Scenes from Enns

This is the town where I spent three summers helping with the archaeological excavations. The director of the museum invited me to attend the opening of a new gallery, so I made the trip from Irdning this morning. My first stop was the Gasthof zum schwarzen Bären where I got a room, but was told that the restaurant operation had been moved to the port of Enns. So I took a taxi and had lunch al fresco by the riverside. Then I got a ride back into Enns where I took some pictures. The opening was quite large, maybe 50-70 people were in attendance. I got a special tour by the research director and the donors of the new gallery. I am hoping to do something for the museum in the future (anything from translating to research).

The focus of Enns is the clock tower on the main square. You can climb it for a Euro, and the view is incredible: you can even see the confluence of the Enns and Danube Rivers.

Enns is the oldest city in Austria, according to their articles of incorporation (1212). But the Romans were here in 212! The Museum Lauriacum is a gem. All of the Roman finds on display were actually excavated in Enns. The most important exhibit is the ceiling fresco of Cupid and Psyche:

It's nice to be in Enns again. It's one of the places I really feel "at home."

By the ghost of Johnny Cash...

...I swear this is a true story!

Since I arrived in Austria, it has been my personal mission to correct the Austrian pronunciation of "V". For some reason, they think it sounds more "English" to pronounce "V"s as "W"s, which leads to such verbal catastrophes as "Ve had a werry vunderful time in Wienna!"

Last night I went to a Johnny Cash tribute at CCW. I went with my good friend and English colleague, Ingrid, and 5-6 of the graduating seniors were there taking a break from studying for Matura. The singer/guitarist had a rich, deep voice and he dressed in black; the violinist could play a mean "Devil Went Down to Georgia" fiddle. And everything was fine, until they sang...

"She walks these hills, in a long black WHALE"

I collapsed in giggles on Ingrid's shoulder, and I'm sure the students in the balcony saw me. By the time they sang the chorus through a second time, Ingrid leaned over to me and said, "it must have been a BLUE whale."

Irene's Garden

For the past six days I've been enjoying an extended vacation from school -- Austria celebrates Pentecost as a national holiday. Who am I to complain?

Instead of going to some exotic country, I have been vacationing in Irene's garden. Every morning I get up, write some emails, eat breakfast, then around 10:00 am I pack up everything I need for the day (blanket, pillow, chair, table, laptop, sunscreen, sketchbooks, colored pens and pencils, journal, postcards, books, camera, binoculars, cell phone, jacket, sweater, water) and I plant myself under a tree in the garden and spend 4-6 hours reading, writing, sketching and just generally delighting in the sun on my face and the cool breeze on my winter softened skin.

I am joined by a neighborhood kitty, whom Rob calls "Bob" (although I suspect this is narcissism) and whom I call "Skippy" (or more specifically, "Damn Skippy" because he is the most annoying kitty on the face of the planet). A picture is worth a thousand words:

Most mornings, Skippy is darkening my door when I set out for the garden. I don't know where he was this morning, when an armless, legless lizard (sounds like a snake, doesn't it... looks like one too!) somehow reached my bathroom! Luckily the tiles were cold and the slow worm lived up to his name. I caught him handily in a dustpan, and left him to warm up in the sun, making sure he slithered in the direction of the ravine not back to the house.

But Irene's Garden is a magical place with its wooden sculptures, terraced flower beds, pebbled walkways, and view of the Grimming. You can be sure that I will be spending many days like this in the coming weeks!

"I don't know much about Cinco de Mayo..."

"... I'm never sure what it's all about now." - Cake

Seems that song titles make good blog headings! On May 5, Rob and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with chicken fajitas and homemade margaritas. Mmmm!


Today was the last time I'll meet with the Matura (Senior) classes in Liezen. We celebrated in all classes, and I felt SOOOO naughty because we all got to have a thimbleful of champagne AT SCHOOL at 8:30 in the morning! Here's a picture of the 5A class:


And here's me with the 5B class. They were so sweet... they made a card for me and gave me flowers and a little stuffed elephant so we'll "never forget" each other. I wish them all success on their Matura exams!

You can't really compare the Austrian Matura with the last semester of a U.S. high school. Depending on the school, students in Austria have to take 3-4 written exams and 3-4 oral exams. In Stainach, the students also have to have a special field and write a thesis. To some extent students can choose the subjects they are tested in. But unlike the U.S., Matura exams are cumulative/comprehensive. Written exams are taken over a one week period in mid-May. Oral exams take place in June. If students fail a subject, they have to repeat the course and take the exam again the next year. There's no summer school, and no GED. And there are no college entrance exams like SAT or ACT. Needless to say, there's a little bit of stress involved. And I maintain that, the Matura students may be the same age as high school seniors, but they are more intellectually advanced.

Today I met with the girls in Liezen, and surprised Ash with a personalized signed copy of Patch Adams' biography, Gesundheit. Patch (Hunter) Adams is my step-mom's cousin, and when I found out Patch is Ash's hero and role model, I knew I had to get her an autographed book. She was overwhelmed with gratitude!

"It's a new day, it's a new dawn, it's a new life"

Lots of things happening! A week or so ago I went to a concert by Connie Lush and Blues Shouter (http://www.connielush.com/) who sang the above referenced song. CCW Stainach seems to be a blues magnet and that's just fine with me!

On May 1, we packed Irene off to Nepal:

Irene and I rode the train to Vienna where I stayed with Kurt and Annemarie. On Friday we went to a movie (Be Kind, Rewind). On Saturday I made lunch (blackened Cajun burgers and lemonade). That evening, the Vienna Stadt.Fest was taking place throughout the city. Stages were set up in numerous squares, and concerts were free. We saw Kollegium Kalksburg (an unconventional Vienna ensemble) and Timna Brauer (singer of exotic Eastern compositions), as well as Nena (99 Luftballons). We returned home to drink mint juleps, even though we couldn't see the Kentucky Derby on television. We thought about the Whiskey Widows back in Baton Rouge, drinking their milk punch.

Oh, I may not have mentioned that I applied for a second year as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Austria. Rob, Caitlin, and I are all coming back to the Ennstal, and Ash is still trying to renew her position.

My plans for this summer are a bit up in the air... I just sent off my first Austrian job application today (a mystifying experience... why on earth do they need to know where I went to Kindergarten?!) But since I've started my job search late, I thoroughly believe I'll be spending much of the summer in Iowa and Louisiana (my flight home is scheduled for July). We should make plans to get together!