Friday, October 3, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
ThomasJeremyBarcelona
Sunday, June 8, 2008
If they could only play on skis...
SUBJECT: Security for the Euro Cup
This Warden Message is being issued to alert U.S. Citizens traveling to and residing in Austria that Austria is hosting the Euro Cup (or European soccer championship) for 2008. The tournament will last from June 7 to June 29, and the matches in Austria will be held in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Klagenfurt. The championship game will occur in Vienna on the last day of the tournament.
The Government of Austria devised a thorough security plan in preparation for the Cup. American citizens should be aware that public disruptions may occur.
We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations.
The U.S. Embassy expects that the amount of petty thefts (i.e., pickpockets, street scams, etc.) will rise, as will other forms of criminal activity such as credit card fraud and the availability of illegal drugs.
Thanks for giving us the heads up, USG. It's no wonder Americans don't like soccer - our government refers to matches as 'demonstrations' and tells us to stay away from them for safety's sake.The games today should be pretty soggy as it has been raining here almost constantly for the past week. My picks for today - Croatia 3 - Austria 1 ; Germany 1 - Poland 1. I'll try to get some nice pictures of Eurohooligans for you once the weather turns.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Der Schneeberg
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Wet and Wild in Austria
Anyway, now, I know I mention the weather in just about every post, but it seems to make a huge difference in my mood here. I guess I'm just not a winter person. Spring has arrived and it has made my life significantly more pleasant. Accordingly, I have been spending a lot more time outdoors; hiking, biking, playing soccer and basketball, and even swimming. We have a little lake by our house here in Wiener Neustadt, and despite the fact that it is technically Verboten, the neighbors swim in it all the time. I took my first dip last weekend. It was still a little chilly but will be nicer shortly. The highlight of my newfangled outdoor life so far has been a weekend of whitewater rafting and canyoning in the Alps South of Salzburg. As seen in the picture, Richard (a fellow Tar Heel and Teaching Assistant in Austria) and I got to wear some fashionable and flattering neoprene wet suits for the whole experience. But really, that thing was a lifesaver. The water, much of it the product of melting Alpine glaciers, was über-cold. The Salzach, a river that runs from Tyrol, through Salzburg, and then forms the border between Germany and Austria, was the site of our rafting tour. The rapids were, naturally, rough at times, but mostly tame. Still it was a good time. I was near the back of the boat, and in one of the first rough sections, the front end dipped down pretty low I was sent flying into the middle of the boat. That was fun. They did let us jump into the river a few times so the others in the raft could practice the rescue procedure. Canyoning, as I discovered on the final day of the weekend, consists of navigating down a river by any means necessary - hiking, swimming, and rappelling down slippery cliffs and waterfalls. The guide gave us a lot of freedom during our trek and so I was able to see a bit more action.
In preparation for the European Soccer Championships in June, several new Subway stations in Vienna have recently been opened and I, in a much cheaper endeavor, have started a sticker collection. An Italian company, Panini (yes, like the sandwich), makes sticker albums and stickers that are available at cigarette shops and, of course, McDonald's. The complete set includes pictures of stadiums and sites, various emblems and football association symbols, as well as pictures of all the players involved. The total collection has more than 500 stickers, and I have been swapping doubles with my colleagues and students at school in order to complete mine.
I only have two more weeks of teaching until my contract runs out. After that, I will continue to do some English tutoring, watch a lot of soccer, and hopefully do a bit of traveling in June before I fly home on July 8. See you then.
Here are a couple more pics. The first one gives you a pretty good impression of the interior of the guest house we stayed in in the Mountains, and the second was taken at the train station in a town with a funny german name.