Rain, Rain, go away

The weather must be on our side. It was supposed to be a very rainy, cold weekend here, and it turned out to be quite mild. On Friday, a few of us took a trip to the Belevedere palace. Belevedere means "beautiful view," and we were so lucky to get pictures of it with blue sky in the background. On Saturday we were even blessed with some sunshine, which we felt was especially for us and our plan for the day. We planned to see Grinzing, an area of Vienna in the 19th district, the place where Beethoven wrote his famous Heiligenstadt Testament when he was realizing the suffering of his hearing impairment. The sun came out and allowed us to take a short adventure into the rolling hills of the Viennese woods, spotted with vineyards and adorable private houses. We ate outside at a Heuriger that we found right next to Beethoven's apartment. Heurigers are abundant in Grinzing and it is not hard to find one if you are walking!

I find so often that I am the one that waiters and store keepers look to to communicate to in German. When I am with a group of people, most of them freeze when a waiter approaches and asks us to start ordering. It seems like the cafes and restaurants here make you decide so much quicker! In America, as you all know, the waiter comes a few minutes after you sit down and asks if you need another few minutes to look for what you want. Even when you are reading a menu in your own language, you sometimes need 10 minutes to have everyone ready to order! But most often, the waiter will come and say "Bitte Schön," like, "May I take your order," and then he just stands there. Uhhhh. So I'm normally the one to speak up and either say, "ein moment, bitte" or I just start to order, and hope everyone will have something in mind. It can be a little flustering. So we went to a Heuriger for the first time on our own without the IES people to show us around and pay for our meals. We didn't have a clue what to do! So, I took one for the team and went in and had one of the lovely Fräuleins in a Dirndl to tell me how it works. I really actually like the attention and the challenge of the language barrier. When I'm with a group, I normally speak a mix of English and German. Or I say it in English, then remember the word for it in German, then say it in German. When I'm by myself, I try to say as much German as I possibly can! I'm going to miss it so much when I return home! I only have 3 more weeks here. My gosh, where does time fly to?

Sunday, again, the rain held off. Emily and I went to an English church service, an international non-denominational service. We absolutely fell in love with the church, the service, and even the pastor who was celebrating his last Sunday here with his family. They did a little going away ceremony, and I almost got choked up along with all the regulars in the cozy little church. During the welcome and announcements, they asked visitors to stand and introduce themselves, so Emily and I did. It felt great to be in a place where people spoke our language, sang in our language, and the sermon was so great! We were welcomed right away and invited to sit down next to a nice man who seemed to be alone. People our age came right up to us and introduced themselves and talked to us after the service. As a present to the pastor, this middle aged man sang a glorious version of "You Raise Me Up," and tears came to my eyes. I was so happy to be there. After church, we had a wonderful "afternoon tea" with all the girls at Tee Haas and Haas, a fancy, quiet Tea cafe, where we ate mini sandwiches and tiny cakes and cookies. It felt like the perfect Sunday. And, the rain even held off enough for Emily and I to take a stroll in the oldest zoo in the world in Schönbrunn.

I do wish that this weather would shape up! I took a brisk run down Mariahilfer strasse all the way to the end of it! I hope that one day, it will be a beautiful day to walk home from downtown, and do a little shopping while I'm at it! I am just now leaving to go sit at a cafe to read and journal. Perhaps the rain makes sitting with a cup of coffee and a one-of-a-kind book to read even cozier!