Lachenden und Weinenden Augen

Laughing and Crying Eyes

Our last Leoben visit was naturally bittersweet; we had a great time as always, but it was difficult to imagine our return date to Mama’s cozy kitchen would now be counted in months, not weeks.   Mama taught us a new idiom when we remarked on our “bittersweet” feelings.  She told us our visit was “mit einem lachenden und einem weinenden Auge” – with one laughing and one crying eye.  She said she wanted us to leave Leoben with our laughing eyes having the upper hand.

Picking cherries in Christa and Toni's garden - remember their blossoming trees in our May blog?

We had a lot of "Austrian Costume" questions after the Massenburg fest, so Mama gave us a tracht lesson.  She has hand-sewn a number of dirndls over the years, including one for the 19 year old Karla.

Our wiedersehen party with the Augustins--once again we were greeted with delectable treats, festive beverages, and graciously warm reception.

We enjoyed lots of toasts and cuddling over the course of thee days.

In the train, on the way home to Wien--looks like our laughing eyes won.

Fest auf den Burg

Party on the Fortress

In 2004 we visited Austria with Doug and Weezie.  Part of our grand time included celebrating Leoben’s 1,100 birthday.  That’s correct:  Leoben was founded in 904.  After about 350 years when it was clear the town wasn’t going anywhere, King Ottokar II of Bohemia decided Leoben needed a little protection.  Thus, in 1262 he had the massive Massenburg fortress built on a hilltop overlooking the river.  For nearly 600 years the Massenburg saw Leobeners through plagues, the Turkish wars, earthwakes, the Reformation, the counter-Reformation, and Napoleon’s occupation (still a very sore subject).  Tired from protecting and in disrepair, the Massenburg was torn down in 1820, but the sturdy 13th century gate building still stands.  In 1999 the entire Massenburg area was restored so that visitors may safely walk in and among the ruins. 

Part of the festivities seen from the hill above.  The stone in the left-middle of the photo is the Massenburg ruin.

For years the Massenburg has been a popular meeting spot for hikers eager to enjoy the 26 miles of beautifully maintained trails in the hills surrounding Leoben.  Now that the ruins are more hospitable, the Massenburg is also popular for gatherings where people congregate to eat, drink, and be merry in Tracht, their traditional Austrian clothing.  There were probably 800 people at last month’s fest and the Jensens, sans Tracht, were clearly the foreigners.  This wasn’t a bad thing, however.  For hours on end we were escorted from table to table to meet a variety of cheery Leobeners from all walks of life.  Naturally, each hearty introduction was accompanied by delicious eats and plentiful drinks.  To paraphrase Max Detweiller in the original Broadway production of The Sound of Music, “We like Austrian people; we like the way they live; we like the way we live when we are with them.”

The shattering blast of the cannon announced the top of each hour.  We enjoyed five booms.

Ubiquitous Austrian pretzels or wurst seemed too quotidian to feature in this post - so how about a perch on a stick?

Mama Theisl give us a tracht symbolism lesson (the color, the buttons, the charms on the pocket-watch chain, etc., all have a meaning).

Mama and her sweet Goddaughter, Angelica

The children were amazingly adorable.  

Music was playing everywhere.  Here, Mama's friend, Eric (not an official member of the band), offers a rich baritone harmony.

A final prost! with our friends Magdeline und Walter.

Die Heimkehr

Gentle Reader,

In the spirit of full disclosure, this post is to inform you of our return to Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.  Please stay tuned as we have more adventures (from Austria and elsewhere) to share. 

Alles Liebe,

Karla und Travis

Der Buschenschank

The Buschenschank

Should you ever find yourself in the Austrian countryside and see the word “Buschenschank,” then bitte, bitte, bitte – stop and have a meal!  Buschenschank derives from the words “Busch” (which means bush), and “Schank” (which means bar and/or to pour a drink).  When the wine is new, the proprietor hangs a “bush” over the restaurant door so everyone knows it is time to taste the fruits of the family’s labor.

During the third weekend of June Mutti, Petra, and Damian took us to Wies Eibiswald to meet Gottfried and Sofi, Mutti’s brother- and sister-in-law.  Wies Eibiswald lies in western Styria, a section of Austria famous for producing pumpkin seed oil and wine, among other delicious items.  Gottfried and Sofi thought we should experience the gustatory joy of a Buschenschank and we’re so grateful they did.

Mutti, Damian, Petra and Travis enjoy the rainy view from the train.

We were all smiles even before we knew what was in store for us!

A Buschenschank is only allowed to serve food and drink produced on their property.  Thus you can imagine how fresh and amazingly delicious everything tastes!  The typical Buschenschank menu features a variety of sausages and smoked meats, cheeses, vegetables (primarily lettuce, tomatoes, beans, etc.), eggs, fruit (mostly plums, cherries, apricots, etc.), and of course wine and schnapps.  The chewy bread and memorable desserts are also homemade.  

This is only a small portion of the lunch we shared.  We also enjoyed a salad and homemade bread.

On the day we met Gottfried and Sofi, Styria experienced an unusually heavy rain the whole day.  Hiking was out, so an extended lunch was in.  We sat in the Buschenschank for a solid three hours and enjoyed the food, the drink, the dear multi-generational family who served us, and most of all as you can see from these photos, we enjoyed each other.  

After lunch we toured the schnapps cellar.  Our host is pouring cherry schnapps.  

When we emerged from our feasting the storm had thankfully passed.  We are STILL all smiles.  Can you blame us?

Honestly, Damian has to be the greatest 14-year old in all of Austria.

Jumping for joy as we await the arrival of our train.  The sanctioned graffiti is apparently quite famous.  Everyone but the Americans knew the graffiti artist "Aneo".

A happy, very full family

Aufwiederschauen Petra und Damian!  We hope to see you soon!

Die Nachbarn

The Neighbors

Although they’ve never loaned us a cup of sugar or offered to pick up our mail, we consider Schönbrunn to be our neighbor.  The magnificent Schönbrunn palace and estate is only a 5-minute bus ride from our Missendorfstraße apartment; hence, since May 1 we’ve frequently strolled its gorgeous grounds.  We always use the estate’s “backdoor entrance” which is another reason we refer to them as “the Neighbors.” We’ve toured and appreciated the inside of the marvelous palace, but our neighbor’s 500 acres of manicured gardens and lush woodlands are our favorite reason to visit.

The Gloriette sits at the top of a hill overlooking Wien - a favorite picnic place for the royal family.

A view of the largest palace fountain - this is the less observed "from the back" view.

The grounds on which the current Schönbrunn palace stands have actually been important since the Middle Ages. From the beginning of the 14th century the area belonged to the Klosterneuburg monastery. Then over the following centuries dignitaries such as Vienna’s mayor in the early 1500’s lived on the property, added buildings, and created the beginnings of the gorgeous palace we enjoy today.

In 1569 the Hapsburgs took possession of Schonbrünnn through Maximilian II, who was primarily interested in the property’s game and fowl park.  The subsequent Hapsburgs also used the estate for hunting.  According to lore, in 1612 Emperor Matthias named the estate “fair spring” (schön Brunn) whilst merrily hunting on the verdant grounds.

The gardens were a multi-sensory delight in May and June.  

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach designed the current palace in 1688 and work on the palace and grounds continued piecemeal for the next 40 years or so.  During this time Schönbrunn was primarily used as a gigantic hunting lodge.  Then, around 1740, Schönbrunn was given as a gift to Austria’s favorite Empress, Maria Theresa by her father (Emperor Charles VI).  After that time Schönbrunn sparkled like never before, and it became the hub of political action and court life.  Maria Theresa added a court chapel, a theatre, grand galleries, the orangery, the greenhouse, the Gloriette, huge garden fountains, and several buildings to accommodate the 1,000 people who worked on the palace grounds.

The Hapsburgs passed the Schönbrunn ownership to the Republic of Austria at the end of the monarchy in 1918.   Since then Schönbrunn has been preserved for tourists to enjoy, but also as a massive backyard for all of Wien to relish. The entire estate (palace, park, fountains, statues, not to mention the zoo – the oldest in the world) was awarded UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status in 1996.  For more detailed history and fabulous photos, take a gander at www.schoenbrunn.at.

You see green green green when visiting the gardens and woods.

You also see all types of people on the palace grounds.  

"Nuns in the wild" sightings are always a favorite with the Jensens.

On June 4 we attended the Schönbrunn Wiener Philharmonic concert along with 10,000 other people.  It was an amazing party.  This photo is taken from the "Gloriette hill."  The arch in the center of the photo is the stage. Wien can be seen the background.

Here is the view from the other direction.  The stage is a little left of center here and the Gloriette is lit on the top of the hill.  

It is nice to have neighbors who so generously throw parties!