Final Thoughts

July 19

It's over 3 months since we returned from our amazing trip, and my account of it wouldn't be complete without some final thoughts. There's so much that I miss about European life, and wish we had some tastes of those here. But there are also many things about my life here that I wouldn't trade for anything. So, here is a by-no-means exhaustive list.
What I will miss:
* The beauty, tradition and culture of the cities of Europe--museums on every corner, architecture from many centuries, castles and palaces.
* The music of Vienna and Salzburg, the fact that classical music is visible and audible no matter where you go, and treated with respect, honor and appreciation.
* The beauty of the spires, domes and rooftops of the buildings, more often than not against the backdrop of a river running through the city.
* Kaffee und Kuchen (Coffee--though I don't drink that much, hot chocolate was a lovely substitute, and cake), not only the foods themselves, but the institution of sitting in a cafe which is beautifully decorated, choosing the cake of choice from an artfully arranged display case, being served on elegant china by snooty waiters who will let you sit there for hours and whom you have to practically wrangle for the check in the end.
* Schnitzel (of all kinds) and chips, Cheese Spaetzle, and many other foods.
* Cobblestone streets, almost too narrow for 2 cars to drive on at the same time.
* Public transportation that will get you almost anywhere.
* Having tax and much of the tip included in the price you see on a restaurant menu, so that the price you see is what you really pay.
* The chance to celebrate a holiday surrounded by the warmth of a large extended family.

Some things I won't miss:
* The cost of the above Kaffee und Kuchen or some of those above-mentioned meals.
* The fact that they look at you like a crazy person if you ask for tap water in a restaurant.
* The European idea of a salad.
* Sore feet (partly from the lovely cobblestones).
* Grey skies.
* Trying to convert Euros, Kroner and Florints to dollars to see how much I'm overpaying (for some things).

All in all, the first list is a lot longer than the second, and I will definitely look forward to the chance to visit Europe again. Despite the weather it was a wonderful experience: the holiday with the family and our time in Israel, spending time with Shiri in her environment and seeing her thrive there, experiencing new places and reliving the old ones, a reunion with an old, dear friend, and the beauty that is Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Jerusalem, and even  Beersheva, I am so grateful that I got to experience it all!

The family before the Exodus

Jerusalem

Vienna Easter Market

Schoenbrunn

Prague

Parliament in Budapest

Budapest from Above

Mozart

Salzburg Fortress

Schloss Mirabel

Auf Wiedersehen, Wien: Bis naechsten Mal!

4/12
I guess the city of Vienna didn't want it to be too difficult for us to leave, so Friday morning it was back to the grey, rainy skies of much of the rest of the trip. We weren't quite sure what we wanted to do, but we knew we wanted to experience a bit more of the unique artist/painter/environmentalist/political activist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, so we headed for the Kunst Haus (Art House) and Hundertwasser Museum. As you can see from the following photos, he was an artist/architect who was anything but conventional--and it seems that he hated right angles. He firmly beliveved that our cities should be freed from the rectangles, the tight, symmetrical spaces, and the lack of green that "plague" them, and his building designs reflect those principals.  His art is really fun and striking--colorful, vibrant and eye-catching. Here are a few examples of his architectural style:

Front of the Museum

In the courtyard

Museum lobby--the floor isn't flat!

Waterfall in the lobby

Even the rest rooms were funky!

We weren't supposed to take photos in the museum, but I did manage to sneak a few (I have the
 feeling I may some day be banned from future visits to the great sites of Europe for my rogue photography!)

"Tree tenants"

This was an amazing tapestry!

Hundertwasser's suggested design for the Israeli Flag

 From the Museum, we walked a few blocks to the actual area with the buildings he designed that are still occupied by tenants today. Apparently, though they filled super quickly at the time (1980's), many of the original inhabitants got over the novelty pretty quickly and moved out. Maybe they got tired of tripping over the waves in their living room floor! The complex is now a little tourist area for all things 100H2O (get it??). So  creative, unique, and frankly, a bit crazy!! We have a Hundertwasser poster up in our home (have since it was Yoram's before we were married) so it was fun to see so much of his work.

"Tree tenants"

Inside the Hundertwasser Mall

For our last evening in Vienna, we decided to visit the Styria Streer Fair, an outdoor street fair featuring "Steiermarkt", a province in southwestern Austria bordering Slovenia, which took place on the plaza outside City Hall. They call the area the green heart of Austria because of its agriculture and wine regions. The drizzle and cold somewhat "dampened" our experience, and we were too full to sample many of the food and drinks they offered, but there were some fun booths and sights.

I particularly loved the trumpet player who played on first two and then three trumpets all at the same time!! Check out the videos!

For dinner on our last night we met with Shiri's landlady and her son in a really fun place close to one of the University campuses in an old hospital building. They had their distillery and some really good food and it was a wonderful chance to think back on the trip, and spend time with the woman Shiri had lived with for a year. Then is was back to organize and repack, bid a sad farewell to Shiri, and prepare for our flight home the next day.