Various and Sundry Things to do in Vienna

So we have been in town for about 2 weeks now. Some of it was occupied with the visit from Judith and Michael but we have also been out and about the city, doing more exploration and finding new sites and insights.

One really interesting thing I did was to visit the Post Office Savings Bank building by Otto Wagner. (picture above) There is a small museum there that explains the building and the competition for this design. In addition to everything else he did, Wagner was a teacher at the main architectural school and was the head architect in charge of much of the city development at a time of great expansion at the end of the 19th century. He helped plan the first subways and their platforms and entrances and he designed the bridges and embankments for the Wien river. He also did quite a few apartments and individual houses so you see his work all over the city. He was very involved in the Secession movement and influenced many younger architects. The Post Office Savings Bank was quite revolutionary at the time, covered with rectangular metal pieces held on by metal bolts. Very much into functionality. The other interesting thing I learned was that this was the beginning of savings banks in Austria. The idea was to create savings banks in post offices for the proletariat who would just be able to save little bits at a time, because they would be intimidated by regular banks but would be more comfortable in post offices because they were familiar with them!

Huntertwasser House





One of the most interesting things to see is the work of a guy named Hundertwasser. Actually his name was Frederick Stosser but he changed it to Hundertwasser (meaning 100 waters- don’t ask me why). He was an artist who did a lot of very beautiful and quite colorful paintings but then decided that he could be an architect and developed his own theories about how people should live. For instance, he thought that straight lines were only for the engineers and real people need curves, especially on the ground. So the grounds of his buildings, both inside and outside undulate! Makes for some serious stubbed toes! He designed a fairly large apartment building not too far from where we live. It is composed of blocks of different colors and bays that project at all angles, and floors that rise and fall randomly! He also developed various ideas about ecology and claimed that his work was based on them, so the result looks a little like a work of Gaudi crossed with Greenpeace! In addition to a couple of buildings nearby in Vienna, he designed a complete community somewhere in Germany, as well as a waste treatment facility on the outskirts of Vienna. He is quite well-known in this city although the local architects really don’t like him because he called himself an architect when he really wasn’t one.

Another afternoon Rich and I took a walking tour of WWII in Vienna. There was a lot of discussion of the role of the Austrians and their early perception of being victims of Hitler also because he “invaded” in 1938! Slight problem with that was that he was sort of invited! The history here is pretty interesting because of what had happened during the 1920s with Red Vienna and the civil war that followed in the early 1930s and all of this really led up to the Anschloss. This guide, as well as other people we have talked to said that, although they definitely welcomed Hitler originally, after about 6 months they mostly wanted to get rid of him! Not much good at that point, but clearly there was some ambivalence. And it definitely took a while for this country to acknowledge their responsibility. It is only for about the last 20 years that they have been actively searching out people for restitution.

Roma

Here is Rich in his official professor role at Sapienza University. For those of you who think he is not working here!


Yes, we were really there!



Coffee break time, and a break for tired feet.





We were really there too!

View of one of the patios at our hotel. Notice the depth of the walls where the windows are across the way.

The hallway of our hotel

Monk's garden within the old Roman amphitheater

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

Our hotel entrance is in the arched doorway to the right of the main church facade, partly hidden by the white bus.


Ah Rome-the sun, the food, the wine, the abundant art, the general lack of concern for timeliness and efficiency!

Arrived in Rome on Wednesday evening. The people at the university where Rich was giving a lecture had recommended a hotel so we made a reservation there, without really knowing much about it. Turns out it is in a monastery, attached to a church called Santa Croce in Gerusalemma (Sacred Cross of Jerusalem). We had directions, but as we approached all we saw was a huge old (really old) church building, attached to a huge old (really really old) Roman wall! There was a small doorway that was open, with a light on and it seemed to be the only thing around so in we went and amazingly, that was it! As we found out, this is a 4th century church founded by St. Helen (mother of Emperor Constantine) after she had been to Jerusalem and brought back a piece “of the true cross.” The church itself was built on the site of a huge Roman amphitheater, well-preserved city walls and a point of confluence of several Roman aqueducts! The church has thrived for centuries, with a large monastery since the 10th century, and was significantly enlarged in the 12th century. In the 18th century the church was rebuilt as a baroque building and given to the Cistercian monks who remain there today. But as the number of monks declined, they decided to use part of their facility as a hotel and one wing was rebuilt for that about 10 years ago. It is a very nice hotel, and quite unique, with rooms that were originally monk’s cells and long, corridors with vaulted ceilings. There is still a working monastery here and hallways that you cannot enter because they lead to the monks’ domain. The monks maintain a huge flower and vegetable garden within the walls of the amphitheater and the church is always available if you feel the need! This is truly one of the most unusual places we have ever stayed but we thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of it. ( and each morning for breakfast they provided some of the best coffee I ever tasted!)

[Footnote on odd Italian technology. They gave us a key to the room consisting of an electronic card and a physical metal key with no explanation. We followed directions to our room on the 1st floor (go left, down steps, left again down hall, right through doorway, left down long hall, left to elevator, up 4 flights to 1st floor) and at room 112 saw a large wooden door with a key card slot to the right. We put in the card and heard a click, but the door didn’t open. We finally figured out that the card only allowed the metal key to unlock the door (!??!!?!) and we needed to use the real key to actually open it. Once we got in, the room was very dark (t was late evening). We found and flipped the light switch – Nothing! Tried again – no lights. Used hall lights to try others, then found a circuit breaker box. I flip these several times and lights came on but popped off immediately. So we found the phone & called the desk to report an electrical problem and they told us (stupid us) that we needed to place the key card in another slot inside the room to activate the lights. Since the card remains at the desk when we are out, it assures that all lights are off when we are gone. Good idea but… how about telling us?

Anyway, the reason we went to Rome was because Rich had been invited to give a talk on his sustainable architecture project to the Environmental Psychology Department at Sapienza University. That occurred Friday morning and I went along to hear him. The people were quite lovely and very interested in the work he is doing. I enjoyed listening to him because I rarely get to hear him in one of his formal presentations. There are more people doing this kind of work in Europe at this point than in America and I think it was really very gratifying for him to get this kind of response. His work is cited in several publications by people from this department, so they knew his work and were happy to meet him in person.

Beyond that, Rome was of course amazing. We realized that neither of us had been there for almost 35 years which, as Rachel told me, doesn’t count! Obviously the city has changed a bit, as have we! And of course 4 days is hardly enough to do anything in a place like this, but after resigning ourselves to that fact, we had a lovely time. We concentrated on the old stuff- spent a day in the Forum, the Coliseum and the Palatine Hill, with another half day at the Capitoline Museum. Another half day at the Borghese Gallery enjoying some of the later masterpieces, like those of Bernini, Titian and Carravagio. Beyond that, we walked and we walked and we walked. Went to innumerable churches to admire the architecture and art work inside, and finished with visits to several of the more recent “masterworks” of Renzo Piano (the Auditorium), Zaha Hadid (Maxxi Museum), and Richard Meyer (Museum of Ara Pacis). [see Matt, I do like contemporary architecture!]

And of course we ate… Ate very well, in fact, and washed it down with lots of good wine and gelati, as one is supposed to do in Rome! Roman specialties include lots of fried things, like frito misto and fried zucchini blossoms. And spring had clearly arrived, with strawberries and asparagus on all the menus. On Sunday, we had lunch at a kosher restaurant in the old Jewish ghetto and their specialty seems to be fried artichokes, which are quite yummy. On the day of Rich’s talk, the folks from the Environmental Psychology Department took us out to a local place that specializes in Roman cuisine. Really interesting place with tables in the vaulted cellar rooms and wine from their own vineyards. I had a quite delicious pasta with asparagus and Rich enjoyed rabbit. They kept trying to get us to try the various internal organ meats, but we declined!

The only other notable sight we got to was the grand synagogue of Rome and its museum. The building was built in 1904 and is in a very eclectic style with some art nouveau ornament inside. It was constructed on the site of the earlier religious building from the Ghetto, of which nothing remains. While the walls were in place, the Jews were only allowed to have one religious building, but there were five different groups so they divided the space inside for their different services! (of course). Now there is the main sanctuary upstairs (used by those of the Rome rite and a smaller one downstairs which is used by the Sephardim. There are no Ashkenasim or so we were told by our guide = who was the only surly person we met in the entire stay.)

From Rich: We aren’t the first to say it, maybe the last in fact, but can there be 2 more different bordering places in the world than Austria and Italy. Calm stolid, neat, organized, efficient versus – all possible antonyms of these. The Italians make public emotion a national trait, in Austria children & dogs are expected to be quiet in public. In Vienna we know that we can expect the 4A bus to be at our stop at the scheduled 9:05. In Rome we asked what the schedule was for the 79 bus to the train station (Termini) and it took a few minutes for the hotel clerk to stop laughing. In Vienna you ask for & get whatever you order quickly from a courteous or imperious waiter - in Rome you ask for Gelato, get a smile (a hug if you want one), news about cousins in Brooklyn, and a quick lesson on how to pronounce gelato. Viva la difference!

It's been nice knowing you!

Rick, Shelley, Michael, Judith and Ginny at our apartment


Michael and Judith before reality hit!


Taking a break from the travelogue to report on the craziness in Europe right now due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the spread of a huge ash cloud over European air space. This started last Thursday and now it is Wednesday and airports are starting to open up. People, schedules and things have been so disrupted that it has been amazing. It is a sign of our total interdependance at this point. At some point, the "experts" were saying that it could continue to erupt and cause disruptions for months! (We were starting to think about the possibility of living here permanently!)

We were enjoying a visit with Michael and Judith, friends from New Jersey- two doctors with busy practices at Summit Medical Group. When we told them what had happened on Thursday we all laughed, thinking everything would be fine by the time they were supposed to leave on Sunday! Hah! Joke was on us! By Friday and Saturday, it was clear that they were not getting out, so they came over to our apartment and spent several hours online on our computers trying to get through to British Air. They finally got a reservation on Wednesday, through Heathrow and thought it would be ok. They were having some trouble enjoying things around here since they did not know what they were going to be able to do. But they did get to see more of Vienna than they originally thought! They also made friends with another couple at their hotel who were also stranded. Another doctor- from Bethesda, MD- also trying to get out. The two couples took a driver to Brataslava on Monday and then they all came back to our apartment for a party- why not!

On Tuesday, it became clear that they were not getting out on Wednesday, so Michael and Rich went to work on the computer and found a flight to Israel! Not exactly on the way, but planes were at least flying in that direction and likely to be able to head over the ash back to the US. Even tho the Vienna airport was open, it was hard to get flights to the west where things were still uncertain. As it turned out, their flight to england was cancelled for this morning so leaivng to Israel seems to have been a good idea. The airlines are taking reserved flights first, so to get another place would probably take weeks!

We have heard that they landed ok in Tel Aviv and are enjoying another day of sightseeing there before boarding another flight late tonight. It will definitely be a trip to remember, but Michael may never travel again! Be extra nice to them when they get back everyone!

Otherwise, the weather here has been beautiful and that is part of the problem, because the ash cloud is not moving away. But the stories of deprivation that are circulating are really heart-rending: People stuck in airports without food, money and medications, sick kids, and others who are not getting their organ transplants, to say nothing of businesses not able to operate because they can't get parts, or food or other perishible goods rotting in warehouses. It feels like we live in a house of cards that is so fragile. Everything affects everything else and we should not forget that!

Trip to Budapest

Rumbach Street Synagogue
Hello all- Finally I 'm back! Some folks have asked if we fell off the face of the earth, but no- we are still here. We have been busy with a couple of trips and other activities here in Vienna. Now there is a lot to catch up on, but I will get to it- have patience. We may be here forever if the ash cloud does not lift, so I could be writing for a while!

But now I return to where I left off- Budapest. We left Vienna on Thursday, April 1 and moved on....



Rich standing in the main city square by a building marked with bullet holes for all the people who were killed there in 1956.


The building of the Art Nouveau Museum.


The Doheny Street Synagogue


Building on the main pedestrian street- Vaci utca -covered with blue tiles


Yum Yum!


Our guide Gabor waxing nostalgic about an old Trabent car- old Russian model that used to be the only car available in Budapest - and his first car- made of cardboard!


Overview of Budapest (Pest side)

Here we are over the Danube in Budapest. You can see it was still pretty chilly.


The Buda castle



St. Stephens Basillica


The Buda Castle across the river

Rub this little guy's knees to bring good luck

So you wouldn’t think that Budapest would be the most desirable location for a trip during Passover, but you have to do what you have to do! Rich has a 2 week break from classes, so we felt that we had to take advantage of that, with box of matzah and peanut butter in our bag!

We took a 3 hour train ride to Budapest on Thursday. The immediate impression of this city is one in great need of renovation and repair. There are many beautiful buildings, as well as many really ugly ones, but almost all of them, with the exception of the really new ones built by banks and hotels appear really dirty and derelict. We were told that this country has really suffered from the financial crisis and the many empty stores seem to attest to that. On the other hand, traffic was really bustling, there were many locals and tourists on the streets, and one of our guides told us that the main concern of most Hungarians is to have a good time! Hungary is not yet on the Euro and their money is the florenc, which is worth about 200 to the dollar, so it was a bit crazy to figure out. But generally, things are not too expensive there.

Here is your history and geography lesson for today- Budapest is comprised of three original towns: Pest, which is the old center built on the bend of the river and is where the Romans built their outpost; Buda, which is across the river and up the hills and the location of the palace (reminiscent of Prague); and its neighbor Obuda, or old Buda. Pest is where the commercial center is, with lots of narrow old streets winding around, and the City Hall, etc. The wealthy residents generally live in the Buda hills, which is more spread out. Our hotel was right near one of the bridges on the river, on the Pest side. We went to both, but spent more time in Pest. Although it is a very old city, we were told that there are hardly any buildings older than early 19th century. Supposedly, the really old, Medieval and Renaissance buildings had deteriorated so badly that they were torn down and replaced in the early and mid- 19th century. Then there was also quite a building boom in the late 19th, early 20th centuries when a huge number of Jungenstil and Secession buildings were constructed. (Seemed like even more than in Vienna and Prague.) So the old street patterns persist but the buildings are either neo- Renaissance, or neo- Gothic or some other classicist version or really interesting early 20th century ones, with tiles or other decoration and more irregular massing. There are a handful of 16th and 17th century houses near the palace in Buda, and one 17th century house in Pest and that is it! And then of course, the city was heavily damaged during WWII so there is also a lot of really bad infill done by the Soviets during their period of dominance. Some of those are being retrofitted to make them better, and some are being torn down. Also the Russians destroyed all the bridges across the river during their stand in the Buda hills. Most of the bridges have since been rebuilt to look like the originals, but one was replaced with a very contemporary design. I will put up some photos for those who are interested in such things.

Moving along to what we did… On Thursday afternoon we took a kind of dopey bus tour to get ourselves oriented to the city. It did achieve that, but maybe not in the best way. But we did get to see some of the more outlying sights, such as the Citadella which was built by the Hapsburgs after the 1848 revolution and used to house Russian troops and a huge “Liberty Monument” in front of it. It was way up on top of a large hill overlooking the city, and also a site of a large city park where an international exposition was held in the 19th century. That evening, we found an outlying jazz club that had pretty good music, but where the musicians and some other guy spent way too much time talking very seriously about the music (we think, since we couldn’t understand any of it!) But apparently it was a very hip place and we impressed one of the tour guides the next day that old people like us had been there!

On Friday, we took a walking tour of the main historical parts of the city, in Pest and also the castle in Buda. It was given by a fellow named Gabor, who said he was an economist, but was really a showman! He clearly enjoyed the audience and gave many insights into the city and its culture as well as its history. Yet again, we realized how little we know about this part of the world and even the things we did think we knew, are different than we thought. (more on that later) That afternoon we stayed at the castle to see a museum of local art and artifacts (not very good) and then took a funicular down the hill toward town again. That evening we went to Shabbat services at the main synagogue, which they say is not orthodox but a sect they call “neo-logue.” It was actually held in the small chapel rather than the large sanctuary and there were about 100 people there. The men and women sat on different sides of the room, but nothing between them. They had a lovely organ and choir of mixed men and women, all of which reminded me of Oheb Shalom! The women just sat and talked most of the time and Rich said the men mostly dovened to themselves, so I am not sure what the music did for anyone. And the only other thing they did that was not orthodox, was that the rabbi spoke in Hungarian (not that it helped us!)

Saturday we started out at the Jungenstil Museum, which is in a very lovely building and has a large collection of furniture, art objets and jewelry, some of which is for sale. It was a bit of a weird place, since there was no information about the building or anything in it- just here it is! After that we moved on to one of the large central market halls for yummy viewing and for lunch! Then we had a private architectural walking tour for about the next 4 ½ hours. We covered a lot of territory with a very nice young man who was very knowledgeable about local history and where interesting buildings were located, but not so much about the specific buildings. It was ok though, because he took us to see more buildings than I knew about and I knew enough about the architecture to make up the difference! There is the most incredible collection of Jungenstil architecture in Budapest that I have ever seen. Apparently, in addition to a huge building boom at the turn of the 20th century, there was a national effort to create a style that was unique to Hungary (although it had similarities to what was happening in other places at the same time). Here they called it Liberty style and it includes a lot of oriental influences because of the Turkish influence in the country. It can take the form of swirling elements, or ornament inset into the façade, like mosaics or beautiful colored tiles.

We really felt like we covered a lot of territory, both physically and in terms of information. The guide was also informative about the events of 1956 and later, all of which we had of course known about, but it is different to see the bullet holes in the buildings and see the plaques where people were killed. A lot of these activities took place in the main square in front of the city hall, a place where the most mundane activities take place all the time! And so many individuals thought they had made their point successfully and that they were going to be able to push back on the Soviets! Even most of the police joined the revolutionaries! Incredibly violent and horrible events that are too close to home.

Anyway- moving along, on Sunday we had another private tour- not by design but it worked out that way. We signed up for the extended Jewish tour that took us to several synagogues, including the main one (Doheny Street Synagogue, 1859 by Ludwig Forster) as well as a later one designed by a young Otto Wagner (Rumbach Street Synagogue, 1872). We were supposed to also visit the main orthodox synagogue, the Kazinczy Street Synagogue (1913, Loffler Bela) but we only got to the outside and couldn’t go in because it was Pesach. The Hungarian Jewish community seems to have its own system (why not). There is, of course, several regular Orthodox congregations, but also in the mid 19th century, the reformists in this country created something called “”neo-logue” congregations. As far as I can figure, this is not so different from the orthodox, since men and women sit separately, but it allows for an organ during services, and the sermon can be in the vernacular language. Of course, this infuriated many people at the time and so several years later they created their own congregation which is called “status quo ante” or how it was before! I can’t quite understand how this is different from what would be seen as regular orthodox, but obviously they do.

Budapest has the largest Jewish population in this part of the world of any of the countries devastated by the Holocaust and it is very interesting because people actually know Jews and they are clearly part of the society, rather than an interesting historical curiosity as in Prague. I think there are about 70,000 Jews in Budapest now, which is pretty amazing. The young woman who gave our tour had been educated at Paideia in Stockholm, where our friends Barbara and Rabbi Phillip Specter are running a school for Jewish teachers in former Eastern Block countries. So there is really an effort to bring life back to the community.

The other interesting thing to note about Budapest is the image the people there have of themselves. Several different people mentioned this, so we had the sense that it is a really widespread attitude. They really believe that they are losers! The often say, in exactly the opposite sense of what we get in America, that we lose every conflict we enter. They lost against the Hapsburgs in 1848, they joined the wrong side in WWI and WWII, they lost against the Soviets in 1956, until finally in the Velvet Revolution they achieved a positive result! It has clearly colored their sense of self, but they are extremely confident about the future at this point, in spite of their current difficulties.

Pesach in Vienna (with comments from both of us)

How totally strange to be here for this holiday instead of with our family and friends in New Jersey! But it will definitely be a Passover to remember.
The best part was not really having much to do to get ready for the holiday! Not much in our apartment so not much to clean out and change! And nothing to prepare for seder! Nice but weird!

First night was spent at a community seder at the small progressive synagogue we discovered not too far from our apartment. This congregation has only been in existence for 10 years and only had their own place for the last 6 years. They renovated a ground-floor area in an old building, into a rectangular payer space, an office, a library and a tiny kitchen. The sanctuary has a barrel-vaulted ceiling – vaguely reminiscent of medieval shuls - and wonderful acoustics when there is a service. It was set with tables for almost 90 people – really squeezed in! (Most of the congregation was there, as well as a number of visitors like us) We were seated at the English table (a little like sitting at the kid’s table, but with less splashing) , along with a couple from Florida whose college daughter was studying in Tel Aviv. T and they met her in Vienna and were traveling around with her for spring break (note; literally every American nuclear family we have met while traveling had one child on semester aborad, who the rest flew over to meet for spring break); a lovely woman from the congregation named Julie-anne (with one Amercian and one Viennese parent, who grew up in both the US and Vienna) and her teenage daughter, and a young family named the Firestones- Dave and Ava and their 6-year-old son Samuel. He is from Cleveland and she is Viennese and they live here. (I think a lot of the congregation consists of people from here or elsewhere who have partners in Vienna, either Jewish or not. A huge percentage of the congregation is intermarried. Life never travels in the straight lines we expect – we are always told that intermarriage would lead to extinction, but there is a revival here after what was pretty much a null Jewish generation). An orange was on the seder table, btw, and the rabbi gave the Susannah Heschel explanation, and this was something quite new to most there.)

Most of the seder consisted of a dramatic reading of the Hagadah by the rabbi and not much else! He is British, and somewhat of a circuit rider. He comes to Vienna once a month and to another congregation in Germany once a month and then is in London the rest of the time. (He was going to Germany for the second night.) He speaks fluent German and mostly did the prayers in Hebrew and the readings in German, with a bit of English thrown in occasionally to keep some of us on our toes. Meanwhile we had brought a Hagadah with us so we were able to follow along as he read, and every once in a while he asked someone else to read a bit. I don’t know how he kept going all night, but he did. Also Julie-anne and her daughter did some simultaneous translations of his various commentaries and asides to keep us connected. The people at our table were all very nice and good company so it was quite pleasant. There was amazingly little singing and I kept wanting to break out in various tunes that I was used to, but I would have been doing it solo! (no frog songs or pat the matzah!) Sometimes they would start a section with a tune much like an Eskin favorite, but it would quickly fade.

The rabbi is a very nice and quite witty man, but he insisted on going through EVERY word of the Hagadah! Some he read twice or three times (Hebrew, German, English). And this is in a Progressive group! The only thing we did here that might be fun to add to what we do next year was a fun pop-up rendition of Echod Me Yodehah.

The food was quite good- catered though at one point I observed a young woman washing every dish by hand in the tiny kitchen that they had there- no dishwasher! Ugh! And when one of the two toilets went out, there were long lines at the loo the rest of the night.

One of the nicest things about the seder was that during the course of the evening, the Firestones invited us to their house for the second seder that they were planning for the following night. They are a very lovely young couple who met in Israel and decided that since they are both teachers, they could have a much better life in Austria than in the States, since they would not have to worry about paying for education, health care or retirement here. In addition to their 6 year old son they also have a 3 year old daughter, and grandparents nearby to help. Ava’s mother is not Jewish, but her father and grandfather were here during the war and escaped to Belgium where they worked for the Resistance and hid out. Then they returned to Vienna after the war, a fact that she still does not understand, given the attitudes of their fellow citizens during the war! She clearly had a Jewish education, but I am not sure if that was accomplished earlier or later in her life.

Also at their seder there was another woman who was a friend from the synagogue and another couple who were not Jewish and had never been to a seder before – maybe had never heard of a seder before (Jewish life is small and not so public here as opposed to, say, Budapest. Many current day Viennese have never met a Jew, or at least someone they knew was Jewish. Rich’s enlightened and traveled colleagues certainly seem to know very little about Judaism). This man works for Hewlitt-Packard selling systems or something and she is a teacher. They were very nice and at the end of the evening they said they wanted to invite us to their house! (so much for Austrians being cold and not hospitable!) The seder was very simple but nice. I am not sure they had ever done one themselves before, since Dave was a bit nervous about running it! But we were very touched to have been invited to join them all. Very hamische and quite interesting to see their home and how they live.

I volunteered to make something to bring over there, but once home I realized how hard that was going to be! The kitchen here is fairly well equipped with pots and pans, but most are fairly small and there is not the arsenal of equipment I am used to having. No electric beater for instance, so I couldn’t beat eggs or egg whites or chop nuts which are required for so much! But I was able to make matzah balls (in 3 separate pots!) and brought them along for her soup!

Otherwise, it has been a challenge to resist the wonderful baked goods with our coffee around here! We had bought some chocolate macaroons that were absolutely the worst, most sawdust-y things I have ever tried!

On Thursday we left again for Budapest since Rich is off school for a 2 week spring break. We brought along our matzahs and peanut butter, but it was a challenge! I will relate our adventures in the next post.

Some thoughts on local politics from Rich

We now have been in Austria, Czech Republic, and Hungary, reading the news and talking to locals. One thing each has in common is that the radical right wing parties are gaining. None are a threat to take over, but all are growing, enough to make some folks nervous. In some ways it’s not so unlike the US and the Tea Party – but with a whole different context – that is, they still remember the fanatical right taking over and making life a figurative and literal hell. It makes a difference.

Hearing about Jewish history in these countries [The continuing story is: 1)- invite Jews in; 2) – Use Jews to borrow money for war &/or development; 3) – kill &/or throw Jews out (neatly absolving debt); 4) – A few years later need financing again so invite Jews back in. Repeat every 150 years or so] makes one realize that 65 years (the time since WII) isn’t very long. So, I wonder, can we trust that fascism or some variant won’t return to these places?

So, my non-historian’s take is this. First, beats me. Damn sure hope not. Some of the people we talked to are nervous but don’t think it will happen. So, are there any structural changes that make a difference? There may be a few, it seems to me. First, in the early 20th century most of these places had no history with democracy –World War I put an end to centuries of autocratic regimes (kings, emperors). The more experience they get, the stronger democracy may be and certainly seems to be.

Second, I think the EU is making a difference. These are no longer isolated states –they are heavily integrated into the EU and the Schengen Treaty. The EU can wield some big sticks if someone tries to radically change democratic systems. Last, the internet and globalism are changing the context – in terms of what people know and how connected they are to everyone else.

Lots of discussion and images of tanks in the streets of Prague and Budapest. It was all pretty disturbing – but there is no more USSR or Warsaw pact to send them.

Not brilliant analysis, I admit, but some quick thoughts.

More pictures from our walk in the Vienna Woods

Picture of a palace belonging to the Luxemberg kingdom which is in Austria. It is falling apart and they don't have enough money to fix it up!!


Tiny little wild primrose flowers.



Mile post we saw on the trail. Can you see the carved "1777" in it? That's when it was put there.


Rich and Paul by the Celtic rock formation



This is us after the walk. See the small shadow to the left of Rich's hat? That is the Hussarentemple where we walked.