Lesson #6 Exploring Austria, take 1.
Am now officially caught up, so posting will henceforth be kept to once a week.
6th-12th
I was hoping to give an account of my first proper Austrian excursion, attempted on Saturday, but by objective standards it was something of a failure. I went looking for the Hundertwasser Kirche, a church redesigned in the 80s by amazing architect Hundertwasser (does not believe in straight lines, believes in nature in the most logical and realistic way, ditto people, ditto the environment - check him out http://www.hundertwasserhaus.at/1st.html http://www.phototravels.net/vienna/vienna-hundertwasser-photos.html). However, on arrival at the town I found myself somewhat constrained as to time, and then managed to spend most of it wandering round in a big frosty circle of random industriality and supermarkets. Ended up strolling along a main road being glared at by bemused Austrian drivers. And then, just ahead of me, glinting through the trees - there it was! A golden Zwiebelturm… (onion tower, the mark of Hundertwasser). I reached for my camera, focussed, clicked - and was interrupted by the sound of my alarm informing me it was time to go back to my train. Nonotin5minutesNOW.
So I didn’t get to see the building or meet the tree tenants. However, I did glimpse hints of prettiiness behind the concrete blocks, and I was towered over by some more Real mounatins, and I did get to spend lots of time on trains with a book, brioche kipferl and FairTrade coffee. A most comfortable disaster. And I shall return!
Anyway, frost was the only weather of the week worth reporting, but last week’s snow flurry has clearly kick-started preparations for winter. All the buses are now carrying large heaps of chains, I think as tow-rope. Several teachers have asked, with varying levels of motherly concern, whether I have ‘warm things’ with me. In fact on Monday I had every intention of buying myself a winter hat and coat, but once inside the shopping centre I was so warm I couldn’t face it! However, I have started making contingency plans on the bus timetable for when snow/ice/the yeti puts my bike out of action.
Am also left with a puzzle. Realised that the vast majority of houses here have pointed triangular rooves, presumably to let the snow slide off. Said rooves are also covered in spikes, presumably to keep the snow on. =?
Aside from anything else, I’m reluctant to buy anything so big as a coat at the moment because the Austrian government has not yet seen fit to pay me. This rather dampened my enthusiasm for the milestone moment of buying my second Month Bus Ticket.
Another item of interest - on my first week at the academic school I picked up a magazine which turns out to be by the Left Youth, youth part of the Socialist party, left in the school for the elections (would that be allowed in England?). Anyway, reading it I found a criticism of the ex-education minister. One of her crimes was support for (they haven’t introduced it yet) the introduction of nationwide standards on school-leaving exams. At the moment the Matura, the A-level equivalent, is set and marked within schools, so there is no way of comparing pupils from different schools. Instead, universities set their own entrance tests. The magazine put forward the view that to introduce nationwide standards would be to bring unwelcome market values and competition among students into education. Interesting.
Small excitement - lovely evening at the cinema on Wednesday, and was really pleased to be able to notice a definite improvement in comprehension. Last year watching Madagascar in German I’d say I understood about 20%. On Wednesday it was closer to 80! :D Incidentally, there were no adverts at all (or pizza or ’anything similar’ according to a strict but baffling sign on the door. As Alix said, similar in what way? Are they particularly against Italian food??). On the subject of comprehension, on Friday I babysat Katrin’s daughter Emilia. Was more than slightly nervous at the prospect of looking after a 2year-old who speaks Spanish and German indiscriminately, but we had a really lovely time and (usually) understood each other. I even got a very wet kiss goodbye!
Last thing to report - thanks to Mum’s wonderful no-scales recipe, my cake-baking skills are now famous among both flatmates and teachers.
And next week, I am upping my environmental efforts. Only Austrian fruit & veg, which means no broccoli or cucumber…
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6th-12th
I was hoping to give an account of my first proper Austrian excursion, attempted on Saturday, but by objective standards it was something of a failure. I went looking for the Hundertwasser Kirche, a church redesigned in the 80s by amazing architect Hundertwasser (does not believe in straight lines, believes in nature in the most logical and realistic way, ditto people, ditto the environment - check him out http://www.hundertwasserhaus.at/1st.html http://www.phototravels.net/vienna/vienna-hundertwasser-photos.html). However, on arrival at the town I found myself somewhat constrained as to time, and then managed to spend most of it wandering round in a big frosty circle of random industriality and supermarkets. Ended up strolling along a main road being glared at by bemused Austrian drivers. And then, just ahead of me, glinting through the trees - there it was! A golden Zwiebelturm… (onion tower, the mark of Hundertwasser). I reached for my camera, focussed, clicked - and was interrupted by the sound of my alarm informing me it was time to go back to my train. Nonotin5minutesNOW.
So I didn’t get to see the building or meet the tree tenants. However, I did glimpse hints of prettiiness behind the concrete blocks, and I was towered over by some more Real mounatins, and I did get to spend lots of time on trains with a book, brioche kipferl and FairTrade coffee. A most comfortable disaster. And I shall return!
Anyway, frost was the only weather of the week worth reporting, but last week’s snow flurry has clearly kick-started preparations for winter. All the buses are now carrying large heaps of chains, I think as tow-rope. Several teachers have asked, with varying levels of motherly concern, whether I have ‘warm things’ with me. In fact on Monday I had every intention of buying myself a winter hat and coat, but once inside the shopping centre I was so warm I couldn’t face it! However, I have started making contingency plans on the bus timetable for when snow/ice/the yeti puts my bike out of action.
Am also left with a puzzle. Realised that the vast majority of houses here have pointed triangular rooves, presumably to let the snow slide off. Said rooves are also covered in spikes, presumably to keep the snow on. =?
Aside from anything else, I’m reluctant to buy anything so big as a coat at the moment because the Austrian government has not yet seen fit to pay me. This rather dampened my enthusiasm for the milestone moment of buying my second Month Bus Ticket.
Another item of interest - on my first week at the academic school I picked up a magazine which turns out to be by the Left Youth, youth part of the Socialist party, left in the school for the elections (would that be allowed in England?). Anyway, reading it I found a criticism of the ex-education minister. One of her crimes was support for (they haven’t introduced it yet) the introduction of nationwide standards on school-leaving exams. At the moment the Matura, the A-level equivalent, is set and marked within schools, so there is no way of comparing pupils from different schools. Instead, universities set their own entrance tests. The magazine put forward the view that to introduce nationwide standards would be to bring unwelcome market values and competition among students into education. Interesting.
Small excitement - lovely evening at the cinema on Wednesday, and was really pleased to be able to notice a definite improvement in comprehension. Last year watching Madagascar in German I’d say I understood about 20%. On Wednesday it was closer to 80! :D Incidentally, there were no adverts at all (or pizza or ’anything similar’ according to a strict but baffling sign on the door. As Alix said, similar in what way? Are they particularly against Italian food??). On the subject of comprehension, on Friday I babysat Katrin’s daughter Emilia. Was more than slightly nervous at the prospect of looking after a 2year-old who speaks Spanish and German indiscriminately, but we had a really lovely time and (usually) understood each other. I even got a very wet kiss goodbye!
Last thing to report - thanks to Mum’s wonderful no-scales recipe, my cake-baking skills are now famous among both flatmates and teachers.
And next week, I am upping my environmental efforts. Only Austrian fruit & veg, which means no broccoli or cucumber…
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Little Fi | 11:19 AM
1 Comments:
Various options for the spikes (yes, I know, I'm an engineer!):
1. Allow something (i.e. a ladder) to be attached to solid roof, so someone can get up to clear said snow.
2. Are heating elements, and can be switched on melt said snow.
3. Are entirely decorative.
4. Are for something wildly Austrian that I can't think of!
Great to hear about all this - reading with pleasure, and I'm glad you're having fun.
PS. I was looking at rooves, thinking it looked wrong, but having just got the big dictionary off the shelf both are allowed. The spell checker on the other hand is having none of it!
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