Little Mountain Cabins

Ok, I love Wisconsin, but have you seen this forecast?!  Good grief!  Everyone seems to be sitting inside, talking about where they might like to be instead.  It's been super cold for most of my break, and now it's just getting more ridiculous.  I miss walking outside the most; I started looking through some photos from a hiking trip I took with some friends in the Austrian Alps this summer.  Look at all these little mountain cabins we passed - some of them are so tiny!  The one in the last photo is a little speck.  We stayed for a couple nights in the one in the third photo, with the red and white shutters.  There is a huge network of huts in the Alps for hikers to stay in as they do long treks, and they're really nice and comfy.  And people live in those tiny ones seasonally, perched among the hills, tending flocks :)

Austrian Quirks and Questions

AIMS is coming to a close!  We had our farewell dinner last night, and it was - surprise! - a sausage buffet.  (Our opening, welcome dinner was schnitzel.)  I'm going to miss living in Europe, and today I was thinking about some questions I've asked myself repeatedly ever since arriving in Graz.  Here they are:

1.  How do Austrians stay thin when they appear to be constantly eating ice cream, bread, cheese, beer, sausage, schnitzel, and potatoes?  It seems miraculous, although I'm assuming the answer is walking and biking.

2.  How do their digestive systems stay, ahem...regular, on such a diet?  Where's the fiber??  This is the last question in the world that would be acceptable to ask an Austrian, I think.

3.  Why do they wait for the walk sign to cross a tiny side street when there are absolutely no cars in sight?  I walked up to a road that could be crossed in two steps and everyone was gathered around, waiting. At that moment it was easy imagine them all gasping if I were to step forward.

4.  A lot of women here dye their hair colors that would look ridiculous on people in the States.  Yet, they look good.  Natural, even!  How do they pull it off?

5.  Why do they like aperol spritzers?  This is a very popular drink, people seem to be having it all the time.  It looks like liquid orange jello, and tastes similar, except more bitter.
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Photos are from around the neighborhood during the blue hour.  (I used to say this and then one day realized it was a real term!)

xomo

Lately on Instagram

AIMS is really flying by, and I haven't posted that many photos partly because it has been busy, and mostly because I'm using photos from Will's camera on this trip, and my computer has trouble processing them without overheating because the files are so large.  (My computer has a problem with overheating anyway, but it's been really bad lately.  I bought it refurbished and it's fine except apparently this particular model had trouble with that issue.  Ahhhh.)  Anyway, my own camera is currently out of commission, so I signed up for Instagram before coming over to Austria.  Here are some recent photos!  The schedule for the orchestra at AIMS allows us to travel on weekends if we want, and I've taken trips to Venice, Croatia, and hiking in the Alps.  Everything has been stunning and wonderful - I'm really looking forward to getting this picture situation sorted out.  Also, we're currently having a heat wave here, and gelato consumption is going way up.  The ice cream here is outrageously good, which is not surprising, just delicious.  So far I've tried melon, blueberry, apricot, peach, plum, orange yogurt, cherry yogurt, ricotta blueberry, mango, mango cream, grape, lime, prosecco raspberry, pistachio, chocolate, hazelnut, and coffee.  Ahem!  I often share it with other people... :)

Life in Graz, Austria

I've been in Graz for a week!  It's a lovely city.  Before this, I've only stayed for one week in Europe, in Paris.  It's good to experience the German-speaking lands :)  This whole week I've found myself thinking, "People seem to be doing something right, here."  The overall appearance is happiness and healthiness.  You see a lot of people out and about, enjoying their city.  It's not that surprising - if every building is beautiful, almost every other storefront is a cafe beckoning you to stay awhile, and there are beautiful parks, markets, and a riverwalk, why wouldn't you be out?  Austrians seem to value time with their friends, which I love seeing.  Places for children have areas that cater to adults, too (ie, cafes in parks).  The setup of the city and its venues really support the mingling of people and families!  

We had the other day off from rehearsals and I spent it doing things I enjoy no matter what city I'm visiting: walking and jogging around, drinking coffee, people watching from a bench, laying down with a book for a couple hours.  The cup above was from a cafe on the top floor of a shopping center that had a beautiful view of the city, and the coolest furniture!  I looked up the maker, Georg Maehring, if you'd like to see his work.  Not a bad life here at AIMS...more stories to come!

xomo

Summer in Austria

On July 8th Will and I are leaving to spend the rest of the summer in Graz, Austria, playing for the AIMS festival!  I'm pretty excited; everyone I know who has been to Austria talks on and on about how beautiful it is.  My dad lived there for a year abroad, and then he and my mom met there at a festival in Baden for Schubert lieder and collaborative piano.  I was looking through their photo album from that summer; it's so amazing.  The top photo is my mom exploring the Durnstein ruins (like mother like daughter), and the second is backstage before a concert.  On the back of the photo it says "Can they tell we're holding hands?"  I love it!!  I think they're really good looking :)