Tag Archives: Graz

More Music, this time in Graz

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We’ve experienced three out of four seasons in Graz.  When we arrived, at the end of February, it was still winter.  Snow thinly blanketed our hill and road, although there was none in the city.   It was cold, and we needed every bit of the winter clothing we brought with us, including the snow boots.  Freeze and thaw brought on mud season.  Spiritually, it’s a rich time; literally, it was awful keeping the flat clean from all that mud and dirt!

 

How quickly that changed in  mid to late March, when suddenly buds starting popping and patches of green took over the space outside.  Why is it we are always so surprised by Spring’s appearance?  Buds gave way to flowers, which have stayed with us progressively as the weeks have passed.  There is always something blooming in the woods, here.  It’s one of the sensory things I will miss about Graz—the smell of these woods.  It brings back memories of those early formative years when I galloped with my chums through the deciduous, creekside woods near my childhood home.

 

Now it’s summer. The birds are still singing outside our windows, and some are on their second or third broods.   Buildings sport colorful hanging flower baskets and boxes; plaza plantings have filled out from their early tentative beginnings and it’s hot!  We won’t be here for Autumn, which we are certain will be just as glorious.  But we experienced the Four Seasons, nevertheless, in a musical performance on Tuesday, June 28.

 

Our friends, Christina and Gernot, are part of the Verein Sakrale Musik Graz-Mariatrost, a choir about 80-strong, which sings at the Bascilica several times a year and in other parishes as well.  The choir is celebrating its 25th year and for this celebration, as well as the 225th birthday of the Maria-Trost parish, they performed Haydn’s Four Seasons.  The three soloists, choir and orchestra soared! We had the German libretto to follow the lyrics, but it really wasn’t all that necessary, as the music itself is such a great ‘tone poem’ of the cycle of life.

the plaza at Mariatrost before the concert of the 4 Seasons (Haydn)

 

always a beautiful view from Maria-Trost

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gernot and Christina before the concert

 

 

the choir and orchestra after the concert

 

the altos with angel! Christina Aigner-3rd row

Gernot Aigner (dark hair with beard)-top row

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the soloists

Sommer Spaziergang

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We are at the height of summer now in Graz.  It’s hot in the days (high 70’s to mid-80’s), and often humid.   Colorful flowers adorn all the plazas and hang over the balconies of the buildings.  Thunderstorms appear frequently in the late afternoon or evening, sometimes accompanied by hail!  Still, most days are glorious with bright blue sky and sunshine.

 

 

We spent one day with ‘interesting skies’ (that is, looking like it might rain at any moment) walking around and seeing some of the sights of Graz we hadn’t really looked closely at yet.

 

Come along!

 

At the end of one of the downtown Graz passageways is the Landhaus.  It’s termed the ‘Renaissance Jewel’, one of the prime examples of secular high renaissance in central Europe. Created by/for the Protestant nobility, the Landhaus has a central courtyard with well.  The well is of cast bronze and dates from 1590.  The little statue is modern, although he kind of looks like Krampus‎.

 

The landhaus in Graz

 

 

love those Renaissance arches and decorations (downspout)

Walking away from the Landhaus, one soon comes to the River Mur.  Several bridges cross the river and most are bicycle-friendly.  We borrowed bikes in Graz but didn’t use them much, as it was difficult to get up and down our hill with the skinny tires and just as daunting to navigate the streetcar tracks!

 

In the middle of the Mur sits a curious feature – the Murinsel.    It’s on a floating island (but anchored), and is a restaurant accessible from either side.  It also features a performance area and playground for kids.

 

Crossing the Mur; the Murinsel

 

Here it is at night.

 

photo by: Taxiarchos228 from http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Graz_-_Murinsel1.jpg&filetimestamp=20110206172849

 

On the other side of the Mur is the Mariahilfekirche, a parish celebrating their 400th year of existence as a parish church, which places its origin at 1611!   The baroque church is also the home to the Franciscan Kloster – with a beautiful and playful courtyard and inside, the crypts of the Eggenberg family.  We often see brown-robed Franciscan brothers walking around the city.  The original Franciscans actually arrived in Graz around the 13th century.

 

crypts of the Eggenbergs, Mariahilfekirche outside, statue of St. Francis

 

Mariahilfekirche courtyard, plaza with schlossberg in the background, interior of church

Not far from Mariahilfe is Graz’ modern art museum, the Kunsthaus.  It was dedicated  in 2003, as part of the activities when Graz was the European Capital of Culture.   The Murinsel also dates from that time.  Unfortunately, we will miss the opening of the Ai Weiwei exhibition in September 2011 !

 

The Kunsthaus, and Jakominiplatz at the height of summer

 

 

Graz is a really walkable city.  We’ve trekked all over the downtown area and through the university areas, plus our around where we live.  We’re still finding out about other parts of town.  Our friends, Gernot and Christina, walked us to dinner the other night – for about an hour and a half!   We met them at Jakominiplatz (downtown), went through the city park, with its fabulous fountain, and sweet smelling trees, past the university stadium (where a sports fest was going on—it lasted until 4:30 am the next morning).  We ended up, actually, more on our side of town, at a semi-rural gasthaus known for great beer and Styrian backhandl.  Then we walked home.  I hope all this walking will counteract the food and the beer!  We don’t have much time left to enjoy it!

 

In Grazerstadtpark: fountain, trees, and monument to Kepler's planetengesetze (planetary laws); also a large tree on our trek to the restaurant (upper right)

 

A small hike: nach/aus der Schöckl

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On our 2005 trip to Switzerland, we discovered the joys of ‘civilized’ hiking! By that, we mean, a ride to the top of a mountain via a funicular or gondola, and hiking around, to the next valley and down another train …. but not before wandering across a quaint hut selling yoghurt or absolutely the freshest cheese imaginable, or coming ‘round the bend to find a full-scale restaurant, or sitting down to peach cake and beer in a guesthouse plopped right in the middle of a meadow.

 

valley with huts in Switzerland

Friends here in Austria had told us of places like this in Austria (that is, in most of the country) where huts for food and resting were available in the alms (or meadows) of the high peaks. (Hiking ways and guesthouses are also available in the areas that are necessarily mountainous.) We had hoped to be able to do a real trek to one of these higher destinations, or between several, but have simply run out of time!  So, one weekend, we did the next best thing:  we went to the Schöckl, a popular recreational peak 1400 m. above sea level, and about a half-hour away from Graz (ele. 365 m.).  It is known, somewhat jokingly, as Graz’ ‘Hausberg’.

 

the Schöckl from a distance

 

If really good maps of the area exist we couldn’t find any, but downloaded something from the internet.  Our plan was to take the funicular up and hike down. After a bus ride from Graz to St. Radegund bei Graz, we found ourselves at the funicular station.  Everyone disembarked and immediately headed to the bakery counter in the lobby where they loaded up on honey buns and cinnamon rolls.  We decided to wait to get something at the top!

 

Three restaurants appeared at the top along with a playground, a bobsled-like ride, communication towers, and gorgeous scenery.   We figured we’d hike around the top and then try to find the correct route down.  There were several routes – one basically straight down, and others that ran more around the mountain.  The latter is what we were aiming for – not too steep but not too long a hike, either, plus we wanted to end up in the same town where we started.

 

 

the tram station at the top of the Schockl, playground on the edge, the toboggan run, hut

 

 

two Germans we met on the bus; one of three restaurants at the top, communications tower

 

wildflowers everywhere

 

At the top we found a curious structure, a wooden platform of some kind.  We asked some other hikers about this (auf Deutsch) and they explained (in English) that it was the take-off platform for the hang-gliders.  Now that we know something about, except if this were in the US, it would be surrounded with big “danger” signs, or maybe a locked fence.  We could hardly believe how close some of the hikers (and their children) came to the edge!

 

 

take-off point for the hang-gliders, the view

 

We struck up a conversation with the men.  As with every Austrian we have met, they were interested in what we were doing here, (assuming we were on holiday). We, of course, were interested right back in finding out about them! They wondered if we wanted to have a bite to eat or drink in one of the small seasonal huts.  Naturlich! This hut was not an ‘established’ restaurant, but the family who ran it had permission to operate because they also summered their cattle on the mountain.

 

Florian and his dad, Rudolf; flowers; cross at top of mountain

 

We shared the table with the people already inside, who were having cold ‘buschenshank’ type food, or toasts, or cake.  Our new friends ordered hot tea with schnapps, which was another new experience for us!

 

little hut, inside, outdoor restroom (notice how brown is the tree!)

 

At the end of our snack, Florian and Rudolf asked if we wanted to walk down with them and catch a ride back to Graz.  It was, they said, only a hike of about 1 ½ hours. (point to note:  these men were quite physically fit!)  For most of the way, it was basically straight down, over rocky terrain, or through woods.

 

these were not dairy cows; heading down, looking up

 

 

I am not sure we ever would have found whatever trail we had intended to take, as there were a lot of signs pointing in many directions, but to us, the numbering system was not all that clear.   On the way down, we had a great discussion of Austrian and US politics, school systems, and the general state of affairs in the world.  Both Florian and his dad were articulate and well-traveled, with a good deal of knowledge of current events beyond their own borders!  We find this often in Europe and wonder how many Americans can claim the same?  We learned more about how the forests in Austria are managed:  and that while there is ‘state’ ownership, a great deal is privately owned, by individual farmers, or ‘clubs’ and the Roman Catholic church!  This conversation was also great because it took my mind off the fact that my left big toe was being hammered against my hiking boot.  (yes, I am going to lose the nail, now. Time for new hiking boots!)

 

and down....a 'club' guesthouse, flowers

 

Our flat was on the way to theirs but the first stop was a rural guesthouse not too far from us, that we didn’t know existed.  It was Father’s Day in Austria (a week before the USA celebration of the same) so they stopped to pick up some “to-go” desserts from the guesthouse bakery.  Naturally we had to do the same!  The best part of that?  The warm vanilla cream sauce sent home in a jar!  Most often you see vanilliesauce served with apfelstrudel, but they gave us so much we ended up using for days on every possible food we ate!

 

looking down one of the valleys; flowers at the end, by the car

 

One of the pleasures of our Austrian sojourn has been seeing the beautiful scenery – the villages tucked away in lush valleys and surrounded by towering peaks.  But even more memorable are the connections we’ve made – heart to heart and mind to mind – and the generous, spontaneous hospitality of the Austrian people.

 

I hope that one day, as Arnold said, ‘we’ll be back.’

Tale of Two M’s

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You’ve heard of 3 M?  Welcome to Austria and home of the 4Ms.  We’re not talking tape here, but rather the four ‘biggies’ in the formation and culture of Austria:  Mountains, Music, Mozart, and Maria Theresia.  Last week brought an opportunity to experience two of those M’s first hand:  Music and Mozart.

The two experiences could not have been more different:  an 18th century opera given an ultra-modern treatment in a 19th century hall, and mostly distinctly North American music from the 19th and 20th centuries performed in classical style, with a twist, in the most modern of buildings.

We had high hopes when we booked tickets for Don Giovanni.  I have loved the music of Don Giovanni ever since I played, as a child, the Minuet in G from John Thompson’s Piano Music Book 2!  We were going to an opera in a city that is filled with great musicians and culture.  We dressed up but not too much.  After all, to reach the streetcar we have to hike down the mostly dirt road which is thawing turning into a mudmire more and more every day as spring approaches.  So high heels no heels for me!    And although we are not so uncivilized to expect plays and opera to be performed in their ‘original’ version, we were not quite prepared for this über modern version!  (I have heard, by the way, that über is over-used (no pun intended) but since I am actually in a Deutsch-speaking country, it’s appropriate here!)

But first the opera house!  For an outside view, see the post of Exploring Downtown Graz.  Built in the last years of the 19th century, the house inside is a tribute to opulence grandeur!  It’s really what you might expect of a grand opera house in Europe.

 

This is what we saw as we entered the foyer

 

 

the grand staircase, up to the balcony and boxes

 

 

another view of the grand staircase

 

 

The stage awaits - sorry a little blurry, shooting without flash!

 

We were sitting in about the 9th row back, in the middle of the right side.  Great seats!

 

 

Box seats - one side of the theater. We're not at the Wilma, Dorothy.

 

 

The main chandelier in the theater. Phantom tickets? I think not!

So the orchestra was great.  The singing pretty great.  The baritone who played Don Giovanni was pretty uni-dimensional in his singing and his acting–disappointing.  The set and costuming something else—jarring even and yet very interesting conceptually.  The overall performance was just too much of the same thing (I found myself yawning!).  The designer cast the opera as a commentary on how we are prisoners of our passions: all of us, not just Don Giovanni.   Warning – some “R” rated clips! For a view into what we saw, look here but if you are under the age 16 and reading, best not to proceed.   The cast was all clad in shades of beige (women) and black (men) except for the rake himself–he had an embellished coat or wore a flower in his lapel.  The set was a table, and behind it, a prison.  Kudos to whomever put THAT together!  The biggest cheers came for the bass who played the Commandant, who spent at least 2/3 of the opera with his face in a soup plate.

Contrast that with our visit the next night to the Music and Music Theater’s ultra modern hall, the MUMUTH, for a performance of Witness, a narrated dance and choral music performance on slavery – yesterday and today.  It featured four stories of slavery: the triangular trade (US, Caribbean, Africa), the diary entries of the daughter of a plantation owner circa 1859, a 12-year old in present day India, and twins in present day Salzburg who decide to be Witnesses.   The music included pieces by Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Rhonda Polay, and spirituals (Keep Your Lamps Trimmed, Witness, Bobby McFerrin’s Psalm 23…).  The staging was exquisite – nothing fancy but the choir entered, dressed all in black, looking lost.  They were making a statement.  The completely a cappella singing was even more exquisite and not just because we understood all the words! 🙂  The dancers were high school age from the Youth Ballet of Graz .  As good as the performance was, the other star of the night was the MUMUTH building itself.

It was finished in 2009, designed by a Dutch architect.

 

MUMUTH being built - twisted steel and concrete, later add glass!

The inside is breathtaking.  We sat in the very back, almost right in front of the people doing the sound and lights.  Never heard a word from them! So professional!  The hall floor can be transformed at the touch into a flat row seating in an arena-style.
Controlled electronics can tailor the acoustics of the room for that performance – from jazz to opera.

the stage and walls

 

Here is MUMUTH’s ‘grand’ staircase.

grand staircase - to the right

 

 

other staircase - not sure what this was for, the singers and dancers were using it!

 

As at most musical functions we have been to, wine and other drinks are available at intermission (if there is one) or before the performance itself.

 

 

wine cart waiting for customers; ushers waiting to open the doors

 

 

the performers and narrator, receiving much deserved applause

 

 

But here is the coolest thing, bar none.  The whole building changes colors!  Watch, and see.  I’ve shot from both the inside and the outside.

 

green

red

 

 

blue

 

The designs on the windows  (above)  mirror the sound-changing designs on the interior walls of the concert hall.

Here is the outside:

 

 

Outside - red

 

outside - purple

outside blue

outside green

Honestly, I could have stood here forever watching the changes, but I was afraid of being run over by a BMW or Volkswagen.

And that was our night at the

 

This latter concert cost a fraction of the cost of the opera and we enjoyed it so much more!   Tonight we are invited by the folks we met along the trail to a concert in their church.  “Dress warm,” she said.  We know.

Until later and thanks for reading!  Grüss Gott!

 

 

Ethereal

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Ethereal.   That’s the only way to describe a cappella music sung in an ancient cathedral.

Ash Wednesday dawned bright and beautiful, although a little cool.   Nearly every Roman Catholic church in Graz offered an Ash Wednesday service but none of the Protestant (Evangelische Kirche) churches did.  We decided to attend the one offered in the Dom, the Cathedral in Graz, which seemed to feature a lot of music as well as the High Mass officiated by the bishop.  The Dom came into view as we passed by the entrance to the oldest part of the city, the Innere Stadt.

It was hard to get photos of the Cathedral in the fading light so I am using a few from the Graz Tourism office, as well as my own.

The Graz Dom or Cathedral, photo from the Tourism Bureau's files

The cathedral complex is really the main church which you can see here and a whole host of other buildings–the Mausoleum where Emperor Ferdinand II is laid to rest, a seminary (not sure if it is still used!) and side chapels.

The Cathedral was designed in late Gothic style in the 15th Century, and built under Frederick III.   It became the Court Church of the Holy Roman Emperor in 1786 when Graz was raised to the rank of a Cathedral and got its own Bishop.

Based on our experience in Munich on Christmas Eve at the Cathedral, when the church was packed, we arrived quite early, not knowing exactly how many people would be there.  Turns out it was just us, a few others and the choir, which was rehearsing.  Since I don’t make it a practice to record or photograph during worship, I was able to get some photos of the inside and outside of the church beforehand, as well as a video of a part of one of the songs being sung.

the organ and choir loft, in the back of the cathedral

This is especially for my organist friends, Alice, Jeff, and Nita.  Information about the organ:

“The present cathedral organ was built in 1978 by the Klais organ factory built. It is built on the 1687 Baroque west gallery. The cathedral organ has four manuals with original 70 registers in mechanical and electrical stop action; in 1998, a trumpet work with three registers were additionally installed. On summer Sundays there are regular organ recitals.” (from the church website)

What do you think, guys?

Most churches like this don’t turn lights on until just before the service begins (and I think the same goes for heat, if any, which I doubt! Can you imagine the cost to heat this huge space?)  So, no photos of the inside of the church, but for a view look here:

http://www.3dpanorama.at/gallery/dom_graz_panorama/dom_graz.htm

You can see the Gothic elements and then all the high baroque elements of this church.

The outside of the church was a little more accessible.

The Mausoleum

You can take tours of the Mausoleum which includes a trip up into the tower.  We will do this eventually!

 

 

close up of roof statues on Mausoleum

 

Plagues Picture

Originally, the cathedral originally had painted facades but these are now largely white, with some remnants of frescoes. Best known is “God’s plagues picture” on the south side of the nave (attributed to the painter Thomas from Villach) which refers to the year 1480, when Graz befell three plagues: plague, war and locusts.

There were some other interesting features in the outside walls, worth looking into at a later date.

Crucifixion Carving- I am guessing that is the Emperor and his Wife inserted into the scene.

 

other interesting carving - time for an art history course!

 

 

The West Portal of the Cathedral--still Gothic with beautiful carvings. No one uses this door! - my shot of this was a little out of focus due to fading light or perhaps just poor photography, so thank you once again, Graz Tourist Bureau!

 

And now here is the video of the choir singing part of the Miserere Mei by Rihards Dubra.

The text, from Psalm 51, which is traditionally read, sung or recited on Ash Wednesday.  Sorry for the talking of other people towards the end; even the Domkapellmeister was perturbed.  He uttered a loud ‘shhhh!’ at one point.

 

Miserere mei, Deus, qui dixit:

nolo mortem peccatoris,

sed ut convertatur et vivat

Miserere Mei, Deus.

(English translation of the Latin)

Have mercy on me, O God, who said:

I do not want death of the sinner,

but to be converted, and live

Have mercy on me, O God.

 

 

View Video

 

The church service was beautiful with lots of singing.   References to the scripture passages for Ash Wednesday were familiar and we could at least sing all the songs, since there was actually an order of worship provided, which included all the words.

Our next night’s musical experience was completely different!  More on that, to come!

 

 

Nach das Schloß : of castles and crystals

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The Schlossberg or city castle/fortress is the predominant visual point in Graz skyline.  Actually, there are two castles…the inner city castle and the Schloss Eggenberg, at the western edge of the city.  It was the Schlossberg we were heading toward on Saturday and is the feature you see on the banner photo of this blog.

To get there, though, you need to wind your way around the streets of old Graz.  The city dates back to 1128 or 1129 (first mention), achieving walled town status in 1230.  Graz was the imperial residence under Friedrich III in the mid-1400’s, so not only are there examples of Gothic architecture but numerous Renaissance and Baroque structures also.

one of the intersting buildings we passed - note the emblem of Styria above the door

The streets were filled with shoppers, families and street musicians.  Stores were having ‘sidewalk’ sales, winter clothes 1/2 -off!  (unfortunately that didn’t extend to the shoes and shoes are the coolest clothing item I’ve seen in Austria, so far!)

Hammered dulcimer player - I've never seen one busking before!

self-explanatory

 

We found the ‘Good Food Store’ of Graz!  I will probably never be able to find it again!

near as we could tell these are gluten free corn puffs!

Just before we headed up to road to the Schloß, we found another church.  This one was immediately captivating, being an Oases of Quiet!

an oases of quiet

The Stiegenkirche is actually one of the oldest churches in Graz, dating back to 1343.  It’s known chiefly as a church for students.  How very different its interior was from the Stadtpfarrkirche!  And interesting access, up two whole flight of steps!

totally modernistic inside!

with some beautiful old elements preserved

Graz has more courtyards than almost any city in Austria.  Not all of them are accessible.  This one dates back to 1630.

 

So, finally we find the way up to the Schloß.

 

it's uphill all the way!

It’s a steep incline all the way up!  And this is the easy route!

layout of the schloß area--it is actually quite forested all the way up and also on top!

It is a beautiful day for a walk!

old gutter system, castle fortifications on right

There are actually apartments on the road up to the Castle!

How would you like to have this address?

Once you get to the top, the views just get better and better.  The castle itself is pretty much gone…only a few elements remain, but now it is a wonderful venue for walking, sunning, eating (2 restaurants) and enjoying the view (through the haze).

view from the castle, looking east. Just left of the middle of the photo, you can see the faraway spires of the Mariatrost church sticking up. That's the general direction of our place!

 

great place to catch some rays and some zzzz's

 

"fearless and faithful" (not sure exactly what this refers to....more research needed!)

the clock tower--28 meters high, it strikes the hour with precision, and since 1712. Originally it was a medieval defense tower, slightly remodeled in 1560.

The castle area is multi-level. We're up high looking down on park!

interesting tree in front of remaining bits of the original castle walls

more of the castle walls (brick part added later)

Of course, since we have a hydrogeologist here, we must have this next photo!  The Turkish Well was constructed from 1554-1558.  It’s a 94 meter hand dug well down to the groundwater of the Mur River, in order to be able to provide enough water during prolonged sieges.  The name, given in the 19th century, is said to be because there were Turkish prisoners digging it.

the Turkish Well

Up until 1787, there were four alarm cannons to warn the populace of approaching enemies and fires and housed in the armory of the castle.  They were called the “Four Evangelists”.  Oh dear.  What would Jesus say?

Cannons fell into French hands anyway, in 1809. So much for early warning. These are smaller cannons and ceremonial only. (I hope)

From the very highest point of the castle, the view is truly spectacular.  We’re looking down on the Murinsel, a floating ‘shell’ created by Vito Acconci (N.Y.), which links two sides of the Mur by footbridges.  Inside are a cafe and an amphitheater.

 

The Murinsel

The Bell Tower is the other really tall structure left of the castle and fort.  It dates back to the 11th century but has undergone some renovations and weathering!

 

The Bell Tower with St. Thomas Chapel

Graz has a lot of churches and it seems most of them have bells!  They ring at 7 AM, at Noon and at 6 PM—it is a gorgeous sound!

 

 

Area once for prisoners, now a concert venue!

 

Gardens are abundant in the several park areas on the Castle grounds.  Looks like spring is just beginning to arrive!

 

snowdrops!

everywhere, the same!

Water feature alert! The Great Well, actually a Cistern, was built between 1544 and 1547, contains 5 well shafts arranged in a circle and holding 900,000 litres of water.  Rainwater was ducted, filtered and collected by communicating well-shafts.  Today this serves as a stand-by water reservoir for fire-fighters.

The Great Well (Cistern)

The way down is infinitely easier and still beautiful.

 

Some surprises in the trees.  You know us, you have to know we have our binoculars with us AT ALL TIMES!

 

a blackbird

 

Hooded Crow

 

This is one of the best strollers we’ve seen!  We decided that if this were sold in the US, it’d never fly because the little step for standing on would be deemed too dangerous!

 

Before we reached the bottom, we came to a tunnel:  enter at your own risk.  We took the risk.  This is a passageway – a shortcut – underneath the castle/fort complex.  Now it houses the little railway one can take up to the top.  (What?? That’s ok, we needed the exercise after the huge Greek lunch we had had!)  It was constructed during World War II and could house up to 50,000 people during air-raids.  15% of the buildings in Graz were damaged or destroyed by bombing…not such a high percentage compared with some cities.  This has to be one of the most unique tunnels ever.  Mozart’s music playing all the way through!!!!

 

one of the side tunnels for waiting out the bombs

light at the end of the tunnel!

street musician, a harpist

As we emerged from the tunnel, we were greeted by yet another unique street musician, this time a harpist!  The little girl is giving her some money.  As I am snapping away, Bill says, “you are missing the real picture, turn around.”

And here is where we were…and yet another way to get up!

the stairs up to the schloss

And so, we made our way home but not before running into the iconographic Austrian store, Swavorski, maker of fine crystal. This has to be the only store I have ever seen with crystals embedded into the entrance doors!

 

Crystals absolutely everywhere!  Next time I will go inside!

That’s our day at the Schloss.  More adventures to come, I am sure.  Thanks, as always, for reading!

 

 

Exploring downtown Graz

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Finally, a more or less ‘free’ day came when we didn’t have particular tasks to accomplish, unless you count laundry, and grocery shopping as tasks—somehow these don’t seem nearly as burdensome when done outside one’s normal venue.

After laundry was finished and hung out on the clothes line over all the radiators and every available window hook, it was down the hill for us and onto the #1 trolley.  You can ride here for an hour for 1,90 euros –that’s a little more than $2.50 USD– getting on and off where you wish. If that seems expensive, then try buying petrol here.  We don’t have a car, so we don’t even know what fuel costs but guess it is plenty.  And we have seen absolutely KEIN (that’s nada, no, none) SUV’s anywhere in Austria.  Emphasis here is on efficiency and conservation.

The trolleys or street cars are usually at least 3 cars long, and very neat. Best not to stand right where they flex!

Most of the streetcars have little screens that tell you where you are and what stop is coming next.  The screens also display weather, movie ads and other stuff.  I tried to capture the weather information but it moved too quickly, or maybe the camera doesn’t understand German.

the info screen

The street cars are driven by men and women.  I know most of you reading know all of this but I am also writing to my students back in Missoula, who are just beginning a study of work and community.  Here ya’ go, kids….the streetcar driver:

the street car driver is a woman.

 

 

You will note that while inline skates, fires and smoking are NOT allowed on the bus, dogs, handys (cell phones), and baby buggies are.  In fact, we’ve seen more dogs in public places than in Missoula, even in restaurants and stores!  So far, Golden Retrievers seem to dominate.  Bill is highly pleased and considers this one more sign for a new dog for us.

I lied; we actually did have one task on our schedule and that was to pick up OPERA tickets for an opera we are seeing in May with our good friends, Mary and Charles, here in Graz.  After attempting to order the tickets online (even with English ‘translation’ it is a little tricky) I still wasn’t sure we had actually purchased tickets because I never received an email confirmation.  (found it the next day in bigsky.net’s spam filter–guess bigsky.net doesn’t understand German, either!)  Fortunately I did print out the page from the internet and we found the opera box office with not too much trouble and now have our tickets for I Capuleti Ei Montecchi , a lesser known but ‘gem’ of an opera (according to Mary and Charles who are opera buffs), by Vincenzo Bellini.

Here’s where we will see the opera:

Oper Graz

There are at least four venues that take place in this complex, one part of which is to the right of this photo:  Opera, Dance, Musical Concerts, and Children’s Programming.  Already, La Traviata and Don Giovanni are sold out but we can try for turn-back tickets the night of or perhaps check into a waiting list.  It seems Graz is quite attuned to making art and culture accessible to the younger set, as there is a family concert or similar event nearly every week!

Just across the street from the opera in Kaiser Josef Platz was the every morning (except Sunday) Farmer’s Market.  Missoula, they have already started!!!  We could see everything from the early tulips from Holland and pussy willows. Judging from the shoppers walking around with the latter, I would say Austrians are as ready for spring as anyone is!

flowers in the market

 

 

An abundance of food for the soul and also for the body!  We saw eggs, bread, vegetables, fish, many varieties of apples – most local from Styria–people drinking wine, juice and coffee; and some cuts of meat that were indescribable (meaning I probably won’t be that adventurous in my cooking)!  The bread was HUGE!  You just say how much you want and the baker/seller cuts off the appropriate amount!

The butcher or meat seller

 

the baker with bread

potatoes

salad greens and apples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEXT week, we’ll try for this.  Our goal was to climb up to the Castle (or Schloss) and Clocktower and who wants to climb carrying all those groceries? So we headed into old Graz, eyes wide open to what we might discover.

We hadn’t gone far when we found a beautiful gothic-baroquely revised church (kirche), the Stadtpfarrkirche (city parish).   Austria is about 73% Roman Catholic and we’ve seen only one kirche in Graz that is not.  We went in.

 

 

looking toward the choir of Stadtpfarrkirche

 

The church is quite ornate inside, but has a cool area for die kinder (children), outfitted with materials.  According to the church’s website they have special children’s time here frequently, or maybe it is also a place where restless kiddos can come if the sermon gets too long!

 

children’s area – Stadtpfarrkirche, Graz

 

If you look at the church’s website, you’ll see they have a beautiful courtyard which we didn’t see, but maybe if we go back for a service, we will.

 

stained glass windows

 

 

close up main window

 

 

artwork along stations. Note the skull below

confess your sins in luxury!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The windows for this church, which was bombed in 1944, were re-done by Albert Birkle in 1950.  In some of the scenes, Hilter and Mussolini are depicted tormenting Christ.

 

And now it’s time for a walk! the sun is out and the birds are singing!  More to come!  Thanks for reading!

 

Our adventure begins

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Almost a year ago, in January 2010, we received notification that my husband, Bill, had been selected as a Fulbright Scholar for 2011.  Destination:  Graz, Austria.  Almost everyone has heard of Vienna and Salzburg, but Graz?  Well, we’re going to become intimately acquainted with that city of almost 300,000.  Actually the second-biggest of Austria’s many cities, Graz is located on the south-easterly side of the country and close to the borders of Croatia, Hungary and also Slovenia.

Now it’s a year later and preparations for our sojourn have swung into high gear.  Not the least of which was obtaining VISAs so we could spend the ‘summer’ semester (summer = March – June) between the Technical University of Graz and the Karl Franz University about a kilometer away.

Living in the rural inter-mountain west has some advantages but proximity to the edifices of foreign diplomacy  is not one of them.  We were first told by the ‘contact on behalf of the Austrian Embassy’ that we would have to appear at the Consulate in Los Angeles to meet with someone there on a Monday – Friday between the hours of 10 AM and 1 PM, but that no appointments are scheduled.  Fortunately, a phone call to that Consulate steered us to an Honorary Consul, who happens to live in Salt Lake City!   And fortunately, we just happened to be going to Salt Lake to visit family over the Christmas holidays.  We were able to arrange a meeting with him,  so he could certify our signatures on the Visa applications.

Herr Kolb could not have been more gracious or helpful!  He showed us the flag (and explained the significance of the coat of arms) of the state of Steiermark, where Graz is located, gave us names of people to contact, tips on things to say and not say, checked over our applications to make sure we had dotted all the i‘s and crossed the t‘s, and verified our signatures.    He even knew all about Missoula, having run the Missoula Marathon this past summer!  He agreed it was superbly organized!  I have a feeling we’ll be seeing him again.  If he is typical of Austrians, we are in for a delightful stay!

Our visa applications were sent that very day to Los Angeles and returned to us, approved, within a week!  Do you suppose the US government works as quickly for visitors coming here?

Now it’s time to get back to the German studies.  There’s more to say about that, but it’ll have to wait until another post!

Thanks for reading!