Thursday, December 22, 2016

Fröhliche Weihnachten!




    Update: My brother said he wouldn't go to Austria if I didn't go, so my mother had no choice but to allow me on the trip. We were in first class so it was comfortable and I slept for the entire SF-to-Frankfurt portion. Someone brought me a wheelchair during our layover, which was barely long enough to find the next terminal. I don't remember the flight to Innsbruck.

     Our hosts are wealthy.  Claudia's father (Claudia was our foreign exchange student) was and is a doctor, but I know for a fact that being a doctor in and of itself doesn't equate with this kind of wealth here or elsewhere. There has to be additional source of income beyond what a doctor earns. Claudia and her husband are doctors. I haven't seen her house yet  (it's maybe a quarter-of-a-mile from here, but I haven't been out much) but I'm told it's smaller than this house but still large. 

     I'm not even sure how large this house is. I just know that there's a fireplace in my bedroom and that a maid checks on me every half hour or anytime I ring a bell. My brother said Claudia's mother wanted to hire a nurse but that my mom convinced her that with the number of doctors around it probably wasn't necessary. I counted the doctors in my head, which is fuzzy so my count may be off. With Jillian's husband, dad, and brothers, there are five. My dad makes it six. Uncle steve makes it seven. Claudia and her dad and husband and brother (who lives next door) make it an uneven eleven.

     They all went ice skating and are having dinner downstairs. They even took the babies. My dad and Scott know how to ice skate. Jillian is coordinated enough to pick up almost anything instantly. The rest of them (the Americans, anyway) probably sucked. They're having dinner downstairs. I'm eating broth and jello and bread, which is as much as I can tolerate. We're supposedly playing board games tonight. I will go downstairs and join them. I'll probably just fall asleep. I don't really care. 

     Neighbors will come carolling and doing all that Austrian traditional bullshit. Everyone goes on different nights because if everyone carolled on the same night, no one would be home to hear anyone else carol. Our night to go is tomorrow. They're practicing tonight. (I don't intend to waste my energy practicing.) They're very excited because Claudia has told them that we have actual singers among us. It would help if any of us spoke German. C'est la vie. Everyone who lives here speaks English anyway. Jillian taught Andrew to sing "Silent Night" in German. He already carries a tune really well even though he's only two. 

    The family went to the town's traditional Christmas Market and came back with all sorts or nonsense that will have to be mailed home. They ate like pigs and drank like fish, and the kiddies loved it because there was a carousel. They're taking me there tomorrow so I can at least see it.

    I have my window cracked just a bit event though it's frigid because there's a brass choir playing from a tower somewhere and I can hear it just a bit. 

     I don't know if I mentioned it, but it's really cold here.








6 comments:

  1. Well, at least you get to be sick in a nice place. I do hope you can tolerate getting out and about as it would be a shame not to. You can dress for the cold although you are not used to it. I hope to get out on my cross country skis this weekend and enjoy some fresh air.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I intend to snowboard before the year officially ends. It's too good an opportunity to pass up. I'll recover later if necessary.

      Delete
  2. Enjoy the cold. Beautiful Austria even in the cold. You are very lucky,now if only you were well enough to enjoy it!

    We are preparing for HEAT. My city is tipped for 40 degressC for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Today is only 37. 40 degrees is 104F. Ascuncion and Rio are predicting 38 so Adelaide will be the hottest city on Christmas Day.

    We are having a large Christmas Eve gathering with all cold food. Seafood is the tradition at Christmas but many people still do the full Northern Hemisphere hot thing including English Plum Pudding with Brandy butter. Absolutely the best thing on earth. Lots of our friends have started a tradition called Christmas in July which gives a good excuse to do all the traditional Christmas foods in cooler weather. Not that you need an excuse for a celebrity involving good food and wine. Our wine area is renowned for a drink unique to us Sparkling Shiraz a dark fruity red made with the best Shiraz grapes but with a sparkle like a Champagne. It is our traditional Christmas drink. Enjoy the Gluwein.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will enjoy it whether i'm theoretically well enough or not. Opportunities such as this one don't come very often.

      Delete
  3. Hope you're having fun! I wish I were there myself!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, actually, I would have said something about the topic if I wasn't so bursting with happiness because I found http://www.sildenafilfromindia.net/. I had problems with potency for a long time, but I finally solved them!

    ReplyDelete