The Semana Santa Saga: Part VI

Where: Innerkrems, Austria
When: Thursday, April 1 (8:20 PM) – Monday, April 5 (7:30 AM)
How: The most harrowing travel experience that we had on our entire journey happened in Vienna. As I mentioned in the first installment of this epic adventure, we misread the Arrival/Departure board at the train station and unknowingly waited for a good 20 minutes on the wrong platform. The train arrived, and when we tried to get on, a man told us it was not the train going to Salzburg; rather it had just come from Salzburg. The following 3.2 minutes were spent in a frantic search for our train, and after asking a couple of people, we jumped onto the correct metal beast just seconds before it huffed and puffed away from the platform. Luckily, our switch in Salzburg was less worrying, especially since we already knew the station, and we caught the next train without a hitch.

A couple of hours later, I looked out the window of our train heading toward Spittal in southern Austria and saw the beginnings of snow flurries that eventually became larger snowflakes. Little by little that countryside was covered by a thin blanket of white snow, which was an exciting contrast to our warm & sunny afternoon at Schönbrunn. At the Spittal train station, Julika, her cousin Nadine, and her mother Marion picked us up and drove us to their small mountain ski village of Innerkrems.

Who: Sarah and I stayed with the Schwarzenbacher family. About three years ago, Julika Schwarzenbacher lived with Sarah’s family in Iowa as an exchange student. Last summer, SK visited Julika and her family in Berlin, and she also spent part of this past Christmas vacation at their Austrian mountain villa in Innerkrems. After having such a lovely time the first go-around and after learning that they spend Easter holiday there too, it was no surprise that Sarah took them up on an invitation to visit again. Luckily for me, they were totally cool with letting me tag along and share a bed with SK!

Julika is a 20 year old university student with plans of becoming a doctor. She has a carefree and rather independent spirit, not really caring about what others think and doing what she likes and not doing what she doesn’t like. Her English is just about perfect, and her slight German drawl is really cute when coupled with her trilling laughter. Although she would seem more on the quiet side of the personality spectrum, she holds within herself a vivaciousness that shines forth from her steel blue eyes. I liked this girl a lot, and we got on quite well from the first moment we met. I’m happy to say that I’ll be seeing her again in a couple of weeks when she visits Madrid (Icelandic volcano notwithstanding…).

Julika’s parents, Marion and Sepp, are an adorable example of how in-tune couples become after being married for years and after having lived a particular routine for equally as long. I watched them cook in almost complete silence, grabbing ingredients from behind each other’s backs, moving pots and dishes at the exact moment as needed, and whisking up a delicious meal with only a handful of words to spread across the counter. Marion’s sweet countenance offered a calming reassurance that life can be tranquil and peaceful if we just take ourselves a little less seriously. Julika’s father was a man of the kitchen, always rooting around for some small delectable or laboriously preparing something special for a meal. His generosity was most evident by his actions, like heaping piles of food on mine and Sarah’s plate or providing everything we needed for our entire stay.

Julika’s older sister, Jana, is finishing up her studies to be a pilot. During her free time in the house, she was usually studying for an exam or talking about boys. Julika told me that her sister prefers to be on their yacht sailing around Croatia’s Diamond Coast rather than skiing in the mountains. And according to Julika, she’s a “pretty skier,” trying to have the best form so that when people watch they’ll see how well she skis. Julika, on the other hand, prefers the mountains over the beach and loves to ski as fast as possible (but she still skis really well).

Nadine is a rather small eleven-year-old, but I’m sure that her picky eating habits contribute to her twig of a figure. Since Nadine is only just learning English, our interactions with her were somewhat limited. Fortunately, you don’t need too many words to play a card game both sides already understand. Nadine loves Phase 10, and so do Sarah and I! Julika, Nadine, SK & I played Phase 10 every afternoon upon returning to the house after several hours of skiing. Being the baby of the household, Nadine got a lot of attention, but she would quietly and sassily respond to the others in German, and Julika would then translate what she said so that Sarah and I could understand. Nadine was Julika’s little shadow, a precious little team that I loved watching interact.

Several other family members were in and out of the picture during mine and Sarah’s stay. Julika’s aunt Clara, who lives a half hour away, came over in the mornings for breakfast and to ski, typically joining us for dinner, too. Clara has the largest nose I have ever seen on the face of any human being. I had to deliberately tell myself not to stare at it during meals. Seriously, I don’t say that to be rude but it was simply a miracle of life. Her 34 year old daughter, Vera, who has her own section of the 4-part mountain villa, popped in and out of the house throughout the weekend. Vera used to be a professional downhill skier, and she was very sweet, but her nose was normal.

How our days went:

Our days passed in a slow, relaxing manner. By 9:30 every morning, a tempting display of fresh baked bread, jams & jellies, meats & cheeses, juices, coffee and tea was all set out on the 4-by-10 wooden table. Once satisfied, we suited up in our ski gear (they completed outfitted SK & me), clunked down the driveway, crossed the only street in town, snapped into our skis, and slushed down to the ski lifts. Julika, Nadine, SK & I would ski together for a couple of hours, meet some others for lunch at a mountainside restaurant, ski a few more runs afterward, and be back home by 4:00. In the late afternoons, after getting cleaned up, we’d have a coffee-cake break and then while Julika’s parents prepared dinner, we would read, dye and paint Easter eggs, or play Phase 10. Although everyone speaks English, they had an understandable tendency to slip into German at dinner, but I didn’t mind because I really enjoyed watching them interact and trying to figure out their topic of conversation. Eventually, everyone would drift off to bed, with me usually being one of the first to head in that direction. I’d get more than my fair share of sleep, wake up early, and start the next day following more or less the same schedule… what a shame I only had three days of this relaxing bliss! ;-)

Easter morning was really special, aside from the fact that I base my beliefs on that day. After breakfast, us girls—Julika, Jana, Nadine, SK & I—shoved on our boots and went tromping about in the snow, searching for what the Easter Bunny had left for us around the house. Thinking of plastic eggs or candy pac

kets, it took SK & I a few minutes to catch on to what we were looking for. I stumbled upon Jana’s gift bag of goodies behind a woodpile and Nadine’s package stuffed under a car tire long before I found my own small, wrapped package. SK & I were both given a cute pair of earrings, a chocolate bunny, and Salzburg’s famous Mozart chocolates, Mirabell Mozartkugeln. I loved coming back to this simple yet precious tradition, and I’m so glad that the Easter Bunny knew I was in Austria this year! Later that night, after I had eaten the most succulent steak I have put into my mouth in months, us girls walked down the road to watch the bonfire, an Austrian Easter tradition, drink glühwein, and listen to traditional Austrian band music. Breathing in the crisp night air under a twinkling starry sky, I couldn’t believe how fortunate I had been to temporarily become a part of such a wonderful family, but it also made me very excited about returning to my own family soon.

What about skiing?:

I have a confession to make. I have a very strong love-hate relationship with skiing. There, I said it. I absolutely love skiing… when the conditions are to my liking. I love the satisfying sound of snapping into my skis, the easy shredding down the slopes, and being surrounded by a beautiful snowy landscape. On the contrary, I hate when the temperatures drop below “Bitter Cold” on the thermometer and the freezing winds whip across the mountain tops. I hate wearing layers of clothes that make me break out into a slimy sweat. Yet, the only thing I really “hated” during my time in Innerkrems was the fact that my shins were bruised beyond belief due to improper-fitting boots, causing me intense pain with each turn of the ski on my second and third days of skiing. Overall, our skiing days were great, with conditions much to my liking. We had fresh powder the first day and a clear blue sky on the second. Although Sarah did get a bit freaked out and somewhat frustrated by the really strong winds that blew on our last day of skiing, I actually didn’t mind them.

For someone who just learned how to downhill ski back during Christmas break and at age 25, Sarah has learned quickly and she skied quite well. Nevertheless, she’s still a beginner, and Julika, Nadine, and I had to tailor our skiing to hers. We’d normally send Sarah down first, and we’d wait a few minutes before going down after her, ski past her, and then wait for her to catch up to us at the next ridge. I was quite grateful for SK’s slower pace, because it allowed me to zip down quickly and stop before I began working too hard (and thus I could avoid breaking out into a gross sweat).

Sarah skied well and only had a couple of “oops” moments, but I had an “oops” moment of my own. At the top of the most difficult run, I decided to go fast down the steepest and iciest run on the mountain with plans to ease up after passing the tough stuff. However, I gained too much speed quicker than I expected. I ended up going straight down the mountain at top speed, and I couldn’t make any turns to slow down. I flew past one ridge… and flew past the next. When I say flew, I mean that I actually got air and flew. A rough laugh and a coarse “Whoa…” escaped my lips. In my head I was thinking quickly, but rather rationally, “Ok, if I don’t slow down soon and regain control, this could end up badly. At least there’s lots of fresh powder just off the run… it shouldn’t hurt too badly.” What seemed like minutes but what was probably less than one passed, and I mercifully reached a flatter part of the run that helped me just enough to regain control over my skis, make some turns, and come to a snow-plowing stop. My face broke out into a smile of triumph, the kind that only emerges after a disaster has just been averted. I had gone so far so fast that I couldn’t see the other girls for a while; it took them over five minutes to make it down to where I was. I learned my lesson from that little heart-racing experience: the quickest way down is straight down, but if you’re not careful, you could never make it down… (Ok, so I didn’t actually think about that at the time, but it sounds true, right?)

How it all ended:

It was such a fantastic treat to stay with Julika’s family, truly a wonderful way to end our Semana Santa journey. We had spent so much time running around & touring cities beforehand that staying in a home with a family in the quiet, snow-covered mountains was the perfect way to unwind and reflect on all the overwhelming amount of things we saw and did. I am so obliged to the Schwarzenbacher family, and I will be eternally gratefully for their excellent hospitality. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with Julika again when she comes to Madrid next week.

The morning of Monday, April 5 arrived, bringing with it a blizzard and giving me reason to be happy I wasn’t skiing that day. At 7:30 AM, Julika scratched off the ice from the car window with her driver’s license and then the three of us headed off to Salzburg. Sarah and I said “hasta luego” to Julika at the train station platform, and we hopped onto a train that would take us to Stuttgart, Germany. Five hours later, we arrived in Stuttgart, found the right metro line, and got to the airport thirty minutes later. With time to kill, we had a late lunch and a beer before boarding our Germanwings plane. By 9 PM, I was walking down my street in Madrid, feeling content and relieved to have returned “home” after such a long, brain-overloading, and fantastic trip.

Madrid has become my home, and it has been good to be back these past two weeks. But that is another story for another day.

The Semana Santa Saga: Part V

Where: Vienna, Austria (or Wein in German)
When: Monday, March 29 (10 PM) – Thursday, April 1 (3:30 PM)
Where we stayed: Do Step Inn—We spent two of the three nights having to share a basement room with two smelly boys, one from Spain (go figure) and one from England. It wasn’t the most pleasant hostel experience I’ve ever had, but then again, it certainly wasn’t the worst! At least, we were conveniently located next to the train station and not too far from the city center.
What’s along the Ringstraße:
Vienna is quite a large city, holding almost a quarter of Austria’s population within its districts. Yet, the old city center (the Innere Stadt) is surrounded by a large boulevard called the Ringstraße Along the Ringstraße, you will find a number of magnificent and commanding buildings. From the Museumsquartier to seats of government to imperial palaces and centers of performing arts, many national treasures of Austria are located on this significant avenue.

• The Museum of Natural History of Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) and The Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum) at Maria-Theresa-Square

• The Parliament of Austria (Österreichisches Parlament)—quite impressive
• The Rathaus—the town hall of Vienna
• The Hofburg Imperial Palace—currently the residence of Austria’s President, this used to be the principle winter home of the illustrious Habsburg dynasty, who ruled almost all of Europe at one point or another in history.

What we found in the Innere Stadt in one day (that would be on Tuesday):

• An Easter Market—Dozens upon dozens of delicately painted eggs were stacked in the center of the little square, resting cheerily under a light canvas awning. Laughter and cries of joy from the children watching a puppet show floated over the egg crates and into our ears as we perused the elaborate oval shells. After much consideration, SK & I made some tough decisions and made an Easter purchase or two.
• After wandering through some side streets, we eventually found the Der Graben (German for “the trench”), which is one of Vienna’s most famous streets located inside the ring. This was the heartbeat of the city, pumping with life as a flow of people constantly moved up and down the trench, popping into trendy modern stores housed in elegant buildings. And there, in the middle of the pedestrian-only street packed with shoppers, the Pestsäule (German for “plague column”) stood as a stunning memorial to Vienna’s encounter with a horrible plague epidemic in the late 1600s.
• We ambled along the small perimeter inside St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche) in the afternoon, and later that evening, we took our seats in the old wooden pews and enjoyed the angelic voices of a small yet talented chamber choir as they rose into the air and danced off the baroque statues.
• St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) is Vienna’s main church and one of its most recognized landmarks. The multi-colored tiled roof and enormous towers abruptly protrude from the splendid Stephansplatz.
• The immense amount of baroque-ness we found inside the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche) echoed the superfluous-ness of the main auditorium of its neighbor, the old University of Vienna, where Mozart gave a concert or two.
• After a deliciously filling lunch, we found a spot on a sunny lawn of the Viennese City Park (Wiener Stadtpark) and took a nap. Nearby, the Danube River continued on its perpetual journey, taking no interest in stopping to have a rest under the clear blue sky.

Who we saw in Vienna:

• Doris: Doris is a university student from Vienna who was a classmate of my flat-mate Elaine this winter. She moved back home and offered to meet SK & I for dinner one night during our stay in her hometown. She took us to Figmüller, a restaurant claiming to have “the biggest schnitzel.” While we ate our fried veal cutlet and sweet beet salad, we enjoyed catching up and quizzing her on some Austrian words and customs. If you’re interested in the story behind the schnitzel, check out http://www.figlmueller.at/index.php for more... I’ve already had my fair share.
• Sharon & Co.: By several incredible strokes of luck, SK & I encountered Sharon, another assistant who works at my school, while we were in Vienna. Sharon was traveling with two other girls during Semana Santa, and it just so happened that we all spent two nights in the same hostel in Vienna. I first saw Sharon in our hall bathroom; she had just come out of the shower as I was getting ready for bed. We were stunned to see one another, and I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at the coincidence of our rendezvous. The next day, we ran into each other again in a museum bathroom (an apparent trend of ours). Later that night, our travel groups merged, and we all went out for Austrian wine and apple strudel after seeing the ballet at the opera house.

Which cafés we sampled:

Viennese cafés, according to Wikipedia, “have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries, and the caffeine addictions of some famous historical patrons of the oldest are something of a local legend.” Also, they “claim to have invented the process of filtering coffee from bounty captured after the second Turkish siege in 1683.” Coffees traditionally are served on a small silver metal tray, accompanied by a glass of water and maybe some sugar cubes, too.

• Café Diglas: Sitting under chandeliers dripping with tea cups and crystals, we sipped on coffee and nibbled on raspberry-chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie. We entertained ourselves later on by going into the bathroom, where transparent doors only become opaque once you’ve locked it from the inside. It caused quite a stir among the café’s clientele and made this café quite memorable!
• Demel: We took a window seat and split some rich chocolate cake at this popular spot in the city center. Of course, we had a coffee to go with it all, which gave us a much needed jolt of energy after a day of wandering around town in the drizzling rain.

What we visited:

• Belvedere (http://www.belvedere.at/jart/prj3/belvedere/main.jart?rel=en): Belvedere, an ostentatious and sumptuous display of wealth of the Austrian aristocracy and royalty, is comprised of two palaces, neat gardens, and several small buildings such as the Orangery and the Stables. Upper Belvedere was built in 1721-1722 under the watchful supervision of Prince Eugene of Savoy, a great military commander and important political figure of his time. After being converted into a museum in 1918, it now houses numerous works by famous Austrian artists, including Gustav Klimt.
• The Naschmarkt (Nibbles Market): Looking at art can make you pretty hungry and tired, so after a visit to Belvedere, SK & I took the metro back into the city to see what we could find in Vienna’s most popular market. The colorful market stalls stretched over a kilometer down the street, their vendors pleading for passersby to have a taste of their wares. Dried fruits and nuts and packages of spices were piled higgledy-piggledy. Other delicatessens, like stuffed olives or sweet baklava, were lined up under glass counters. I couldn’t resist buying some dried strawberries, and Sarah had her first taste of baklava, Turkish style.
• We had lunch in Mr. Lee’s Asian Restaurant, which was oh-so-good! It might not have been traditional Austrian fair, but having good Asian cuisine is a novelty for us, since Spain doesn’t understand that part of the world nor its food very well.

• The Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper):
• We saw the Vienna Ballet Company’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ein Sommernachtstraum). The ballet was beautifully romantic, from scenery to costumes to music. The choreography was riveting and had a creatively modern touch. The dancers played their roles well, and it was easy to feel for them and their love-entangled lives. All in all, it was a performance that easily drew its spectators into that fairy-tale forest where. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all of the ballet…
• Never again will I get “standing room only tickets” to see a show. I’d rather pay 40 Euro for a chair with a bad view than pay 4 Euro to have a better view while standing squished between dozens of people packed in like cattle on show at the county fair. In Vienna, I discovered that my horribly annoying tendency to become faint doesn’t only occur on particular plane flights. Oh, no. My frustrating little problem can hit me anytime or anywhere… especially if I’m standing in a place for too long and become uncontrollably hot, which is what happened in Act I. Since I am quite aware of the signs before passing out, I took preventative measures and slouched down against the wall when the first wave of illness struck. Thus, I had to spend the first act watching the performance in intervals, resorting to sitting on the floor amidst a sea of legs often to counter my fainting spell. But just as everything that was once upside in the Shakespeare’s world, my story was set right after I got some air during intermission, took off a few layers of clothing, and regained control of my self in order to watch Act Two in its entirety. Now, I just know that I should avoid buying standing tickets for the theater!
• Schönbrunn Palace (http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/home.html)
• Our final day in Vienna was a glorious one. The sun was shining in the clear blue sky, and our spirits were much lifted after suffering through terrible wind & rain the day beforehand.
• How can I describe one of the prettiest and most charming palaces I’ve ever visited? You think once you’ve seen one palace, you’ve seen them all. To some degree, that is true, especially for us common folk who can’t tell the difference between a French vase and an Italian porcelain pitcher. Yet, the Hapsburgs’ summer residence had a distinct cheeriness to it, which perhaps was most noted from its bright yellow exterior. This was where Marie Antoinette grew up, learning how to frolic in lavishness. But this is also where her father, Franz Joseph I, worked tirelessly for the betterment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Furthermore, dozens of other monarchs and royals passed through those halls and extravagant rooms for centuries before them. This was the home to some of the world’s most powerful kings and queens, and thus being steeped in history and soaked with expensive frivolities, it was a joy and wonder to walk in their footsteps.
• After our palace tour, we walked around the fantastic gardens, taking pictures and reveling in the good weather. Our ticket gave us entry to the small labyrinth and children’s garden, where we raced through the bushy maze and were amused by simple games.
• With only a couple of hours before having to catch a train out of the city, we decided to have lunch in the cute Easter market located in the front square of the palace. Following our meal of cheesy-spinachy toast, cooked veggies and bacon-wrapped cheese, and dessert of chocolate crepes, we worked on conquering the walking stilts…before riding out of Vienna.