The kids and I watched Lucille and Franko dig the auto auf dem Schnee (car out of the snow) using two small dust pans and brushes! There was so much snow in Vienna, everything was a beautiful, silent white.

“Schlimmes Wetter,” (terrible weather) as Sophia hat gesagt (had said) while we watched Lu and Frank push the auto out of the snow. Yes, and it was a parking “Schnee Krieg” (snow war) over people digging out their cars and piling snow on someone else’s area, or parking in an area a neighbor had shoveled.

Snow in Vienna

Sunday 14 February 1999

Once it was dug out of the snow, Lucille and I ventured to the grocery store and gas station with the car. We almost got run into by a snowplow, it was so slippery. Brought Möhn Knüdle (yummy poppy seed dumplings) and Erdbeern Knüdle (strawberry dumplings) for us and the girls. We went to a very modern Austrian “super market”. With automated teller, garage parking, open Samstag bis 17:00 (Saturday until 5 PM) and has neat little hooks for bananas to hang on so they don’t bruise up. We should have that. It’s a little more sanitary. Fruit is often packaged and at gas pumps they have plastic gloves to wear.

— Lipovsky Mikulus stopped. I am writing this while on the train from Vienna to Kosice.

Franko had a party to go to, which he took Jack Daniel’s with him. And last night we drank the original Budweiser Czech Budvar. The girls, Lulu and I enjoyed the night with snow ❄️ falling outside, all cozy indoors drinking tea and looking at catalogs. I read the girls a story, “Winnie the Pooh’s Sweetest Christmas” they had in English.

Relaxing in Vienna

Sunday morning, the little Sophia who loves my stuffed Beagle dog, brought him in to wake me up. Then she climbed into bed with me, little Snuggle Bug 🐞. She is just so sweet. Lucille brought me a Kaffee ins Bett ☺️und alles schöne war (coffee in bed and everything was beautiful). The snow had stopped overnight and Frank had slept and snored on the couch.

We were nice and lazy, in our P.J.’s until noon when Frank and the girls got dressed to go for Chinese food with his mother. I used their email until 13:30 in between holding Leon and having him (Liptovsky Hradok) fall asleep in my arms (four times since I was there). After the email I finally showered at 13:30. We ate lunch and looked at more China 🇨🇳 pictures.

— Now more beautiful mountains with Alpine scenery-pine trees covered in snow. Looks like more ski areas. (Krelov Lehota – no stop.) A nun, smoking smokestack, church. Here the houses and trees are covered with snow and it’s much prettier, and colder. When I talked to Bibiana on Thursday, she said the trams were not running, due to the snow. It might even be snowing out- all I can see are snow covered pine trees.

Building Snowmen

When Frank and the girls got home, we bundled up us four, and went out to build a snowman. Ein grosse, und zwei kleine (one big snowman and two small ones). Afterwards we warmed up with hot chocolate and Lindt truffles (watch out), they have a friend who works for Lindt. Later we enjoyed pasta, salad, and wine.

— There was just a really pretty ski town we passed, nestled in a valley with snow covered pine trees all around. I saw a lighted sign and building with dancers painted on the side. Now it’s getting a little flat again and 1 1/2 hours to go. Sometimes I think we may be going to Siberia. Well I’ve pinched myself and it’s real. I can’t imagine any other crazy Americans would be here too. (Strba– stopped.) After this I won’t need to go on the Trans-Siberian Express. No thanks.

We looked at my pictures (the sky is blending into the ground) and we watched a show on how they do magic tricks-cool, CNN, more Fäschings, and finally a movie filmed in Vienna, like a weekly series. Bauern something about a district in Wien and all the people living there. With the dialect too.

 

 

Lucille bathed Leon, as the girls were bathed and beautified earlier, getting their hair dried, styled, and ogling at themselves in the mirror. We did a photo session auf dem Sofa (on the couch). They are too cute and too funny. I told Lu, “Maybe if I’m not doing anything in June, I’ll go with them to Shanghai and help her get set up. I wouldn’t mind being around with her children. They’re a lot of fun and really good too. (Mark my words, it turns out to happen!)

Preparing for Košice

Finally Vera and Sophia settled down and went to sleep (a three hour process, similar to how I used to be). Oh and Frank already called his acquaintance who is a cab driver to pick me up at 7:15 Monday A.M. Cool.

— Svit-no stopsky. Now we’re passing little Shrivergartens (shared garden areas) next to the nicest looking apartments I’ve seen.

So being all packed, a little nervous, very curious, and glad to have been at Lucille’s—also glad to know she’s close enough for comfort—I fell asleep after looking out the windows onto the snow covered tree lined Strasse (Viennese street). Which next time I see, it will be in Spring!

 

This is an excerpt from my Košice Journal, documenting my exodus from a (relatively happy) bustling life in beautiful San Diego, to (voluntarily) take a post teaching English in the newly independent eastern capital of Slovakia  during a very cold winter 1999.