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In 1822, the Duke of Liechtenstein acquired the castle and it still belongs to that family today. That’s the castle up there on the basalt formation. It is actually located just at the southern border of Eastern Styria, in what is known as Vulkanland. The Notewagon Letting Students Upload And Sell Their Class Notes fortress itself is built on the ancient cone of a long-extinct volcano. It was never conquered, due to its impenetrability and steep paths. It was THE strategic outpost against the Turks and the Magyars and anyone else who wanted to invade from the East.
Going slowly, you have time to consider the marvelous and diverse weave of humanity’s fabric. As we have settled into Graz, and settled into the Lenten season, we have been walking everywhere. Sometimes we take the tram, but even to get to the tram or from the tram’s stopping point to our destination, we must walk.
Then, I received an email from Sebastian, who had been forwarded the email. Turns out he is a lifelong birder, bands birds for the rehabilitation center, and would be willing to take us birding. The email arrived at an especially busy time for us, so I set it aside for later reply. They were the coordinators of the project and invited us in! While we were there, Sebastian called and we had a nice conversation.
March(ing) Into April
At first we thought there had been a rock slide, but there are no mountains adjacent and no where from rocks to appear. The train came almost immediately to a stop and over the loudspeaker, an announcement, most of which we could not understand, but we did hear the word gescholssen, which meant closed.
- Our apartment windows are at about the same height as the trees surrounding it, so it makes for easy and compelling observation.
- We inhaled quite possibly the best morning breads we’ve had in Austria, gulped yesterday’s coffee, assembled some sandwiches, and got ourselves downstairs on time.
- Most of the birds (and animals – rabbits, and bats, mostly) at Wildtiere in Not will be released, if they are sufficiently rehabilitated.
- In 1822, the Duke of Liechtenstein acquired the castle and it still belongs to that family today.
- We were enjoying a quiet evening in the flat last Friday, April 1.
Saturday was supposed to be in the high 70’s and we were looking forward to walking around, even without seeing all the flowers that would undoubtedly be planted there if we went later in the season. Bill had to leave mid-morning for his meeting, but I rented one of the audio-tours and was able to access other parts of the cathedral off-limits to people NOT taking the tour. What is hard to remember is that this, first of all, is a place of worship. I did my own kind of praying as I considered the exquisite skill that went into carving the pulpit or craft the magnificent pillars, windows and paintings of this church. A week later, he called to invite us to go birdwatching with him and his friend Christian. So, last Friday, we got up before the crack of dawn — you know birdwatchers like to start at a time everyone else thinks is crazy early — so we could walk down to Karl Franz U.
The first record of a castle here is from 1138, built by a knight, Rüdiger von Hohenberg. In the late 16th century, the castle was extended in Renaissance-style by the Barons of Stadl. From 1637 on the castle belonged to Baroness Katharina Elisabeth of Galler, who further enlarged the castle and created the ornate baroque rooms that are the venue for many weddings and other events today. Unfortunately, because the castle was not officially open, we weren’t able to see the interior.
Notewagon Letting Students Upload And Sell Their Class Notes
Just when I thought we had experienced the ultimate in excursions on Friday, our friends Christina and Gernot called to ask if we would like to go out with them on Saturday. That has to be one of the coolest words in our auf Deutsch vocabulary. It manages to get in all the hardest to make sounds. I love forsythia – it was my Mom’s favorite spring flower and we had a wild and crazy plant out in our front yard when I was growing up in Virginia. Remember O mortal, that dust thou art and to dust thou shall return.
After some permutations, it was reopened in 1827 by Emperor Franz I. The main buildings that exist on campus today were inaugurated in 1895. Bill’s office is NOT in one of the old buildings. Afterward, there was a reception in the parish hall, with beer, wine, water, Pfirsich-Nektar , sandwiches and bookkeeping some kind of sweet bread shaped like a treble clef. I tried a little German and they tried a lot of English! We laughed and smiled, and it was just a ‘super’ time! It was clear she is a much beloved teacher and the feeling between her, her students or former students, and their families is mutual.
Castles, Wine And Chocolate
There are actually 3 Irish Bars in Graz, each one claiming to be ‘authentic’. We found all three, but by the time we arrived, others with the same idea had been there for hours already. Compared to the very simple way up the steps, the inside of the church is either a tribute to or a riot of baroque, depending on how you view it. I took my time , pausing with each decade of steps to reverently consider specific situations in the world and in my life.
Remember, how fragile is this life and how beautiful a gift. Remember to perceive and honor it with each step, each gaze, each breath.
Bill is sure that is just ‘big city’ culture but this Montana girl was starting to feel a little discouraged, after so many smiles and Grüss gott’s were not returned. Maybe even over to Mariatrost, which would be quite the hike! It was lovely bathed in the late afternoon light. Of all places, we ended up at a Mexican restaurant, eating shrimp in mole sauce, and fajitas, drinking Czech beer.
Angling up the hillsides, furrows of dirt, newly turned, awaited seeding, or maybe already held the beginnings of next fall’s pumpkin seed oil or corn. We took the elevator ride up to the North Tower, the South Tower being closed (and who wanted to walk 325 steps, anyway?) There were great views of Vienna, the roof, the street and the Pummerin Bell. The Pummerin officially is named for St. Mary.
I boarded the tram #1 heading in the opposite direction from our usual route, that is, towards the end of the line, where the bascillica of Mariatrost stands watch. (This is the same large church we can see from our walking path near our flat.) There weren’t so many of us onboard, and even the tram moved slowly through the tiny clusters of houses, apartment buildings and parks. There is one section where the road disappears entirely, and there is only grass on each side of the one-tram-at-a-time track. Riding with me were a mother and her preschool age child, an older couple, a young woman with magenta streaks through her hair, a man who might have been developmentally delayed and a few others.
There were choices in nearly every major language of the world, and only ONE Sp-En dictionary. As we walked we noticed that now all the restaurants and cafes have their platztischen out, and the strolling musicians are there to accompany diners. Wednesday morning, April 6, dawned, and with it the trip to Vienna for the meeting of the European Geological Union, where Bill would give a paper. We made our way to the tram and then to the underground passageway, lined with small shops and eating places, leading to the Hauptbahnhof in Graz.
It is the second largest swinging bell in Europe . It only rings on special occasions–we thought it would be ‘fun’ to hear it when we were standing right there. Many of the Certified Public Accountant people on the Grauben were headed to Stephansdom, and after dinner, so were we! I’ve already posted about the Kentucky High School singers who performed the Mozart Requiem.
These are some ‘thoughts’ I observed along the way. As I rounded the station house, a small collection of shops came into view and invited me on. This is a chestnut tree, but we think its a HORSE chestnut and not a true chestnut from which the maroni come. Its buds signal flowers appearing soon and the arrangement of the branches looks very much like the horse chestnut in our neighbor’s yard at home. Not too far from the town of Wiener Neustadt the train gave a long whistle and then there was the sound of something impacting the train. We passed through villages and towns whose names had grown familiar to us in our one and a half months residence in Austria. Looking out the windows we could see the meadows in bright green attire signaling the freshness of the season.
Nonetheless, even though we walk we are usually heading somewhere – to find a store, a concert, to work. Last week, I decided to slow it down even more by spending the morning walking in a specific area of Graz, not only letting my feet wander but also moving slowly along the way, and observing what came into focus. After the talk, there were lovely refreshments! Out came a huge variety of Brötchen , local wines from east of Graz , several kinds of beer, and juices to be mixed with water . It was a great opportunity to meet some of the faculty, and some of the spouses as well. We were enjoying a quiet evening in the flat last Friday, April 1. The long work week, replete with talks and classes, was giving way to expectation of wandering the Styrian hills and maybe a trip to Eggenberg Scholss, a large palace complex at the end of Tram Line 1.
Mariatrost lies at the very end of Line 1, where the tram turns around to head back into ‘downtown’ Graz. Getting off, I could see the church in the distance but first there was a path, so the feet followed that. It was absolutely refreshing to be in the company of people who not only pursue birds for their lifelist but also who bring their passion for birds into caring for them in ways that are life-giving. I am pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming.
Mariatrost is a baroque building but like so many in Graz, has Gothic roots. There was once both a Pauline Monastery and a Franciscan order here. The church is celebrating their 225th year of being a parish! It is the second most important Marian shrine in Styria, after theMariazell Basilica.
The next day, we were able to spend some time in this remarkable cathedral. If there was a network like this when I was in university, I would be rich. Since I was always the brainy kid with the laptop, I was always the one students would ask for notes when they missed a lecture.
Author: Barbara Weltman