It’s a grey Monday in Vienna. The common sentiment I seem to hear lately is, “Is winter over yet?” In truth, winter here has not been that cold…. but still winter, nonetheless. Recently the cold has diminished enough to rain instead of snow. But the sentiment and mood of a long grey winter remains. The early birds are starting to arrive which gives me hope that perhaps spring is not far around the corner.
I took my German test today. If was our first of two tests in the trimester. This past weekend I did my best to fill my brain with the words and grammatic understanding from the course so far. I tried to polish up some very rusty studying skills and diligently wrote note cards trying to understand and remember everything. And the test? Well, in truth I found it hard. It began with a listening and reading test which were both quite easy. But when it came time for the grammer I was unsure about many of my answers. After the test I was glad to learn I wasn’t alone as other classmates left the room wiping the sweat off their brow. The good news is, it’s over.
After class I needed some post-test unwind time… to shake off some of my nervous and studying energy. I took a walk around not far from where I live, near the Rathaus or City Hall.
Even though winter is grey and long, Vienna does it pretty well. For the most part, people embrace winter here as well as the many possible winter activities. This is a bit contradictory to my nature as when it is cold I like to hibernate and stay warm. But I can’t deny my slight enchantment with winter Vienna.
Today on my post-test stroll I wandered by the Eistraum (translation is ice dream) an impressive skating and winter play area in front of the Rathaus. It’s a maze of ice skating paths and arenas for young and old alike. I stopped and caught a glimpse of some of the afternoon skaters, some whizzing by and others relying on the wall for stability.
While it was fun to watch, I can’t say that I wanted to grab my skates and glide along. Perhaps too many memories of adolescent Friday nights and bad 80s music.
So for now, I am warm and cumfy back at home. Life has been somewhat quiet lately as I’ve settled into my modest caretaking role while my hostess is away in the US. And the grey winter continues.
How is life for you wherever you may be? It’s always good to hear from you!
Gypsy Woman 