Austria has elected Alexander van der Bellen as its new president. Van der Bellen was formerly head of the Green Party and ran as an independent. He won against Norbert Hofer, the candidate of the right-wing, nationalist party. Thank you, Austria!
Vanillekipferln
3 DecIt’s that time of year again. The Kurier has printed a recipe for Vanillekipferln (an essential and quintessential Viennese Advent and Christmas cookie) with the comment that there are probably as many recipes as there are “Omas” (grandmothers). Here is their version this year.
You will need:
250 gms of flour
210 gms of (cold) butter
100 gms ground almonds
70 gms of sugar
salt
4 – 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar
one packet of vanilla sugar.
(1) Mix the flour, almonds, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cut the cold butter into pieces and knead it quickly into the flour mixture. Wrap the dough in foil and cool for at least 30 minutes.
(2) Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper, turn the oven on to 180 degrees C. Knead the dough one more time. Cut about 1/3 off and put the rest back into a cool place.
(3) Shape the dough into a roll with a diameter of about 5 cm. Cut the roll into slices of about 1 cm each. Out of each slice roll the dough between the palms of your hands until it is 6 – 8 cm long. Bend the dough into a crescent shape and place on the cookie sheet. Bake the batch for about 15 minutes.
(4) Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, take off the cookies, and let them cool for a few minutes. Mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla sugar and turn the warm Kipferln carefully in the sugar mixture. Put the finished cookies on a plate to cool and then store for a few days in a tin before eating.
Back
1 DecAfter four months in the U.S. Maylo and I are back in Vienna. Anyone who’s been following this blog at all knows how much I love this city, but what did I notice most in the last 48 hours? Sadly, how much and how indiscriminately people smoke. Ah, well. Nothing is perfect.
Vienna time
14 NovSome of my readers know that I have been in the U.S.A. for a few months now. Shortly, I will be heading back to my life in Vienna. It’s been a wonderful time here and I am also looking forward to going back.
I’m looking forward to going back partly because of a photo a friend sent of the vineyards in Neustift magnificent in their autumnal splendor, but it was also helped by a drive to visit friends outside of Boston yesterday. I realize that along with Hall’s concept of monochronic and polychronic time and Levine’s studies of the pace of life there is another aspect of time not yet researched (that I know of)–when the periods of high activity are vs. the periods of low activity. I assumed (having now internalized Viennese time in a way I wasn’t aware of) that my hour and a half drive on Sunday morning at least would be restful. (I was mentally prepared for a Sunday afternoon rush hour.) I thought people would be enjoying a quiet Sunday morning at home with family, the newspaper, and a nice breakfast. Imagine my shock when by 10 a.m. the traffic was only slightly less heavy and fast than on a weekday. (The drive back late Sunday afternoon was completely overwhelming to someone who avails herself of public transportation wherever possible.)
The other side of this is that I’ll be going to the supermarket today and expect to have an easy time of it. This is something I try to avoid in Vienna as a lot of people go on Monday because the stores are closed (thank God) on Sundays. My experience here over the last few months tells me I’ll probably have an easy drive and short lines at the cash registers. Many people did their shopping yesterday instead.
Different periods of high activity and low activity …
The Zoo at Schönbrunn
12 Nov
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that really is a bat, or more precisely a fruit bat, hanging on that laundry rack. His name is Banshi and he is being raised by a zookeeper at Schönbrunn after his mother rejected him.
The Schönbrunn Zoo is not only the oldest zoo in Europe, it also often wins prizes for how good it is. One reason is that they have tremendous success with new-born and young animals, as one can see.
The famous Naschmarkt in Vienna is turning 100
3 SepThe Naschmarkt is the huge and famous open-air fruit and vegetable market near Karlsplatz and it is turning 100. 🙂
Naschmarkt-Fest zum 100-jährigen Jubiläum
https://www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/einkaufen/maerkte/lebensmittel/naschmarkt/fest.html
Alle Jahre wieder (Every year) – Vivaldi
27 Jul
A day early this year (if Wikipedia is correct). Perhaps our anonymous benefactor has to be out of town tomorrow?
(Antonio Vivaldi died in Vienna on 28 July 1741, 275 years ago.)
Seefestspiele Mörbisch
24 JulAlmost 28 years in Vienna and this is the first time I have made it to the:
http://www.seefestspiele-moerbisch.at/
And yet it is worth the trip. It’s fun, especially for German speakers, colorful, and a good opportunity for a picnic on the lake. We enjoyed especially the costumes, staging, and enthusiasm of the performers–and the (for us) unexpected fireworks at the end. If I had known that Blaguss lays on a comfortable, air-conditioned bus with a friendly and competent driver, I would have come years ago. That makes the whole thing truly carefree.
Rainy season in Vienna
12 JulActually, we are not supposed to have a rainy season, but the weather the last few days reminds me of the weather in Kyoto, where I lived for one year many, many years ago. It’s uncharacteristically humid, and at 4 or 5 o’clock every afternoon we have a flash flood, which sadly does nothing to clear the air. I’m afraid I might start growing mold soon!
Friday evening picnics
8 Jul
The weather has been beautiful and the last three weeks I have celebrated the end of the work week by going on picnics with friends. The first Friday we met in Neustift and picnicked in the vineyards. Last week we chose the Votivpark and sat around the Vivaldi monument. Today we went to Türkenschanzpark where we sat next to a pond and were treated to not only ducks and crows but this creature as well–a gray heron, ladies and gentlemen, in the middle of the city!
ecbinvienna 