Cruising the Danube with Mom - Day 2

Behold, our floating hotel

After the adventurous first day getting to the cruise, we went to bed exhausted, and woke up already docked at Melk Abbey. This is a Benedictine Abbey in Austria that was opened in 1089. It is gorgeous, and we were there on a stunningly beautiful day. After the pouring rain of the previous day, our second day started out sunny and cool. As we got further south it got warmer, but wasn't really hot until our last two days, which we were really grateful for.

Kudos to my superstar sister-in-law for using Photobucket slideshows first. She's awesome.

The Wachau

Melk Abbey is located in an area along the Danube in Austria called the Wachau. It is a corner of heaven, as you can see here. It is the home to quaint towns with mountains rising up behind them that are often cultivated with vineyards. I'd had the chance to take a boat through this region once before, and I was so excited to share it with my mom. After boarding in Melk, we sat on the top of the ship and watched the scenery go by. Here's a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Human Rights for Childless Fathers

Today I'm in Warsaw, providing support for a conference. As I sit here I'm watching a group of protesters outside. They are beating drums and blowing whistles, and I think they have a police siren going as well (not sure if that is them or the actual police). They are protesting because they claim that the family courts here don't give any rights to fathers. I don't know anything about their situation, or about the courts here. But how sad for fathers to have to stand outside and beat drums in order to advocate for their right to be fathers.

Cruising the Danube with Mom - Day 1

In July my parents came to Europe: Mom and I went on a cruise, Dad went to be a Tour de France groupie. Mom and I toured beautiful cities along the Danube; dad rode up Mont Ventoux 3 different times. It's really hard to say who had more fun. (But I think it was me).

Of course, if you compare first days, his must have been more fun. The problem was that our cruise started on the same day mom arrived in Vienna - but we had to board the boat in Passau, Germany. If all went well, we would go smoothly from the airport - to my apartment - to the train station - to Passau - to the cruise boat! However, we got off to a rocky start, and it only got worse. Here's how it happened:

7:30am: wake up in order to leave around 8:30 to meet mom at the airport.

8:15am: get a phone call from super-bro-in-law-acting-as-international-operator Michael: Mom had missed her connecting flight in Paris, and won't be arriving until 11:30. Think to self, "Well, we won't be able to stop by my apartment, but if her flight arrives on time we'll still make it to the train station for the 12:30 train."

10:30am: leave for airport with suitcase in tow.

11:30am: arrive at airport; see that due to rainy weather mom's flight is circling and not landing.

11:50am: still the same.

12:00pm: mom's flight lands. We will never make the 12:30 train. Well, if we make the 1:30 one we'll arrive in Passau at exactly the time we are supposed to be finished boarding. Close enough - probably.

12:20pm: mom exits the luggage area without luggage. Chat with the luggage people who assure her that her bag isn't there, but they will deliver it when it arrives from Paris. Leave the address of a friend, since we will be cruising on the Danube. Arrange to pick up the bag from my friend when the cruise stops in Vienna the next evening (since we will be passing through Vienna so soon, the missing suitcase is not a disaster, just an inconvenience).

12:40pm: head for the train station.

1:10pm: arrive at the train station. Find a train heading to Passau, but not for another hour. That won't work!

1:20pm: learn that a different train is leaving for Passau in 5 minutes. Yes!

1:25pm: board train and depart for Passau. Call cruise ship and tell them we will arrive in Passau at 5pm, and go directly to the ship (not even passing GO).

4:45pm: train stops, and makes mysterious announcement in German that some nice person explains to us means the train can't go farther due to work on the tracks. A bus will arrive to take the passengers to the final destination.

4:55pm: still waiting for bus.

5:10pm: finally on bus, and crazy woman insists on being taken to a different drop off point (you know - the tiny stop between here and the end of the line where only she was planning to get off). Call cruise ship, and explain the delay. Promise to get to ship ASAP - will swim if necessary.

5:45pm: arrive at the train station in Passau. Run to a taxi for the 1 mile trip to the dock. Get to the dock and see the ship still there - YAY!

6:00pm: step on boat exactly one hour past the time it was supposed to leave port. Thank the crew profusely. Learn we are the only Americans on a cruise boat full of French people. Still count our blessings - after all, we could be the only Americans who didn't make it on to the cruise boat full of French people.

6:05pm: collapse in our cabin, and attempt to recover from the stress of the day.

Thankfully, that day did not set the tone for our adventures. It was just one of those days - you know: the kind Murphy wrote his law about.

Salzburg with Tom and Camille

At the end of June, I got a visit from my Uncle Tom and Aunt Camille. They were visiting London and Paris, and decided to include a few days in Vienna. I was thrilled. Sadly, I landed in the hospital again (same problem as before - only this time the stay was only 4 days), and missed the first 2 days of their visit. Thankfully, I was able to spend their final day with them on a day trip to Salzburg. And what a day it was!

The day began by leaving my apartment by 6am in order to meet the tour group downtown by 7am. We actually got there quite early, but that was better than being quite late! So we boarded the bus, and settled in. At 7:15, we left Vienna, and headed for Salzburg. We had a tour guide who was ridiculous, and at times offensive (telling jokes about why being married was a terrible thing and periodically telling jokes with racial tones), but if you ignored him and enjoyed the scenery, the bus ride was fabulous.

One lake we passed by on our way to Salzburg. The drive through the Alps was lovely.

My favorite site in Salzburg was Mirabell Gardens. The picture below shows the gardens and, if you look close, the cathedral, and the fortress at the top of the hill. It was a gorgeous view.

Here's another picture from the gardens - I thought this fountain was just so darling.

Aside from these gardens, we also walked through the town, and visited the cathedral. It was a fun afternoon, and I was so glad that I was able to share it with Tom and Camille. Thanks!

I Can't Take the Heat!

The weather in Vienna is some of the most unpredictable I've ever encountered. Let me start by pointing out that no matter where I live, the locals have had a saying: If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. I am vastly amused that this saying is used everywhere, but not surprised. After all, the weather is one of the things about this world that continues to stump us. But Vienna is my most unpredictable by far. Here's a run-down of my time here so far:

November 2008: cloudy and rainy

December 2009: snow arrives; clouds settle in for the winter

January 2009: snowy and cloudy

February 2009: cloudy, with some snow

March 2009: cloudy, with rain

(OK, so far, pretty predictable. I was beginning to wonder if the clouds ever left.)

And then:

April 2009: TA DA! the sunshine breaks through, and we have gorgeous weather for a month

May 2009: spring decides it missed a step, and we get lots of rain

June 2009: spring decides there's not enough water yet, and keeps on raining. But it is June, so we have several sunny days as well. Due to the amazing amount of rain, these sunny days are not only hot, but humid. Turns out, we got our beautiful days in April. Now it's too hot to be outside, AND they don't have A/C in the stores or on the public transportation, which means that it is NO FUN to go places. Really.

And so here we are at July 2009: In the first 8 days we've had rain, sun, heat, humidity, and then today dawned sunny and cool. I have no idea where the cool came from, but I am extremely thankful for it.

I am one of the lucky few here - I actually have a few A/C units in my apartment, including in my bedroom. Thank goodness! The room next to my bedroom (home to TV and computer) is at least 10 degrees warmer than my bedroom, and gets no air flow. Well, until today when I got a fan to blow some of the cool air around. I am very excited about that! Ah, the simple pleasures.

Home Sweet Home

I have several things I need to blog about, but I just keep putting them off. Today I'm feeling extremely guilty, so here's one for you faithful few out there. I have been promising a friend of mine photos of my apartment, and finally they are here for your viewing pleasure.

The entrance to my apartment is a small entryway not pictured here. On the left, as you enter the apartment, is a half bath. On the right is the kitchen:


My kitchen comes complete with a clothes washer and dryer, as well as all the usual appliances. I don't mind - better than not having them, or having to share them with the building.

Here's the view of my living room, and the door leading into the guest bedroom. From where I'm standing to take the picture, I can see the front door (just to the left of the picture).


Here's the view from the other corner of the room - you can see the kitchen at the back of the picture. Just behind me as I take this picture is a staircase that leads to the second floor.


Here's my media room: my cane chairs for watching tv on the left,


the computer and shelves on the right,


and my tv cuddling up with my computer desk. It's a tight fit, but it works for me.


And here's my bedroom as seen from the door looking left,


as seen from the closet side,


and as seen from the window side. I love these closets! Who said European apartments don't have enough storage space?


So there it is: Home Sweet Home. And it is sweet. I love the apartment - it's truly just my size. I feel like Goldilocks.