A small ode to my favorite Cafe 27

The front of the Cafe

So as most (dare I say all?) of you know my mother, Denise Brennecke, is a wonderful chef/baker.  She's been running the kitchen at Cafe 27 (co-owned by our friend Tom Wolf) for about 2.5 years now, and the food has been amazing!  I loved eating there, and getting the leftovers at home, and I'm gonna miss the big selection of great food.  I also worked there for a good part of last year, and it was a great place to work.  Sure the bosses sometimes got on my nerves ;) , but for the majority of the time I had a lot of fun actually getting to see my mom, and swapping news with Tom.  I also really enjoyed the customers who shared in the vision and mission of the Cafe, and many of whom are family-friends (with a stress on the family).

The Green House framed patio/garden

As sad as it is for me as an employee and customer that the Cafe will be closing its doors on Saturday, it's a happy day for me as a daughter!  I'll still get to enjoy mom's food, fresh, local and sustainable as ever (minus ordering off a menu, not from... off, I usually put in special orders), and of course she'll still test out recipes on me, dad and our community!  The first thing I want when I get home is a (belated) birthday cake of some as-of-yet-undetermined-and-creative sort.  Or at least I hope that's my first craving, and not Taco Bell like last time, which is about as far in the opposite direction you can go. :P

My dad reading the paper and waiting for breakfast at the Cafe next to a portrait of my mom working in the kitchen.

I'm also looking forward to spending some non-cafe time with my mom this summer, maybe even staying up late and going to neighborhood parties!  I'm also looking forward to checking out Brother Fats Public House (run by Chef from Christians Bistro), which will be taking over the Cafe 27 building.

Check out the article here: Cafe 27 to close by the end of the week

Hope all the readers in Central Wisconsin go to the Cafe this week to eat a little (or big) something for me, appreciate the time and love that has gone into everything there, and say thanks!

Photo Drop: Fasching+

The Uhrturm in Graz (end of my semester break)

The Kunsthaus Graz covered in snow.

The DJ stage and some dancers.

The beer tents and crowd in Josefplatz.

A little boy dressed as a Native American with German flags painted on his face... um what??

A smurf? I'm really not sure.

A Karnival float handing out mouse pads.

The marching band in costume

Here comes the float handing out wine

The 100% sexy Hofballet

Men really shouldn't wear leotards.

This float was handing out schnapps, I think they were probably consuming some too

The Flintstones, I'm not sure what their sign says, it's some sort of dialect

This float was the Austrian version of Jersey Shore- trashy, fake tan & playing loud club music

The costumes were also rather Jersey Shore guido

These two devils were serving up beer

This is the ride that Liz and some of her students went on, I prefered to stay safely on solid ground.

Well that was a kulturelles Erlebnis!

I've been meaning to write this post since Wednesday... but somehow the time just kept getting away from me.  Anyway, here's what happened this week:

For those of you who don't know Tuesday was Faschingdienstag, otherwise known as Karnival, or Mardi Gras (in the US).  Now I'm not exactly sure why they bother to have school on Tuesday or Wednesday, because no body is really in any sort of school-mode, especially not the upper level classes, but it made for an interesting time.

On Monday night in Baden there was a big ball, which a lot of my students from Bad Vöslau went to, and then they went to school without much (if any) sleep.  I was teaching the 7th form class that's all boys, and I don't know if I've ever laughed that much during a lesson.  Most of them were still in their suits, and most of them were still drunk which actually lead to them participating a lot in the lesson.  Of course there were some students sleeping at their seats (or in one case sleeping in a cupboard at the back of the room).  While it wasn't my most successful lesson ever, it was rather entertaining for everyone.

I got back to Baden just in time to go to the Badner Fasching parade.  It was a pretty typical parade with a marching band, floats, funny costumes, loud music, but the thing that set it apart was that instead of throwing candy some floats were handing out shots or wine.  Liz and I watched the parade with some of her students, and then we went to Josefplatz where the Faschingparty was.  We ended up hanging out with her students the whole night, at one point we even went back to their dorm where Liz participated in a talent show (I missed it because I was outside talking with another group of students).  The night ended in Mödling, the town between Baden and Vienna, where there were huge crowds in the streets, lots of music, carnival rides and crazy costumes.  Since we had started so early in Baden it seemed like it should have been later when we got home, but it was only just midnight.

I have to say that going out on Fasching was probably the most irresponsible decision I've made in quite a long time.  It was rather spontaneous and not at all thought out- and bad since I had to teach on Wednesday.  I'm glad I did it because it was a cultural experience that I missed out on when I was in Graz , but Wednesday morning was rough!  Luckily by the time I had my first class I was feeling better, and since I was with the upper level classes again it was clear that they were having a rougher time than me.

I'll post pictures from the parade later, when I can use school internet and not my limited internet!

In other news from the week- Spring is coming!!! It's been in the 40s and 50s all week, and my teachers think I'm crazy for wearing short sleeved shirts inside- they're still wearing sweaters.  On the other hand it seems like everyone in Austria gets a cold when spring comes, me included.  I've felt worn out and stuffed up all weekend, but I still got out into the vineyards for a walk yesterday.

I've also gotten into doing some cooking on the weekends, last weekend I made lasagna, this weekend I made oven baked mac & cheese.  Next on the list is burritos (I just planned a lesson about immigration to the US & that made me hungry for a burrito... not the most politically correct connection, but whatever), or butter milk biscuits (Liz has never had them and doesn't understand how they're different from scones). Now I just have to find recipes/ingredients!

p.s. The pictures from Salzburg and Hallstatt are up on smugmug, but I haven't gotten around to captioning them, when I do I'll let you know.

The end of vacation

Well break is over, and it's back to "real life" here in Austria, of course my real life is 13 hours of teaching a week, and it's in Austria, so it's pretty great!

The rest of my time in Graz went well, it was nice and relaxing.  On Saturday we met with an Austrian family who's daughter Teresa wants to spend a year in the US.  They invited us over to hear about the US and the schools (well, mostly about Wisconsin since that's where Kristin and I are both from), and to feed us brownies.  The program they're going through seems pretty different, they have to find the host family and school, and then this company will deal with setting it all up.  They asked Kristin and I if we would be able or willing to help, and we both said of course we'd love to help!  They're a really great family, and Teresa seems like a very nice, determined girl.  She's 14 (soon to be 15), and she's really into Track and Field, so that's her one requirement for school.  Her dad is from the US, and she goes to a bilingual school in Graz so her English is really good.  She also makes some really good brownies!  So if anyone is interested in learning more/would be able to host her next year- let me know!!

Saturday night Babsi came over to Kristin's and we made lasagna, had a few drinks and played denglish Tabu (the cards were in German, and we spoke a mix of English and German... so denglish).  On Sunday I went to visit my friend Domenica for breakfast.  She studied abroad at UWEC, but she's from Graz, so it was good to catch up with her again.  She had a great breakfast spread for the two of us, and I got to check out her nice brand new apartment- it was really great!  Then I headed back to the city center where Kristin and I met up with our friend Rob, who's also from Wisconsin.  Basically it was a weekend of meeting up with friends, catching up and relaxing!  Just what I needed after the cold & somewhat lonely time in Hallstatt and Salzburg.

My week is full of lessons on all different topics, yesterday I taught about noise pollution, the play An Inspector Calls, and US politics.  Today I taught about the homeless in New York, writing ghost stories, food/cooking, and a restaurant role play.  Tomorrow I'm not sure about all my lessons, but I know I'm doing a lesson on Improv Everywhere (related to New York), I'm teaching two geography lessons about life in the US, and a lesson on poetry.  Thursday I only have one lesson and we're talking about jobs.  Every week brings new and different lessons!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

I hab Graz so lieb!

So this is just going to be a short post about my love for Graz.

I'm not really a city person, I like to visit them, go shopping, see a show, eat out & whatever, but I prefer living in smaller towns in the countryside.  Obviously this has a lot to do with growing up in the country where we had to drive for 20-30 minutes to get to town.  I remember when I was younger I always thought that I would want to live in a city when I was older, and I have lived in larger towns and cities, but I've found that I prefer smaller towns.

However, if I ever were to live in a city for a longer amount of time it would be Graz.  It's not a huge city, but it's certainly big enough, and there's always something to do, or somewhere to go.  It's a really beautiful city, and I feel very much at home here.  Of course this probably has something to do with having studied here, so I know my way around pretty well, but I love coming back here and I can see myself living here.

I just got back to my friend Kristin's after meeting up with my friend Babsi (who I worked with at Waldsee, and is now doing a semester abroad at Uni Graz) and taking her around town showing her some of my favorite places.  It's cold and snowy here, but not as cold or snowy as Baden was when I left.  I've never seen Graz with snow before since I was here during a warm winter, so that was new and beautiful.  Other than that it's just been seeing a lot of the same familiar sights, and I love it. I'm not sure what exactly I'll be doing the rest of the weekend here, but we're making lasagna tomorrow night (a few other friends may be joining us), and I'm having breakfast with another friend on Sunday- so I'll be having fun!

Enough of a cold thing

Well I certainly got what I asked for! Snow and mountains, and of course some cold to go with all that.  In case you haven't noticed (or heard for those of you not in Europe), we're in the middle of a cold snap here.  Of course this is the time that I choose to go into the mountains... perfect timing.

The train to Hallstatt was really nice, the scenery was great after the train turned south to go through the mountains.  Before that there hadn't been snow, and trains in and around Vienna were all delayed or cancelled for unknown reasons.  

The mountains around the Hallstatter See from the ferry.

 To get into town from the train you have to take a ferry across the lake, which is a great chance to admire the surroundings, but it was a also pretty cold ride even though the ferry is enclosed.  Hallstatt is a big tourist destination, especially among Asians traveling in Austria, so I think that German is nearly a foreign language there.  When I've been to Hallstatt before I've stayed at a B&B (or Privat Zimmer) in the valley, this time I did the same thing, but at a different B&B than before.  It was nice, but on my way through town to her house I passed the place I've stayed before and they were open (from what I saw online it seemed like they were closed).  The next time I go back I'll just turn up and find somewhere to stay instead of booking a place ahead of time.  For anyone reading this who's considering going to Hallstatt I would recommend the same- turn up and find a Privat Zimmer to rent, they're cheaper than a hotel, include breakfast, and they're quiet.  I've only ever stayed in Lahn, it's the town in the valley behind Hallstatt, it's quiet, beautiful and only a 5 minute walk from Hallstatt.

After getting settled in I decided to put my new winter boots to the test and go for a walk up the valley.  The last time I was here (it was summer) my parents and I hiked past this really impressive waterfall, and I wanted to see what it was like in the winter.  I didn't get all the way up to the falls because the sun was disappearing behind the mountains and it was getting colder, but I did hike to the base of another falls.

The river that the well packed path followed up the valley.

The frozen falls- actually I could hear water coming down, but it's all under the ice.

 To end my walk I came down into town to see which restaurants would be open for dinner later.  As it turns out most of them are closed this time of year, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, so I knew it was going to be slim pickings!

A picture of town from the Lahn docks, with the last rays of sun hitting the far mountains.

 I have to say the food during this whole trip to Hallstatt and Salzburg was expensive and unimpressive, so I won't waste much time talking about it.  The best parts were the Radler (half beer half sprite-like soda but not as sweet), and I had a really good Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce in Salzburg.  Other than that there's nothing to talk about.

The next morning was cloudy, but it looked like the sun would burn through at some point.  I spent some time wandering from one end of town to the other, taking tons of pictures, so it took most of the morning. I went up to the overlook and checked out the frozen waterfall that goes down into town, and I went to the church to see their tiny graveyard and Beinhaus.  Because Hallstatt is built between a cold deep lake and a high salt mountain there isn't really room for everyone who has died here to be buried in a normal graveyard, so they have a tradition of burying the people for 20 years or so until all thats left is bones.  Then they dig them up, paint their skulls with their name, date of birth and death, symbols to show their gender and sometimes how they died.  Then they're arranged in the Beinhaus where family friends and tourists can come visit them, it's really quite interesting to see (pictures coming soon on Smugmug).

The snow filled town square. 

A view of town from the other side.

 Anyway, it was rather cold, and even though my new winter boots stood up to the test my new winter jacket left something lacking.  It's good when its not too cold, or when I'm hiking (I'm sure it would be good for other winter sports too), but if I don't keep up a quick pace I get cold and then can't get warm again until I go inside and have some tea.

I like Hallstatt a lot, and it was just as beautiful covered in snow, but I was glad to be leaving on Sunday since everything is closed on Sundays and there would be nothing to do except be outside.  When I arrived in Salzburg I realized that it was colder there than in Hallstatt.  Hallstatt is protected from extreme weather by the mountains on all sides, so it was really quite nice compared to Salzburg.

I stayed at a new(er) hostel in Salzburg, and it was nice.  It could've used better heat, but for being on a busy street and full of students on holiday it was surprisingly quiet.  The downside was that it's quite a ways from the Alt Stadt (old city) where I wanted to go, so I had to use the busses to get around, and they don't run very often on the weekends.  I went out and wandered a bit of town on Sunday afternoon when I arrived and was surprised at how little snow was on the ground in Salzburg, considering that all the hills and mountains around the city were snow covered.

A view of the east side of the river.  My hostel was between the two large hills.

Looking up at the castle from the cathedral. (Don't ask about the gold ball- I have no idea).

 The next day was nearly sunny (there was a thin layer of clouds covering the sun all day), so I decided to go up and hike around on the hill that the castle is on.  There are lots of roads and trails on top of the hill, and there are some great views up there.  In some areas you can forget that you're in the middle of a city because all you can see is trees and sky, and you can't hear the traffic.  It was a nice, but cold walk, followed by a colder wander through the castle.

You'd never expect to find this in the middle of a city would you?

From one end of the hill looking across the Alt Stadt at the castle.

The mountains in the distance didn't really show up in pictures thanks to the fog/clouds, but they're huge and beautiful! 

Coming down from the castle looking out over the Alt Stadt.

On Tuesday morning I woke up to a boat load of snow that was dumped on Austria overnight.  All public transport (from city busses to international trains) were delayed, so it made coming back to Baden challenging.  I don't know if all of Austria got snow, but there was snow all the way from Salzburg back to Baden, and we have about 4 inches here.  Just when I'd gotten my fix of snow and cold it follows me home... go figure!

I'm off to Graz tomorrow, hoping that this weird sinus/ear/jaw/head pain that I have today clears up, and that its a bit warmer down there!

What do you mean Wisconsin isn't anything like Texas?

Usually teaching the week before a school vacation is hellishly annoying, the kids don't want to be there, they just want to play games or watch movies, not learn new things or discuss a current topic.  Not to mention the other teachers, who are just as ready for a break as you, but are determined to teach something, whether the students want to learn it or not!  This week was not one of those weeks.  I think it probably has something to do with the fact that we JUST had Christmas break, and now we're having the semester break (a week off between 1st and 2nd semesters).

A few weeks ago I was teaching a 5th form at Bad Vöslau (about 15 yrs old) of mostly boys and I had some games for us to play to review for their test.  This class is really rowdy and hard to control, and that day was no exception, in fact it was to the extreme.  They took the two games I had planned, and made them all about sex and bodily functions; I know that boys in this age have their brains permanently stuck on these topics... but I've never had to deal with this while trying to teach.  One of the games involved some drawing, so I'm sure you can imagine how those turned out.  Anyway, the class got in trouble with their usual English teacher and their class teacher (like a homeroom teacher); they were told that if they didn't behave themselves the next time I came that I would no longer teach their class.  Their teacher told me that the class (mostly the girls, who were well behaved and embarrassed by the boys) wanted to apologize to me for the class behavior.  I was in their class again on Tuesday, and they were very well behaved.  They even handled themselves appropriately when talking about Valentines day and writing about their ideal Valentines date.

That night I went to see STOMP in Vienna with a group of 5th and 6th form students from Bad Vöslau.  One of the other teachers invited me to go with them, and it was so much fun!  The show was in a big long theater in the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna.  We were sitting pretty far back (see the last picture in my photo drop), but we could still see and hear everything they did on stage.  If you've never seen/heard of STOMP it's a really cool show where they play (mostly percussion) music with everyday items like brooms, buckets, pots and pans.  They also dance and play out sketches while making music, and they also used themselves to make music (as in clapping, slapping their legs or chest, and stomping).  It's really entertaining, there were lots of comedic moments and audience participation.

I've been getting more chances to really talk with my students (not just an in class discussion) lately, of course they all want me to speak German, and I do gladly!  Today for the first 15 minutes of a class there were only 5 students there (the rest were at an English book fair with the teacher), so we just chatted in German about life, foreign languages, and Austrian dialects.  The students all insisted that I'm fluent in German, but most of the time I don't feel that way, although I am getting better at using the "formal you" forms (which is hard since it's a totally alien concept in English).  It was fun talking about and mimicking the different dialects around Austria (and some from Germany as well).  They were saying that people from Tirol always add an "ee" sound (or something similar) at the end of their words, and I pointed out to them that people around here add an "l" at the end of everything.  They had never noticed it before, but as soon as I said it they couldn't help but notice it too.

My other class today was good, but it was sort of a hard topic.  Earlier this week the teacher came to me with an article from ORF (Austrian news) about "Law and Order" in US Schools.  It came off as very one sided and extreme to me, and I noticed that they got the news from The Gardian in London, which according to Liz is a pretty right-wing newspaper.  I went and read the original British story, but I couldn't finish the article I was so frustrated.  It was also extreme, sensationalized and totally one sided. A lot of news here about the US puts us in a pretty bad light, because they don't look at the fact that the US is huge, and that most of our daily lives are governed by the state and not federal government, so whats happening in Florida isn't the same as what's going on in Oregon.  In this article they looked at schools in Texas where some schools have taken having police in their schools to the extreme, and made it seem like in all schools across the US students could be arrested for something like throwing an airplane or putting on perfume.  The teacher wanted me to do this article with them, but there was no way I was doing that, I couldn't even finish the thing myself!  Instead I asked them what they knew about American schools from TV and movies and I told them about my experiences (as a student and a teacher) in Wisconsin schools.  We discussed a bit of what was in the article, how they need to be aware of what source they're getting their news from, what biases there might be in the news, and also that the US is huge and made up of 50 different states, each with their own constitution, laws and policies (not to mention smaller local governments).

Now I have to go pack for my trip to Hallstatt and Salzburg!  It's going to be cold (it's been a cold week here!), so I bought winter boots and I'll be packing my long underwear.  You might think I'm crazy, since I could've gone south to someplace sunny and warm, but I want to see snow in the Alps, plus Hallstatt is one of my favorite towns in Austria, and I've never been there in the Winter.  I'll be back home in Baden on Tuesday to post my pictures and adventures.

Photo Drop: The new place, snow, and Vienna wanderings

I've been meaning to post pictures for awhile now, but I didn't want to use up some of my limited internet for it.  Today I had the time to load these, and since I'll be gone for most of the week I figure using up a bit won't hurt my total too much.                       

                                         The new place! We live on the ground floor.

The living room (and weight machine).

My new bedroom.

The dining room & kitchen 

The first real snow in Baden, we got a bit more, but not much! 

The Hundertwasser Haus in Vienna.

Liz at the Hundertwasser Kaufhaus across the street from the Hundertwasser Haus.

Hundertwasser columns on the street to the Kunst Haus Wien.

Kunst Haus Wien (also by Hundertwasser).

A picture of the STOMP stage from where I was sitting; it's quite far away, but it was still an excellent show!