Lakes and Mountains

As I'm working on crossing a few more things off my Austrian to do list, spending more time exploring the lakes and mountains around here has continually been near the top.  Yes, I've driven through there on several occasions, returning to Vienna from skiing and things, and I've been on the Sound of Music tour enough times to have been around that area, but this has never been the sole purpose of a trip.  I was hoping to get in one more good day trip while this is still just a day trip away so last Saturday my friend Jon and I rented a car and headed off towards Hallstatt.  Despite being on all sorts of postcards and promotional bits about Austria, neither of us had ever actually been there.  

The drive to Hallstatt takes about 3 hours from Vienna, and just gets more and more breathtakingly gorgeous. 

Thankfully there are little turnout places on the side of the road where you can pull off and try your best to capture the scenery.  And try we did.

In Hallstatt the parking places are on the far edge of town and then you can walk back along the lake towards the center of the village.  On a gorgeous day like this it gives you ample opportunity to just enjoy the clear water and the mirrored effect of the mountains.  And of course take lots more photos.

The town of Hallstatt from this side, it somehow looks farther away than it really is.  I'm pretty sure it was only about a 10 minute walk to that church steeple.

We then climbed up the steps to another church on the side of the hill to be able to look down over the snow covered buildings.

While there were a few tourists milling around, it is definitely the off-season around here.  Even on a Saturday afternoon, most restaurants and things were closed, so after a couple hours of wandering around and enjoying the scenery we decided to get back in the car and change locations.

Next stop: Traunkirchen, which is about 40 minutes back towards Vienna from Hallstatt

The final bits of sunlight hitting the mountains.  At this point there were basically no other people around, which allows you to just stop and enjoy listening to the lake washing up against the rocky shore.

One final stop in Gmunden at the other end of the Traunsee.  This is a bigger town so there were quite a few more things open and people around, a nice stop for dinner before heading back to Vienna.

As I've said before, so much of Austria looks like you're living inside a beautiful painting.  The way these mountains all just seem to drop off into these gorgeous lakes, dotted by these picturesque villages is something I will never get tired of seeing.  This was definitely one of those trips I wish everyone I know could take.  Perhaps not all at the same time, so that we don't overrun the place, but if you're ever around here and have the opportunity to go exploring, absolutely do.  

Wrapping Things Up

Things have been pretty busy around here lately, starting things off with a wonderful long weekend in Amsterdam at the end of January to visit my dear friend Ema who is now living there.

It was a lovely weekend of exploring the city and getting in some quality time to catch up.  Amsterdam provided the perfect backdrop for both, even in the dead of winter.  Hopefully I'll get to go back and see the city in the summer as well, when everyone is making full use of all the canals and outdoor spaces.

Back in Vienna, not being in school anymore doesn't mean I don't still need my fix of this view from Kahlenberg.  Thankfully working on a research project means flexible hours to meet with friends at the coffee shop up there.

This is my attempt at a panorama at what is probably my favorite spot in the city.  There is this specific spot when you're walking through the Hofburg and it opens up on to Heldenplatz and you are suddenly surrounded by the palace, the two main museums in front of you, the Parliament building, and the Rathaus.  I am still somehow amazed at how beautiful I think it is every single time.

And then, it being February, it's ball season in Vienna!  Once again I was fortunate enough to attend the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Ball at the Hofburg.  As in years past, it was a magical evening of all sorts of dancing through the night.

Finally some real snow!  This was sort of a bizarre blizzard day, it snowed very fast for most of the day, and was super windy and unpleasant, but then the temperature was expected to rise and all of it turn to rain.  Since I've been so looking forward to the snow I figured I should brave the elements and go out while I could to see it. 

While the big ice rink is set up at the Rathaus, there is also this temporary "City Skyliner" observation tower.  Basically about 60 people can fit in this rotating glass compartment which then goes up and down this tower while slowly spinning.  A friend and I decided to try it last night, and it was one of the coolest things I've done in a long time.

Looking across the Ring at the Burgtheater, with Stephansdom in the distance behind it, and the Hofburg to the right.

Getting up close to the Rathaus from above

Oddly now my to-do list looks a lot like it did 3 years ago, but in reverse.  My research project ends the end of this month, so several weeks ago I bought a return ticket to NYC which I'd use if I didn't have any serious job prospects here by then.  I don't at the moment, so two weeks from tomorrow I'll be back on a plane to the States.  So now I'm trying to sort through my things and figure out how to get it all packed up and shipped, closing down accounts, and trying to wrap up life here.  It's all a bit overwhelming still, and I'm trying to get all I can out of these last couple weeks.  I know this won't be anywhere near the last time I'm in Vienna, as a visitor or perhaps something more permanent at another time, but for now I'm trying to properly close this chapter of the past three years the best I can.  

Holidays

Happy 2015! The end of the year, with all its holiday festivities and busy activities always seems a bit like a funnel, which then spits you out sometime in mid-January not quite sure where the time has gone.  I think especially being surrounded mostly by students further exaggerates this feeling, with everyone scattering across the globe at various points in December and then reconvening after the start of the new year. 

The chandeliers on the Graben, which are some of my very favorite Christmas decorations in Vienna, and have only recently been dismantled and packed away for the next 11 months or so until they're hung up again.

We did manage a fairly proper belated Thanksgiving/early Christmas dinner with some friends here.  An added bonus to not hosting the dinner on Thanksgiving meant that we could have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade playing while we cooked thanks to the entire telecast somehow being on youtube.  It's amazing to me how much easier this meal is to prepare than it was even just 2 years ago with the selection of American ingredients now more readily available at international grocery stores here.

The apparently universal position for watching football (aka soccer in this case) following a large holiday meal.

Karlskirche

Cozy Sunday afternoons in coffee houses

There are a few things about living here that I just simply don't do often enough, one of which being taking the train to Salzburg even just for the day.  So one day in December a friend and I took advantage and headed out there to get even just a small dose of these gorgeous Alps.

The twinkling lights and glowing Christmas markets are an added bonus

And then I too went home for the holidays.  This year was a shorter trip than last year, I was only in the States for about 2 weeks and just stayed in the NYC/CT area.  Always nice to come home to this tree and relax at my Granny's for a while.

Time spent just soaking up these majestic city views as well.

The contrast between New York City and Vienna is still a bit jarring at times.  New York can be crowded, loud, pushy, and completely exhausting for sure, and living in Vienna gets me out of practice of dealing with these things but it does still provide a unique rush and thrill just by being there.

Grand Central

St. Patricks

Several trips in and out of the city took me from CT to Brooklyn which gives these awesome views of Manhattan off the Whitestone Bridge.  Just far enough away to get a slightly different perspective.

Away from the bustle of the big city and enjoying strolls around the town where I grew up in CT.  I still love going in all these shops and places which also play a part in my earliest memories of being truly "independent" with friends by my side and allowance money in hand. 

Just as I was leaving to head back to Austria, we finally got a bit of snow, which provided a perfect segue for the bit of snow on the ground when I returned to Vienna.

The rosebushes in Volksgarten protected from the elements

Although then pretty much just as quickly as the snow arrived, it was gone, and we've had fairly mild and windy weather for most of January.

And some gorgeous winter sunsets

One of the things I hadn't done the entire time I've been here is actually go inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum, so this past Saturday there was free entry for anyone with a yearly pass on the public transport (check).  I'm really glad I took advantage of that, and amazingly it wasn't super crowded, even on a pretty grey Saturday.

I know I've said before how much life in Vienna seems to travel in these perfect circles each year, with seasons and months marked by special events which follow each other in a way that means there is always something exciting to look forward to.  So now we're back around to the giant ice rink in front of the Rathaus opening again tomorrow and balls are again appearing on the calendar as are people in tuxes and gowns wandering around town on their way to these events.  And I'm currently working to finish up my research project, still applying for permanent positions all over the world, and trying to check off more things on my Vienna to-do list while I'm still here!