These are some ‘thoughts’ I observed along the way. As I rounded the station house, a small collection of shops came into view and invited me on. 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. 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. 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.

We never would have seen it had it not been for our new friends Sebastian, Christian and Franz. This edifice has undergone many transformations, as is true for so much of the architecture in Europe.

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. Lest this sound like a snipe hunt, let me assure you that such a bird does indeed exist and we found it!

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 retained earnings 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.

Going slowly, you have time to consider the marvelous and diverse weave of humanity’s fabric. 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.

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. 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 officially is named for St. Mary.

The next day, we were able to spend some time in this remarkable cathedral. If there was a network like this when I was in university, I would be rich. Since I was always the brainy kid with the laptop, I was always the one students would ask for notes when they missed a lecture.

Castles, Wine And Chocolate

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.

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.

Though I’d never ask for anything in exchange for my notes, I always thought that I’d make a killing if I did. 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.

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. 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. 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. A week later, he called to invite us to go birdwatching with him and his friend Christian. 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.

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. Maybe even over to Mariatrost, which would be quite the hike! It was lovely bathed in the late afternoon light. Of all places, we ended up at a Mexican restaurant, eating shrimp in mole sauce, and fajitas, drinking Czech beer.

Our Adventures In Austria

Mariatrost is a baroque building but like so many in Graz, has Gothic roots. There was once both a Pauline Monastery and a Franciscan order here. The church is celebrating their 225th year of being a parish! It is the second most important Marian shrine in Styria, after theMariazell Basilica.

There were choices in nearly every major language of the world, and only ONE Sp-En dictionary. As we walked we noticed that now all the restaurants and cafes have their platztischen out, and the strolling musicians are there to accompany diners. 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.

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. 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. 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. Remember O mortal, that dust thou art and to dust thou shall return.

To approximately one thousand people gathered there, a choir from the Louisville Kentucky Performing Arts High School sang the Mozart Requiem. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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 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 Notewagon Letting Students Upload And Sell Their Class Notes 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.

Most of the birds (and animals – rabbits, and bats, mostly) at Wildtiere in Not will be released, if they are sufficiently rehabilitated. assets = liabilities + equity The center has numerous folks and some students from the biology department of KFU who volunteer their time.

Notewagon Letting Students Upload And Sell Their Class Notes

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. After the talk, there were lovely refreshments! Out came a huge variety of Brötchen , local wines from east of Graz , several kinds of beer, and juices to be mixed with water . It was a great opportunity to meet some of the faculty, and some of the spouses as well. 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.

• 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.
• Lest this sound like a snipe hunt, let me assure you that such a bird does indeed exist and we found it!
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Just like the City Park mall, maybe bigger.

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. 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. I took my time , pausing with each decade of steps to reverently consider specific situations in the world and in my life.

March(ing) Into April

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.

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? 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. 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.

After some permutations, it was reopened in 1827 by Emperor Franz I. The main buildings that exist on campus today were inaugurated in 1895. Bill’s office is NOT in one of the old buildings. Afterward, there was a reception in the parish hall, with beer, wine, water, Pfirsich-Nektar , sandwiches and some kind of sweet bread shaped like a treble clef. 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.

Author: Elisabeth Waldon