Hi Everyone,
Sorry I haven't written in awhile! Not sure who is still reading but I do like writing sometimes! :) The visit with my parents was really fun. We saw a lot, talked a lot, laughed a lot and just had a really great visit. I was so thankful for my Mom's 3rd week here (my Dad left after 2 weeks) as Eric was gone so it was great to have help with the kids and company. We also had a really nice week together continuing our exploring and going to lots of Christmas Markets here in Vienna. Thanks Mom!!!
Mom left on Tuesday morning and the kids and I have been keeping busy while we wait for Eric to return from India on Sunday. We are all VERY excited as we have missed him a ton and we can't wait to hear more about his adventures. We weren't able to talk or email with him very much, so that was hard. I have such an appreciation for military spouses that have months without their other 1/2!!!
The kids had Thursday and Friday off of school as they go to an American International School -- so we get American holidays off too. It was a bit odd to be in a place that doesn't celebrate something you are used too. Stores still open, people working etc... In fact, Eric doesn't even get Thanksgiving for a holiday. Anyway, the kids and I had a wonderfully lazy morning and then headed out to the store to purchase Nerf Guns for our upcoming Nerf War with the Stott family.
The Stott's invited us to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. It was so great of them to include us and we all had a blast. They are from California and their kids are 4th and 8th grade. Kara had never been away from her family for Thanksgiving (or any big holiday) in all of her 43 years.... so it was different for them also. We had all the great 'American' Thanksgiving food including "White Trash Green Bean Casserole" thanks to my Mom bringing me cans of those onion things you need. (they don't sell those here) Thanks to Sara Cabe (aka Betty Crocker), I made yummy pumpkin cheesecake bars. The kids played WII, we had a great time chatting and then we had a boys vs. girls all out nerf gun war - which was really fun! We also played Lets Dance on the WII - has anyone done this?? SO FUN!!!!!!!
Oh - I forgot to mention that we started out the morning with our own Turkey Trot. We are used to doing the REd Cross Turkey Trot 5K every year and the kids and I were missing it. So we did our own Fun Run around our big park here (about 1 mile) It was a beautiful morning and we had fun just hanging out together running around!
Today we had another lazy morning and then headed to the UN as I still had my German class that I didn't want to miss. It is getting harder now and it is difficult to miss one ... my final exam is mid January! :)
We ate lunch at the UN-- which we all love as it is CHEAP and REALLY GOOD! :)
We hung out this afternoon, playing games, shooting nerf guns etc..
We are off tomorrow to a friends house that is having a huge Thanksgiving like dinner for a ton of people. They are so generous and throw nice parties! Everyone is chipping in by bringing dishes, wine etc.. and they live downtown by one of the markets so we will also venture there to walk off some of our food. The kids will have lots of people to play with, so hopefully all will have fun.
Eric arrives home early Sunday - I'm most thankful for that! :)
Night Night!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Update from Eric
As you know, Eric is in India for work. We were excited to get an email from him today and he included a few journal days that have some great insight and information about what he has been seeing and doing. He said I could share them on the blog for those that may be interested.
The kids and I miss him a ton, but I am so thrilled that he is getting to experience this adventure.
November 15, 2010 (Monday)
The flight to Mumbai was pleasant, particularly since | didn't end up getting pushed back to coach. We landed in Mambai around 2300, nearly on time, but waited about an hour for a gate to open up--the first of many traffic jams in India. The airport was clean and quite nice, but the world changed dramatically when we stepped out to find the driver from the hotel. We were greeted by throngs of people, chaotic streams of traffice, wierd city smells, endless horn honking and a din of voices. Holy people density! Renga found our driver very quickly--holding up a sign with our names on it, just like in the movies. On the way to the car, we were approached by several people wanting to help us with our bags, just the appetizer for huge meals of aggressive Indian salesmanship to come. As we pulled away from the terminal, the real Mumbai (and India) started to unfold. On the fun side, there are zillions of autorickshaws buzzing about and even more scooters. They always seem to have at least twice the recommended number of people in/on them. There are no lane markers--everyone just "dances" into a free space at high speed, using honks and headlight blinkers (no blinkers) as the warnings to others. It was absolute chaos--like a video game filled with oncoming cars, scooters and then cows, dogs and people popping into the street every now and again. At one point, drivers were swerving (at about 80 km/h) to avoid a cow that was sauntering up the street, in the opposite direction. I thought the talk about sacred cows in India was exaggerated. It is not. They move wherever they want, whenever they want and everyone watches out for them, and feeds/waters them. Dogs and goats are also running everywhere, and seem to know exactly where they can stand (e.g. in the median between lanes of traffic) to be safe. All of this chaos is all the more unusual since driving is done of the left side of the road and from the right side of the car. Wow. I felt like I was on a Disneyland ride--overstimulation and no seat belt in the car! Renga says "In India, you can drive without a brake, but you can't drive without a horn." The other things that slams you in the face immediately is the absolute poverty all around. Nearly all buildings are shanty-like or at least far below Western standards. People are sitting, sleeping and squatting everywhere (even at 1 AM)--there is garbage everywhere, the electrical lines look like a bad children's experiment and the cars/trucks are rolling wrecks.
We pulled up to the gated hotel (Sun and Sand), an island of Western wealth on the beach of the Arabian Sea. Multiple bellhops jumped out to meet us--it seems there are always 2-3 eager, friendly people to do a job for one person. In a country of 1.2 billion and very few good jobs, I guess it makes sense. We checked in and went to the patio for a drink and a snack. We looked out over the beach--dogs were laying in the sand sleeping and a huge rat ran right in front of us. The mosquitos didn't appear to be out (after a hard monsoon rain earlier) but I was hoping my malaria treatments were up to full potency as we sat on the patio drinking Renga's favorite beer (Kingfisher, from his home area in the south of India). We had a bread snack filled with a spicy potato, cauliflower mixture. Renga allowed me to eat it, as it is fully cooked. He cautioned that for at least a day or two, I should eat only fully cooked things or fruit that I peeled myself. If my stomach survives the early rounds with the new bacteria in this place, then I can move on to the more interesting Indian cuisine, though slowly. Over beers, I quiz Renga about the history and politics of India, the caste system and his own experiences and family in India. It is absolutely fascinating. He "married up" by finding a wife from the highest caste (Brahmans) though his family was from a mid-range caste. This decision has caused angst for several decades, from both sides of the family. Plus, it wasn't an arranged marriage, as most in India still are. We talked of Obama's recent visit to India, and whether/how India will soon become the major world player it longs to be. We head for bed about 4am, a 9am departure ahead of us.
November 16, 2010 (Tuesday)
Today we have a quick breakfast at the hotel with an IAEA inspector (from Cameroon, he'll be meeting us at the RAPS facility tomorrow) and a couple of Renga's family friends (father and daughter) that now live in Mumbai. Running a bit late, the driver drives extra fast to make it to the airport for our short flight to Udaipur, to the northwest of Mumbai. The terrain dries out nicely up there--looks much like the American Southwest from the air. We land at a nice airport in a relatively rural area. The red carpet is literally laid out before us as we leave the airport, but it is not for us. There is a wedding party of a very wealthy family arriving soon--a band, dancing ladies and many friends and family are standing around the red carpet waiting for them. Our driver is a young man but he is instructed by an older man (Mettel) that retired from the RAPS nuclear facility and now makes travel arrangements for IAEA staff. Not needing to report for work yet, we head into the city of Udaipur for the afternoon. It takes an hour of winding through torturously narrow, winding and steep road, "dancing" with scooters, rickshaws, cows and pedestrians before we find the City Palace. We actually see a few white tourists in this area, but in general this is not a heavy tourist area. The Palace goes back a few hundred years, but looks older. It has fascinating features including parking places for elephants (slanted stone "cradles" that allow them to lay down and get up) and a wall over which elephant fights (think tug of war with entangled trunks) were staged near the main entrance. The palace is not particularly well preserved, but the decadence of the ruling Indian kings for the last several hundred years is clear: marble baths, silk, "miniature paintings" (super-fine detail, often done on camel bone) are everywhere. It is a very different look and feel (not a big or impressive in the first place, and much less well cared for) than the European cathedrals we've been seeing the last few months, but very interesting just the same. On the way out, we do some shopping in the streets, but I'm not telling you what we shopped for--you'll have to wait until I get home! I did find a very nice silk tie, complete with elephants, for a measly 10 Euro (600 Indian Rupee).
We then visit the nearby Hindu temple. The stone carvings that completely cover the exterior depict dancing women, Karma Sutra "topics", elephants and horses. Renga goes to pray in front of Vishnu while I hang back, get busted for snapping a picture with my phone, and sniff burning incense. From the temple, we can see the Lake Palace (beautiful white palace that appears to float on the water) and the new "palace" that is the modern hotel that Bill Clinton apparently stayed at a few years ago (our tour guide for 2 hours was quite proud of that fact). Our tour ended and we made our guide hugely happy with the pay--just 5 Euros for 2 hours work. About 6pm, we started the drive out of the city to the nuclear facility--about a four-hour trip with much of it at very slow speeds navigating the city congestion. We stop for fresh fruit at roadside stand (papayas, bananas and pomegranates), getting several kilos of it for a couple of Euros. We are now about halfway through the drive--Renga is sleeping, our Indian driver and guides are silent, and I'm typing away on my laptop in the backseat in the dark. About every fifth keystroke, I make a mistake, mostly because the roads are filled with potholes bumps. I may pull out my new Kindle (Thanks, Tom and Sue!) and read a little Rudyard Kipling to see how other Westerners have viewed India in the past.
This next part should probably be viewed as incoherent rambling, but I am jetlagged and philosophizing with myself in the dark, so maybe you can cut me some slack...India seems to be a land of such ironies: it has nuclear weapons but has asked for IAEA safeguards (which is why we are here) on its civilian side to buy international goodwill and ensure a steady supply of nuclear fuel from the West. It has some of the wealthiest and brightest people on the planet (and a huge number of those people), but also has fully one-third of all of the people on this planet that live below the poverty level. It has animals wandering around the streets, protected by the Hindu beliefs in nonviolence and sacred creatures, but yet we saw a city block swarming with Muslims that were buying and selling goats to sacrifice on the holy holiday that is tomorrow. Perhaps most striking to me: despite all of this choas, squalor and poverty, nearly every person is either smiling or has a neutral expression. Smiles come quickly and laughing is everywhere. While waiting for our driver, I went over to a playground where about 10 kids were playing. There were only a few run-down toys, there was dog and cow feces everywhere, yet they were all smiles and laughs. When they saw me, they came running over, immediately switched from Hindi to English to ask my name, where I was from, etc. I was a rock star for 30 seconds before heading for the car--high fives with Hindus and Muslims when I walked away, being careful not to run into a huge bull laying in the middle of the street.
The drive to the RAPS nuclear facility (6 pressurized heavy water reactors, 2 more units under construction) ended up taking over 5.5 hours. For 2 hours, we were on 4-lane highway, then we turned off onto a one-lane, beat-up old road for the remainder (all in the dark). In some stretches, there was no pavement--just rutted gravel. We passed through numerous little villages--all with some level of electricity, lots of cows and dogs, a few run-down homes and that is about it. People were often sitting on the side of the road around cooking fires having tea and dinner. We stopped at one of these stands so that our driver could "drink a tea." While there, we bout a few warm bread balls, right off of the fire (stoked with wood). It being bread and fully cooked, I tried them (just eating the insides). It was quite tasty (I was starving, though) and appeared to be a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and salt. The seller was clearly proud of his little stand (where several locals were eating big meals, using only their hands as utensils) and tried to sell us lentil soup and other good-smelling stuff. We passed, ready to get on the way. At one point, the road is blocked by 5 cows sleeping in the middle of it. They do not move for the horn, so the driver gets out and in a very friendly sort of way, taps a cow to move. It does not, so the driver gently grabs the tail, twists it a bit and the cow moves away. We proceed.
Finally, after several hours of bone-jarring travel on the one-lane road, we arrived at the nuclear facility area. It is a closed community built specifically for the 4,000+ employees of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India that work here at RAPS. The site was chosen, though it is several hundred kilometers from the metro areas that draw its power (Mumbai and New Delhi) because of its remoteness and access to water (a huge reservoir is adjacent to the site). The nuclear community is clean and wealthy by Indian standards--there is even a swimming pool (not open this time of year) and a tennis court (kind of) for the town. We are welcomed at the guest house by more than 5 young staff that have been waiting for several hours to get us settled and cook us dinner. It is now 11pm, but they don't show an iota of frustration at our late arrival--all smiles and eager help. Renga, Mettel and I have a fine Indian meal (lentil soup, spicy chicken, rice, tortilla-like bread, spicy okra, etc.) and talk about the history of RAPS, the recent Obama visit, and India's nuclear power plans. We head to our rooms about midnight. The rooms are like military barracks--functional but little more. The bed is hard and built for a short Indian person, but it is first-rate after a long travel day. A cockroach scuttles away when I turn on the light in the bathroom. The toilet and shower are right next to each other--no dividing walls and no shower basin. The water just flows slowly to a floor drain over by the sink. I'll try that tomorrow...
November 17, 2010 (Wednesday). This is a "rest day" and an Indian (Mulsim) holiday. I go for a jog in the morning, seeing the nuclear community for the first time in the light. It is not every day that your morning jog takes you past 15+ monkeys, but this day it does. I don't know what kind they are (will learn) but they are not bothered by me. The go about their grooming and eating--on the ground and high in the trees. Crazy. Around the corner are 8-10 cows sleeping in the middle of the road. I jog down the road, high above the reservoir, within view of the 4 cooling towers and the steam plumes (very cool). The shower is cold and water is sparse, but it works fine as a counter to the heat (80+ F already today) and humidity here. At breakfast, Renga and I talk some shop about the RAPS facility and radiation detection technologies. He also tells me more about his previous work in astronomy and the instrumentation he built for RF and microwave detection in that field
The kids and I miss him a ton, but I am so thrilled that he is getting to experience this adventure.
November 15, 2010 (Monday)
The flight to Mumbai was pleasant, particularly since | didn't end up getting pushed back to coach. We landed in Mambai around 2300, nearly on time, but waited about an hour for a gate to open up--the first of many traffic jams in India. The airport was clean and quite nice, but the world changed dramatically when we stepped out to find the driver from the hotel. We were greeted by throngs of people, chaotic streams of traffice, wierd city smells, endless horn honking and a din of voices. Holy people density! Renga found our driver very quickly--holding up a sign with our names on it, just like in the movies. On the way to the car, we were approached by several people wanting to help us with our bags, just the appetizer for huge meals of aggressive Indian salesmanship to come. As we pulled away from the terminal, the real Mumbai (and India) started to unfold. On the fun side, there are zillions of autorickshaws buzzing about and even more scooters. They always seem to have at least twice the recommended number of people in/on them. There are no lane markers--everyone just "dances" into a free space at high speed, using honks and headlight blinkers (no blinkers) as the warnings to others. It was absolute chaos--like a video game filled with oncoming cars, scooters and then cows, dogs and people popping into the street every now and again. At one point, drivers were swerving (at about 80 km/h) to avoid a cow that was sauntering up the street, in the opposite direction. I thought the talk about sacred cows in India was exaggerated. It is not. They move wherever they want, whenever they want and everyone watches out for them, and feeds/waters them. Dogs and goats are also running everywhere, and seem to know exactly where they can stand (e.g. in the median between lanes of traffic) to be safe. All of this chaos is all the more unusual since driving is done of the left side of the road and from the right side of the car. Wow. I felt like I was on a Disneyland ride--overstimulation and no seat belt in the car! Renga says "In India, you can drive without a brake, but you can't drive without a horn." The other things that slams you in the face immediately is the absolute poverty all around. Nearly all buildings are shanty-like or at least far below Western standards. People are sitting, sleeping and squatting everywhere (even at 1 AM)--there is garbage everywhere, the electrical lines look like a bad children's experiment and the cars/trucks are rolling wrecks.
We pulled up to the gated hotel (Sun and Sand), an island of Western wealth on the beach of the Arabian Sea. Multiple bellhops jumped out to meet us--it seems there are always 2-3 eager, friendly people to do a job for one person. In a country of 1.2 billion and very few good jobs, I guess it makes sense. We checked in and went to the patio for a drink and a snack. We looked out over the beach--dogs were laying in the sand sleeping and a huge rat ran right in front of us. The mosquitos didn't appear to be out (after a hard monsoon rain earlier) but I was hoping my malaria treatments were up to full potency as we sat on the patio drinking Renga's favorite beer (Kingfisher, from his home area in the south of India). We had a bread snack filled with a spicy potato, cauliflower mixture. Renga allowed me to eat it, as it is fully cooked. He cautioned that for at least a day or two, I should eat only fully cooked things or fruit that I peeled myself. If my stomach survives the early rounds with the new bacteria in this place, then I can move on to the more interesting Indian cuisine, though slowly. Over beers, I quiz Renga about the history and politics of India, the caste system and his own experiences and family in India. It is absolutely fascinating. He "married up" by finding a wife from the highest caste (Brahmans) though his family was from a mid-range caste. This decision has caused angst for several decades, from both sides of the family. Plus, it wasn't an arranged marriage, as most in India still are. We talked of Obama's recent visit to India, and whether/how India will soon become the major world player it longs to be. We head for bed about 4am, a 9am departure ahead of us.
November 16, 2010 (Tuesday)
Today we have a quick breakfast at the hotel with an IAEA inspector (from Cameroon, he'll be meeting us at the RAPS facility tomorrow) and a couple of Renga's family friends (father and daughter) that now live in Mumbai. Running a bit late, the driver drives extra fast to make it to the airport for our short flight to Udaipur, to the northwest of Mumbai. The terrain dries out nicely up there--looks much like the American Southwest from the air. We land at a nice airport in a relatively rural area. The red carpet is literally laid out before us as we leave the airport, but it is not for us. There is a wedding party of a very wealthy family arriving soon--a band, dancing ladies and many friends and family are standing around the red carpet waiting for them. Our driver is a young man but he is instructed by an older man (Mettel) that retired from the RAPS nuclear facility and now makes travel arrangements for IAEA staff. Not needing to report for work yet, we head into the city of Udaipur for the afternoon. It takes an hour of winding through torturously narrow, winding and steep road, "dancing" with scooters, rickshaws, cows and pedestrians before we find the City Palace. We actually see a few white tourists in this area, but in general this is not a heavy tourist area. The Palace goes back a few hundred years, but looks older. It has fascinating features including parking places for elephants (slanted stone "cradles" that allow them to lay down and get up) and a wall over which elephant fights (think tug of war with entangled trunks) were staged near the main entrance. The palace is not particularly well preserved, but the decadence of the ruling Indian kings for the last several hundred years is clear: marble baths, silk, "miniature paintings" (super-fine detail, often done on camel bone) are everywhere. It is a very different look and feel (not a big or impressive in the first place, and much less well cared for) than the European cathedrals we've been seeing the last few months, but very interesting just the same. On the way out, we do some shopping in the streets, but I'm not telling you what we shopped for--you'll have to wait until I get home! I did find a very nice silk tie, complete with elephants, for a measly 10 Euro (600 Indian Rupee).
We then visit the nearby Hindu temple. The stone carvings that completely cover the exterior depict dancing women, Karma Sutra "topics", elephants and horses. Renga goes to pray in front of Vishnu while I hang back, get busted for snapping a picture with my phone, and sniff burning incense. From the temple, we can see the Lake Palace (beautiful white palace that appears to float on the water) and the new "palace" that is the modern hotel that Bill Clinton apparently stayed at a few years ago (our tour guide for 2 hours was quite proud of that fact). Our tour ended and we made our guide hugely happy with the pay--just 5 Euros for 2 hours work. About 6pm, we started the drive out of the city to the nuclear facility--about a four-hour trip with much of it at very slow speeds navigating the city congestion. We stop for fresh fruit at roadside stand (papayas, bananas and pomegranates), getting several kilos of it for a couple of Euros. We are now about halfway through the drive--Renga is sleeping, our Indian driver and guides are silent, and I'm typing away on my laptop in the backseat in the dark. About every fifth keystroke, I make a mistake, mostly because the roads are filled with potholes bumps. I may pull out my new Kindle (Thanks, Tom and Sue!) and read a little Rudyard Kipling to see how other Westerners have viewed India in the past.
This next part should probably be viewed as incoherent rambling, but I am jetlagged and philosophizing with myself in the dark, so maybe you can cut me some slack...India seems to be a land of such ironies: it has nuclear weapons but has asked for IAEA safeguards (which is why we are here) on its civilian side to buy international goodwill and ensure a steady supply of nuclear fuel from the West. It has some of the wealthiest and brightest people on the planet (and a huge number of those people), but also has fully one-third of all of the people on this planet that live below the poverty level. It has animals wandering around the streets, protected by the Hindu beliefs in nonviolence and sacred creatures, but yet we saw a city block swarming with Muslims that were buying and selling goats to sacrifice on the holy holiday that is tomorrow. Perhaps most striking to me: despite all of this choas, squalor and poverty, nearly every person is either smiling or has a neutral expression. Smiles come quickly and laughing is everywhere. While waiting for our driver, I went over to a playground where about 10 kids were playing. There were only a few run-down toys, there was dog and cow feces everywhere, yet they were all smiles and laughs. When they saw me, they came running over, immediately switched from Hindi to English to ask my name, where I was from, etc. I was a rock star for 30 seconds before heading for the car--high fives with Hindus and Muslims when I walked away, being careful not to run into a huge bull laying in the middle of the street.
The drive to the RAPS nuclear facility (6 pressurized heavy water reactors, 2 more units under construction) ended up taking over 5.5 hours. For 2 hours, we were on 4-lane highway, then we turned off onto a one-lane, beat-up old road for the remainder (all in the dark). In some stretches, there was no pavement--just rutted gravel. We passed through numerous little villages--all with some level of electricity, lots of cows and dogs, a few run-down homes and that is about it. People were often sitting on the side of the road around cooking fires having tea and dinner. We stopped at one of these stands so that our driver could "drink a tea." While there, we bout a few warm bread balls, right off of the fire (stoked with wood). It being bread and fully cooked, I tried them (just eating the insides). It was quite tasty (I was starving, though) and appeared to be a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and salt. The seller was clearly proud of his little stand (where several locals were eating big meals, using only their hands as utensils) and tried to sell us lentil soup and other good-smelling stuff. We passed, ready to get on the way. At one point, the road is blocked by 5 cows sleeping in the middle of it. They do not move for the horn, so the driver gets out and in a very friendly sort of way, taps a cow to move. It does not, so the driver gently grabs the tail, twists it a bit and the cow moves away. We proceed.
Finally, after several hours of bone-jarring travel on the one-lane road, we arrived at the nuclear facility area. It is a closed community built specifically for the 4,000+ employees of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India that work here at RAPS. The site was chosen, though it is several hundred kilometers from the metro areas that draw its power (Mumbai and New Delhi) because of its remoteness and access to water (a huge reservoir is adjacent to the site). The nuclear community is clean and wealthy by Indian standards--there is even a swimming pool (not open this time of year) and a tennis court (kind of) for the town. We are welcomed at the guest house by more than 5 young staff that have been waiting for several hours to get us settled and cook us dinner. It is now 11pm, but they don't show an iota of frustration at our late arrival--all smiles and eager help. Renga, Mettel and I have a fine Indian meal (lentil soup, spicy chicken, rice, tortilla-like bread, spicy okra, etc.) and talk about the history of RAPS, the recent Obama visit, and India's nuclear power plans. We head to our rooms about midnight. The rooms are like military barracks--functional but little more. The bed is hard and built for a short Indian person, but it is first-rate after a long travel day. A cockroach scuttles away when I turn on the light in the bathroom. The toilet and shower are right next to each other--no dividing walls and no shower basin. The water just flows slowly to a floor drain over by the sink. I'll try that tomorrow...
November 17, 2010 (Wednesday). This is a "rest day" and an Indian (Mulsim) holiday. I go for a jog in the morning, seeing the nuclear community for the first time in the light. It is not every day that your morning jog takes you past 15+ monkeys, but this day it does. I don't know what kind they are (will learn) but they are not bothered by me. The go about their grooming and eating--on the ground and high in the trees. Crazy. Around the corner are 8-10 cows sleeping in the middle of the road. I jog down the road, high above the reservoir, within view of the 4 cooling towers and the steam plumes (very cool). The shower is cold and water is sparse, but it works fine as a counter to the heat (80+ F already today) and humidity here. At breakfast, Renga and I talk some shop about the RAPS facility and radiation detection technologies. He also tells me more about his previous work in astronomy and the instrumentation he built for RF and microwave detection in that field
Monday, November 15, 2010
Down to 3
Budapest was amazing... we all loved it. We took the train over on Saturday and had a great big early dinner/late lunch. We ate at a Hungarian restaurant that was set up like a buffet (which I usually don't like, but it was awesome!) and we all ate like kings for a very small amount of money. It was all you can eat and drink and the kids were free. Geez louise did they lose money on us that day! Evan especially, that kid ate more than anyone (except Eric) and he was FREE!!! Can you tell I love a good deal? The four of us tried shark - it was actually very good and is now one of Evan's "favorite meats". Julia is such a champ, she tries everything but usually for that kind of unusual thing (Shark, Crocodile etc..) she eats one bite and says "That is so good! I tried Shark!" and then when you ask her if she wants more she says "No thank you, I just wanted to say I ate it but it wasn't that good!"
We then did a night 1 hour cruise on the Danube. It was spectacular and the best way to see the city...at night and from the river. The next day we saw some of the big sights...the castle, the big cathedral etc... Eric and I will definitely go back with the kids -- cheap place to stay and eat, beautiful and lots of spas/thermal baths are there...sounds like a winter weekend trip for us.
Eric left on Monday morning for India for 2 weeks. I can't say it is on my short list of places to see, but I am so glad he gets to see it for free (I have a free theme going here). He did pack lots of stomach/anti runs meds and a ton of TP - apparently they don't use TP in the smaller areas he will be in (yuck). We are anxious to hear all about it and we are praying for his safe travels. I may write a bit more detail in the blog so he can keep up with us a bit ...so bear with me for 2 weeks. (you say: is it possible for her to write MORE detail than she already does??!)
My parents and I went to the local cafe in the beautiful park for coffee yesterday. My Dad was also anxious to see some of the Christmas lights before he departed so last night Evan, Dad and and I went down to the Rathaus (courthouse building) where one of the markets and lights have already begun. It was absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to take Julia and Mom on Friday. So so so fun!! I will post some pictures soon. (I am a bit behind on pictures, huh?)
This morning my Dad flew out so that is why we are "Down to 3" as Julia said this morning. Thankfully my Mom is here for 1 of the 2 weeks Eric is gone, that will be so helpful and fun.
My Mom and I are headed out shopping today (we waited for my Dad to leave as to not subject him to shopping) and tonight I have some of the teacher conferences at school.
Please pray for Eric's travel safety and my sanity :)
Much love to all, Jenn
We then did a night 1 hour cruise on the Danube. It was spectacular and the best way to see the city...at night and from the river. The next day we saw some of the big sights...the castle, the big cathedral etc... Eric and I will definitely go back with the kids -- cheap place to stay and eat, beautiful and lots of spas/thermal baths are there...sounds like a winter weekend trip for us.
Eric left on Monday morning for India for 2 weeks. I can't say it is on my short list of places to see, but I am so glad he gets to see it for free (I have a free theme going here). He did pack lots of stomach/anti runs meds and a ton of TP - apparently they don't use TP in the smaller areas he will be in (yuck). We are anxious to hear all about it and we are praying for his safe travels. I may write a bit more detail in the blog so he can keep up with us a bit ...so bear with me for 2 weeks. (you say: is it possible for her to write MORE detail than she already does??!)
My parents and I went to the local cafe in the beautiful park for coffee yesterday. My Dad was also anxious to see some of the Christmas lights before he departed so last night Evan, Dad and and I went down to the Rathaus (courthouse building) where one of the markets and lights have already begun. It was absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to take Julia and Mom on Friday. So so so fun!! I will post some pictures soon. (I am a bit behind on pictures, huh?)
This morning my Dad flew out so that is why we are "Down to 3" as Julia said this morning. Thankfully my Mom is here for 1 of the 2 weeks Eric is gone, that will be so helpful and fun.
My Mom and I are headed out shopping today (we waited for my Dad to leave as to not subject him to shopping) and tonight I have some of the teacher conferences at school.
Please pray for Eric's travel safety and my sanity :)
Much love to all, Jenn
Friday, November 12, 2010
Musikverein
(means music association in German)
My parents, Eric and I went to a symphony tonight at the Musikverein Theatre...very fun. It was beautiful and we all really enjoyed ourselves.
We have been touring around Vienna and keeping up with the kids action this week. I had a great birthday on Monday where the kids woke up early and 'decorated' and made a nice breakfast for me. We capped it off with a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant I love downtown.
My few of my nice new friends here planned a coffee out on Tuesday morning, so that was also fun. A huge highlight was receiving a surprise box. In it were cards and gifts from my greatest buds back home. I sobbed for hours as it just touched me so much that they put so much effort into putting together a box together and sending it so far away. Plus the gifts were so fun!! :) I was sad because I miss them so much and happy that they are in my life.
We have been hitting most of the 'major' sights this week and also filling in time for hanging out at coffee shops etc...
We are headed to Budapest tomorrow morning for the night. My friend just brought me a People magazine from London and it turns out I think Brad and Angelina are in Budapest... maybe we will see them? hee hee
Eric leaves on a business trip for 2 weeks (too long!?!!) to India on Monday. My Dad leaves on Tuesday. Thankfully my Mom will still be here another week...good timing too because it will be especially nice to have help with kids etc... for at least 1 week of it. He is excited to see India but it is in areas that are not exactly nice. They tell him that he will have to sleep with lights on or the cockroaches start crawling around. Honestly, I wouldn't go. :) I told him to stop off at the laundry mat on the way home from the airport and do all of his laundry before coming home... is this rude?
Another exciting thing happening here is all of the Christmas decorations and markets going up. It is going to be amazing when everything gets lit and we are all so excited.!! Some of it lights tomorrow night so my Dad can see it on Sunday or Monday. Rest of it lights the following weekend. It appears I will be going from Market to Market through Vienna over the next 6 weeks or so :)!! Someone said the other day "If you can't be happy the next 6 weeks in Vienna, you can't be happy anywhere"... we are pumped to experience the season here.
Off to pack for another jaunt away!
Much Love,
jenn
My parents, Eric and I went to a symphony tonight at the Musikverein Theatre...very fun. It was beautiful and we all really enjoyed ourselves.
We have been touring around Vienna and keeping up with the kids action this week. I had a great birthday on Monday where the kids woke up early and 'decorated' and made a nice breakfast for me. We capped it off with a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant I love downtown.
My few of my nice new friends here planned a coffee out on Tuesday morning, so that was also fun. A huge highlight was receiving a surprise box. In it were cards and gifts from my greatest buds back home. I sobbed for hours as it just touched me so much that they put so much effort into putting together a box together and sending it so far away. Plus the gifts were so fun!! :) I was sad because I miss them so much and happy that they are in my life.
We have been hitting most of the 'major' sights this week and also filling in time for hanging out at coffee shops etc...
We are headed to Budapest tomorrow morning for the night. My friend just brought me a People magazine from London and it turns out I think Brad and Angelina are in Budapest... maybe we will see them? hee hee
Eric leaves on a business trip for 2 weeks (too long!?!!) to India on Monday. My Dad leaves on Tuesday. Thankfully my Mom will still be here another week...good timing too because it will be especially nice to have help with kids etc... for at least 1 week of it. He is excited to see India but it is in areas that are not exactly nice. They tell him that he will have to sleep with lights on or the cockroaches start crawling around. Honestly, I wouldn't go. :) I told him to stop off at the laundry mat on the way home from the airport and do all of his laundry before coming home... is this rude?
Another exciting thing happening here is all of the Christmas decorations and markets going up. It is going to be amazing when everything gets lit and we are all so excited.!! Some of it lights tomorrow night so my Dad can see it on Sunday or Monday. Rest of it lights the following weekend. It appears I will be going from Market to Market through Vienna over the next 6 weeks or so :)!! Someone said the other day "If you can't be happy the next 6 weeks in Vienna, you can't be happy anywhere"... we are pumped to experience the season here.
Off to pack for another jaunt away!
Much Love,
jenn
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Hills are still Alive
We have been having a great time with my parents in town. Last week we toured around a bit and did a day at Eric's work. My parents saw the UN buildings and had lunch with Eric while I went to German class on Friday.
We watched some of Sound of Music on Friday night before hitting the train on Saturday morning to Salzburg. We lucked out with unbelievable weather --- low 60's and clear, so the town and the Alps were beautiful. Saturday we had two great German meals (yum!) and in between did a ton of walking. Churches, fortresses, walking paths, shopping streets etc... Not only were our meals great, but the wait staff at both restaurants were particularly nice and fun which made it fun to try our German out a bunch. I think it was fun for my parents to see us using the bit of German we know and understanding quite a bit more than I think we thought we could (once people slow down and probably dumb down what they are saying!) Also fun was them hearing Evan... he is really doing so well with German and I may know 60% of what he knows as far as vocabulary - but he can use it about 100 times faster than I can. He comes up with the vocab so quickly and his sentence structure skills crush mine right now. So fun to hear!!
After a great hotel breakfast (Do I write about food a lot?!) we were off to the Original Sound of Music Tour!!! This is a 4 hour tour on a big bus painted with the movie scenes on the side. There were tons of stops and we saw great places and learned MUCH more about the movie and the history of the movie and the history of the VonTrapps. (probably more than I needed to know!) The tour guide was very good.... but I could barely look at Eric when she would come down the aisles singing the songs. Just picture his face. Think about what one would be like to be a tour guide on this tour and than times that image by 10 and you will get our guide. She was actually very good!
The best part was they take you to the little lake country/mountain town outside of Salzburg where the church is that they got married in. This is a beautiful town and we had a little over an hour to see the church, have some strudel, take in the beauty etc... The scenery was breathtaking and we were so lucky to have good weather so see all the mountains etc...
We were planning on Prague next weekend, but I just looked and the train ride may be too long to tackle that this weekend so we may change to an overnight in Budapest. We'll see. Vienna sightseeing continues tomorrow!
The house is quiet but a ticking clock (which has real numbers -- have I told you how much 24 hour time/military time/European time irritates me?! If not, that can be another days blog!) everyone is in bed now....I'm headed there now.
We watched some of Sound of Music on Friday night before hitting the train on Saturday morning to Salzburg. We lucked out with unbelievable weather --- low 60's and clear, so the town and the Alps were beautiful. Saturday we had two great German meals (yum!) and in between did a ton of walking. Churches, fortresses, walking paths, shopping streets etc... Not only were our meals great, but the wait staff at both restaurants were particularly nice and fun which made it fun to try our German out a bunch. I think it was fun for my parents to see us using the bit of German we know and understanding quite a bit more than I think we thought we could (once people slow down and probably dumb down what they are saying!) Also fun was them hearing Evan... he is really doing so well with German and I may know 60% of what he knows as far as vocabulary - but he can use it about 100 times faster than I can. He comes up with the vocab so quickly and his sentence structure skills crush mine right now. So fun to hear!!
After a great hotel breakfast (Do I write about food a lot?!) we were off to the Original Sound of Music Tour!!! This is a 4 hour tour on a big bus painted with the movie scenes on the side. There were tons of stops and we saw great places and learned MUCH more about the movie and the history of the movie and the history of the VonTrapps. (probably more than I needed to know!) The tour guide was very good.... but I could barely look at Eric when she would come down the aisles singing the songs. Just picture his face. Think about what one would be like to be a tour guide on this tour and than times that image by 10 and you will get our guide. She was actually very good!
The best part was they take you to the little lake country/mountain town outside of Salzburg where the church is that they got married in. This is a beautiful town and we had a little over an hour to see the church, have some strudel, take in the beauty etc... The scenery was breathtaking and we were so lucky to have good weather so see all the mountains etc...
We were planning on Prague next weekend, but I just looked and the train ride may be too long to tackle that this weekend so we may change to an overnight in Budapest. We'll see. Vienna sightseeing continues tomorrow!
The house is quiet but a ticking clock (which has real numbers -- have I told you how much 24 hour time/military time/European time irritates me?! If not, that can be another days blog!) everyone is in bed now....I'm headed there now.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Two Cute Julia Stories
Julia is quite fond of a 2nd grader and she announced to me that She LOVED him the other day. To which I first gagged to myself and then said ... you don't even know this boy how can you love him? She then said "He asked me to play tag and I said yes so I know him now!"
2nd Story was just now at bedtime. This is usually the time that Julia gets sad about missing her friends -- she is tired and thinking about things ... and stalling to go to sleep I am sure. So she said tonight "Everynight I go to bed and I just feel in my stomach that something is missing and it has an F in it. It is friends, I miss my special friends from Washington. It is like some of my world is gone and I am now in a new world" Yes, she is right...but we will gain new friends here and have our 'old' friends too. Two worlds to a little girl though! :)
2nd Story was just now at bedtime. This is usually the time that Julia gets sad about missing her friends -- she is tired and thinking about things ... and stalling to go to sleep I am sure. So she said tonight "Everynight I go to bed and I just feel in my stomach that something is missing and it has an F in it. It is friends, I miss my special friends from Washington. It is like some of my world is gone and I am now in a new world" Yes, she is right...but we will gain new friends here and have our 'old' friends too. Two worlds to a little girl though! :)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Back from Italy
We arrived back in Vienna on Saturday evening after a long but uneventful (thankfully) drive home from Florence. We had a nice day of tourning on Friday in Florence. It is a beautiful city but I don't think we scratched the surface. It is definitely a haven for art lovers - something that is a bit lost on our family. But we did our best!
We went to the Uffizi Art Museum in the morning. I believe this would be considered one of their most famous/popular art museums in Italy and it houses a ton of 'famous' art and artists. We rented one audio guide which Julia and I went off and did and we bought one book guide, which the boys used on their tour. Julia did well for about 1/2 hour looking and listening but then she got a bit bored. I actually really enjoyed listening to the guide and looking at the beautiful art and I believe I got more out of this art museum than I have others I have done in earlier days of my life! Julia would go room to room with me and just sit in the one chair that is set up in each room. She did love buying postcards at the end :)
After spending the morning there, we decided to axe our plans to hit another museum to see the "real" David sculpture as to not torment the kids any longer. Instead we walked around Florence a lot, saw the David "fake" sculpture in a beautiful piazza with fountains and other sculptures, and just explored town.
After a bad dinner on the 1st night in Florence, we were determined to have a good dinner our last night of vacation. We did get some great meals, but it is surprisely hard to find GOOD Italian in Italy. Perhaps it is because it is easy to do bad Italian?? Anyway, after doing a bit of reasearch we went to a fabulous place. It has a seating at 7:30 and so there was a HUGE que of people waiting to get in (a good sign!). It was a quintessential Italian meal... starting with prociutto that they were shaving right there (and hocks hanging from the ceilings) to 1st course pasta to 2nd course meat (we all tried rabbit and the veal was amazing) to amazing dessert at end and biscotti type cookies we dipped in wine to eat. There were huge jugs of chianti on the table and I think you were just charged if you drank some so you just poured what you wanted. At the end, the owner would just come over and write something down with a total Euro amount and give it to you. (you really had no idea what you were paying for our buying - no menus!) It was so fun and we all had a great last night in Italy!
Yesterday was Halloween, but not really here. Seemed a bit odd, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all which was really nice. They did set up a big 'party' for Eric and I and that was so cute and fun. They dressed up, danced, did a scavenger hunt for us, we 'trick or treated', they poured us water and had candy in cups for us. They had a BLAST and Eric and I enjoyed having them entertain us for a bit.
Today is an Austrian Holiday so the kids don't have school. Eric still has work so he headed back today. I still have German class (and missed all week last week!) so I will bring them to the UN where they can have lunch with Eric while I am at class. This is a real treat as the cafeteria at the UN is AMAZING!!
My parents fly out of Chicago tomorrow and get here on Wednesday morning. We are all excited and busy trying to get things cleaned up, beds moved around, etc... I warned them staying here is a true "European Adventure" -- bad shower situation, small apartment, hang your laundry, food is different, etc... Hope they still like it :)!! We are ready to show them Vienna!
I need to download pictures off my camera - I actually filled my memory card! Maybe I will try to figure out how I did that slide show to the right so if you want to look you can and if not, great too.
Hope you are all great! Thanks for reading.........
We went to the Uffizi Art Museum in the morning. I believe this would be considered one of their most famous/popular art museums in Italy and it houses a ton of 'famous' art and artists. We rented one audio guide which Julia and I went off and did and we bought one book guide, which the boys used on their tour. Julia did well for about 1/2 hour looking and listening but then she got a bit bored. I actually really enjoyed listening to the guide and looking at the beautiful art and I believe I got more out of this art museum than I have others I have done in earlier days of my life! Julia would go room to room with me and just sit in the one chair that is set up in each room. She did love buying postcards at the end :)
After spending the morning there, we decided to axe our plans to hit another museum to see the "real" David sculpture as to not torment the kids any longer. Instead we walked around Florence a lot, saw the David "fake" sculpture in a beautiful piazza with fountains and other sculptures, and just explored town.
After a bad dinner on the 1st night in Florence, we were determined to have a good dinner our last night of vacation. We did get some great meals, but it is surprisely hard to find GOOD Italian in Italy. Perhaps it is because it is easy to do bad Italian?? Anyway, after doing a bit of reasearch we went to a fabulous place. It has a seating at 7:30 and so there was a HUGE que of people waiting to get in (a good sign!). It was a quintessential Italian meal... starting with prociutto that they were shaving right there (and hocks hanging from the ceilings) to 1st course pasta to 2nd course meat (we all tried rabbit and the veal was amazing) to amazing dessert at end and biscotti type cookies we dipped in wine to eat. There were huge jugs of chianti on the table and I think you were just charged if you drank some so you just poured what you wanted. At the end, the owner would just come over and write something down with a total Euro amount and give it to you. (you really had no idea what you were paying for our buying - no menus!) It was so fun and we all had a great last night in Italy!
Yesterday was Halloween, but not really here. Seemed a bit odd, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all which was really nice. They did set up a big 'party' for Eric and I and that was so cute and fun. They dressed up, danced, did a scavenger hunt for us, we 'trick or treated', they poured us water and had candy in cups for us. They had a BLAST and Eric and I enjoyed having them entertain us for a bit.
Today is an Austrian Holiday so the kids don't have school. Eric still has work so he headed back today. I still have German class (and missed all week last week!) so I will bring them to the UN where they can have lunch with Eric while I am at class. This is a real treat as the cafeteria at the UN is AMAZING!!
My parents fly out of Chicago tomorrow and get here on Wednesday morning. We are all excited and busy trying to get things cleaned up, beds moved around, etc... I warned them staying here is a true "European Adventure" -- bad shower situation, small apartment, hang your laundry, food is different, etc... Hope they still like it :)!! We are ready to show them Vienna!
I need to download pictures off my camera - I actually filled my memory card! Maybe I will try to figure out how I did that slide show to the right so if you want to look you can and if not, great too.
Hope you are all great! Thanks for reading.........
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