First Day in Austria

We got up at 5 am to get ready to go to the airport. We were already packed, so we just had to get dressed, gather the last few things, and eat breakfast. We each had eggs and toast as Francoise’s parents drank coffee, and Francoise herself called to say they had landed and they were all there, so I got to say hi to my Dad. Then we went out to the car, and we said our goodbyes with smiles on our faces and set off into the dark morning to the airport in Brussels.

On the way, we listened to various radio stations, mainly sticking to a classic American and English rock station, with a few Flemish news stations thrown into the mix for entertainment. We hit traffic as we knew we would, and escaped it with the help of Sven’s GPS as he had the day before. We made it to the airport with plenty of time, and even after we had made it through the long and stressful security (no need to be felt down this time), we still had two hours or so before we boarded.

Finally we got onto the airplane. It was a pleasant flight when we took off, with nice stewardesses who served us all free sandwiches despite it only being an hour and a half flight. They also offered tea, coffee, apple juice, and wine. Both colors. And for free. I’ve never seen that before. Quite a few took the opportunity and were served a nice big helping. I myself had apple juice, but still. I’d heartily recommend Austrian Airlines again, it was great.

When we got off the plane we only had hand luggage so we went straight to the bus shuttle to the airport. It took us a bit to figure out which one we were supposed to wait for, but we ended up on the right one rather quickly. We peered interestedly out the window as we drove through Vienna, knowing that’s all we were going to see of it this trip. Some parts reminded us curiously of San Francisco, and I felt a small longing for my hometown again. I quickly moved on however, as the present was much more interesting than dwelling on such thoughts.

After about 20 minutes we arrived at the station. We were both thirsty, and I was craving what has become one of my European addictions: Fanta. Strange huh? Its better over here though, it’s a natural looking muted orange color, not that neon chemically stuff in the states. Its sparkly, sweet, and citrusy, and oh so delicious when you’re thirsty. Anyway, after we figured out how to buy our tickets and asked an employee of the station which train we were supposed to take, I settled down on a bench with our two backpacks and the red carryon case around me while Sven ran over to the nearby grocery store to get beverages. While he was gone the train arrived, but we had plenty of time. When we boarded the train towards Maribor (which would drop us off in Graz), we discovered that it was just like those trains in the movies that people are always traveling on in Europe. I’d never been in one before, so it was quite fun. We walked past compartment after compartment, most with only one or two people, looking for an empty one but not finding one. Eventually we slid open the door of a compartment containing a jolly round twenty-something Austrian girl with dyed dark hair and a cell phone in her hand. We didn’t exchange any words, but communicated with gestures and she made room for us. She had sunglasses on, but whenever I looked over, she was always watching.

After I had documented our compartment with pictures and the train pulled away from the station, Sven and I played hangman. Eventually the girl got off at a station not so far away, and we had the compartment to ourselves for the rest of the journey. It was around 3 hours, and it was a beautiful trip. After awhile, we began to climb into the mountains, twisting and turning around the sides of the hill, ducking into long dark tunnels, and chugging past green hillsides and quaint tidy towns and green forests. We crossed over countless tall pretty stone bridges from which we had lovely views of the valleys and towns below. 

It was so beautiful, it is so beautiful. We ate the rest of our sandwiches that we had made the night before, and Sven fell asleep. I listened to music on my Zune as I watched the countryside pass by, and eventually we passed into wispy overcast weather, and finally into rainy Graz. We packed up our stuff and got off the train.

In the station it took us a while to figure out how to call Jennifer, the country codes and “00’s” are so hard to understand. We were alternately frustrated, exasperated, and confident that ultimately it would all work out, and then finally greatly relieved when I heard Jennifer’s voice responding “Mallie” through the payphone. While we waited we enjoyed an espresso and a big beer, and then we went and waited outside.

It felt so good to see Jennifer crossing over to the sidewalk with her kids alongside of her, in all her tall blonde beauty with her sunshine smile. It felt so good to hug someone, not the kissing-but-no-body-contact greeting of Europeans, but a real hug. She gave me a bouquet of white roses, and Sven some pastries. I tried to say hi to the kids, Nicole and Max, but they were quite shy and silent. They were so beautiful though. We put our stuff in the car and piled in. We made a quick stop to the Inter Spar, being a big grocery store, before heading to Semriach. At the store, we got a few items such as meat from the meat counter, and we conversed excitedly. Its been 4 years since the last time I was here, and it seems like both a long and a short amount of time. There was so much to say, to know, to learn about each other.

The drive back to Semriach was beautiful, set in tones of green, grey, and brown, dotted with the tidy houses of yellows, pinks, whites, blues. We stopped in at Georg’s office to say hi and so he could explain to us what his new business is. Its an energy saving business, and it seems like a great idea. I hope it takes off, it seems like it would do very well.

The kids stayed at the office with Georg, and we went up the hill to the house to unload and make dinner. Their house, built in the typical Austrian style, has command of an extraordinary view over looking the valley in which the town of Semriach rests. If you buy a postcard of the town, you can see their house overlooking the town from its perch at the top of a green hill, nestled at the tree line. It’s just beautiful.

We carried our stuff upstairs and got settled in. Back downstairs in the little kitchen, Jennifer offered us some beer and she poured herself some wine. The beer was Puntigamer, a nice drinking beer that comes in ½ liter bottles, quite a bit bigger than a normal American bottle. We prepped veggies and put out meats, cheeses and breads. Here in Austria, the big meal of the day is lunch, which to me makes sense. I mean, you’ve already been up doing things, and then after you eat your big meal, you still have the rest of your day. Its not like you’re going to bed with a stomach weighted down with rich food that is just going to languish there the whole night. I mean, it makes sense right? The traditional dinner here is meat and cheese, just a light meal before bed.

When it was ready and on the table, Georg and the kids arrived and we all sat down and ate. It was a pleasant meal. The cheese was a mild cheese with nettles in it, which was quite tasty on the rich dense brown bread. There was also a bit of a local cheese too, which was good. Then there were salamis, ham with the local pumpkin seeds on top, and the cured meat we had gotten earlier.

After dinner Jennifer brought us down to the sauna in the basement of the house, saying “enjoy yourselves” as she left us at the wooden door. It was only Sven and I that night, and its heat was delicious. It seeped into my bones, and filled me with warmth. We only stayed 15 minutes, just enough for the sweat to dew up on my skin, but not enough for the sweat to pour off of me. I sank happily into bed afterwards.