The Riveria

There is the French Riviera. There is the Italian Riviera ... and then there is the Croatian Riviera. Pleeeeassssseeee check out the latter!

I came to Croatian (Lovran, to be specific ... and also Opatija) for holiday for the 4th of July, missing my mainstay of Martha's Vineyard the whole time on the journey to the Croatian coast, even though I had heard so many great things about "the jewel of the Mediterranean", but little did I know how beautiful this part of the former Yugoslavia really is. Don't walk here ... RUN! Seriously.

We arrived on Thursday early evening after a nine hour train ride from Vienna. First we hit the beach ... and oh, what a beach it is -- clear, blue, magnificent. And the boardwalk! Wow! 12 kilometers of magnificence! Then the next day we did an eight-hour boat ride to the neighboring islands -- Cres and Krk. Actually, there are almost 1,200 islands in Croatia. Amazing. And I can"t even begin to tell you about the people we met on the boat. Actually, I will tell you, but not tonight. It's late.

Then, the nerve -- a three-day jazz festival in town (And Natalie Cole is coming to Croatia on 24 July! God I hate that I will miss her!). Anyway, I will post photos and let's plan for Croatia in July 2011! Who is in?

Love you!

Alison
12-26 p.m., 7 July 2010

a year ago this weekend ...

Nicholai and I will celebrate our one-year anniversary this Sunday (June 6) here in Austria. Who could have possibly known then that we would actually be here, living this life? It's amazing to me even today. We had planned to travel to Croatia, but moved that trip to the beginning of July so we can spend more time on the Mediterranean then. Speaking of the Mediterranean, I just returned from a week in Montenegro on business. I have to tell you how beautiful, how very, very beautiful Montenegro is! Mountains for days and blue ocean. It was simply amazing. Go to youtube and watch videos of Montenegro. You won't be disappointed! I stayed at a great place in Becici (just outside of the port town of Budva) called The Queen of Montenegro and met a fabulous singer from The Phillippines there. Her name is Acel. If you see her, tell her I said hello!

I will download photos this weekend. We should all plan a trip there. I mean it.

Alison
4 June 2010
8:52 p.m.

The Blue (ha!) Danube

You know, everyone has an opinion. I get that part. But, man, oh man did I walk into it today.

Nicholai and I took a four-mile walk this morning along the Danube canal, which winds through the city. Talk about beautiful. The architecture of the buildings on either side was stunning as were the gardens. As for the Danube, well it"s anything but blue.

After the walk and after spending two hours with a man named Wolfgang, his girlfriend Sofie and their dog Daiquiri at a cafe called Don's (named after Don Corleone from the Godfather movie ... identified by a large, painted picture of Corleone on the front of the building), we walked to the metro station to head home. But before getting on the metro, I stopped at one of Vienna's famous sausage stands to get a wurstel (scharf ... i.e., spicy). The vendor asked where I was from and if I lived in Wien. I said yes and somehow we got to talking about the Danube. I think maybe he'd asked me how I like Vienna. At any rate, I explained that we'd just come from a nice walk along the Danube. His reply: Ah, yes, the blue Danube. That's when I should have just walked away. But, alas, I didn't.
"We'll, it's not really blue," I said. "It's more like green."

The rest of the conversation wilted after that and he ended it with: "Yes, but we don't have oil in our water."

(pause)

What could I say. One-upped by the sausage man.

Alison
13 May 2010
10:58 p.m.

Fascinating

What fascinates me the most in Vienna is the thing that most fascinates the Viennese.

I am an American and so, like any true blood American, I like ice. I-C-E. In everything I drink, practically. My colleagues ask me: "Doesn't the ice burn your throat?" "How can you drink water with ice in the winter?" Or as each cube drops into the glass, they just nod their heads and say, in a rather sad and pathetic tone: "American."

Until I arrived at the International Press Institute there was never ice in the ice tray in the fridge. Hell, the ice tray wasnever even in the fridge! That's now all changed. In fact, I was so desperate for ice one day that I filled this ice tray only to find out when I was trying to get the ice out that it was actually an egg tray. Who knew?

What amazes me, however, about Austrians is their lack of courtesy, the need to eat bread every morning right from their hands (no napkin or anything else) and the love of scarfs -- even in 72-degree weather. And one more thing -- the inability to curse someone out. If an Austrian is mad, they might call you a bloudy coo (bloody cow). In my country, we say, "Fuck you."

But, thank God I am not in London where if you bump your elbow the common cure is tea.

"Darling, your ear hurts? Let's have a cup of tea."

"Oh, you poor bloke. Your husband left you? I'll put on a cup of tea."

Tea might be great and all, but I will take a glass of ice covered with good old Coca Cola or Sprite any day.

Alison

05 May 20010

11:07 p.m.

The Best Thing Ever

Tonight I did the best thing I have done in Vienna since I have been here.

It started out as a fluke, really. I recently joined the American Women's Association and read in its monthly newsletter about a guy named Prentiss Dunn, who teaches a class at the English-language university, Webster. He gives opera classes in his flat as kind of a side gig. Well, because I know that the opera Carmen is in town and I want to take my husband to his first opera (and only my second), I decided to sign up for the "class" and to take my new friend Katalin with me. (Katalin works for the Hungarian Embassy in Vienna and is from Budapest.)

So, off we trod in the rain to Vienna's 19th district to learn about Carmen. Two trains and one Tram ride later, we arrive in the 19th district.

From the moment we walked in the door, the night was destined to be magical.

Prentiss served us a plate each of arugula (rucola, as they call it in Europe) dressed with a honey balsamic dressing accompanied by a sort of Caribbean-style stir-fried chicken breast with paprika (bell peppers in the U.S.) over Basmati rice. It was all washed down with cabernet sauvignon and a white wine (not sure which).

From there, we sat down on cushy sofas (some sat in rows of delicate chairs) and watched a video of the opera in its original language of French (with English subtitles), featuring a very young Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes-Johnson, whom I learned is one of the most famous opera singers to play "Carmen" ever. Prentiss explained the music and the motive behind the music. We listened for the trumpets and counted the beat levels. We learned about arias. Prentiss paused the video and played the piano so that we could hear the music over which Domingo was singing. He explained the plot and the reason behind the songs and the movement. He talked about the French composer, George Bizet, and his motivation and his untimely death (he died at age 36 of a heart attack in June 1835) and how Carmen was first received by the public and about its debut in Vienna in 1875, to rave reviews and enormous success.

It was glorious, and by far, the best 30 euros I have spent since arriving here in this land of music. Now, I am looking forward to seeing the live production in a week's time and I assure you that I will have a much greater appreciation then even I could have imagined.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcnsMnRMN2U

Alison
04 May 2010
11:07 p.m.

buenos dias!

Not a lot surprises me any more, so when something does catch me by surprised, I'm speechless. Such was the case the other night at the Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid. I stopped at the bar to have a ¨proper¨ vodka gimlet. Now, I don't know if I have some how become much more frugal in the shadow of the global economic crisis or if I was just feeling that enough is enough. I was scheduled to address a crowd of mostly Spanish newspaper gentlemen the next morning in one of the hotel's stately rooms. (I was actually staying in a fabulous hotel around the corner from the Westin called Hotel Villa Real.)

While I sipped on the gimlet, I flipped through the bar menu, which touted the creations of some new French chef as the centerpiece of the restaurant. But what made me laugh out loud was this from the menu:

Energizing Snack

Club Sandwich
chicken breat, tomamto, bacon, lettuce and tartar sauce

Cost: 22.90 euros. That equals $30.6047! Thirty dollars for a club sandwich! Really, though? Really? I walked away just nodding my head. Wasn't it enough that my Absolut gimlet cost 16 euros? But 22.90 for a club sandwich ... Now, I love nice things and will spend on items that some others might think are ridiculous, but in my camp, most people would agree that a club sandwich (no matter how organic the chicken or how homemade the tartar sauce) is hardly worth what amounts to a days pay for some hardworking people in underdeveloped countries.

Next up: More on Hotel Vialla Real (a real Madrid jewel), food in Madrid and the language barrier.

Alison
9:34 a.m.
27 April 2010

Chasing Hemingway

Today I tracked down a place called Cerveceria Alemana (off of Plaza de Santa Ana), a cafe frequented by Ernest Hemingway back in the day. It is may be the fifth or sixth place that I have been in Hemingway's steps. I've been to one of his favorite pubs in Key West, to Hemingway's in Malindi (on the Indian Ocean in Kenya) and to La Bodeguita and La Floridita in Cuba! What good taste in food and drinks this man had! And what good places for fishing -- well, at least those with water any where near!

Alison

6:37 p.m.

25 April 2010

Man, oh, man

We arrived in Spain today. Madrid, to be exact. Man, oh, man. I was ready for it: but then I wasn't.



First of all, the guy sitting next to my husband on the plane ordered -- at 10 a.m., a glass of white wine. Okay. When the the flight attendant asked him if that was it, he said no and proceeded to order a beer as well. Free things will make you loose your mind, I thought to myself. After the flight attendant went down the aisle and served everyone, she came back and asked a second time if anyone wanted anything else. Of course, our guy didn't fail us. His next request: Champagne. Jackpot!, I thought. (So maybe I should have just been minding my own business, but I found it all kind of hilarious.)



Madrid is everything they say it is: Gritty, old, new, friendly, Spanish. The latter is interesting because few people speak English, which is, you know ... okay. But I find myself telling people goodbye in German rather than Spanish. I am constantly amazed by people who speak multiple languages -- how they can turn off one language and switch to another.



Our first stop today was Plaza Mayor, a sprawling, open concrete park, if your will, with a man (or women) dressed as Micky Mouse in red, white and blue and people posed as various other characters all for the price of a few coins. My husband was particularly taken by the fact that beer is cheap and bars hand over small tapas for free when you sit at the bar! Talk about hog heaven!



After a siesta, we awoke at 9 p.m. to a still fairly bright sky. It looked more like 5:30 p.m. And so, when in Spain ... we headed out for dinner and like most Spaniards, sat down to eat at like 9:45 p.m.

what?

There are some truly amazing and quirky things about Austria. One of them is the Austrian law that makes it a crime to express support for Hitler. Yes, that Hitler. Adolf (who was originally from Austria, although not Vienna.) You can get up to 10 years in prison for saying the words "Heil Hitler," or for even doing the famous gesture that accompanies it. Most people will tell you that that's a good thing. In my line of business, however, it puts me in an awkward position since my organization's sole purpose is to support freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Still, don't both those privileges come with some responsibility? What do you think?

Coming tomorrow: News on funny Austrian Easter traditions and the new people we have met along the way! (Including a brother of St. Lucian heritage who owns one of the most swank and popular "American bars" in Vienna, which we learned about from a woman we met when we first arrived who herself is from Grenada!)

I woke up one morning last week and suddenly it was spring. Well, it felt like spring and the sun was shining so bright, even though the temperature was barely in the 50s! Vienna is GLORIOUS in the springtime and even though the winter is relatively short compared to other winter cities, people can't wait for the warmth. Almost immediately restaurants and cafes put out their sidewalk seating and stories along the Graben and Mariahilferstrasse, two main shipping strips in Vienna, open the glass walls that separate the inside of the store from the sidewalk.

March is great in Vienna, I am told, because there are fewer tourists crowding the streets and Easter rings in the first major holiday of the year. There is even an Easter Bock Bier (the Viennese love to brew special beer and wine for special times of the year!). Easter Bock is a very strong lager and was meant to add nutrients to the monk's slim diet during Lent. Ha! Love it. Also in March, Vienna hosts its annual Spring Blue Festival. Who says Vienna is only a town of classical music?

Alison
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Vienna

Pizza and Soul

Some people are so creative. I recently learned about a place not too far from my home, and just a block away from the church I attend, that has opened with a fascinating concept.

The idea of Capa Tosta is simple: Good food and good music. The Pizza + Soul place, as it defines itself, offers exceptional pizzas, salads and grilled meats and even more exceptional live soul music three to four nights a week. When we were there Big John Whitfield and the Vienna Soul Society Combo was performing. The African-American singer (photo above) from the U.S.'s midwest has a very smoky voice that really adds to the classic blues tunes he belts out.

And not only is the music good, but so is the food. There are five types of pizza to choose from, antipastas, three beautifully large salads (my favorite is the insalata rucola) and a small offering of specially grilled T-bone steaks. Yum, yum, yum!

The restaurant itself is very upscale and, as the owner informed us, many of the items for the kitchen (the clay oven, for example) were brought in from Naples. Even some of the ingredients are regularly brought in, he said. To top things off, the wine and Champagne lists are extensive. Extensive, but not expensive. Prices are really very good.

It is a not-to-be-missed place. If you are in Vienna, you MUST check it out. Reservations are suggested and can be made easily online. Just go to: http://www.capatosta.at/.

See you there!

Alison
Thursday, 18 February 2010

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Teaching Old Heads New Tricks -- And In the Snow!

A wonderful thing happened last weekend. Nicholai and I went cross-country skiing in lower Austria in a town called St. Aegyd. It was the first time either of us had even been skiing and it was great! It's not at all frightening, but be prepared to fall down a lot! But boy is it funny, and it's a great deal of physical work. Nick is STILL sore nearly a week later!

We stayed at a small horse farm called Maho (http://www.maho-pferbe.at/). The owners were wonderful, the food was good, the rooms were clean and comfortable and the prices were amazingly reasonable. The people were also exceptionally friendly! We were even invited by the owners to take a photo with our friends to put on their wall! So if you ever go skiing in lower Austria (or even horseback riding or hiking in the warmer months) and decide to stay at Maho, look for us on the wall in the restaurant!

One of the best parts of the short excursion (we went there via train) was seeing Nicholai's reaction to all the snow. Seeing it in such abundance on the ground and in the trees gives one a whole difference perspective on how beauty can differ greatly. I mean, while the ocean and sandy beaches are stunning, so too are snow-covered tree tops! We can't wait to go again!

Alison

Thursday, 11 February 2010

11:57 a.m.

Guten Naben!

Yes, I have started my German classes. So far, so good. But let me tell you, it is HARD to teach an old dog new tricks! Plus, I had forgotten how hard it is to be in class! (laugh) We have about 14 students from all over the world: Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, Iran, Spain, Nigeria! And probably more than that; I can't remember right now. I am, though, the only American. (Ich komme aus den USA.) The funny thing is that you have some people in class who think they are the teacher (whose name, by the way, is Angelika)! They feel the need to correct you all the time, while others shout out the answer to a question before the teacher even asks! It drives me NUTS! (laugh) But I can't wait until we go on an outing (suggested by the Spaniard) to an Irish bar (where the Australian works) next week. I will have a chance to really see my classmates in a whole new light!

Until tomorrow, Auf Weidersehen!

Alison
10:39 p.m. Wednesday, 3 February

Sitting in the Hilton Hotel at Gatwick Airport, on my way to Jamaica for a series of work-related meetings, I heard the funniest exchange between a middle-aged woman and a bartender in the lobby of the hotel:

Middle-aged woman: "May I have a glass of white wine, please?"
Bartender: "Of course."
Middle-aged woman: " Thank you." (pause) "But you will have to wait until my husband gets back.
"I don't carry money ... you know, like royalty."

You have GOT to love Europeans!

Alison
4:20 p.m., Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Oh, Happy Day ... in 2009!

There's good news and then there's maybe questionably so good news.

Austrian papers reported recently that the nation's police force now has its first black police officer, according to an American friend who, unlike me, can read German. And, she tells me, this follows the nation's first black postman who, I am told, works somewhere in one of the somewhat rural towns. Before you know it, there might even been a black bus driver!

On Jan. 6, a day before the Orthodox Christmas, Austria celebrated Epiphany, of Three Kings Day. As is tradition, beginning on New Year's, young boys dress like the three Kings (the black king is played by a young boy in black face) and, holding a large star, they go from door to door singing. They are rewarded with sweets and money, the latter of which usually goes to the unemployed or to charity.

Our friend Rick and his wife told us this past Sunday the story of several Januaries ago when Rick was standing at the bus stop. A car of policemen pulled up to question him about a bank robbery that had just taken place around the corner. They arrested him because they said he fit the description of one of the suspects: Mainly, he had dreadlocks and was black. When they got Rick, who is 6'4", to the station they told him that they had a surveillance video of the three bank robber suspects, who were, by the way, dressed as the Three Kings. Rick insisted on seeing the video and lo and behold, they showed it to him. When the police captain saw the video, he just hung his head in embarrassment! The guy they believed looked like Rick had on one of those caps with the fake dreadlocks hanging from underneath. Adding insult to injury, when the suspect turned to the side, he mysteriously and a one-inch ring of white all along the side of his head and then ... AND THEN ... when the suspect lifted his arm to point a gun and his sleeve also rose to reveal white from wrist to elbow. Rick laughed so hard, he said, that he almost fell out of the chair. Hell, I almost fell out of the chair when he told me the story.

Alison

10:43 p.m., Monday 11, January

Happy New Year!

For the past 10 days we have been in Miami and The Bahamas partying it up and loving it up with family and friends. Not only has the weather been glorious, but so has meeting my new nephew and reconnecting with my teenage niece.

Going into 2010, I look forward to meaningful work and continuing my strive for a healthier lifestyle for both me and Nicholai. I go into 2010 praying for a better economy and world peace. Yes, world peace.

Happy New Year everyone and please come back often to see what's happening in my world and to share what's happening in yours.

Love,

Alison
8:48 a.m.
Sunday, 3 January 2010