. The Pummerin (Boomer) officially  is named for St. Mary. Pummerin weights 21,383 kilograms (44,380 pounds). It is the second largest swinging bell in Europe (the biggest one is Peter in Cologne Cathedral).  It only rings on special occasions–we thought it would be ‘fun’ to hear it when we were standing right there.

 

view from north tower stephansdom

looking down from stephansdom

bicycles for rent, at stephansdom

 

the south tower over the roof - stephansdom

Pummerin (boomer) Bell in north tower- stephansdom

Bill had to leave mid-morning for his meeting, but I rented one of the audio-tours and was able to access other parts of the cathedral off-limits to people NOT taking the tour.  What is hard to remember is that this, first of all, is a place of worship.  At the same time that individuals and groups were touring, another group was making a film, construction workers were hauling cinder-blocks up to the construction site, and church vestry members were getting ready for the next worship service at Noon, people were lighting candles and praying.  I did my own kind of praying as I considered the exquisite skill that went into carving the pulpit or craft the magnificent pillars, windows and paintings of this church.

 

 

candlelighter at stephansdom

 

construction in stephansdom

 

one of the chapels open for prayer

 

 

pulpit stephansdom

Like so much of the building, the pulpit is replete with symbolism.  The wheels on the stairway roll up or down from heaven, depending on which way you are going.  The church fathers sit on the foundation, giving gravity and substance to the priest’s words, the little dog at the top guards against any ill-conceived thought or sin that happens to make its way to the top. Best of all, though, is the artist of the pulpit who designed himself into it!

 

wheels turning upward to heaven or back again on pulpit at stephansdom

 

church fathers and evangelists on pulpit

dog to guard against sins of priest ascending the pulpit at stephansdom

self portrait of artist of pulpit - stephansdom

 

 

Prince Eugeny’s Chapel and grave – stephansdom

Mozart funeral mass was held in the Prince Eugeny Chapel.

 

 

one of the windows in the transept of the church

The oldest glass is up by the high altar, and was incorporated when the windows were redone after the war.

 

oldest glass in the church - window to right of high altar - Stephansdom

 

The old organ (as of the 1950’s) is no longer used at the Stephansdom.

 

older organ in stephansdom

Instead a newer organ, built during Pope John 23rd’s reforms, is used.

 

newest organ - stephansdom

 

font of baptism in chapel at stephansdom – evangelists at bottom, saints around the top

 

By 11:30, it was time to say goodbye to St. Stephans, as Mass would be starting soon, anyway.  More about Vienna, in future posts!

Nature walk

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We were enjoying a quiet evening in the flat last Friday, April 1.  The long work week, replete with talks and classes, was giving way to expectation of wandering the Styrian hills and maybe a trip to Eggenberg Scholss, a large palace complex at the end of Tram Line 1.  Saturday was supposed to be in the high 70’s and we were looking forward to walking around, even without seeing all the flowers that would undoubtedly be planted there if we went later in the season.  But first, time to sleep.

Then the phone rang! (10:00 PM)   It was Sebastian, our birding friend, and ‘did we want to go out birding on Sunday?  He would be leading a BirdLife Austria group and we were invited.  (to be fair to Sebastian, he didn’t think we would have our handys turned on that late at night!)   Then he called back a few minutes later asking if we wanted to go on Saturday as well, if he could reach his birding friend with the car to order to check his schedule.  Then, another call, saying he could not reach him and so Sunday it was.  And so we went to bed, thinking we’d do a few errands on Saturday (remember stores are not open at all on Sunday), and maybe visit the Schloss.

The next morning, awakened by the melodies of birds and the sun already calling ‘get up’ we were actually birding from the bed!  Our apartment windows are at about the same height as the trees surrounding it, so it makes for easy and compelling observation.  It was 7 AM and the phone rang.

Sebastian again, saying he had reached his friend with the car and did we want to go out TODAY?  Could we be ready in ½ hour?  Bill was saying ‘of course’ as I was without coffee mumbling incoherently throwing on clothes.  We inhaled quite possibly the best morning breads we’ve had in Austria, gulped yesterday’s coffee, assembled some sandwiches, and got ourselves downstairs on time.   Whew.

Waiting for us were Sebastian and Wilfried.  Wilfried is the Chair of BirdLife Styria (partnered with Audubon in the US) and also a botany professor at KFU.  How do we keep meeting just the folks who can answer so many of our questions?

 

 

Wilfried, Sebastian and Jean 'on the road'

The day’s birding was simply terrific, from the Lapwings nesting in the fields at the Graz Flughafen (seems like a precarious existence to me!) and pheasants, to crested Grebes, Green and Wood Sandpipers, and a variety of ducks on small ponds in the area.

 

lapwing on nest at the airport

 

Lapwings are very cool birds.  Both genders are striking in appearance, but the males especially, with their mohawk hair-style feather-style, and funny, floppy wings.  We saw many doing a display flight.   Here is a female sitting on the nest (digiscoped, must improve technique!)

 

 

closeup lapwing on nest

The day was simply gorgeous.  We’ve come to almost expect that in Styria.  It seems to rain a bit, just enough to perk up more flowers and nudge more tree leaves into showing up, and then it’s sunny and warm.  The typical haze was gone and we could see snowcapped mountains in the not too far distance.  What you can’t ‘see’ however is the lovely aroma from the farm fields.  Hey, it’s spring and time to fertilize, naturlich, for growing all those pumpkins and corn!  Naturlich means cow, pig and worst-smelling of all, chicken manure!

 

ein schöner Tag

We crisscrossed the valleys surrounding Graz, going west, then south, then east, looking in fields, by streams and in woods, with us collecting new birds the way children collect stones at the edge of a lake. Our list ‘pockets’ were filling up!

The highlight, though, had to be watching the swans.  These were mute swans. We have them also in the US but they are introduced birds, often seen in city parks.  These swans are in their native habitat, which maybe makes them feistier.   So you’re probably thinking of some stately and peaceful creature, gliding along on the water’s surface as if on ice.

 

mute swan on pond, deceptively 'serene'

Resplendent in their breeding plumage their behavior is anything but serene.  I have never heard such a racket nor seen such a fight!  At one pond we witnessed a territorial dispute between two cobs.

 

'just visiting' swan hopes to stay on pond

 

not if this one has anything to say about it!

 

It’s a small pond and, sorry, there is only room for one pair.  The male whose mate was nesting at one end repeatedly attacked another pair until they finally got the message and left.

 

fight between two swan cobs

 

Unfortunately that piece of grass decided to move right in front of the camera at the wrong moment!  But there were feathers everywhere!

It was pretty exciting!

Click on the photo below to see the swan action and hear the amazing sound of the wings!

 


Along the way, we saw frogs, toads, and eggs of the same.  Also some very strong beetles moving a squashed toad!  And you thought ants were the musclemen/women of the insect world!

 

frog or toad eggs in pond

 

 

beetles on/under dead toad

More flowers, and yes, even some snipes!

 

lily (rare) in woods near Kirchberg ponds

 

yellow wildflower

 

this one is nick-named 'hansel und gretl' - it changes from blue to pink

 

white bell shaped flower. need to find the name!

To scare up snipes, Sebastian donned big rubber boots and mucked along through the swamp!

 

Sebastian mucking about, flushing snipes. It worked! We saw 7!

It was a lovely day for a stroll through the woods.

 

the guys strolling; me, checking out those wildflowers!

We never DID get to Eggengberg Castle but maybe in May, we can arrange it!

We’ll be traveling now for the next few weeks – Vienna, Spain, Salzburg, Altenpostmarkt, Vienna, and Budapest.  I am almost worn out just thinking about it!

Vielen Dank, as always, for reading and for your comments!

Remember

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We are in the middle of Lent, that particular time of the Christian year especially given to insightful self-reflection, spiritual discipline, and preparation for the celebration of resurrection. Personally, I believe this kind of work should be our practice every day, for each moment presents the opportunity to accept our death, to die to our self-absorption, and to observe and honor the life that is unfolding before us.  Some begin the Lenten period with the imposition of ashes and hear, “Remember, O mortal, that thou art dust and to dust thou shall return.”  Never in one day have I been reminded so profoundly of the truth of these words.

Wednesday morning, April 6, dawned, and with it the trip to Vienna for the meeting of the European Geological Union, where Bill would give a paper.  We made our way to the tram and then to the underground passageway,  lined with small shops and eating places, leading to the Hauptbahnhof in Graz.

Almost immediately we came upon a group of polizei standing near a body –  a man stretched out in front of one of the shops.  He was dead.  It was so startling and unexpected, and very hard to shake.  I don’t think we are meant to shake off things like this.

After buying our ticket we proceeded to the platform to await the train, a small conveyance – engine and 4 cars – one of the many that travel from Graz and point south to Vienna each day.  Occupying the platform with us was a man, obviously agitated, talking to himself.  We could understand nothing of his speech but the body language was clear.  He waited until one train pulled out and then jumped down and over the tracks to the platform on the opposite side, something I think is strictly verboten.  Soon he returned and leapt across the tracks to our side once again. His agitation increased, he confronted several people standing near us, wagging his middle finger in their faces.  Suddenly, he jumped back down into the track well, just as our train was starting to come in!  He seemed oblivious to this peril.  A woman stepped up and yanked  him out of the well. Yet again he started to turn  into the path of the train.  Another man came forward and pulled him back, motioning to the train which had now arrived.  I wonder what happened to him, after that.  Was he on some substance that made him crazy?  Was he mentally ill?  Was he trying to end his life?  Was he just unaware, as we all are, sometimes, unaware?

We boarded the train.

All was proceeding normally.  We passed through villages and towns whose names had grown familiar to us in our one and a half months residence in Austria.  Looking out the windows we could see the meadows in bright green attire signaling the freshness of the season.  Angling up the hillsides, furrows of dirt, newly turned, awaited seeding, or maybe already held the beginnings of next fall’s pumpkin seed oil or corn.

 

Spring arriving on the hillsides

We had passed the town of Kapfenberg, and later, the ski area in the mountains with skiers eking out the last turns on rapidly disappearing  fields of white.  We entered a section of forest where one could see both the fresh tips of pine trees and wildflowers emerging.  Who would have thought that these dense woods, so still and yet so bursting with the promise of new life after the winter, would be the scene of something so disastrous?

 

the woods near Wiener Neustadt

Not too far from the town of Wiener Neustadt the train gave a long whistle and then there was the sound of something impacting the train.  It sounded like stones.

At first we thought there had been a rock slide, but there are no mountains adjacent and no where from rocks to appear.  The train came almost immediately to a stop and over the loudspeaker, an announcement, most of which we could not understand, but we did hear the word gescholssen, which meant closed.  And we were not to get off the train.

The conductor – a young woman – and the concessionaire – a young man – disembarked and began walking the length of the train.  A man who had been riding his bike on the dirt road next to the tracks turned around.  Phone calls were made and soon there appeared an ambulance.  Soon after that, several police cars, and an ÖBB train inspector.  Then a fire truck drove up.  There was much interviewing going on of both the bicyclist and the train engineer.   Intermittently the conductor came back on the loudspeaker to tell us the tracks were still closed, and finally that we would be here at least another hour.  The ambulance left, but was replaced by two other medical personnel.  Next, a photographer and another official donned protective blue gloves and began walking past us to the end of the train.  Finally, two men in a hearse arrived.  All the while the passengers stood or sat peering out the windows, silent for the most part.   What was only a guess early on became clearer as events unfolded:  the train had hit a human being.

It was a horrible moment, that realization.    Several  people wept.   Those on the train reached out to one another in gesture and in words.  Remember, O mortal…

Later we found out that Ernst Weber was the football (i.e. soccer) team manager of the women’s national team and of ÖFB junior selections.  He was, as the newspapers report, 62 years in life. In life.    He is survived by his wife Gabi and a son.  His colleagues said “Ernst Weber was a good coach. But above all, Weber was a uniquely helpful and lovely person.”

Remember O mortal, that dust thou art and to dust thou shall return.  Remember, how fragile is this life and how beautiful a gift. Remember to perceive and honor it with each step, each gaze, each breath.

That night, we went to the Stephansdom, Vienna’s great medieval monument and cathedral, which itself has seen many rebirths through the years.

 

Stephansdom

To approximately one thousand people gathered there, a choir from the Louisville Kentucky Performing Arts High School sang the Mozart Requiem.  They sang for Ernst, for the man in the passageway, for the man on the platform, for those caught in wars and violence not of their own making, for all of us who mourn, for all of us who have or will eventually die, for all of us to remember the preciousness of life.

 

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam,
ad te omnis care veniet.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
You are praised, God, in Zion,
and homage will be paid to You in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer,
to You all flesh will come.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.

 

Click on photo to open the video.

From Graz-April 6 2011-to Vienna = train accident and requiem

March(ing) into April

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Spring is in full swing here in Graz.  The woodland flowers are blooming all around us; in the major plazas, tulips and crocus and other bulb-driven plants are appearing as if overnight (actually, they are –planted by gardening crews each spring, not springing forth from their winter sleep!); daffodils adorn private yards and maybe best of all, forsythia is turning on the lights in a significant show of flaming yellow!  I love forsythia – it was my Mom’s favorite spring flower and we had a wild and crazy plant out in our front yard when I was growing up in Virginia.

I am watching the forsythia in our front yard here in Graz – it’s a little ‘behind’ because it’s higher up, I guess, and I will post a photo when it’s ‘ready’. Meanwhile, this is what Jakominiplatz in central Graz looks like now:

flowers in Jakominiplatz

Last week was a quiet week – no major concerts or events, except for Bill’s talk in the Seminar Series his department at KFU/TU sponsors.   It was one of the first really warm spring abends (the late afternoon time) and students were enjoying the out of doors, a sight you would see on any university campus!

students relaxing on warm Spring day - KFU Graz

 

The talk went great, held in an old lecture hall in one of the buildings at KFU.  With each footfall on the worn marble steps I wondered about the history of the hall and of the students and faculty who walked here so long ago.   The university itself dates back to 1585, founded by Archduke Karl II of Inner Austria.  After some permutations, (including a stint as a lycee and a  medical school) it was reopened in 1827 by Emperor Franz I.  The main (old) buildings that exist on campus today were inaugurated in 1895.  Bill’s office is NOT in one of the old buildings.

Institute of Earth Sciences Building at KFU - old water well in foreground

The University hit a low point in 1938, when 17 percent of the teachers, the Nobel Prize winners Otto Loewi, Viktor Hess and Erwin Schrödinger among them, as well as almost two thirds of the students were ousted and expelled for “racist”, religious or political reasons.  Nearly 27,000 students are enrolled today.

The talk went well, attended by about 60 people – students, faculty, the deans of the two programs that are jointly sponsoring this Fulbright appointment.  The hall itself was old also:  long wooden benches arranged in rows, with a place to write in front.  Everything wooden! If not, how else would (no pun intended) we be able to knock on the ‘desk’ tops when the lecture was over?  (No applause in Austrian classrooms; if the students liked the lecture or class, they knock on the table or desk tops as a sign of their respect!)

Lecture Hall where Bill gave his talk - March 29 2011

I certainly knew I was in a science classroom, though!

molecules

Bill has some great colleagues here.  One of them is originally from California and is married to an Austrian woman.

Bill with colleague from his department

After the talk, there were lovely refreshments!  Out came a huge variety of Brötchen (a slice of bread topped with cheese, egg, different cuts of meat including sliced blood sausage, salami, fish, vegetables), local wines from east of Graz (white from just east and red from Burgenland, which borders Hungary), several kinds of beer, and juices to be mixed with water (your choice of stille or mit gas).  It was a great opportunity to meet some of the faculty, and some of the spouses as well.

after the talk - the refreshments

 

Graz is a lovely place to walk and we spent an evening  last week,  just walking around downtown, after bopping into Moser Buchhandlung to purchase, believe it or not, a Spanish-English dictionary.  There were choices in nearly every major language of the world, and only ONE Sp-En dictionary.  We got the last one!  As we walked we noticed that now all the restaurants and cafes have their platztischen (plaza tables) out, and the strolling musicians are there to accompany diners.

We passed the maroni stand,   (John, this one is for you!)

maroni (chestnuts) - about the size of a shooter marble or just a little larger

and the Dom, where the sun was glinting off the angel’s ‘crown’,

Graz Dom - angels in sunlight

and in one of the many courtyards, found the center for the Styrian government (Graz being the seat of Steinmark or Styria).

 

inner courtyard - Styria government offices

Outside, in a tree, another sure sing of spring!

 

nest

The weather was so warm on Saturday that we made for our favorite local restaurant Hausrl im Wald, aiming for dinner on the patio.

on the patio at Hausrl im Wald

the 'chestnut' tree

 

This is a chestnut tree, but we think its a HORSE chestnut and not a true chestnut from which the maroni come.  Its buds signal flowers appearing soon and the arrangement of the branches looks very much like the horse chestnut in our neighbor’s yard at home.

ready to burst forth!

this is the bark

 

We inhaled enjoyed our dinner,  mostly because we had not eaten since 7:00 AM due to an unexpected trip out of town!

More on that to come!

Thanks for reading!

Castles, wine AND chocolate – can it get any better?

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Just when I thought we had experienced the ultimate in excursions on Friday, our friends Christina and Gernot called to ask if we would like to go out with them on Saturday.  “Natürlich!” we said.  That has to be one of the coolest words in our auf Deutsch vocabulary. It manages to get in all the hardest to make sounds.

So, we took the tram over to the central exchange point,where we saw a demonstration against eating meat.  What?  In Austria?

 

told by cop he needed to park differently - ended up blocking trams

We got on a second tram and rode it to the end of the line, which was to a place called Mur Park. The Mur is the river that ‘runs through it’ here in Graz.  Bill was expecting a large city park, but whoa…what was this?  A shopping mall!  Just like the City Park mall, maybe bigger.  Funny, calling places of consumerism ‘parks’.  Since we were heading out of town, a place that offered ample parking on the side of town closest to our destination was the best place to meet our Austrian  friends.

They said they were taking us to some places maybe we would have a hard time getting to on our own and that we would spend the whole day seeing things with some surprises thrown in.  Loved it already!

We headed East out of Graz.  The map below shows the quick way.

 

The road to Riegersburg

 

Gernot took instead the slow way, winding through the beautiful Styrian countryside.  I don’t know what to compare it to in the US – upstate New York, maybe, or the palouse of eastern Washington with more than wheat.  It’s full of verdant rolling hills with good roads that curve their way past assemblies of houses and farms.  Make that fruit orchards (apples, pears and GRAPES).  In the US we cultivate apples and other fruits mostly in rows of trees; here, as in northern Italy, they are mostly grown staked out like grapes.   At one point we went through a newly constructed tunnel; Gernot rolled down the window to check the sound level as we zoomed through. Gotta love those engineers! 🙂

“Had we ever been to a castle?” was the query.  Not in Austria, unless you count the berg in Graz.  Well, today, we were visiting a proper castle, one that was both a fortress and a dwelling place.  We could see it from a long way off.

 

Riegersburg Castle

That’s the castle up there on the basalt formation.  It is actually located just at the southern border of Eastern Styria,  in what is known as Vulkanland.   The fortress itself is built on the ancient cone of a long-extinct volcano.  It was never conquered, due to its impenetrability and steep paths.  It was THE strategic outpost against the Turks and the Magyars and anyone else who wanted to invade from the East.

Here is another view of it from the other side.

another view of the castle - check out those cliffs!

As most of you know, castles exist mainly for protection.  In case enemies would come, the serfs in the surrounding village could make their way up through the (sometimes double) moats of the castle and numerous walls into the interior where they would be protected. This castle has double moats, three kilometres of defense walls with loopholes, seven archways and eleven bastions.    It was quite a hike up; I imagine if adrenaline had kicked in, it might have been a faster trip!  A  cable-train on the north side of the castle can take you up in 1½ minutes but it wasn’t open for the season yet. (and I doubt we would have taken it, had it been open.)

 

Bill, Christina and Gernot - Castle Riegersburg - first gate/archway

 

hiking up the basalt road

The basalt road is rutted from years of use by wagon wheels, first wooden, then iron.  Yes it was really that steep!

 

basalt and 'arrow windows'

This gives you a good look at the ‘arrow windows’, so shaped so the archers on the defense could fire down, but arrows fired up would have a harder time getting through the opening.  With such defense, maybe boiling oil wasn’t necessary!

 

arrow window

The doors (open for us today) were clad in iron and further had a small door for people but not, presumably, camels. (or horses)

 

small door - 'wicket' in English castles. Christina called it the 'eye of the needle'.

the people door in case the main door was closed

We were among the few people at the castle this day.  There was a group of maybe 20 people on a tour, and a few other families, but that was it.  The castle itself opens for the season beginning April 1, or the next weekend.  But that was ok by us. Another place to put on a list of ‘visit again’!

The archways are supported by giant blocks of basalt.

looking through the doorway - blocks of basalt outlining the edges

This edifice has undergone many transformations, as is true for so much of the architecture in Europe.  The first record of a castle here is from 1138, built by a knight, Rüdiger von Hohenberg.  In the late 16th century, the castle was extended in  Renaissance-style  by the Barons of Stadl.  From 1637 on the castle belonged to Baroness Katharina Elisabeth of Galler, who further enlarged the castle and created the ornate baroque rooms that are the venue for many weddings and other events today.  Unfortunately, because the castle was not officially open, we weren’t able to see the interior.  In 1822, the Duke of Liechtenstein acquired the castle and it still belongs to that family today.

 

And now, I am going to stop with the commentary and just let you enjoy as we did as we walked through.

 

view of town over the side wall

 

 

the wall - one of them, anyway

 

further up the road - note wagon wheel ruts

 

one of the towers

 

 

vines on the inside

 

vines on the outside

 

vineyards everywhere!

At this point, let me interject that this is a BIG HINT as to what we were in store for next.  But I digress.

 

better view of town and surrounding farms

 

 

one of the bastions

 

 

our dear friends

 

 

onward and upward

 

 

the moat

 

…and the new guard of the moat! Appropriate for this season!

There was actually a rabbit hutch under the drawbridge!   The Liechtenstein Family lives in the village — perhaps their grandchildren care for the rabbits?

 

the drawbridge

 

I wonder if this guy is a spy?

the watchful turk

 

 

more gates to go through on our way down

 

More odd creatures on the way down!

 

beetle at Riegersburg Castle

We couldn’t see the interior of the castle which includes 100 rooms, twenty-five of which are used for the two museums:  one on Witchcraft (and the witch hunts and trials that went on from 1673 – 1675 and which resulted in many women being burned at the stake) and the other on Legendary Women, including one of the owners of the castle who was an independent woman, unique for that time.

We could however visit the castle chapel which was simply gorgeous.

outside the chapel at Riegersburg Castle

Inside, it was dark as usual but light was streaming through the NEW glass windows.  A glorious sight!

 

streaming light

 

Best of all we were treated to an impromptu concert by our friends.  Both Christina and Gernot are musicians.  She directs the children’s choir at her school and he plays the trumpet.  They both sing!  Here they are singing an Austrian folk song.  Enjoy!

Right click on the photo and select ‘open link in a new tab’ and the video will open.

From Graz-3-26-11-Riegersburg Castle-KronbergSchloss-chocolate factory with Christina and Gernot

If the day had ended right there, it would have been enough.  Dayenu!

But there was more!  From the castle we visited a small wine shop close to the castle, which offered free tastes of local wines,  bottled juices from the local farms, and handmade gifts.  We tasted several white wines and one very fruity rose but ended up buying only some juices and needlework there, as our friends said we would go directly to the farmer to buy the wine! This is the part of Austria known for its white wines!

That was our next stop!  Bill’s colleagues at the universities asked me not to mention how good these wines are or for what price they are sold.  It’s one of Austria’s best kept secrets.  I just wish I could figure out a way to bring back more than 2 bottles!

 

wine barrel at one of the regional winemakers

Many of the wine farmers (wienbauern) also run small restaurants, at which they offer their wines.  These buildings are not in the village, but rather out in the hills you can see from the castle.  We parked next to the barn, walked past the apple storage and into the foyer.   We only bought wine and didn’t stay for dinner because we had a few more stops to make first!

Next up was the furniture maker-restorer, Famille Golles-Valda, which took us back over other hills close to the castle.  On the way we passed several odd looking, wind-driven wooden structures, which Christina said were to keep the birds away.   She called them ‘klip-klaps’ so named for the sound they made, although some could be set up to ‘sing’ musical notes!

 

klipklap

When we arrived at the Famille Golles-Valda business, the sign said to call for an appointment on the weekends.  Never mind, with typical Austrian hospitality, we were invited in to look around.  The work was gorgeous, mostly antiques which had been totally refinished or restored, although I can see the Keno twins on Antiques Roadshow cringing a little when you mention antique and refinish in the same sentence!

The view of the castle from the business was breathtaking and gives you a better sense of its height!

 

view of the castle from Golles-Valda

With all this touring we had worked up quite an appetite, although it was only 4 o’clock and we had consumed delicious Styrian apples on our trek up the castle road.  Nevertheless, to the Buschenschank!  These are little family-run restaurants that offer fresh, local fare, usually cold — served on large wooden platters. Some of the Buschenschanken also offer rooms for overnighting, so they become an ideal way to spend a weekend in the country, eating great food and drinking local, fine wines without worrying about driving home!  We ‘ve noticed that Austrians are VERY observant about not drinking and driving.  The driver almost never drinks alcohol.  (This, of course, is in stark contrast to the embarrassing suggestion of one of our 2011 Montana state legislators who feels that drunk driving laws need to be MORE lax.)

Buschenschank Platter

So we ate and had a great time visiting over delightful plates of food.

But there was still DESSERT!  On to the ‘surprise’ which was a chocolate factory, also right out there in the country!  I don’t  know what the factory is doing out there, away from the population centers, but there were tons of other people who also had the same idea as we, so the Zotter family must be doing something right!

Think Tillamook Cheese factory only with chocolate:  viewing windows with chocolate bars riding by, for the taking (if you pay for the tour), free samples of chocolate from the –oh 200 or so–varieties displayed along one wall of the building, tastes from three different chocolate fountains, or try the liquid over a cacoa bean, or best of all, select a grab bag stuffed with chocolate seconds for only 1,50 € ! (That’s what I did!)  The best thing – it’s all fair trade!

 

omg-chocolate at Zotter Schokoladen Manufacktur & Theater

 

chocolate conveyor belt

 

slot machine for chocoholics - it's how you get free samples

 

rows and rows of chocolate - and this is only a partial view!

 

 

oh, and did I mention the candy counters with individually crafted chocolates?

 

we make for the car with our loot - whose that guy in the back, left? 🙂

OK, now we were saturated with good food, good sweets, good wine and good views.  Anything else?  You bet!  The final stop on our excursion was Schloss Kornberg, another castle, not in the same league with Riegersburg, but beautiful all the same.  Dating from 1284, it’s now a gallery for arts and items crafted in the area.  Christina and Gernot had wanted to show us the display of 5000 rugs from all over the world, but the vendor for that gallery had closed for the day.  No matter, there was lots more to see!

 

from the Schloss website - aerial view of the castle

Castle Kornberg as we approach

 

interior Renaissance courtyard of Kornberg Castle

 

 

interesting iron work

 

And the shops had many handgesmacht items, perhaps most impressive of which were the Easter eggs in all sizes and styles of painting!

 

hand painted Easter eggs at Castle Kornberg

For those whimsical in nature, there were some adornments for the garden.

 

funny bird garden decorations at Kornberg Castle

They actually reminded Bill and I of some bird ‘art’ we gave his mother, Flora, for a gift one Christmas.  Sapsucker on Rock, it was called. I think she kindly displayed it for a season. When we went through things after her death, we found it carefully wrapped up in the basement. 🙂

Now we were done touring the countryside and it was time to come home.  I had made a fresh strawberry pie early that morning, a real kochen-coup, considering I don’t have a proper pastry blender or pie pan!  So, we came back to our flat and ate pie and talked for several more hours!

I can’t imagine what could top this, but stay tuned, you never know!  Next week we are off to Vienna for some meetings, so I won’t be posting quite so regularly!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

 

Into the woods…

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in search of the White-backed Woodpecker.  Lest this sound like a snipe hunt, let me assure you that such a bird does indeed exist and we found it! We never would have seen it had it not been for our new friends Sebastian, Christian and Franz.

Whitebacked Woodpecker

Let me start at the beginning!  Shortly after we moved into our flat, we noticed an odd set of buildings just behind the Villa.  We could see a building that looked something like an office but behind it was a covered fence.  People seemed to be at this building most of the day, on weekends, sometimes at night.  Occasionally, we could hear hammering!  We discovered a sign outside “Wildtiere in Not” or wildlife in danger/great distress.  (You see the word Not also on trams, buses, and airplanes, by the emergency exits and emergency stopping devices.)

Eventually, internet sleuthing led me to a webpage and from there to a contact email, which I utilized to inquire what was going on behind us!  I mentioned that we would be interested in seeing the rehabilitation facility, and if they were building an aviary, that we were very interested in birds!

Weeks went by.  Then,  I received an email from Sebastian, who had been forwarded the email.  Turns out he is a lifelong birder, bands birds for the rehabilitation center, and would be willing to take us birding.   The email arrived at an especially busy time for us, so I set it aside for later reply.  We eventually were walking again on the Roseggerweg, the path behind the villa named (we presume) for the famous Styrian author Peter Rosesegger, and ran into two people trying to capture a crow that was hopping around on top of cars parked at Wildtiere in Not.   They were the coordinators of the project and invited us in!  While we were there, Sebastian called and we had a nice conversation.

A week later, he called to invite us to go birdwatching with him and his friend Christian.  We accepted right away!  So, last Friday, we got up before the crack of dawn — you know birdwatchers like to start at a time everyone else thinks is crazy early — so we could walk down to Karl Franz U. to meet Sebastian and Christian at 7 a.m.

When Sebastian said he was a life-long birder, I was prepared for someone in his 40’s at least.  I think Sebastian might be 30, if that.  He’s studying biology, with specialization in avian biology, at KFU, part-time and has to be one of the most knowledgeable birders I’ve ever met!  The others being Franz and Christian, who were retired, and also life-long birders.  Sebastian speaks almost perfect English, knows all the English names for the Austrian birds, (was using the same bird guide we had) and knows all about New World birds as well!

Sebastian and his scope

 

We climbed into Christian’s car along with Sebastian and Franz and off we went to the Hochschwab area, north of Graz.

Map of the area of the Hochschwab (A) - click to enlarge

We drove up through Bruck an der Mur, the steel town of Kapfenberg, and through sleepy little villages and farm towns.  The day was warm, clear, and the scenery was incredibly beautiful! This was our first up close and personal view of the Styrian countryside, other than from a train window!

This is the Hochschwab

We spent quite a while seeing lots of other birds — most of which were new to us — before we headed to the woods.  That’s typical birding.  It takes an hour to walk half a kilometer!  We were lovin’ it!

Franz, Bill and Christian

 

Here's one! Might have been the Green Finch!

 

The compact Leicas we brought with us are not too bad, but I was really wishing for our good ol’ Zeiss 10 x 40’s, left behind to conserve weight.  Fortunately, we had two scopes with us courtesy of Sebastian and Christian!

the woods

The woods where we were looking for the White-backed Woodpecker was an old stand of mixed beech and spruce.  The w.b.woodpecker is one of the rarer woodpeckers for Styria.  It prefers the older growth forests and eats wood-boring beetles. (Hey, we need it in W. Montana!). It requires areas that are undisturbed by forestry operations, so is greatly threatened.   Woods here are mostly private woods, but are open for anyone to go into.  (Hunters of course must ask permission, but bird watchers are welcome!)  We walked quietly, listened and looked for quite a while.  We saw and heard a lot of other woodpeckers – the more common Great Spotted – but no White-backed!

Fortunately, there is always a lot to see when you are out in the woods.  The wildflowers were just emerging.  The woods were full of these!

Schneerose - first of wildflowers after the snow melts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill was particularly interested in the deposits of gravel all over the woods.  You can see the gravel in the photo above, as white patches.   These were deposits from avalanche chutes!  There were whole sections of the area ploughed up by avalanches!  We heard several smaller ones while we were in the area, and saw numerous rock and snow slides!

 

remains of an avalance – white stuff is gravel

There were many wildflowers to look at while we were waiting for the woodpecker to appear!

 

carpet of Schneerose

 

Franz called this a horse hoof

this was a very small blue flower he picked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we decided the woodpecker was too shy for visitors today and turned to go.  As we picked our way through the debris and flowers, we heard the ping-pong ball-like drumming that is typical for the White-backed.  Sebastian imitated the call, and pretty soon, into view it came!  Mission accomplished.  Only we weren’t done yet!

Our new friends decided that we should look next for the Golden Eagle nests, located on the other side of the Hochschwab.  There ensued a discussion of whether we should take the road OVER the mountain or if it would be better to drive around to the other side.  Early spring = probable snow and road impassability.   Around (and not over) it was!

The area where we were birding is one of the primary sources for drinking water not only for Graz but also for Vienna.  Water is collected here and piped, to supplement (at least in Graz) the municipal wells in the city.  The water in Graz is delicious and safe to drink!

(notice the sign below!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The broad meadow between the car and the woods

 

So.  Back through the picturesque villages to Kapfenberg and around to the other side of the mountain we went. But not before we viewed a Gämser on the rocky cliffs of the Hochschwab.  Pretty soon we could see a whole herd of them, spooked by some hikers up on one of the snowfields.

if you look closely you can see the paths of a small snow slides

Gämsers are like a cross between what we call pronghorns or antelope and sheep.  They are incredibly agile on the mountainous slopes!  We were excited to see our first large mammals in Austria.  There are also deer, red deer (more like our elk), and others.  No bears, no wolves.

At the next area, there was a small stream, and a beautiful lake that appeared to be fed by springs in the area.  This is where we ate lunch.

 

lake at the second stop

 

eating lunch by the small lake

 

 

water trough next to spring fed lake - Franz drank from it. Bill was more cautious!

 

 

small stream near second stop

 

We managed to get a good look at the Gold Crest which is the smallest of European birds.  It is a cousin to our Ruby Crowned Kinglet.

 

Gold Crest

if you squint you can see the gold crest on its forehead

 

The wildflowers in this area were equally stunning!  Erika was the new one….used here frequently to decorate graves.

 

Erika

 

 

lake with Erika blooming on other side

 

Bill was more intersted in the FISH!

 

Really!

This whole area reminded us of northern Florida, with its extensive limestone-formed springs.  In fact, the geology of this Styrian area is replete with limestone!

We walked further in toward the cliffs of the Hochschwab, passing another stream along the way.

 

one of the few unchannelized streams we've seen

And finally to the Grünersee (Green Sea) which is another spring-and-snow-melt-fed body of water.  It was at its low point, but if you look here, you can see why it is of special interest especially at maximum snowmelt.  This is definitely worth a trip back in May or June!

 

Grunersee at its low point

Franz and Christian were disappointed that we couldn’t see the ‘see’ at its maximum, and kept apologizing but there was nothing to apologize for.  Every bit of what we were seeing was simply eye candy!

In the summer, the high meadows, called alms will be filled with sweet grass, and farmers will lead their dairy cows upward to feed.  You can take a gondola up to the top or near the top, and hike along to these alms, where there is invariably a small hut offering at least cheese, and sometimes fresh yoghurt, cake, or…..beer!  We encountered these delightful oases of hospitality in Switzerland when we were there in 2005, and we look forward to trying the Austrian version!

 

Alms - see the sign?

 

Oh, and what about the Golden Eagles?  We looked for at least a half an hour at the cliffs, not seeing any nests, but observing plenty of other avian species – peregrine, common buzzards (which are like our red-tail hawk), ravens, all enjoying riding the updrafts of the high mountain.

Once again we started toward the car, defeated in our specific quest, but not dismayed.  However, Franz, who has the – ahem – eagle eye, called us back.  He had spotted two golden eagles soaring high above the towering peaks.  They were specks in the sky, but with the scopes we could see the unmistakable size and configuration of their feather tips.

Christian said of Franz and Sebastian that these are the best birders in all of Styria, maybe in Austria – the old(er) and the young!  We felt so honored to be with them!

Our day was not yet over.  Sebastian needed to visit the place which first brought us into contact: the Wildtiere in Not in order to band (in Austria, it is called ‘ringing’) several rehabilitating birds.

 

first up was a Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

This bird had had an unfortunate run in with an auto, and probably injured in the head, as the rest of the body and wings seemed intact.  The balance was a little off.  I was thinking here of my friend, Kate Davis, who has taken in so many birds at her Raptor Ranch.  Most of the birds (and animals – rabbits, and bats, mostly) at Wildtiere in Not will be released, if they are sufficiently rehabilitated.  The center has numerous folks and some students from the biology department of KFU who volunteer their time.

 

Sebastian with Hawfinch at Wildtier im Not

releasing the Hawfinch into the aviary for further rehabilitation

 

 

additional aviary at Wildtiere in Not

 

It was absolutely refreshing to be in the company of people who not only pursue birds for their lifelist but also who bring their passion for birds into caring for them in ways that are life-giving.  I am pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming.

Again, gratitude abounds!

 

 

Taking it slowly

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Barbara Brown Taylor, in An Altar in the World,  has quite a lot to say about walking as a spiritual practice. ( I really commend the entire book to you.)  Recently, something she wrote resonated with me: “Jesus walked a lot, and not only during the last week of his life.  If Jesus had driven a car, instead, it is difficult to imagine how that might have changed his impact.  Surely someone could have loaned him a fast horse.  Instead, he walked everywhere he went.  This gave him time to see things….If he had been moving more quickly—even to reach more people—these things might have become a blur to him.  Because he was moving slowly, they came into focus for him, just as he came into focus for them.”

As we have settled into Graz, and settled into the Lenten season, we have been walking everywhere.  Sometimes we take the tram, but even to get to the tram or from the tram’s stopping point to our destination, we must walk. Nonetheless, even though we walk we are usually heading somewhere – to find a store, a concert, to work.    Last week, I decided to slow it down even more by spending the morning walking in a specific area of Graz, not only letting my feet wander but also moving slowly along the way, and observing what came into focus.

I boarded the tram #1 heading in the opposite direction from our usual route, that is,  towards the end of the line, where the bascillica of Mariatrost (Mary of Consolation) stands watch.  (This is the same large church we can see from our walking path near our flat.) There weren’t so many of us onboard, and even the tram moved slowly through the tiny clusters of houses, apartment buildings and parks.  There is one section where the road disappears entirely, and there is only grass on each side of the one-tram-at-a-time track.  Riding with me were a mother and her preschool age child, an older couple, a young woman with magenta streaks through her hair,  a man who might have been developmentally delayed and a few others.  Going slowly, you have time to consider the marvelous and diverse weave of humanity’s fabric.

Mariatrost lies at the very end of Line 1, where the tram turns around to head back into ‘downtown’ Graz.  Getting off, I could see the church in the distance but first there was a path, so the feet followed that.

the turnaround for Line 1

As I rounded the station house, a small collection of shops came into view and invited me on.

a hair salon

a first & second-hand store for children's items

Believe it or not, these were all things I had been wondering about since we arrived in Graz – where to get a hair cut, where I might find some baby items, where there might be a reliable butcher!  Who knew these very shops would be waiting?

Going into the Schlecker, I discovered two items we had been seeking – a squeegie for the shower walls and anti-tick spray!  The clerk  understood my request for the latter and helped me find it.

a 'schlecker' or what we would call a drug store in the US (no pharmacy)

 

a butcher's shop

 

With no other buildings in view, I turned toward the Purberg (literally “pure mountain”) that holds Mariatrost.   I passed a house that appeared to be a day-center of some kind.  (Later I learned it was Mariatrost Haus, a nursing care facility and day-center for people who have mental illness and/or mental disability.)  The man who was riding the tram with me earlier was there!

The way to Mariatrost is all uphill, and it is said that climbing the 213 steps themselves represent a sort of pilgrimage.

eine kleine Wallfahrt

I took my time (the steps are arranged in groups of 10 and are easily managed), pausing with each decade of steps to reverently consider specific situations in the world and in my life.  These are some ‘thoughts’ I observed along the way.

statue honoring Joseph - how do we 'honor' the elderly and children today?

some of the first wildflowers of the season - where do we see beauty?

snail on the steps - ah! another slow mover! What triggers my impatience?

 

"the hand of the angel points the way into the heart of the world"

die Engel. Who points the way for you?

 

shadows - where we all must go if we are to appreciate the light

old stones - if they spoke, would we listen?

 

old wall with grotto - what are the walls we erect?

 

an open door at the Mariatrost - (with post office box in case the usual forms of communication don't work? 🙂

I think the post office box is actually a sign of how huge a destination Mariatrost must be.  Today, though, there was no one else around.

the plaza - Mariatrostplatz with shops (closed for now)-w.w.j.say?

 

view from the top - looking West

"Here is my place" - one of the few places dogs are not invited in!

waterfountain with bowl for dogs Mariatrost - but they are cared for!

detail of fountain

Water is Life! Indeed.

 

Mariatrost is a baroque building (begun in 1714 and finished over a 10 year period) but like so many in Graz, has Gothic roots.  There was once both a Pauline Monastery and a Franciscan order  here.  The latter left in the 1990’s.  The church is celebrating their 225th year of being a parish!  It is the second most important Marian shrine in Styria, after the Mariazell Basilica.

Compared to the very simple way up the steps, the inside of the church is either a tribute to or a riot of baroque, depending on how you view it.  Still, a peacefulness was present.  Here are some photos of the inside.

entering Mariatrost

light streams in

detail of ceiling fresco - Mariatrost

Hauptaltar Mariatrost - the Madonna statue is Gothic

side altar Mariatrost - the stone work on the pillars is luminous!

 

the organ loft and entrance to Mariatrost

sacred bones

detail of pulpit Mariatrost

The word of God…choose a scripture from the basket and read it

I appreciated this interactive part of the church.  My scripture was John 3:18.

painting of St. Francis

 

confessional - this one was 'staffed' by a Benedictine, or so the sign said.

grotto of Lourdes at Mariatrost

This was a well used replica of the Grotto of Lourdes.   A lovely place to pray.

The fruit of stillness is prayer....

 

I sat for quite a while in the sanctuary of the church.  So long that the noon bells started to ring.  Maybe you would like to hear them, too!

Bells

With that, it felt like it was time to wander home again.  Out the door to gaze once more on the beautiful hills and countryside.

 

farm fields - what is our daily bread?

 

And back once again to the tram station, where ‘relics’ of transportation are displayed in the Museum.

the Tram Museum at the end of the line

 

It was one of the first days I’d experienced with absolutely no planned agenda:  no forms to fill out to take to an agency,  no shopping or laundry to do, no monument or other attraction to view, no meetings or concerts, no place I had to be.   How beautiful is the gift of spaciousness!  I’m grateful.

Chestnuts, books and more music

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If you are wondering why no blog entries for a while, we were grossly preoccupied the last few weeks trying to figure out what to do over the Austrian University System Spring Break, which is coming up mid-April to the end of April. Yes, it is for 2 weeks, only we don’t have all that time available to us because of a previously scheduled Fulbright meeting elsewhere in Austria. After much reading and trying to wend our way through the maze of German and Spanish websites (sorry IE and Google, your browsers definitely do NOT translate everything and Firefox, not at all!) we finally decided on 6 nights in Spain, in the Andalucía area (southern Spain).  We will let you know how this turns out since we realized after we had booked the flight that this was over part of Semana Santa (Holy Week) which is a BIG DEAL in Spain.  Researching the options at the local bookstore was delightful, actually, and we were very glad to see that this giant bookstore in Graz was very crowded! Literacy (and the non-electronic kind, too) rules!

 

Moser Buchhandlung (literally Bookhandler) - even soft chairs for browsing!

 

Dogs go everywhere in Austria. Did I mention that before?

I wonder what he wants to read? He's in the wrong section for puppy training!

 

There was also a great kids’ section (with even a kids’ play area), but don’t tell Amy and David I went there I was never there. Also a cafe where you could also read and enjoy a treat.  I wonder where Barnes and Noble got their ideas?

We popped into a few other stores on Herrengasse, which has the most expensive storefronts in Graz.  Also the coolest at which to window shop.   (those shoes a while back?  On Herrengasse)

I bought a packet of gift cards for way too much money in a Paper Store, which is the oldest one of its kind in Graz. But I was pleased because I did the entire transaction auf Deutsch.  I think the lone clerk there was being too kind.

 

the oldest paper store in Graz

We also learned there that it is good etiquette not to bring your wet umbrella into a store and drip it all over the counter or floor.  Receptacles by the doors are placed there for that reason, bitte.

My favorite storefront, after the shoes, is this one:

ready for Easter! I don't think they are Fabergé eggs but I do want to check more closely! Not sure I can say 'just looking' in German!

 

On St. Patrick’s Day we tried to celebrate.  I couldn’t find corned beef in Graz, although all the ingredients for Irish Soda Bread were at hand.   There are actually 3 Irish Bars in Graz, each one claiming to be ‘authentic’.  We found all three, but by the time we arrived, others with the same idea had been there for hours already.  They were packed, smokey and loud.  And the beer was green.

 

the crowd outside the bar on St. Patrick's Day- even more inside!

another bar, with outside seating on the plaza--a little too cool for us and no food!

 

Foregoing the idea of celebrating the wearing o’ the green, we walked around looking for somewhere interesting to eat.  Graz has a huge network of small streets, courtyards and plazas.  We passed by the Glockenspiel and found the characters were performing!

 

Dancers dancing at 6 PM

 

Of all places, we ended up at a Mexican restaurant, eating shrimp in mole sauce, and fajitas, drinking Czech beer.

 

 

 

Tijuana Restaurant - Menu in German, though

 

Last Sunday, March 20, we took ourselves to yet another beautiful musical event.  This one was in the Stadtpfarrkirche, one of the first churches I mentioned in previous blogs.  (It’s the one with the stained glass windows that include as Jesus’ tormentors Hitler and Mussolini.)

The event was the Graz Opera Youth Choir/Singing School (Graz Oper Singschul’ ) singing the Stabat Mater accompanied by ‘original’ instruments.  We can’t decide which was the more transporting sound:  the timbre of the baroque violone (which is a double bass) and violin-cellos or the sweet, pure voices of the teenagers and younger children singing.  Have a listen and you decide:

Instrumental introduction to Stabat Mater

Singschul’s first bars of singing the Stabat Mater

 

Unfortunately, this was not the night to discover I’d left the memory card in the computer!  BIG mistake!

 

Singschul' for Oper Graz

the children were very attentive to the tuning of the 6 instruments, all individually tuned

 

 

Near the church, just off Jakominiplatz, is a stand that sells chestnuts, or in German, Maroni.  You see these stands all over the city.  Chestnuts roasting on almost an open fire, drum,15 to 20 Euro cents a chestnut.  We ran into two fellows who were from Canada, living in Graz for 2 years now.  They figured only a tourista would be taking photos of a Maroni Stand and struck up a conversation!

 

 

The Maroni Stand (no angels or visions here)

 

 

Want to know what else Austrians do with Maroni?  Here is what:

 

 

Kastanienoberg Torte

 

This little slice of heaven had a chestnut -whipped cream filling over a dense cake of something – maybe ground chestnuts – and was topped by a delicious dark chocolate with just a hint of something alcoholic.  We imbibed at the same restaurant (Hauserl im Wald) that’s become our destination on Sunday strolls.  This was the first dessert we’ve tried there, and at this rate, we are going to have to walk a lot farther!

Maybe even over to Mariatrost, which would be quite the hike!  It was lovely bathed in the late afternoon light.

 

Mariatrost

More on Mariatrost in a future blog!  Stay tuned, and Vielen Dank for reading!

 

 

 

 

A little bit of musical heaven, definitely not singin’ the blues

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I didn’t think it was possible to experience more musical delights in one week, but we did!

Late last week (the week of March 7) we finally connected with the folks we had met on the trail (see this post) a few weeks back.  Christina had been trying to reach me via phone but because we hadn’t really learned these new phones yet, we were a) unaware we had received calls and b)couldn’t retrieve a voice mail message at all.  So, after taking ourselves back to the phone store and finding the same clerk who helped us before, we managed to install a system for voice mail.  I hope that after the rapidGermanthatIcannotunderstand finishes, I can just enter my pin and listen!  Texting (or SMSing here in Europe) is infinitely more reliable, once you figure out how to do it! (my adult children can stop rolling their eyes, now!)

Christina and Gernot invited us to a concert in, she said, “the church near the school where I teach.”   She said some of her students and former students would be performing.  We were thinking, ‘kids’ choir concert’ but we were so wrong and completely blown away by what we encountered! (side note:  Concerts happen in churches all the time here in Europe.  When we were in Prague in the mid-90’s, there were at least 2 or 3 different concerts a day in various churches — all open to the public usually for a small fee. Here, they tend to be more formal and people dress up!)

They picked us up near the corner market (how to tell someone where we live?) and we drove about 20 km east of Graz on winding, narrow back roads to the charming town of Nestelbach bei Graz.

 

location of Nestelbach bei Graz (‘by Graz’)–purple pin is Nestelbach

It was apparent right from the start that this was no small ‘kids concert’ because right away, even though we had arrived 1/2 hour early, there was NO PLACE to park!  (note:  in Austria, there are very few parking lots; you have to find a place on the street, usually, and in big cities like Graz, you must put two of the wheels up onto the sidewalk if you don’t want your car to get clipped by a tram!)  And as we walked into the church, there was also NO PLACE to sit.  Ahh, but Christina’s friend (a mom of a student) had, without being asked, saved us seats.  What seats they were!  We were about 3 rows back from the front and we felt like we were sitting IN the orchestra.  Yes, full orchestra!  Behind them, after the beginning instrumental piece, the choral group – about 30 singers, mostly adults but some youth and one little girl (10 years old) – filed in.

 

the church in Nestelbach bei Graz - built 1678 ('neu' by Austrian standards!)

What proceeded, after the Allegro in G by Vivaldi, was an amazing concert of alterations of readings from the Bible (creation through the passion, resurrection and ascension of Christ) and choral (satb) or instrumental works.  The very first choral piece was the Gloria from Vivaldi (yes! another point of familiarity!).  These people were not professionals:  mostly it was the church choir and church members, with some students from the university community.  14 pieces in all, mostly choral but the orchestra played on every one.  Absolutely impressive and sung and performed from the heart.    The Austrian audience very respectfully did not clap until the end, but when the last note was sung in the Benedictus, there was uproarious applause, so much so that the groups performed 3 encores!

 

the orchestra standing at the end; Mag. Hubert Stoppacher, Chorleiter, on the left (glasses).

The choir leader has had no ‘formal’ training as a conductor.  He reads music and he put together the entire program, re-arranging some of the pieces for his groups, and published a 9-page glossy program with photos to accompany the text of the songs. It’s title was “es werde Licht!” or “Let there be Light!”  The groups had been working on this for about 5 months, and it is something they do each year, especially during Lent.  This was the second of two performances this weekend.   Is there something in the leitungswasser (tap water) that leads to such musical talent in this small country? If so, it is time to drink up!

 

 

more orchestra

 

the choir

 

these folks had the BEST seats! (actually I think they stood for most of it!)

Afterward, there was a reception in the parish hall, with beer, wine, water, Pfirsich-Nektar (peach nectar, right from the orchard up the street), sandwiches and some kind of sweet bread shaped like a treble clef.  Am I in music heaven or what?  Bill and Gernot chatted (we found out he is some kind of sound engineer working with the Austrian highway department — you know those walls you often see separating the interstates from residential areas?  That’s what he designs!)  and I went with Christina as she met all the other people in the room, or so it seemed.  I tried a little German and they tried a lot of English!  We laughed and smiled, and it was just a ‘super’ time!  It was clear she is a much beloved teacher and the feeling between her, her students or former students, and their families is mutual.

At the Fulbright Orientation in Vienna, the program’s director mentioned that Austrians tend to appear outwardly ‘gruff’ but once you got to know them, they are delightfully warm and hospitable.  As we’ve walked around Graz, we have noticed that.  Most people do not look you in the eye or if they do, they rarely smile or speak even if you speak to them.    Bill is sure that is just ‘big city’ culture but this Montana girl was starting to feel a little discouraged, after so many smiles and Grüss gott’s were not returned.

After our visit to Nestelbach bei Graz, it was like the world had changed!  We felt such joy at being with the people there!  In the program notes, the director wrote about this time of Lent being thought of as morose and shadowy.  While he wanted to present a contemplative program, he did not want to ‘sing the blues’.  And after that night, we couldn’t agree more!