Barca, Barca, Barca!

Well, this is what happens when you walk away from blogging, post purgatory!

Then, something happens that gets you percolating once again.  Here is some unfinished business from our Barcelona visit in October 2015.  Please stay tuned family and friends.....the school semester is almost over and my writing will turn from the academic (that which you do not want to read), to some thoughts on what's been going on around here over the past few months.  Until then.

Winter.  Blah.  I'm sick of it already and we are only just beginning January.

Netflix binges have been part of this Holiday Break and why not!?!  The 11 year old discovered an oldie, but goodie.....The Brady Bunch.  We've spent time together laughing at iconic sayings and characters.  Peter and his "pork chops and applesauce" Jan and her "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!" and of course, Beebe Gallini, who has always cracked me up.......dahling.

True confession time, my Grandma named her pet parakeet Beebe Gallini.  And she taught that bird to talk.  I can't help but laugh when I think of, and still hear, her squeaking, "Say goodnight to the Poppy!" (meaning my Grandpa) And I'll be damned, that bird would say it right back......

Bright, sunny, funny on a cold winter's day.

To use a very Brady simile, Barcelona is like Beebe Gallini.  We visited in October and I still smile whenever I think about it.  It's a flamboyant, colorful, talk real loud with your mouth full and your hands flapping, kind of city.  Bustling, boisterous, bonita.

Of course, if you ask the 11 year old boy, all he will remember is the Barcelona Football experience.  We caught the sights and a Luis Suarez hat trick at Camp Nou.  Apparently, it doesn't get better than that.  Well.....maybe if Messi hadn't been injured and was able to play.  Or if we there for a Barca-Real Madrid match.

But, really, who is complaining, dahling!

Postcards from Mary Lou

Dear Readers,

"A Vienna Waltz" took a break to focus on charitable and educational commitments that required (and very often drained) my creative efforts and time.  Unfortunately, I put aside the blog, but did not forget about the enjoyment found in writing, sharing and photographing our adventures.  While the commitment to charity and education continues in 2016, I hope to strike the right balance and get back to the blog.

That being said, Summer in Innsbruck is a great time to visit.  Especially when you are on a hunt for the perfect picture-postcard.

When we moved, some boxes destined for long term storage made their way into our shipment.  These small boxes contain envelopes and paper bags filled with postcards from around the world.  This collection of postcards was how Mary Lou, my Mother-in-Law, documented many of her world travels during the 1960s when she was a "corporate spouse".  Although, I really should say, when she was a busy Mom of 4, responsible for moving the family household around the World.

As you can see, the postcards have little written on them, usually a date and sometimes a line or two about the location.

It was coincidental that I came across the boxes again, well hidden in the back of a closet, before our  trip to Innsbruck.  Inside I found a stack of cards, collected during a family Easter trip from April 21-23, 1962.

While we were doing the tourist scene, I decided to recreate the postcards to the best of my ability.  It was fun for our kiddo to try to match the card to the scene and then guide Mom on how best to capture the photo.  Not surprisingly, we were able to match up many of the cards with the present day vistas.

Old Town

Golden Roof

Olympiastadt

Grauer Bar Hotel-Easter 1962

Father and Son 

Innsbruck with a view to Nordkette

Wilten Basilica

Looking forward to more postcards from Mary Lou.  It's a small connection across time for a Grandson to have with a Grandma he never met.  It is also our way of reconnecting with Mary Lou; through the eyes of a wonderfully kind woman on the adventures of her lifetime.

Our Haus and Her Haus

We live in a very fine house.  In a fine neighborhood.

In 1938, thirteen thousand four hundred Jewish people lived in our Vienna city neighborhood.  They were wiped out of the neighborhood by the Nazis.  Their houses and possessions became other people's (stolen) houses and possessions.

1n 1938, seventeen Jewish people lived in our house.  7 Men.  7 Women.  3 Children.

In 1938, the lives of Families BLUM, LUX, NASCH, MAHELR, and POLLAK were changed forever.

There is an organization in Vienna, Steine des Gedenkens (Stones of Remembrance), that works within the local Community to place remembrance plaques at the locations where Jewish people lived, worked, worshiped and then were destroyed by Nazi genocide.

While I was in the USA, our house received a Stone of Remembrance.

Ceremonies are scheduled throughout the 3rd District (our neighborhood) and I happened to see that one was taking place this week, just a couple of blocks away.  This dedication ceremony would be unique, given the attendance of 91 year old Lea Peled (Helene Holzer).  The Holzer Family lived at Neulinggasse 7 and ran a nearby clothing shop.  The Nazis separated the Holzer family from each other and their life in Vienna.  Helene escaped Vienna, made it to Denmark and eventually settled in Israel.  

Yesterday, Lea returned to Neulinggasse 7, along with her son and grandson, where a small group of us gathered to hear a brief presentation about Jewish life in the 3rd District, along with remarks from her son.  Someone shared that she was invited in for a tour of her former home.  According to those with her, she remembered every room and commented that the parquet floor was exactly the same.  "While she might forget last week, her memory of that time was very clear."  commented a woman on the tour.

A film crew was capturing the event for a documentary about Holocaust victims whose grandchildren are returning to Vienna to make a life.  "Why would you ever want to do that?" she reportedly asked her grandson.  It should be a fascinating film.  I have the same question.

The conclusion of the dedication involved passing the stone around to each member of the group before it's placed in location.  As my spot in the group would have it, I handed over to 91 year old Holocaust survivor Lea Peled her stone of remembrance.  In front of her house.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

This Summer was full of endings and beginnings.

We begin our 3rd year in Vienna after an unforgettable trip to Tucson.  We have no way to repay our family and friends for their hospitality, support and shared good times.  These are the moments that sustain us while we are away.  

We will also miss.......air conditioning.  No matter how hot it gets in the Arizona desert, there is welcome escape into AC.  There is no true escape here, especially at night, when a tower fan and wishful thinking just does not cut it.

My morning walk brought back the sights and sounds of living in Vienna.  I practiced my "resting bitch face" along with the rest of the Viennese (yes, the men too!), navigated the throngs of tourists putting their 48 hour deodorant to the test and appreciated the beauty of this place we call home for now.

New Sculpture on The Graben

Hofburg

Hofburg

Mozart in Burggarten

On My "To Do" List

Getting Around Town

Home Station

Our Patch of Green in StadPark

Over the next week, I'll be fighting jet lag, unpacking and reconnecting with friends.  We know change is coming, but don't know what it looks like.  For the moment, we will enjoy the continuation of our Vienna Waltz.

Stairway to Neon Heaven-My Favorite Things

Vintage Neon Heaven is a favorite Facebook Group.  It's a place where neon sign lovers share photos, history and mourn the loss of signs gone by.  The growth and popularity of neon signs in the United States spanned 1920-1960; after that, many ended up corroded eyesores or replaced and turned into junkyard ghosts.

In Tucson, Arizona, preservationists created a neon project to save signs that once beckoned motorists into the cool "air refrigeration" of motels and restaurants along Miracle Mile.  Since I've been here, my "hobby" is photographing and sharing the signs on Instagram (@retroranch).  While many have been restored and/or relocated as part of the local project, there are still opportunities to find Tucson neon "in the wild."

The Tucson Airport control tower has been a neon beacon welcoming visitors since the late 1950s.  I was surprised to see a new tower going up as I arrived this Summer, but progress marches forward.  The good news is that the old tower will be preserved.  Whether a journey near or far, that feeling of having made it "home" starts when I see the Tucson tower.

These are a few of my favorite things, day or night.