Ain't Done Writing Yet, Apparently

Haven't sat and written about things in a while.

Whether consequence of that, or something else, plenty of things have been on my mind.

One month without blogging.  I felt like it had run its course, I guess.  I was feeling okay, I was focusing on living my life rather than writing about it (as anybody with access to my facebook page clearly saw), and I was upbeat.  Quick pause: I still am upbeat.  I have a tremendous amount of positive people, places, experiences, and growth to focus on.

Last week or two I haven't been shy about getting emotional and letting things off my chest.  Not that I was holding things in for the months before, mind you.  And not that anything specific or radically different has happened in the last few days to set me off.  I'm just ... more mindful of how I feel, and a little less concerned with the why.  I can psychoanalyze the why to my heart's content if I choose.  Heck, I can walk over to Sigmund Freud Park and ask deep personal questions there, or buy a ticket to his former office now-restored (minus the couch: That went with him to London and remains there).  The last ten days have felt more down than the time before.  That's okay, and I suppose its even to be expected given everything.

I haven't written about things lately because I guess I didn't feel the need to.  I'm more cognizant of the readers I've invited to see this space.  What started out as someplace for me to get thoughts and feelings out into the open grew into a place for me to accept more risk, and be honest with others in a semi-anonymous manner (you readers know me, but I don't know who actually reads this).  I don't want to be thinking of that when I'm writing.  But, it shouldn't matter.  It doesn't matter.

If I'm not comfortable sharing something then I won't type it here, it's as simple as that.

Yet I didn't share how I was doing for a while.

I'm not sure if you can picture the furrow in my brow as I think about those last statements.  Trust me, it's there.  The cause of the furrow is, well, I didn't sit down and type and express when I was feeling lonely, or really emotional and sad, or detached ... but not because I was uncomfortable telling anybody.  I just, didn't write.

Okay.

Now that I put some grey matter behind it and think a little, I do believe that people around here have been a little tougher to connect with in the last ten days.  I've certainly reached out to others.  This Sunday I sent texts, phone calls, emails, and facebook messages trying to meet up with people here.  Admittedly, many of them were in no physical condition to respond after Oktoberfest on Saturday (and, admittedly, I would not have been in a physical condition to respond if someone tried to get a hold of me ... yikes ...).

I can sense that I'm ready to come back to the States.  Vienna has been great, it remains wonderful, and there is no denying that it was the right opportunity in the right place at the right time, when it was needed the most.  It's just not "real life."  The work isn't as early, the pace isn't as fast, the people aren't the same, the focus isn't as sharp.  That doesn't make it bad.  It doesn't make the States good.  It's just different.  I'm proud of the way I've adapted and thrived.  It's been fun.  However, returning to the US to me feels like Moving Forward.  Staying here feels like Standing Still.  An escape from "real life" as I know it.

"We are men of action.  Lies do not become us."

... well ... this has been a long and ultimately inconclusive "stream of consciousness" post.  Will others follow?  Not sure.

A draft and a stroll

The 2013 West Suburban Fantasy Football League draft is in the books. For those who care about the awesomeness that is this 16-team scoring only league, the New York Jets (picking 15th overall) will start the season as follows:

QB:

Russell Wilson, Seattle

Ryan Tannehill, Miami

RB:

Stevan Ridlay, New England

David Wilson, New York Giants

Darren Sproles, New Orleans

Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona

WR:

Mike Williams, Tampa Bay

Anquan Boldin, SanFrancisco 

Michael Floyd, Arizona

TE:

Owen Daniels, Houston

K:

Matt Bryant, Atlanta

Shayne Graham, Cleveland

For those who read this far and for those who skipped right over the fantasy football, I am still awake as I type this. This fact is only significant as I've been awake for 30 hours or so. After the draft ended after 6 am local time, I got up, got out, and visited Vienna's famous "Naschmarkt" for a stroll through the Saturday flea market. Kind of fun, kind of cool, and since I was neither seeking to rummage through people's garbage nor did I have any extra luggage space to carry crap home, I just browsed and left. 

The sunny and pleasant morning continued with a reverse stroll back through the market - Vienna's outdoor fresh market and restaurant alley, if you will. The bright colors and captivating smells were delightful: fresh flowers and spices of paprika and saffron and chili and more created an enticing olfactory experience. Feeling hungry (as I hadn't eaten since dinner last night around 9 pm and it was now 8 am ... and you'd be hungry too if you smelled everything j smelled!) I stopped at Neni, a Jewish owned and operated restaurant at the markt. A wonderful and expertly prepared slice of challa bread French toast with stewed peaches was my treat to myself for getting out of the apartment and exploring instead of going to sleep. 

Just another experience I get to check off the list; ironically, thanks to fantasy football and the seven hour time difference to back home, or else there is no way I'm at the markets while the shopping areas are still passable or the fresh produce sellers are thriving or the restaurants are just opening and getting prepped for the day!  :-)

(Oh, and on the off-chance that anybody from the league is reading this post, I WILL be kicking all of your asses all the way from Europe. You can't stop me. You can't even hope to contain me.)

Hallstatt - Part III

Sunday morning, rain is falling. 

Like, downpour at times. Blah. 

After a nice breakfast courtesy of the B&B, we set out to find a bus that took us to a place called the Dachstein: a series of summits and features where we would spend most of the day. 

The first gondola took us up to 1300 meters, where we hiked several kilometers in the strong rain to find the Dachstein ice cave: a naturally occurring formation of rock and ice that was "only” 600 years old in most places. Like, 10-25 meters thick ice, and temperatures that ranged from ambient (mid 50's) down to the low 30's -- perfect for trudging through with a daypack and soaked clothes, right? Anyways, our tour guide made a point of saying (in very good English) that photograph was prohibited, which matched the signage. BUT, I was pretty confident that I heard her say that photography was permitted without flash just a moment later. Of course, that second statement was in German but I think I got the gist. 

Besides, we've established that I'm American and therefore their rules don't apply to me. Of course. For the next hour I was stunned at the underground formations and magnitude of the ice development. I also can't wait to see how all my photos turned out! 

Despite the rain, after the ice cave we stayed up on the mountain to get a quick lunch at the middle station, and then rode two additional gondolas up to different points near the peak: 2100 meters (over 6700 feet) in elevation. More hiking. More conquering the worst and most hectic weather that Mother Nature herself could muster! (Or, just more rain and wind actually) After some exploring we found another UNESCO site: a kind of "helix" with great views over the entire range!

Not that we could enjoy them in the thick fog ... But whatever! The adventure was worth it. The hiking gear I had held up great; I stayed warm and safe; had a blast wandering wherever there was to explore. 

Returning to our boy Tolkien, who wrote that "Not all those who wander are lost."

(I love how that last one turned out -- it's the symbol on the ground in the center of that helix thing, with a little Vibrant and Depth of Field filters in Camera+ followed by a White Grit frame. Love it!)

Hallstatt - Part II

Quick recap of Saturday in Hallstatt:

Taking the ferry across the lake was breathtaking, but not quite as much as some of the views to be experienced simply walking in and around this lakeside town. Shallow and narrow ground, picturesque views, and a lake that was so still and calm it was positively reflective unless disturbed by boat or animal, surrounded by lush green forestry on almost all sides. 

Landing in the town we set off to explore, dropped off our luggage at the bed and breakfast we were staying at, and promptly grabbed the cameras to take advantage of the practically perfect weather. Our first stop was a funicular tram up to about 700 meters, to explore a few kilometers of trail connecting the tram station to an old salt mine. We didn't go in because we didn't really care about the salt mine -- the UNESCO World Heritage Site photography ledge, on the other hand, was completely in our plans. After some amazing photos off the ledge and over Lake Hallstatt we found a winding trail that looped behind the mountain and mirrored some waterfalls down the back of the mountain. We explored around the south end of town and found an island beach where we decided to take a breather. I may or may not have been persuaded to wade out into the [frickin' cold!] water, but it was great. 

Because apparently that wasn't enough, we enjoyed a delightful dinner along the water with some roasted trout that was caught from the lake itself, and then finished off the evening with some gorgeous night shots of the village. 

Hallstatt - Part I

This place is stunningly beautiful. 

Nestled between mountain ranges, along side a pristine lake, surrounded by lush green forests, This is the Austria you're thinking of. This is the valley behind "the hills are alive" or something like that. 

Any posts I have about Hallstatt are going to be short simply because words don't do this place justice. Tolkien said it best:

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead. 

Three! Three Months! A-ha-ha...

That's The Count counting how long I've been in Vienna.

It is NOT the Owl figuring out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

Just in case you were wondering.

It's been a little over three months, to be precise.  And exactly three months at work.  So we're close enough for international government work.  And keeping with the positive vibes of some of the past few posts, it's been an incredible three months.  So, a few questions and potential answers:

Does it feel like time has flown by?  No, not really.  It feels like three months have passed.  The days have been filled whenever possible with exploring, adventures, new friends, interesting work, international travel, and anything I can get my hands on to learn in this new culture.  I still remember living out of the hotel wondering how I was going to make things work so that ends met ... and I am still incredibly optimistic and excited for what comes next, whatever that may be.

When are you coming back?  I'm working on that; give me a little, eh?

What has been the best part of your first three months living abroad?  There have been a lot of "best parts" so I'll boil them down to the internal answer first - - the feeling of "I got this."  What the heck does that mean?  It means, there have been a number of best experiences and best parts: from traveling and exploring new cultures, to learning about Vienna and starting to feel somewhat like a "local," to the food, to the friends, to the experiences ... it's all been great.  But what has been the best part is the knowledge that I'm closer to feeling how I want to feel than I have in a long, long time.  I was genuinely afraid that this part of me had walked out the door last year, and that's not true at all.  I let myself lose this feeling.  It petered-out slowly over a period of time that it was almost imperceptible to me, even when evidence was put directly in front of me.  It's a conscious and deliberate push to feel good, and not just think about feeling good or think about having fun (you get the point).  Everything else that I've done, some wacky, some a little crazy [surprising even myself!], some smart, some not so smart, stems from that feeling.

What has been the toughest part of your first three months living abroad?  Nothing has really been "bad," but trying to figure out financials and budget for effectively two lives -- accounts and commitments back in the States as well as living a full life here -- that's been a challenge.  Not an insurmountable one, but something I continue to keep an eye on to make sure I'm not costing myself something bad now or in the future.  Once tax season rolls around next year, then I'll surely feel a pinch for my adventure here ... but, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, eh?

Why do you keep saying "eh?"  You're in Vienna, not Canada, right?  Yes, that's true.  But a Canadian supervisor came into the office a little while ago and I have some Canadian friends and I was thinking about a trip to see the Blackhawks at an away game next February so hockey was on my mind and wait a minute leave me alone why do you care what I type?  This is my blog!

What now?  Now ... now I need to get back to work.  I'm taking Monday off so a friend and I can explore the Austrian mountains south of Salzburg at a town called Hallstatt.  Look it up online if you want.  I'm excited to bust out my hiking gear and DSLR, to see how everything handles in a real outdoors environment!
Also, Prague photos are online, but because I uploaded several dozen pics I decided not to put them here.  Look for a public photo album on my Facebook page for those of you who have Facebook; that's where I put the high def images and comments.  Otherwise, I think this is a link to the Picasa and/or Google+ image library where I have them as well (I have no idea how Picasa / G+ works; it's weird).
https://plus.google.com/photos/112554637864868191494/albums/5913903034858700113

What a Difference a Year Makes

One year ago was August 15, 2012. 

Which means that was 365 days ago.

 

Thinking back over the past 365 days, I’m really astonished at the range of highs and lows that I've experienced.  It hasn't been easy.  It certainly hasn't been quick.  The lows were places I’d never felt before, and hope not only to never experience again but that no one else has to go through. 

The past 365 days have taken me from those depths to amazing professional and experiences all over Europe, with more in the pipeline.  They've been the time I needed to focus on myself: my needs, my wants, and my happiness. Taking that time and working tirelessly to make things better isn't a linear trend: things don’t improve (or degrade) in a straight line.  Instead, life is made up of incrementally small ups and downs … but the trick is, looking at a zoomed-out view and trying to make the trend a positive one.  Like the stock market (ideally, at least).

I don’t think I've been shy about thanking the friends and family in my life that have helped me.  I also don’t think it would be an overstatement to suggest that I wouldn't be where I am without that love and support and understanding. 

There will always be uncertainty, and there will always be doubts, about the future as well as the past.  But I know that I’m in a really good place: My trend has been positive for a while and I have the highest confidence that I am better prepared to handle whatever the next 365 days throws at me.  

48 Hours in Prague: Part IV

As suspected, 48 hours was it enough in Prague. I'll have to go back. 

This conclusion is not upsetting. 

Saturday I mostly walked and bombed around Prague until my bus left. The museum. Wenceslas Square. Random streets. There feels like a huge wealth of areas and places to discover in this city, each with a unique vibe all of its own. And I barely left the first three districts, so I didn't get to explore anything much across the river aside from the Senate and a bit of Lesser Town! 

Comparing Prague to Vienna, where I have since returned, is revealing. Vienna is more quiet, more laid back, easier to navigate, more cultural in an arts and performance kind of way. Prague feels more steeped in history, with lots to explore, a bit more excitement, and more 'grand' as a European city. Vienna has more modern benefits but Prague has a richer sense of tradition. Which is better? They're different, and that works just fine for this traveler. 

I've only got a few hundred pictures to review, straighten, crop, and conduct basic editing on ... So please forgive me if some time passes before I post any here. But don't worry, I wasn't shy on the shutter. And boy did some turn out spectacular. 

48 Hours in Prague: Interlude

In which our author becomes a travel equipment review guide. 

Because I only started to get into backpacking and outdoors activities last summer, I'm fairly new to and easily impressed by the tech that goes into good, high quality travel equipment. Essential for this trip were a few pieces I acquired:

Osprey Manta 30 backpack with 3 L hydration system included. I removed the hydration system for weight reduction for this trip, and the ripstop nylon bag easily held three days worth of clothes and toiletries and charging plugs. 

Stuffed in a cool expandable space between the main and secondary pockets was my jacket. More on that in a second. Most valuable during this trip was probably the integrated rain shield which has its own pocket at the bottom of the backpack. When the skies opened over Prague, my camera, tablet, and documents stayed nicely dry. 

 

As for that jacket ... I'm not sure how to describe it. By name its the First Ascent (Eddie Bauer) Accelerant Jacket. But I usually call it frickin amazing. 

It's a lightweight material with a water repellent finish so precipitation beads up on the outside rather than penetrating the jacket. The darker color under the arms is a breathable fleece. Underneath the lighter grey is a primaloft insulation. 

So its not waterproof but its comfortable, breathable, light weight, packable, has a nice hood, has good thumb-hole cuffs, and can probably be used anywhere from raining at 80 degrees to windy at 50 degrees to chilly at 20 degrees (with a good base or mid layer). 

Also key this trip: nylon travel pants from

REI. Yes, in my size. I know! Gotta love REI. No pictures shown because, lets face it: they're khakis. Really long khakis. Just use your imagination. 

48 Hours in Prague: Part III

Prague at night takes on an entirely different feel. It is one of the many reasons that I feel like this city may be better or greater to explore and experience than Vienna. The city didn't feel scary or unsafe (although only a fool would think that such areas didn't exist in any major city), but instead felt like a different side of the same coin. Landmarks and sights took on a different feel. The streets had a different energy. Performers and exhibitions catered to a different crowd. What a fun place to explore and wander around!

Speaking of wander, I managed to do quite a bit of that, thanks in part to one (or more) (consecutive) (compounding) (and/or confusing) wrong turn(s). I never felt unsafe but I definitely got to experience parts of the city that are most likely for locals only, and that's where my perspective above comes from. 

I tried to take lots of pictures of places at night, including the Powder Gate, the Opera house, Prague Castle, and the gates to the Charles Bridge. Tried is the operative word, here, as steady rain of fluctuating strength hampered my efforts whenever possible. Still, I think I managed to secure a couple of good pictures before my lens became difficult to clean and I feared for damaging the camera body itself. 

Another selfie, at night; not to be mistaken for one of the "good shots"

I alluded to above. 

One last order of business for the evening: a Czech beer in a local pub. I don't know the name of the place (I'm not sure it had one!) and I don't remember the name of the beer they brought me (if they even told me), but again: a damn good pilsner. Maybe I'm missing something with pilsners, since I'm not a beer snob unlike some friends ... But to me, they always just taste "like beer" until they reach a point where they're too warm or too bitter for me to enjoy. The beers here were good, I enjoyed them, and they suffered from the above criticisms far less than comparable beers back in the states. But still, if someone who knows what I should be experiencing and/or expecting more with a pils wants to enlighten me, please feel free. 

After a long day of dodging rain and exploring the city, I collapsed back at my hotel. 48 hours may be far too little or this city after all ...