Fashion show! Fashion show! Fashion show at lunch!

As you are probably aware, Europe is on the cutting-edge of the fashion industry. If you want to know what's going to be fashionable in the U.S. in the near future, you just need to know what's in fashion in Europe right now. Fortunately for you, dear readers, I'm going to pass along a must-have for this season's fashion. No, it's not the boondoggle key chain. Are you ready for it?

Flags!

That's right, flags are all the rage right now in Vienna. They're so versatile.

One can be worn as a belt.


Or as a sarong or skirt.


Then there's the toga-style.


And one of the most fashionable ways to wear the flag this season is as a cape. That way, you can show your support for your favorite team and fight crime at the same time.




Now, normally when fashion moves from Europe to the U.S. it is tweaked slightly. So you may not see people wearing actual flags as an accessory in the U.S. However, I predict that by Friday, you'll see a lot of folks wearing clothing with an image of the U.S. flag. Come Friday, even you may be wearing an image of the flag.

Wild and crazy guys

Right now, Germany and Spain are playing the championship game of the Europameisterschaft, or the Euro Cup, or Euro2008, or whatever you want to call it. Even though I haven't really been interested in the games, I've enjoyed all of the festivities surrounding the games. Today after church, Brian and I wandered around the city center a bit before heading home. And let me tell you, there was a lot of craziness going on.

First, we stopped by these huge soccer cleats that are display in MuseumsQuartier. I just wanted a quick photo for Almost Daily Vienna, but we ran into this a lot of cheering fans near the Germany and Spain cleats. Here you can see a little bit of the madness as the Germany fans (standing in front of the soccer ball) and the Spain fans (standing next to the Spain cleat) try to out-cheer each other.


As we neared the city center, we heard more crowds chanting for their team. Near Stephansplatz, we saw a large group of Germany fans cheering for their team.



We also saw another group making a lot of noise, but we I couldn't tell which team they were representing.

The nice things

My sister Amber has started a craft business. She makes hair bows, applique shirts and onesies and other girly things. And right now, she's offering buy one, get one half off on all items.

So go check it out. All Things Nice.

Swan river

It's been pretty warm here lately, so Brian and I decided to make our first trip this summer to the river. We found a nice shady area and settled in. That's when I noticed a lovely swan family just a little ways down the river.


Alas, they were just a little too far away to get a nice photo. Brian and I enjoyed the cool water. Sharkdog, not so much. He's not really a water dog. But he does look good sitting next to the water.


A little later, the swans decided the grass looked tastier near where we were sitting. I was quite excited to see they were coming our direction.


Have you ever watched a swan swim? Half the time, they were swimming like this:


See the little foot sticking up? I think they had their bodies twisted so one foot was in the water and the other one was not. You can see the same thing going on with the mama swan in the top photo. Do ducks swim like this as well? It made the swans very effective at moving sideways.

They were all nice and cute until they actually got to where we were sitting. Then Papa Swan started hissing at us. Hissing! It was the most terrifying Anatidae experience of my life.


I tried to get a video of the hissing, but he was almost finished with us by the time I turned on the video, so doesn't sounds all that scary. And I don't want you thinking I am a sissy. Trust me, it's a threatening hiss.

Finally, Papa Swan was satisfied that we weren't going to attack them (though I'm pretty sure Sharkdog wanted to play with them), and he let Mama Swan and Baby Swans enjoy the lush green grass. After they noshed on the grass for a while, they headed off into the sunset. Well, not so much into the sunset, but they headed off nonetheless.


After the whole hissing incident, I was rather happy to see them go.

Jammen

For those of you trying to keep up, here's something else to add to your list of things to learn in order to be like Alisha: how to make jam. In all fairness, I think it's significantly easier in Austria because they have this lovely sugar that contains pectin, so that takes a lot of the scariness out of canning.

Let's start at the beginning. Last week, one of Amanda's neighbors invited her over to show her how to make jam. Now, this woman called it marmalade, but when I looked up the difference between "marmalade" and "jam", I realized what they made was actually jam. After a little more research, I discovered that the English word "marmalade" is translated to "Orangenmarmelade" in German. And the German word "Marmelade" is translated to "jam" in English. I also learned that "jammen" is the German verb "to jam". That's not really related to the food jam, but I found it amusing.

So, Amanda learned to make jam from her neighbor last week and she taught me how to make jam this week. Now I must teach someone how to make the jam within the next week. It's the David Watson method of jam-making. (I know that only a handful of people are going to get that joke, so don't worry if the last sentence didn't make any sense.)

Here goes... How to make strawberry jam.

Start with fresh strawberries. I bought some of these from the Naschmarkt and the rest from the grocery store. The ones from the Naschmarkt were definitely better (looking and tasting), so next time I'll make sure to get enough from there. And while I was at the Naschmarkt, I took a few photos for Almost Daily Vienna. They'll show up over the next few days.

Let's get started. (Have I said that already?) Wash the berries.


Next, hull and slice the strawberries.


Then, add a little water to a large pot (enough to cover the bottom) and toss in the strawberries. Bring to a boil over a medium high heat while occasionally stirring and mashing the fruit. The juices will be released as it heats up. When it becomes juicy, add gelling sugar.

I had never heard of gelling sugar before and I don't know if it's available in the U.S. It's sugar that contains pectin (to gel) and citric acid (to preserve). When I googled it, the first site returned was a store in the U.S. (German Deli) selling the imported German brand, so it may be hard to come by in the U.S.


After it cooks a bit more, pour the hot jam into sterilized jars. I washed my jars in the dishwasher and then popped them in the oven for a few minutes to sterilize them. Put the lid on, then let them set overnight. Amanda's neighbor's grandmother used to always wrap her warm jars in a blanket so they would take longer to cool down. Neither Amanda nor I knew the reason for this, but we did it anyways.


My 7 cups of sliced strawberries made 5 jars of jam. I think I may try to make jam with other fruits

ich bin ein Wiener *

I've been wanting to use that title for a while now... Ever since I read a Wiki article about JFK's speech in West Berlin where he made his famous "ich bin ein Berliner" statement. Have you ever heard that Kennedy made a grammatical mistake and accidentally called himself a jelly doughnut instead of a citizen of Berlin? Well, I had never heard it either. But apparently that rumor is going around. And it's wrong. Wiki can explain it better than I can:

According to an urban legend that is both completely untrue and practically unknown in Germany,Kennedy made a slightly embarrassing grammatical error by saying "Ich bin ein Berliner," referring to himself not as a citizen of Berlin, but as a common pastry:

Kennedy should have said "Ich bin Berliner" to mean "I am a person from Berlin." By adding the indefinite article "ein", his statement implied he was a non-human Berliner, thus "I am a jelly doughnut".

The legend stems from a play on words with Berliner, the name of a doughnut variant filled with jam or plum sauce that is thought to have originated in Berlin.

In fact, Kennedy's statement is both grammatically correct and perfectly idiomatic, and cannot be misunderstood in context. The urban legend is prevalent only in English-speaking countries but largely unknown in Germany, where Kennedy's speech is considered a landmark in the country's postwar history. The indefinite article "ein" can be and often is omitted when speaking of an individual's profession or residence but is necessary when speaking in a figurative sense as Kennedy did. Since the president was not literally from Berlin but only declaring his solidarity with its citizens, "Ich bin Berliner" would not have been correct.

So there you go. The next time you're at a soiree and someone starts in on what a fool JFK made of himself in Berlin, you can set that person straight and turn them into the fool.

Now all of that was just introduction. Let's get to the point. Why would I say, "ich bin ein Wiener? Drumroll, please.

I got my residency permit today! (Brian too.) We're now official (and legal) residents of Vienna. And it only took about a year.

* For all you German-speaking folks out there, yes, I know that "ein Wiener" is masculine. But I figured that if I named this post "ich bin eine Wienerin," no one would start an urban legend that I called myself a hot dog.

A new apron

It arrived! The apron from the Summer Fun Apron Swap hosted by A Feathered Nest.


I love it. It arrived with an adorable cupcake pincushion (which I haven't photographed). I couldn't be happier. You can see some better pictures of the apron along with a photo of the cupcake pincushion and the tag at Yonnie at Home. And don't just look at that entry, spend a little time on the blog. She makes the cutest crochet baby booties and she has some really cute tutorials.

Thanks Yoonie!

My Vienna :: My school

This is where I've spent the better part of the last 9 or 10 months:


This is the language center for the University of Vienna. Before it was part of the university, this building and the others around it were the general hospital.

More precisely, this is where I've been spending so much time:


This is the classroom for the German course Brian and I have been taking since October. (We were an almost identical classroom a little further down the hall for our September class.) And yesterday, we visited this classroom for the last time. We have both officially passed the 7th level (M3) and are finished (for the time being, at least) with formal language study.

It's amazing when I think about the progress we've made. We're not yet fluent in German, but we can actually talk to people and understand what's going on around us. And when we're familiar with the subject matter, we can get along quite well. In preparation for our final exam, we had to read three newspaper articles and write a summary and our opinion for each one. During our oral exam, the professor selected one of the articles and asked us to discuss it. Brian talked about a legal document that has to do with the care of the children in the event both parents die. And I talked about the global food crisis caused by soaring food prices. Not simple subjects.

We've made some friends along the way, as well. Two of the girls in our class started the first level with us in September. And several others have been in class together for two semesters. On the last day of class, I brought chocolate chip cookies (using my Aunt Sue's famous cookie recipe). They were a big hit and a couple of classmates even asked where we lived and whether we would be staying in Vienna this summer. I think we'll be keeping in touch. :)

Yesterday we met for a few minutes in our classroom to wrap up some final issues then headed to a cafe in the courtyard for a little socializing before we parted ways. I think everyone was ready for summer break.

Sitting pretty

I've heard that I have a new reader. HI NANA! I hope you enjoy seeing a bit of my life here in Vienna.

Don't let the picture of Sharkdog fool you. We haven't all been laying around the whole day. Brian and I have been busy finishing up the semester of German class. Tomorrow is our last day. And then... well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Father's Day

Today, in honor of Father's Day, I would like to expound on the history of this fine holiday in German-speaking Europe. No wait, don't leave! I promise this will be interesting. Well, I hope so anyways. I made a commitment to myself long ago that I wouldn't delete something just because it wasn't interesting. This blog is all about quantity, folks, not quality. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed by now.

Back to the point at hand -- Father's Day, or Vatertag. Father's Day in Austria is pretty much the same as Father's Day in the U.S. That is, it's much less significant than Mother's Day. (I didn't say that I think it's less significant. It's society, man. Society. Of course, I think it's equally significant.) Children of all ages take advantage of this day to gift their father with cards and small treasures in appreciation for all that things that dads do. The Austrians, however, throw in one little twist. They celebrate Father's Day the second Sunday in June -- one week before the U.S. holiday. Sneaky.

Switzerland does not have a national Father's Day. But they do have good cheese, so that counts for something.

And then there's Germany. This is where things get interesting. Father's Day began in the Middle Ages as a day to honor God the Father. It was celebrated on Ascension Day, which is generally in May (40 days after Easter). It later became a day to honor fathers in general. But somewhere along the line it disappeared for a while. And when it returned in the 19th century (still on Ascension Day), it was no longer a day to honor God or even a day to honor fathers. It was pretty much an excuse for guys to get drunk. In fact, in some parts of Germany it's called Herrentag (Men's Day) instead of Vatertag -- I guess so that all guys, and not just fathers, can participate in the day's revelry. Basically, guys spend the day going from bar to bar and making a big scene while women spend the day rolling their eyes and pretending not to know the men. I don't think the holiday is celebrated much these days, but I'm pretty sure I got to witness it about 10 years ago in Chemnitz, Germany. I remember seeing these guys walking up and down the street pulling a wagon full of beer and ringing bells. When I asked about it, the ladies just rolled their eyes and said that it was Men's Day.

So there you have it.

And Dad, if you're reading this: Happy Father's Day, Pops!

Enjoying the fruit of my labor

Behold, my first strawberry. It was quite tasty. But it might be my last. The strawberry plants have been looking peaked since they had to spend almost two days indoor while the balcony was being repainted. I'm just not sure they'll make it much longer.

But while conducting a bit of internet research, I read that you're supposed to pinch off the blossoms until July. So I think I will do some pruning and see what happens later this summer. Who knows, maybe I'll end up with two strawberries.

Something's amiss

I ran across an article today that I found amusing. German Toymaker Launches Barak Obama Doll.

I think this is my favorite part:

[Doll-maker Marcel Offermann] admits that the physical resemblance to Obama could have been closer. "The doll works more on a symbolic level," he said. "It's a symbiosis of the clothing and the fact it's a black doll." Although "90 percent" of the feedback so far has been positive, he admits that "10 percent of people said the doll doesn't look like Obama."

I would post photos here, but I'm sure that's a violation of copyright laws, so head over to the article to see for yourself. Do you see the resemblance?

And so it begins

Yesterday I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things. I try to avoid the grocery store on Friday because it's always crowded, but I made an exception this time. As I was trying to gather the few items I needed, I couldn't help but notice the amount of beer in some of the carts. I saw several people with 4 or more cases of beer. (A case contains 20 bottles. I know this because I counted, in case you're wondering.) I saw at least 1 guy with 8 cases. Surely this wasn't an every-Friday amount of beer. So I started thinking... Is there a holiday this weekend? Is there something special going on? What it is?

When I mentioned it to Brian, he said it was probably because the games were starting this weekend. Oh, yes, THE GAMES. That must be it.

If you're living in Europe, then you probably know exactly what games I'm talking about. Only the third largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and World Cup. Still racking your brain? It's the UEFA Euro2008! Soccer! Uh, I mean, Football!

The games are hosted by Switzerland and Austria this year with the championship game in Vienna on June 29th. Vienna has been primping and preening for months. These little fellas have been popping up around the city:


And the bushes have been properly trimmed and decorated:


Even the statues in front of Künstlerhaus are getting in on the action. (No, the statues don't normally wear cleats.)


So from now until the final game on June 29th, this blog will be all about Euro2008. Okay, that's not true. I'm sure I'll mention it another time or two this month. But I also have a garden, sewing projects and day to day minutiae to write about. Never a dull moment.

The rundown

Not a lot going on in these parts. Here's a brief list of the latest happenings.

• The washing machine broke. Fortunately, there's a washer and dryer in the basement, so it hasn't been terribly inconvenient. I did have to call the repair service to have them send out a repair. And I had to do it in German. But, boy, was I proud of myself for accomplishing that.

• Our balcony is being painted. I don't think I noticed how badly it needed to be painted until we found out that it was going to be painted.

• We had to move the garden indoors for a day or two while the balcony is being painted. I hope everything survives the move and the indoor living.

• Brian and I completed our final oral presentation for our German class last week. We have less than three weeks of class left!

Man, things are dull around here. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to write about later this week.