I Must Have Done Something Good
Dec 27th, 2009 by Marilyn
It’s true that I gave Mom her Hanukkah present a week late. I gave Cleo her flea meds a month late. I’ve been dragging my molasses keyboard fingers on the would-be book-writing forever and, without question, I’ve been a very lazy blogger.
Still, I must have done something.
Something to deserve being across the ocean, alone with my wonderful, able-to-navigate-any-country, find-any-restaurant husband.
What did I do to be in this city, so full of lights and schnitzel and cake?
Maybe it was those headphones we got Josie for Hanukkah, the ones I don’t trust, as they’ll bring on certain deafness.
Maybe it’s all the extra change I’ve fed the Lawrence parking meters. All accidental, true, but still, paying it forward, no? Or maybe a tolerance reward, for that man next to me on the plane from Dusseldorf, the one who cheerfully interrogated my life’s history, who performed backbend yoga in the aisle, who veered in and out of nausea and ate all my ginger candies.
I don’t know. But whatever I did to deserve apple strudel and snowball-sized whipped cream in my coffee, I’m grateful. And I’ll take it.
Tomorrow we leave this beautiful city, Vienna, and train down to Salzburg. Oh sure, it’s Mozart’s hometown, but it’s also the first place I ever saw in Europe, back in 1990, when I was younger, less brave, and afraid to taste the city. That trip’s highlights: sleeping atop my padlocked backpack, throwing up alone on a mountain and, courtesy of a near-consumptive cold, eating only Fisherman’s Friend cough drops for two days. I promised Greg I wouldn’t trip too hard down memory lane this time in Salzburg; but I didn’t promise you. A few stories to come along with reports on wiener schnitzel, hot wine and enough Palatschinken to feed us all. Happy Holidays with love, from your Simmering correspondent in Austria. It’s professional dessert research, and someone’s got to do it.
* extra credit and a virtual slice of Sachertorte: What does the post title have in common with Salzburg? Hint: jam, bread, and one hot captain with seven children.
The Sound of Music. Looking forward to seeing more of Austria through you.
I love it – that song will be in my head all evening now. But somewhere in my youth, or childhooooooood…. I hope you’re having as wonderful a time as that softball sized whipped cream belies.
Give my very best to Georg. And, do you plan on parading around Salzburg wearing DRAPERIES??
Hmmm…it’s not like I haven’t seen a certain movie enough…any guitar playing? Throwing tomatoes in the mountains?
Hope you guys are having fun…me and grandma are gorging on Chinese food and kugel, but your whipped cream picture is also tempting me! Love youuuuuu
happy holidays and lovely photos!
Heavenly! You deserve it. Thanks for letting us in on the beauty.
It looks dreamy. So glad you’re having a wonderful time!
Ah! This is my dream vacation! Hopefully, somewhere in my wicked childhood, I did something good enough to deserve this someday!
In the meantime, thank you for all the gorgeous and delicious photos and snippets!
Apart from the wonderful writing you deserve it for entertaining me for an entire day last summer…. and reminding me of Fisherman’s Friend!
“I need someone older and wiser telling me what to do ou. You are 17 going on 18. I ‘ll de pe end on you”. Remarkable.
What a great destination! Thanks for sharing!
Wilkommen—and of course you deserve every moment, every bite, every aroma, every sight. So happy for you.
Oh, it’s all so lovely, the lights over the city, the whipped cream & coffee. Can you pack it all in your suitcase, bring it home to share.
Have a wonderful rest of your trip. Keep up the research.
Dahlila xxoo
Well we are only just recovering from our XMAS weekend of MOVIES and CHINESE food – only now it seems to be taken over by THE OTHERS! At any rate the weekend ended with my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE and yep YOU MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! I know EVERY word to EVERY song – and that movie NEVER EVER GETS OLD! Af Wed Er Zane – in my phonetics! Glad you are having fun fun fun! Wish I were there too!
Oh WOW ! What a fun holiday getaway!
Oooh, lucky you! How magical to be there this time of year. Hope you have a wonderful trip and a happy new year!
Joe and I were just talking about going to Europe. Your pics made me want to go even more. I love that you’re sharing it with everyone. Have a wonderful New Year!!!
The closest I’ll get this year is buying a Sacher Torte for my husband’s birthday cake. Maybe I’ll yodel a bit as well, one never knows…
Enjoy the trip because that is the ONLY way to deserve it – to savor it sufficiently while you are there (not that I feel you don’t know that already). And in the meantime, thanks for the ever so lovely photos – the one with the lights in the streets made me misty eyed. Danke!
Somewhere in my youth or childhood…such beautiful photos of a gorgeous place! Yes, lucky you! I’d love to travel abroad one day.
Thanks for taking time to share this gift with your readers. After I read this post, I checked on apartment rentals in Vienna. My wife and I talked about living a summer in Vienna.
happy for you…enjoy…eat well…and Happy New Year Marilyn.
You are SO lucky! which is not to say you don’t totally deserve it. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you! no calories in that, right?
i agree with Susan, of course you deserve every bit of this vacation. i am just back from my winter hols and feeling rather blue, your photos cheered me up- so beautiful. i’d love to have some snowball-sized cream in my coffee, too. best wishes and Happy New Year! xxxooo
Viele Dank für den Bilden! (“Many thanks for the photos!”) A trip to Germany and Austria, and possibly a year or two of residence there, holds a very high place on my bucket list. I’m looking forward to your stories!
The lights hanging down along that street. That is a real delight to see.
Thank you for sharing that scene.
I am happy FOR YOU
)