hi all,
Sending love and kisses and here's hoping the Tsoules fam, Soriano's, Slippy's, and Fitzpatricks are also reading this, and not just my friends Hugh and Alyssa. Regardless, Evie and I miss you all and think of you often.
I apologize for my dreadful lapse in blogging. Err, what can I say?! I started teaching dance history and didn't stop dancing at Impulstanz and so naturally, something had to give, and unfortunately, the blogging suffered. I know you are all devastated. (Jeffrey...) But it's Saturday night and I'm blogging! So there. And there are pictures.
Evie, Mom and I have been navigating our way through this remarkable city in leaps and bounds whenever possible. Evie is a travel pro. Truly. Much of my time during the week is spent without them by my side as I'm furiously dancing at Impulstanz, trying to be about 15 years younger than I am and keeping up with my students on the dance floor, or teaching my dance history class here at the Wake Forest Flow House, or taking students to dance performances throughout the city so my time with Evie and mom is limited. Generally, the weekends have provided me with a chance to be with a tourist and go and explore with stroller and a grandmother in tow. But next weekend I have registered for a killer dance workshop at Impulstanz- four classes in 2 days with a very famous Limon teacher (what was I thinking?!?!?) so we're trying to be very active this weekend here in Wien. Anyways, during the week, while I'm working, Evie has a very special daycare experience with YiaYia. Evie and I are very well fed (see photos of a typical weeknight meal of Irene's-- roasted lamb shank with greek style green beans, rice cooked in the lamb juice, and zucchini-- it was so easy, she insisted!). Mom makes my lunch for me in the morning and sends me off with it when I leave for Impulstanz- always with extra cookies too. I feel like a little kid opening my lunchbox. I'm spoiled! The one hour commute each way from our house to the Impulstanz workshops are pleasant but I have stopped looking out the window at the 40A to the D to Subdanhof and daydreaming and now I have begun doing some reading of all those past NY Times magazines that I brought. It's such a delight...some are as dated as Feb. 2010...and Jeffrey wanted me to throw those out! I have to say, I feel slightly guilty as my students are often with me on the bus or tram, reading their homework for my class while I read a magazine. Oh well, I already read the books they are reading.
Now back to our lives. Our apartment is in the basement, and it is quite comfortable and accommodating. Again-largely b/c of the goodies and toys Hugh and Alyssa left us from their stay here last fall semester. Besides the fact that my bed here is NOT my new king size tempurpedic at home in Winston, we are really set. We are very close to an easy and frequent bus line which gets us pretty much anywhere in the city. The Flow House was gifted to Wake in 1999 by the Flow family (Nicole- remember FLOW Honda in Winston?) and it's a huge 6 bedroom house with a classroom, formal living and dining room, sweeping staircase, majestic foyer and a wrought iron gate around the perimeter. The house is in a shi shi neighborhood and is like one of those gated houses on Salisbury Street you know is there but you've never actually seen (sorry, Worcester reference) or like one of the houses in San Anselmo who is a neighbor to Sean Penn when he lived there with Robin Wright. Within this gate, Evie has delighted in riding around her new red motorcycle from YiaYia- a gift from the toy store on Worringerstrasse. We call it her "beep beep" even though it doesn't make any beeping sounds. All of us growing up called these sorts of things 'beep beeps' and when I realized early last year that not EVERYONE called them beep beeps I was rather alarmed. Anyways, Evie steers it around like a real pro and of course, is a speed demon. She also can take it to nearby Turkenshanz park for some high class playground action. Yiayia usually takes her there post-nap in the afternoon. Or they venture to one of our many wonderful supermarkets together. But lately, the weather has been cold and dreary, oten rainy or about to rain. Then you'll have a nice day but it's cold. I know I shouldn't complain, esp. as the New Englanders had such a heat wave recently and in July in NC, well, it's never cold. But I'd like to wear a sundress this summer.
Today we went shopping in several different neighbors: Worringerstrasse (Alyssa- I have grown to love this area, esp. the outdoor farmer's market vendors!), then to Swedenplatz where my favorite store I think, Turek, lured me in with this gorgeous bag (it may have to be my present to myself), then to St. Stephens where we hit EVERY shop: Zara, H and M, Salamander, UC of B, and others. I tried on shoes and boots but in the end, Evie made out the best with clothes from the sale racks. Mom and I picked up a few gifts (Vom Fass, again!) and ate lunch at a lovely fish market/restaurant called NORDSEE. I got the shrimp scampi. Of course, YiaYia Irene's is better but it was still rather yummy. Mom got a fried fish that Evie also ate. Oh, and Jeffrey- Evie is your daughter...she loved my shrimp. She is also my daughter, as she loved her ice scream that we got in Swedenplatz. The chocolate face below is your indication...the ice scream sundaes we got will not appear in photos lest you all call us piggies.
Tomorrow morning, we are heading to one of the Greek churches here, built in 1861. Byzantium period architecture. Gold everywhere. We'll report back about the greeks in Austria. Post-church it will be a museum and then to the Prater. More horsies and gotta hit that carousel for YiaYia. AND MORE OF THAT PORK KNEE. Music to my ears. Some recent pics are below, ciao for now! No - I didn't buy those green shoes but my mom did. Just kidding.
Later in the week, we'll take that boat to Bratislava (Slovakia's capital, and a 1.5 hour boat ride down the Danube.) That way, mom can say she went to two countries while nannying for a summer. :) Oh, and that picture of Jeffrey eating a pork knee bone is posted one a wall of fame at the Prater restaurant among restaurant patrons who "ate the most pork knee in one setting." that's MY man!
