Observations in Ö

Well I guess it's about that time again...

The view from the Pfaffstätten vineyards of Baden (and the shadowy peak of Schneeberg way in the distance) 

Since the weather got nice here I've been busy going on hikes, hanging out in parks, meeting up with friends, going to Heurige, you know, the usual.

The view from the Ruine Rauhenstein of Baden and the valley.

It's my last month here, and it's going to be pretty full!  Tonight Erin and I are finally going to go check out the Römertherma (thermal baths and saunas), tomorrow we're going to Bratislava, on the weekend we might go up to Schneeberg (the highest mountain in Niederösterreich), next week we have a long weekend so we're planning on going to Budapest, the weekend after (also long) I'm going to Switzerland to visit a friend... so you get the picture!  There are a ton of days off in May (I have two days of work this week, and two next week) so it's gonna be a good time.

One of the many flowering trees in the Rosarium/Dobelhoffpark 

A while back I said that I was going to write a post on my observations on some of the oddities of Austrian's and Austrian culture, so here it is:

1. There are two things that are important for Americans when it comes to Austria- it's NOT Australia (or Germany for that matter, and anyone who asks me "How was Germany?" can expect an exasperated answer), and next to no one here has heard of or seen The Sound of Music. 
2. Don't expect people in shops or grocery stores to be super friendly and chatty like they are in the states- this is especially true in larger cities, and not so much here in Baden.  
3. EVERYTHING IS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.  Erin and I call this Sunday-pocalypse because the world could have ended and you wouldn't know since it's Sunday.  The only people who are out are all the Nordic walkers in their specialized Nording Walking outfits (they have expensive, special, matching outfits for any possible activity).
4. Everyone here dresses in more layers than seems necessary.  A friend of mine says that Austrians like to stew in their own juices, which is kind of gross, but in some cases it's noticeably true.  They have a saying that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing, so I guess that explains that.
5. Austrians love their paperwork! You couldn't cut through the bureaucracy here with a NASA space laser, instead you have to slog endlessly through the different offices in different buildings with incomprehensible opening hours.  None of the government offices are open past 12, except one day of the week when they have afternoon hours, but each office has a different afternoon that they're open.  Plus you have to figure this all out in the first week you arrive, which is also your first week of classes or work, good times!  At least here in Baden the ladies in the offices I've had to deal with have all been pretty nice, Graz was a different story.
6. Punctuality isn't really all that important here, at least not at school/university.  When I was in Graz my exchange student friends and I would usually show up for class 5 minutes early or so, the Austrian students would trickle in slowly, usually about 5 minutes late, and then 10-15 minutes later the professor would show up.  In school here when the second bell rings it's another 5 minutes before the teachers leave the teachers room and slowly make their way to class.
7. It's not rude to stare at people here.  This happens most often on/while waiting for public transportation, but really it can happen anywhere people might be standing/sitting around or waiting for something.  It's not that I don't think that we Americans stare at people, but usually if we get caught staring at someone we look away, and here people just keep right on staring!
8. Austrian's favorite hobbies include smoking, and complaining.  One of my colleagues told me that Austria has the majority of Europe's smokers, and I believe it.  It'll be another 50 years before this country goes smoke-free if it ever does! All the bars and restaurants are supposed to have smoke free areas, but most places don't have real walls and doors that separate the two so it's everywhere you go.  I know a lot of people complain, not just Austrians, but I hear the same complaints from all my colleagues, and usually one after the other, so I notice the complaining more here than I ever have before.  For example, since it got rather warm in a short amount of time I heard some version this (in German or English) at least 10 times last week Friday, "It's nice to finally have some nice weather since winter was so long, but it just got too warm too quickly, it's practically summer now and I just don't like it."
9. There are a lot of old wives tales that people here believe in pretty strongly.  It seems that no one here gets sick from germs, instead it's because you didn't wear socks/stockings/nylons/tights, or you walked around barefoot at home, or you went outside with damp hair, or you had the window open for too long, or you didn't open the window for long enough... The list goes on...

All that being said I've really liked living here, and I'm going to enjoy my last month and take advantage of all Baden and the surrounding countryside has to offer before I fly home.  I'm sure I'll miss all of this when I'm gone.