See all of our pictures from Austria below:
Happy 4th of July everyone!
This is our last day in Europe. While here we have experienced many things that Americans have in common with the countries in Europe, as well as some differences.
Things that are different:
- 24 time versus 12 hour time
- Temperature in celsius vs. fahrenheit
- Restrooms being called Toilets or WC (short for "water closets")
- Having to PAY to use the toilet or WC (0,50€ on average)
- Understanding that separating the dollar amount from the cents they use a comma (,) rather than a decimal point (.).
- Beer is cheaper than cola
- In general, smaller portion sizes with food
- Everything here is carbonized. Even the water. Even apple juice.
- There are many places to eat outside. Much more common that at home.
- There are flower boxes outside of most window sills, filled with vibrant colors that add so much beauty. This is done as a part of a citizen's civic duty, we are told. It is both a duty and delight.
- Much more walking. More public transportation.
- Europeans are MUCH more concerned about the environment than we are in the USA.
- Ounces vs. Liters. Gallons vs. Liters. Miles verses Kilometers. Feet versus meters. Basically our way verses the metric system.
- There is no Mexican food over here. (Tiny Luther wants a taco)
- Milk is only for breakfast
- Coffee is smaller here. If you want a big coffee you have to ask for an American Coffee.
- Lots of tourists. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who is native and who is not. Many of the people over here seem to be irritated at the constant stream and presence of tourists. Seems like a catch 22 to me.
- On more note: there is a general tolerability for Americans. Some are excited to share their culture and history with us. Others, not so much.
- Businesses close down for an hour or two between the late morning and afternoon. This is so that laborers can take a rest. Which also means that they work later into the evening.
- In hotel rooms there are slots by the door to put your key card. This is not only to help you not loose track of the card but also to enable electricity to the room. That way, when you leave the room, you do not forget to turn off the lights!
Things that are similar:
- Three meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Wake up calls in hotels
- Airports are bad
- Fashion, minus some inherit cultural attire
- Teenagers are loud in restaurants
- Parents sing the ABC song to their little ones
- Burger King and McDonalds
I've had to do the last half of this blog retroactively, quite frankly, because there has been SO MUCH to see and do each day, that by the time we made it back to our hotel's...we were exhausted!
Like I said before this was our last day in Europe. While in Austria we have seen many things: Mozart's birth house, and many stops along the way during our Sound of Music four-hour tour around Salzburg. We saw more of those places today as we visited some of those sights again to go more in depth.
Our first stop took us to Mozart's home while in Salzburg. Later in life he moved to Vienna (and boy did he LOVE Vienna). We learned some interesting things and if you have a smart phone you too can take the audio tour we did! Simply go to wh.mozarteum.at and on this page, you can find several apps relating to Mozart's residence.
Something that you may find interesting, since I am Tiny Luther I am conscience about my height. We learned that Mozart was a rather short person. He was only 5 feet 3 inches, making him still taller than me but shorter than Pastor Aaron!
W.A. Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 and died on 5 December 1791 at the young age of 35.
Later we went to the Hellbrun Palace, home of the trick fountains! One piece of advice: Expect the unexpected! You never know what to expect at the trick fountains. Only one thing is certain: it is a lot of fun. Water automats, grottos, fountains – Markus Sittikus had a system built that astonished, entertained and befuddled his guests. A status symbol and mannerist toy in one. Experience a unique cultural jewel which is to be found nowhere else in this form. The season starts at the beginning of April and runs until the end of October. You can read here what the art historian May Woods wrote about the trick fountains: [PDF]
Since nobody celebrates the 4th of July like we do in the States, to finish up our time in spectacular fashion, we will attend a Mozart Dinner Concert, a unique Mozart experience in the Baroque Hall of St. Peter monastery.
This experience took us back to Mozart’s time. It was a lovely evening filled with 1790's wardrobe and environment - a baroquehall, lit by candles, having a dinner based on historical recipes,
listening to a concert with musicians in authentic costumes and the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Here is a look at the hall the dinner/concert was held.
Here is a sample of one of the selections we enjoyed.
We were delighted to dine with another family of four at our table. They were from Taiwan, mom, dad, older brother and sister. The mother was a professor of health at a local university. The dad was an ent doctor. The brother was in 11th grade and the sister was 11 years old. Marcy was impressed how much the 11th grader was into the concert. They were a delightful family, who spoke pretty good English (native Chinese speakers, of course), and were fun to talk to and share an evening with. Caden even had them like his YouTube channel!
There was an eye opening conversation centered around schooling. The brother had not ever played a video game because there is no time for that with school work and studying. Caden and Annabelle were blown away by that conversation.
More later. More to come.
Blessings!
Tiny Luther
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