Last Days in Vienna
After Emily left for Germany I only had about eight days left before moving back to the States for good, and I wanted to make those eight days spectacular ☺ Coincidentally, around that time the weather turned hot and sunny – the perfect combination for lots of outdoor activities and fun-ness.We spent a lot of time outside in the sun; we would sit in the Stadtpark for hours on end, or we would rent ViennaBikes for one Euro and ride all over the city (not as easy as it sounds – have you ever tried to ride up a steep hill on a one-speed?) We also realized that, free of snow, my roof-terrace was an excellent place to while away an afternoon, and we spent time up there talking and painting toenails and drinking beer. I love lazy summer days!
I also partook in some interesting activities, however. Kelly, who had a very productive year, worked part-time at the Naturhistorisches Museum analyzing a collection of bones. The work sounds morbid, but it’s actually really cool – this collection of bones is probably around one thousand years old, and she analyzed each skeleton to see if there are any traces/evidence of how they died. She actually made some startling and important discoveries involving a rare illness that I know nothing about, and we are very proud of her ☺ Anyway, on Friday, June 16, she invited us to the Museum to go “behind-the-scenes,” per se, and see where she worked and what she was doing. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen more skulls in one place in my life!! The whole thing was very impressive, and I’m so glad I had a chance to see her in action.
After looking at the skulls, she took us up to the roof of the Museum, from which you can see the entire city. It isn’t open to the public, and it was a lot of fun to run around and see the views from up there. We got some great photos, actually, and we were able to see some of the preparations they were making at the Hofburg (across the street) for George W. Bush’s upcoming visit to the city.
Later that evening was Kelly’s birthday party, which she held at a Heuriger. All the girls decided to get all snazzed up, so we looked very cute for our evening out ☺ We all sat around a big table outside and snacked, drank local wine, and chatted. I love Austrian life! It was a great evening, and we had a lot of fun ☺ It was sad, though, to realize that my time with all these people I’d met was ending, and it was very strange to think that next year they wouldn’t be just a streetcar ride away if I needed a buddy to grab a coffee with.
On Saturday, I went to my Betreuungslehererin’s (boss’s) house for tea. In Austria, when people socialize (unless they are with family), they do it in public – restaurants, bars, etc. Rarely do people visit each other’s houses. So when Christine asked me and two other teachers over for tea, it was really a great honor. I stopped on my way and bought her a potted flower as a gift, and when I arrived I saw that Kathi (another teacher) had done the same. Ilona, the other teacher who was invited, brought homemade pfirsichtorte (peach cake…mmmmm….) It was a fun afternoon, and I had a good time chatting with my colleagues. For the first time all year they actually wanted me to speak German, which was a little intimidating. I don’t think it would have been intimidating if I’d been speaking German with them at the outset, but somehow having to change languages after nine months was unnerving (but luckily I remembered how to speak properly, and all was well ☺)
After tea, I headed out to the Praterstern (home of the famous Viennese Riesenrad, or Ferris Wheel), where I met the girls for a Mexican dinner. While our own dear Tin Tan serves up some of the tastiest margaritas I’ve ever tried, their food is sorely lacking in authenticity, and we’d heard tell of a better restaurant in this area. We weren’t disappointed, and I only wish I’d gone earlier in the year!
After dinner, we decided to find a place to partake in our new favorite activity – watching World Cup football in a pub. I think I probably went to pubs every night of my last week in Vienna (excepting the night at the Heuriger) for football, and while I was never a football fan before, this totally converted me (at least to understanding the excitement of World Cup time!) We were sorely disappointed by the Americans, who did not play all that well and who had some unlucky calls against it, and I wasn’t too thrilled when Italy won it all (although at least they didn’t play dirty like France did), but I got sucked in by the Cinderella stories (like Ghana, who I believe was the first African team to make it past the first round of the tournament, or Tunisia, for whom we naturally had a special affinity and who almost beat Spain.) Anyway those nights were some of my favorites from the entire year, and I am so glad to have experienced a World Cup in Europe ☺ (And getting a free World Cup/Erdinger baseball cap for buying Erdinger beer – the German equivalent of Keystone light – wasn’t too shabby either!)
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for me were spent packing and tying up my life in Vienna. It took me a while to understand how I could arrive in Vienna with two suitcases worth of clothing and finish my year with so much more junk than that! I went through my wardrobe and basically divided it in half – the clothing that would come home, and the clothing that I would leave in the Red Cross drop box down the street. They got a huge donation, let me tell you! I also had to de-register with the authorities, arrange to have my mail forwarded, and close my Austrian bank account and have my money transferred to my American one (a task that didn’t actually get completed until the morning of the day I left…whoops.)
I originally wasn’t supposed to leave until early July, but after Zack passed away I decided that I would like to come home earlier, if we could work out the flights. It took some finagling, but my brilliant mother found a way for me to fly British Airways on Tuesday afternoon from Vienna to Manchester to Edinburgh, and then take Delta’s flight on Wednesday from Edinburgh direct to Atlanta. On Monday, I decided I’d better check the weight limit for bags on British Airways, and good thing I did. Most airlines allow around 50 pounds per bag, but BA’s intra-European flights had a weight limit of 50 pounds total. Major Problem. So Monday I quickly unpacked and repacked and mailed a few more boxes home (cheaper than paying the heavy luggage fee.) Although I was still over the weight limit, it at least wasn’t 30 pounds over, and I figured I could cry my way out of it if necessary (I love being a girl!)
Monday evening some people came over for one last drink on my roof, and Tuesday I had Billa sandwiches with the girls before heading off to the airport. I arrived in Edinburgh feeling hot and sweaty and in desperate need of a shower. Since I tried to get rid of all possible excess weight, I didn’t bring any toiletries with me, having assumed that the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh would at least have soap and shampoo. I was unfortunately wrong, and I decided it wouldn’t be a huge deal if I flew home gross (that’s what World Cup/Erdinger baseball caps are for, anyway, right?)
I talked to my mother that night and she urged me to try to locate some shampoo at least – she said the front desk should have some, and luckily she was right. So I got a shower, which was probably nice for all the other passengers. My flight from Scotland to Atlanta was straightforward and easy (I even had an empty seat next to me – the best way to fly!)
It was a perfect last week to end my amazing year overseas. I’m so grateful and lucky to have had the chance to really live one of my dreams. Since I was a little girl (probably seven years old), I had planned to live in Vienna one day, and I actually did it. And it was perfect ☺
posted by Carly Fowler @ 7:56 PM
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