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

Christmas in Vienna

You really begin to miss Thanksgiving in Vienna when the Christmas lights go up the first week of December! But how glorious they are! Vienna has such a reputation for its celebration of Chris Kringle, as they call it. There are Christmas markets everywhere and men set up stalls to roast chestnuts and kertoffelpuffer (potato pancakes).

But despite the growing revelry in the air, my mind is always on the turkey these days. And I'm not alone. The Marriott is not only hosting Thanksgiving dinner, but is also showing American football!!!! Be still my heart! A bier garten -- what we could commonly refer to as a microbrewery -- that we frequent, known as 1516, is also have turkey and football. While we plan a trip to the Marriott, I am foregoing their turkey for my own feast since it will be me and Nicholai's first Thanksgiving as a married couple! On our menu:

Apple Glazed Cornish Hens
w/Sausage Apple Stuffing
Honey Glazed Ham
Sauteed Cabbage (can't find collard greens, mustard greens or any of those kinds of greens)
Sweet Potato Casserole
Caramelized Onions
Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Spice
Fresh Rolls

Apple Crumble Pie
Sweet Potato Pie

I can't wait!

Alison
10:02 a.m., 19 November 2009

Sturm

Fall in Vienna is not only ushered in by cool breezes and an end to many of the summer markets and festivals, but it is also the time of year when sturm is introduced. Sturm is fermenting grape juice taken from the first grape harvest. It is on sale in Vienna for only a few weeks in the fall because it has to be consumed quickly since it is still fermenting. It comes in white or red and costs anywhere from 1 euro to 1,40 euros a glass. And, as every local will warn you, it is strong (because of the high sugar content). As my husband will tell you, "It ain't strong." Ha. Okay, Big Daddy.

Nicholai has taken a huge liking to the sweet, slightly fermented red "wine." The other day, he had like five glasses! He stood and his eyes were glazed over. I lmao.

"It'd be good if you could pick up a bottle of sturm," he tells me when I ask him if he needs anything from the grocery. (Silently I laugh.) No problem. At least it's a soft introduction to wine for my beer-drinking husband, who also marvels at what he describes as the wonderful taste of (Chinese) plum wine. Who knows. Maybe in a months time I can move him on to real wine. Now THAT would be amazing!

alison
Sunday, 11:05 p.m.

Notes From Austria

I used to always marvel at how foreigners in America could just pick up their lives and arrive at our shores without knowing the system or the culture or even the language. 'What brave souls,' I thought. Well, I still think that. Even more so tonight as I sit in a two-room flat on the fourth floor of a building located near the banks of the Danube river listening to the gentle snoring of my husband and German voices rising above clinking glasses at the outdoor cafe below.

I've been in Austria 10 days and I must confess that despite the language barrier (they speak German; I do not), it's an easy city and a lovely city. It's like a cross between Washington, D.C., with its monuments and outdoor festivals, and Boston, with it's old charm and lots and lots of white people. Yeah. Lots and lots of white people. Viennese are generally cordial, although no where near as polite as Ghanaians and Bahamians, for example. It's rare to hear someone of the tram, bus or subway say excuse me and certainly not hello.

There are some stares, but nothing to really write home about. I mean, there is even a real possibility that they are staring at me because I'm beautiful, regardless of my skin color. (laugh) ... Okay, let's think on that for a minute ... (smile) ... Alright -- enough.

Today was my third day on my new post as Deputy Director of the International Press Institute (http://www.freemedia.at/) and I know that people always love their job when they first start, but really I like this job. And for the first time since my first few and last few months in West Africa, I feel like I really have the opportunity to make a difference for my colleagues. It's invigorating.

Bruce Blake told me yesterday that reaction in Boston has been mixed about my move to Vienna. I told him for those who ask why I would do such a thing, to keep his response simple because they might be simple people. I told him to mention a few phrases to people, like 'jobs, jobs, jobs, free health care, free health care, free health care, jobs, no journalism jobs in the U.S., jobs in Europe, great job at IPI ..." I mean, does one really need to say more than that? Plus there is the added benefit of coming into the Vienna job with 28 days vacation -- and that doesn't count the 15 or so holidays that the country and employers dish out each year. You see, the Europeans don't believe in working themselves to death. We could definitely learn something from that in the U.S.

Well, it's the end of the day and I just finished a wonderful burrito dinner prepared by my husband. I also watched a little CNN and heard the story of a woman track star who looks, talks and walks like a man try to prove that she isn't and the story of a Tonga man living in New Zealand who decided to barbecue his dog for dinner after the dog got fleas. He said that where he's from people always eat their pet; it's a delicacy. Hum. It's a good thing my burritos had already digested when the segment hit the airwaves. Talk about news of the weird.

Anyway, I digress, there is so much to say and so little time. I started this blog to share some of my thoughts on Vienna and my experiences as a black woman here. And also so I won't have to write so many individual emails to tell people how Nicholai and I are doing. There is so much to tell!

I hope you'll stick along for the ride. And I hope you like what you see and read!

Auf Wiederschauen!

Alison
9:50 p.m.. 20 August 2009