February 2019 Highlights by AWA Office

THE

I N T E R NAT I O NAL

WO M E N ' S

CL U B

O F V I E N NA

FEBRUARY

2019

STEPHANSDOM IN THE SNOW BY

IRENE

SCHLEGELMILCH

FEBRUARY / HIGHLIGHTS / 2019

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS

LOOKING FORWARD TO FEBRUARY February is going to be strange month for me as, on the 14th, I will be going into Gersthof Hospital, an Otto Wagner building, to have my second knee replacement surgery. I have 30 new books on my Kindle, 20 film DVDs and Sudoku puzzles galore, plus emergency rations as the food was so dreadful last time. If all goes well, I shall be out at the end of February, and after a few days’ recovery, I shall be back at my desk part time in early March. I will be following the strategy of Stephanie Barrett and Sandra Schweighofer-Reindl and will be taking daytime physiotherapy only as three weeks on a Kur is too long and filled with totally unnecessary extras. Quite apart from the expense of Prinz being in kennels in Himberg, which are excellent, by the way!

President's Message

New Members

Have We Met?

Learning from Nature

A Face to Homelessness

8-9

Vienna Salon Culture

10-11 Activities 12-13 Calendar 14-15 Tours, Trips, Social Events 16-17 Vietnam

February events include: a tour of the ORF Radio station, ORF Funkhaus, which promises to be as much fun as the TV studios’ tour; a tour of the unique Neidhart Frescoes, discovered on the walls of a medieval, private dance hall of a wealthy cloth merchant in Tuchlauben; plus possibly a visit to a Goldsmith housed in the former stable area of the Palais Schwarzenberg. Ivy is offering a sleep Yoga session, Teresa, a Culinary Experience of Tapas and Paella, and Nayiri, an explanation of Falun Gong, as part of the Health and Wellness series. A tea tasting of Japanese tea and customs is also in hand! Susan is looking forward to a trip beginning March 6th to the USA to go Trucking with her brother, an Army Veteran who now has one of the behemoths that crisscross the US. She is phasing out her role as layout designer for Highlights material, and I cannot thank her enough for her total dedication over the past year. Bon Voyage, Susan. Sheila Hargreaves HIGHLIGHTS TEAM EDITOR: Sheila Hargreaves / 0676 755 9804/ sheilahargreaves@a1.net GRAPHIC DESIGN EDITOR: Susan Mikes/ 069914025299/ awahighlights@gmail.com ASSISTANT HIGHLIGHTS EDITOR: Virginia Sheridan ADVERTISING MANAGER: Nadia Di Paola/ 0678 125 2229/ awahighlightsads@gmail.com ASSISTANT ADVERTISING MANAGER: Ivy Melchor /01 966 2925 / awa@awavienna.com ADVERTISING DESIGN: Erin Silangil /01 966 2925 / spindler.silangil@gmail.com PROOF READER: Jane Webster / DESIGN TEAM MEMBERS: Rosemarie Gatscha / rgatscha@mac.com, Erin Silangil and Barbara Wolff / wolff1234@yahoo.de

18-19 Slovakia 20

The Vet, Pet & Apricots

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Highlights is published by AWA Vienna, on a monthly basis from October to June, and is sent to all members. All inquiries should be addressed to: AWA Vienna Attn: Highlights Editor, Singerstrasse 4/11 1010 Vienna All rights to the printed material in Highlights, including advertising and the cover painting/photo, revert to the contributors following publication. Highlights is printed on chlorine-free paper. ZVR-Zahl 327744193 Eigentümer, Herausgeber und Verleger: AWA Vienna, Singerstrasse 4/11, 1010 Wien. Für den Inhalt verantwortlich: Offenlegung/Herausgeber: Sheila Hargreaves, Krautgartengasse 3A/2/3, Himberg bei Wien Diese Zeitschrift dient dem Zweck, Freunde der American Women’s Association über Aktivitäten der Organisation zu informieren.

NEW MEMBERS

JUNE/ HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

MEMBERS

MARY MIKES Mary manages “innovation and progress” for her family pharmacy here in Vienna, her birthplace. She also works on charity projects with Caritas Vienna. Mary describes herself as a blend of “AmericanHungarian” cultures, who is a “good listener” and interested in knowing all kinds of people. “If you put me in a room with strangers, I am sure to have the best time of my life,” she says. The mother of an infant girl, an almost-two-year-old son and a toy poodle, Mary still finds time to read, dance and appreciate music. This sister of two other AWA members says that she is “obsessed” with Vietnamese cuisine and South African desserts, though she admits that her foodie passion is more focused on eating rather than cooking. RACHELLE LESLIE Fun fact about Australia-native Rachelle: She mastered the Rubik’s Cube during her first year in Vienna! She arrived here two years ago, with her husband and two children, after living in Romania for six years. An Early Childhood Teacher by training, Rachelle is passionate about facilitating family communication. She is currently setting up a business called Parenting With Rachelle, designed to teach parents how to “talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk.” She is currently enjoying classes at Body Concept Studio, and German lessons with Monica at AWA. Her bucket list includes taking the Third Man theme tour, after having recently watched the Vienna-based film.

EDA KARAATLI RENTSCH Anyone interested in a good game of bridge? Eda is an enthusiastic player. Need someone to organize your next trip? Eda can handle that via her work with IBE Travel Global. Looking for a book of short stories for you or your child? Guess what – Eda has authored several books for sale (in multiple languages) via Amazon.de! Originally from Turkey, Eda arrived in August 2018 from an expat posting in South Korea. This is not her first move, however, as Eda has also lived in Germany, Spain the UK, USA and of course her birth country. When not writing books and booking trips, this self-described happy and spontaneous woman enjoys reading, hiking and playing tennis CLAUDIA ALVAREZ Life with a spouse who works for the World Bank has kept Claudia and her family on the move for the past 15 years, and each time Claudia has “reinvented” herself. In Colombia and the US, she worked for a nonprofit organization, where she was in charge of all the financial, administrative, marketing and fundraising areas. In India, she took a training course to teach Spanish as a second language. In Vienna...? To be determined. Meanwhile, she plans to take creative writing courses, travel and learn new languages. She enjoys playing tennis and bridge and is a dog lover. Claudia claims a dual Colombian and French nationality, and has also lived in the US, France and Canada.

JAPANE S E TE A AN D CULT URE AT O NE L E AF TUE S DAY, F E B RUA RY 5 Tea is an ancient beverage, surrounded by long-standing traditions and legends. Although the British are well known for their 350-year tea history, the Chinese have consumed tea for more than two and a half millennia! According to legend, a leaf fell into a cup of boiling water held by a Chinese emperor, and this marked the beginning of the beloved beverage we know today as tea. At one leaf Tea Vienna, we are proud to take tea back to its origins and offer the opportunity to brew, taste and savour our unique collections of carefully selected teas, sourced directly from passionate and dedicated small tea farmers and associations. Our signature is the purity of our collections, the integrity of the processing, and mindfulness of our concept. Whether you are new to tea or a tea expert, we have no doubt we will be your perfect cup of tea. Founded by two former educators, one leaf is a company that transports you to some of Asia’s greatest tea regions, including Japan, China, Taiwan and India. We also celebrate tea through catered interactive events that focus on a particular collection of our teas or a tea culture. Join us at our newly opened tea lounge in Fluchtgasse 2, 1090 Vienna, and let us introduce you to the process of preparing loose-leaf tea.

H AV E W E M E TJUNE ? / HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

MEMBERS

BY SUZANNE 0RRELL

In April of 2016 I flew from Albuquerque to Seattle to join a friend for a much-needed getaway weekend. Seated next to me was a woman traveling with her young kindergartenaged daughter. We struck up a conversation and talked for most of the three-hour flight. We discussed life’s issues, but didn’t exchange names or numbers. I often thought of the intelligent, expressive, lively woman I met that day and wondered if I’d ever run into her again. After all, Albuquerque is not a very big city.

in this case my visual memory had let me down. Even though I was struggling to connect a memory to the person in front of me, there was something vaguely familiar about her. What could it be?

One evening, back in November, while I was chopping onions in the kitchen, I had an absolute epiphany. No, it was more like a memory jolted my brain. I put down the knife and said out loud to myself with absolute certainty, “Elizabeth and I sat next to each other on that flight from Albuquerque to Seattle!” Immediately I picked Fast-forward to September, 2018. Two American up the phone, sent her a text message and we women introduce themselves during an AWA confirmed that indeed we had been seat mates on wine evening at Weinplateau Südafrika. One that flight. She remembered things I had shared said, “I just moved here from Albuquerque, New with her and I remembered that she was flying to Mexico one week ago.” The other one said, “I Seattle to celebrate her father’s birthday. just moved here from Albuquerque, New Mexico What are the odds, you might ask? 5 months ago!” And so Elizabeth Thomas My mathematical skills are certainly met Suzanne Orrell. What could two former ‘Burqueñas (New Mexican slang for females not good enough to figure the from Albuquerque) possibly have in common? probability that one day I would move to A lot, as it turns out. Vienna, Austria only to meet the person I sat next Immediately Elizabeth said that I looked familiar to on that fateful airline flight two years ago. Not only do Elizabeth and I now live in Vienna but to her. I on the other hand was convinced we’d yep, you guessed it - we both live in the second never met. Usually I never forget a face. And district within walking distance of each other. Elizabeth did not look familiar to me. Not even a little bit. But Elizabeth had the feeling we’d And the thing that jolted my memory? It was met before. After we compared notes we figured Elizabeth’s voice. A natural storyteller, it was out that our children are about 20 years apart in Elizabeth’s rich, articulate way of speaking that age, our workplaces were completely divergent jolted my memory. We were complete strangers and we’d lived on opposite sides of town. At in Albuquerque but traveled halfway across that point I still had no idea that our paths had the world to become neighbors and friends and already crossed. I left the wine bar happy to have fellow AWA members in The Imperial City. made an Albuquerque connection and possibly a new friend with whom I could explore Vienna’s LOOKING FORWARD TO MARCH treasures. Look out for the signup email for these events: After our meeting at Weinplateau Südafrika that night, Elizabeth and I met a few times for Kaffee Ice Cellar in the Hofburg. I am optimistic that Christian will offer us another tour after he finund Kuchen and, of course, conversation. Every ishes preparing an exhibition in Innsbruck! Visit time we’d meet I’d try to place her face from to Frau Susan Kitz, a designer of beautiful and my past but always drew a blank. Elizabeth was unique jewellery and handbags, in Weihburggasse. still convinced we’d already met but couldn’t Altmann and Kuehne, a tour of the tiny production place when or where. I was beginning to doubt if I’d actually met her in Albuquerque or if I was line of wonderful handmade chocolates at in the 2nd District, where will also see their special boxtrying too hard to remember possibly meeting her. Like I said, I usually never forget a face but es. Health and Wellness series. A visit from Laure Fesch, who will show us how to develop a clothing style in line with one’s lifestyle and budget, making shopping and getting dressed easy and fun! Karl-Marx-Hof. We’ll return to this special museum, which tells the story of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s in Vienna when the city was (briefly) socialist. This enormous museum is in the former Washhouse. Paint and Wine evening, a charity event, on March 25. The last one was such fun, we were happy that art teacher Emma agreed to lead again! Orchid Lecture. Urte’s husband, Hannes, a botanical expert, is going to tell us about orchids that fool male insects into thinking they are female!

MEMBERS

L EJUNE/ A RHIGHLIGHTS N I N G/ 2018F R O M N AT U R E BY JANE MCCULLOUGH

From a young age, nature has always been a great source of comfort for me, a place where I felt that I belonged. My degree in Parks and Recreation Resources reflects this, and for 20 years I had the privilege of working as a naturalist in America’s parks: small city and county parks, national parks and privately-run nature centers. It was a special chapter of my life when my love of nature intersected with my work, expressing a lot of my deepest values.

A naturalist is an observer of the natural world who shares observations and information with park visitors. Using people’s sense of

curiosity, naturalists guide them in seeing new and exciting living things and processes. My favorite guests were always the preschool children who, smaller and closer to the ground, notice and delight in the small things. My work varied in scope and content. My first job as a naturalist was in Michigan’s Fitzgerald County Park. I was the very first naturalist at this location, where I developed geological programs about the beautiful and ancient sandstone rock ledges that lined the park’s river. I offered educational programs to school children about the spring wildflowers, the maple-beech forest ecosystem and the native American population that once lived in the area. Another naturalist job involved organizing cultural programs in a private nature center, using local artisans as instructors in folk arts such as basket weaving, spinning and woodcarving. At an Easter Seals summer camp for children and adults with disabilities, I pushed wheelchair-bound campers onto the grass so they could watch the August meteor showers cross the night sky, enjoying with

Blue Ridge Parkway National Park, Virginia (royalty free image)

them a sense of freedom. In the Blue Ridge Parkway National Park in Virginia, I actually wore the “Smokey Bear” uniform that is often associated with US national parks: army green slacks, a tan shirt, a wide-brimmed hat. After giving a campfire talk about plants in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I led the group on a night hike. I played a tape with the sound of a screech owl on it, trying to encourage a real owl to fly in. I don’t remember if an owl came or not because suddenly I slipped down the trail and landed flat on my back, slippery shoes sticking up into the air! The underlying theme to my work was to help others become receptive to the natural world all around them, a mission inspired by an exceptional woman naturalist I met who shared much more than scientific information about natural things. She shared enthusiasm! “Isn’t that wonderful?” she would say after pointing out a bright red bird on the winter branches. I remember bird-watching with her one early morning. There had been a heavy snow the night before and the sun was shining in a clear blue sky. Suddenly, a small, beautiful rainbow appeared at the top of an evergreen tree -- the sun reflecting on an icicle that dangled from the tree’s snow-laden branches. What joy there is in the sharing of such small but beautiful things! This mentor, and many nature writers taught me to try to imagine the world as other living things experience it, or as expressed in German the “umwelt.” My life has taken many twists and turns since then, but I have always returned to nature for restoration and a sense of well-being. As Rachel Carson wrote in her book A Sense of Wonder: “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

Jane moved from the US to Niederösterreich in 2018 with her husband.

/ 2018 A FA C E T O H OJUNE M /EHIGHLIGHTS LESS NESS BY SOPHIE SHERWIN

Last night, I had the absolute pleasure of spending time with an incredible, inspiring man named Norbert who brought me down to earth with such a bump that I am sure it was measured on the earthquake Richter scale! We met when I volunteered (along with four other lovely AWA ladies) to cook and to serve food to men seeking refuge in a homeless shelter. Norbert conducted our tour.

Sophie, Magda, Sharon, Bridget, Norbert, Terhi

When we arrived, our group was set on the task of foraging for food among the donated items and throwing together something that was edible. Luckily there was a variety of ingredients to choose from, and the focus was more on flavour and a balanced meal than on presentation. We made so much soup

it could actually have served the WHOLE of Vienna! We also heated

a left-over pasta dish, chips, meat and a ratatouille. For vitamins, we prepared a side salad, and chose yogurt to end the feast. Once we had finished chopping, dicing, stirring and mixing, I had time to chat with Norbert. He was very well-dressed, clean, and articulate in English, which is not his first language. He is due to get his own apartment very soon, but at that moment he was technically still homeless, a situation that he explained happened when his business partner engaged in not-so-honest deals and he lost all his money. At one point, he feared for his life. He ended up with no home and slept on the streets. Norbert said that he had been too proud to ask for help initially, and for three days he did not eat, wash or have a secure place to live. He explained that he finally had to put his pride and ego aside to go to a shelter – and has been there ever since. Looking at this man, you would never imagine how scared and alone he must have felt, as he wears a lovely smile and seems kind and calm. Months after arriving, he now works for Shades Tours, a non-profit organisation that shows people this ‘darker side’ of Vienna -the homeless, the poor and the refugees. Shades Tours has just won an award and it is growing

VOLUNTEERING

in popularity, which should help in raising awareness of the homeless situation. Listening to Norbert’s story was so humbling. My mom, who donated to homeless shelters, always said that if ever any of us kids found ourselves homeless, we would always have a home with her. But this is not true for everyone. I feel so grateful for what I have, and although it will probably not stop me from grumbling about the stupid stuff that goes on in my life, I am going to grumble more humbly thinking of the time I spent with humans on the poorest end of the scale. The men who came to us to get some food were very suspicious of us ‘do-gooders’ and I do not blame them at all – we were a bunch of overly enthusiastic over-40-something women who had homes and families to return to after our shift. But they ate the food we prepared and some actually came back for seconds, so perhaps we left them feeling less suspicious. In addition to Norbert, I also spoke to a volunteer who had been working with the organization for four years. She told us that some of the men are Austrian but many are from other countries and come to Vienna thinking “the pavements are made of gold, but then find they are made of the same concrete as in their own countries.” Although the men seem to keep solitary habits at the shelter, they do avail themselves of a shower, food and a warm bed to sleep in for the night. That bit of humanity can make a big difference in helping them sort out their future. A huge shout-out to all the volunteers who give the gift of their time to such causes, and also to those men who seek the help and embrace it. This article is adapted from Sophie's personal blog. For more information on how to join our volunteers in the homeless shelter kitchen, see information on page 15 or contact coordinator Eva Schlögl/ 06991 9079888

8 HISTORY

VIENNA JUNE/ HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

SALON CULTURE:

BY ERIN SILANGIL-SPINDLER

Networking! Today we have dedicated public networking events, but in the years between 1780 and 1938, the Salon was the ultimate networking scene for politicians, artists, business 1870 Parlour in Palais Todesco people and entrepreneurs. A recent exhibition at the Jewish Museum, “Salons - Spaces of Emancipation,” focused on on this very topic, particularly on how Salonnières (women who hosted Salons) created empowerment spaces by connecting people from different walks of life, and how they helped launch the careers of politicians and artists. The Salon took the form of an upper class apartment and spanned classes, religion and gender, strengthening the bourgeoisie and its concern for political and cultural participation.

Salonnières occupied a double role as hostess and "Conversant," and could carry out their activities because of their privileged social position. They usually opened their homes

on a specific day of the week, and while the visitors were mostly men, the circle of those admitted changed and expanded constantly theater celebrities and musicians could mix and find inspiration with intellectuals, diplomats and writers. For Artists, the Salon was a place of inspiration and, for a lucky few, a starting point for a successful career. Through conversation, the Salonnière facilitated the political and cultural exchange between her guests. Salonnière Hannah Arendt said: The Salons were the meeting places of those

2019 Palais Todesco ceilings

who had learned to represent themselves through conversation, and through the art of conversation, the utopia of a non-hierarchical

society became conceivable. Notable Salonnières The Gomperz sisters, members of an elite Jewish Viennese family, Josephine von Wertheimstein and Sophie Todesco, each ran their own salons and Bertha Zuckerkandl included Christians, Jews, and members of the middle and upper classes. Josephine’s salon was located at Singerstrasse 7, and was the meeting place for “leaders of the masses”, and included Anton von Schmerling, an Austrian statesman, and Alexander von Bach, an Austrian politician who instituted a system of centralized control at the beginning of Franz Joseph I’s reign. Her Salon took on a more public role as members of the educated middle class began taking public office. Her sister, Sophie, married entrepreneur and philanthropist Eduard von Todesco and ran her salon from the Palais Todesco, now Café Gerstner. She hosted guests such as Johann Strauss II and Burgtheater director, Heinrich Laube. Together with other society ladies, they founded the Grillparzer Prize, celebrating the 80th birthday of Franz Grillzparzer, who wrote the play Esther, an important piece that brought to light the existential threat of the Jews. Berta Zuckerkandl ran one of the most important Salons from her Döbling home from 1888-1938, which was deemed “The Cultural Power Center of Vienna”. The daughter of a Jewish newspaper publisher, and a journalist herself, she translated a number of plays and was a co-founder of the Salzburg Music Festival. Her list of habitués included the founders of the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte. Artists such as Gustav Klimt, August Rodin, Otto Wagner, composer Gustav Mahler, and writers/dramatists such as Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Max Reinhardt, Arthur Schnitzler, Stefan Zweig and Egon Friedell frequented her Salon. Many Salonnières also helped launch the careers of artists, including expressionist painters Anton Kolig and Sebastian Isepp, who formed the Nötsch Circle, a group of expressionist artists from Carinthia. Her sister, Sophie, was married to Paul Clémenceau, the brother of the French President Georges Clémenceau. Through this relationship, Berta tried to mediate for her country as a secret diplomat, advocating pacifist, pro-Austrian views during the Interwar Period.

18TH CENTURY NETWORKING JUNE / HIGHLIGHTS /G 2018E N E R A L Women’s' Associations and Charity Organisations Alongside the emerging Salon culture, the first Women’s' Associations began appearing and women were able to become socially active in semi-public spaces. The "Society of Noble Women for the Promotion of the Good and Useful" was established in 1910 to provide for the less fortunate. The Jewish Women's Charity Society was established shortly thereafter to combat hunger and child poverty.

In 1924, our very own AWA was founded by American and diplomatic wives, and we continue the

tradition of providing social, educational and charity activities through our work with the Outreach Team and FAWCO. Salon Culture Today The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany put an end to the Salon Culture as Salonnières and prominent habitués were driven out of the country. Only a few Salons remain in Vienna today. Leigh Turner, the current British Ambassador to Austria, established “The

Charles Stewart Conversations” named after Lord Charles Vane-Stewart, who served as the first Ambassador to Austria and who attended the Vienna Congress in 1814/1815. Every month or so, attendees from politics, business, and the arts meet in an informal gathering to exchange views and develop relationships. I’ve attended a few of the Metropole magazine Salons, where founders Margaret Childs and Dardis McNamee, along with their talented team of journalists, discuss the current issue with topics ranging from politics to culture, art and wine. And in America, Viennese Sissy Strauss, the former Artistic Liaison at the Metropolitan Opera, introduced Salon culture to the States and hosted “Pasta Parties”, where diplomats, doctors, neighbors, and students could mingle alongside singers such as Anna Netrebko and Juan Diego Flòrez. Could there be a revival of Salon Culture in Vienna? While social media certainly has its upsides, perhaps it has also impeded our ability to engage with each other in person. A Salon would be a wonderful way for people with different views to interact with one another. The problem is… who’s going to host?

HISTORY

LOOKING BACK ON JANUARY TOURS The Ice Cellar of the Hofburg. After an aborted tour on Monday, 14 January, we reassembled on Thursday morning. Our stand- in guide, Gerald, led us down into the labyrinthine cellars, which cover the area under the Innenhof. We wandered like sheep for awhile before Gerald gave up and admitted that he didn’t know the way. After sending for help, a gorgeous fireman turned up and showed us the correct door! Finally, Gerald took us to the new Information Centre at the side of the Weltmuseum, which has a brilliant interactive display showing how the Hofburg developed from a small palace to the enormous acreage that it now covers! We hope to repeat this amazing tour in late March. THE MuTH. Built against much local opposition, on a carpark at the corner of the Augarten, the MuTH’s location is close to the Boarding School of the Vienna Boy’s Choir, who now need only walk two minutes to their concerts! There are 300 Boarders, including girls. (Ania Skipper is going to organise a future tour of the school.) The Director, Elke Hesse, showed us around and told us that the new owner of the Palais Coburg gave her €18 million to build a theatre that was not only beautifully designed but also with walls so thick that they obstruct mobile phone reception! The baffles are walnut, the ceiling is metallic and the seats are cloth (not leather) and so the acoustics are excellent. What about the name? Muth in German means “courage/bravery,” which the director connected to Music Theatre and the boys’ courage. THE JOSEPHINIUM. In 1785, Emperor Joseph II established the Josephinium, Vienna’s military, medical and surgical academy. A royal decree requiring autopsies lead to more accurate anatomical knowledge, and our group was treated to a viewing of several rooms full of the Josephinium’s famous full-scale wax anatomical models. Commissioned by the Emperor, created by Venetian artists (still in their original Venetian glass cases), these 234-year-old art/ science teaching tools survived a trip over the Alps, wars, bombing and regime changes. We were amazed - and slightly horrified - at the stripped-down torsos, isolated body parts, and the figure of a long-hair, pearlywearing woman with her heart literally popping out of her wide-open chest. A treat because the museum is now closed to public tours, pending renovation.

SOCIAL

JUNE/ HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

CLUBHOUSE ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

/ HEALTH / EXERCISE/ YOGA WITH IVY/ WEEKLY

/ Thursdays from February 14 at 15:00 to 16:00

Maximum of six members with Yoga mats. awa@ awavienna.com FALUN GONG/ WEEKLY Wednesdays from 14:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 19:00 Nayiri Asvazadurian/ 0650 610 4545 / n.asvazadurian@gmail.com

LANGUAGES / ITALIAN CONVERSATION/ MONTHLY Monday, 11 and 25 February at 13:30 Nadia Di Paola / 0678 1252229 FLUENT SPANISH CONVERSATION/WEEKLY Monday 5 and 26 February at 12:30 Teresa Benet / ftmirella@yahoo.com

/ OTHER / BIBLE STUDY / WEEKLY Thursdays from 10:00-12:00 with Sandy Shaffer: “Genesis for Today” from a study guide written by a man who lived in Vienna in the 90s and did his doctorate at University of Vienna. / 02243 287 01 / sshaffer@entrust4.org

BEGINNERS’ SPANISH CONVERSATION /WEEKLY By arrangement only /minimum two members ftmirella@yahoo.com BASIC GERMAN FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS Tuesdays at 10:30 by arrangement only with Monika Sautner, minimum two members ADVANCED BEGINNERS’ GERMAN CONVERSATION / WEEKLY Tuesdays at 10:30 with Mona/ AWA BABY AND TODDLER GROUP/ WEEKLY mona.angel.nilsson@gmail.com Mondays from 15:00 until 16:30 with Stephanie Barrett GERMAN CONVERSATION A1+/WEEKLY Tuesdays at 12:00 OFFSITE ACTIVITIES / 01 876 2041/ andrea.s.melchiorre@t-online.de

/LANGUAGES/

FLUENT FRENCH CONVERSATION / WEEKLY FLUENT GERMAN CONVERSATION//WEEKLY Wednesdays at 11:30 with Françoise Delannoy or Wednesdays, after Weekly Coffee, lunch in different Antonia Zane local restaurants ENGLISH CONVERSATION FOR LEARNERS/ WEEKLY Thursdays at 13:00 with Lizzie Haszczyn /ARTS/

/HOBBIES / AMERICAN MAHJONG / WEEKLY Tuesdays at 13:00 CANASTA/ WEEKLY Wednesdays at 13:00

SINGING GROUP / WEEKLY Fridays, 1 and 15 February,10:30-12:00 Sing with the AWA choir, led and accompanied by Sandra Schweighofer on her piano! Lidice Pollan lidice.pollan@gmail.com /0699/1924-7478

BOARD GAMES / WEEKLY Words, Scrabble and numbers for fun on Thursdays at BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP/MONTHLY 10:00 Tuesday, 12 February at 13:00 Lee Goodell / 0650 548 9596 / Just before Valentine’s Day, we’ll meet to discuss leegoodellusa@yahoo.com Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, a first novel by the Scottish writer Gail Honeyman. The main character, almost 30-year-old Eleanor, is an eccentric office worker in a London firm. She is an observant outsider who controls her behavior – except that she drinks two bottles of vodka every weekend. In the course of the narrative she has “good times,” “bad times” and “better times.” We’ll see whether the book merits its praise as “a masterful combination of humor and sadness.” Upcoming books include Mike McCormack’s Solar Bones for March and VS Naipaul’s A Bend in the River for April. All are welcome! Mary Wagener / mary.l.wagener@gmail.com

A C T I V I T I E S JUNE / HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

SOCIAL

/WEEKLY COFEE /

/HEALTH & SPORT / SOCIAL TENNIS / WEEKLY Thursday mornings, time by arrangement. Reservation required to guarantee the time and court.

Fundraising Events

AWAWEEKLY COFFEE Wednesdays, from 10:00 until 12:00, at Café Sluka, Weihburggasse 4, 1010 Weekly Coffee Chair: Gerda Moes, 0676 387 2450 Other hosts: Urte Paulus, 0676 6765829, Hyacinth Krippner, 0650 554 7156, Lini Stangl, 0664 179 7031, Helena Schasché, 0676 331 8626, Heike Little, 01 789 0199 hepe0712@gmail.com Helena Schasché / 0676 331 8626 MAWA (MEN OF AWA) WEEKLY COFFEE Wednesdays from 10:30 to 12:00, Robert Blaukopf robert.blaukopf@gmail.com

2018 CHARITY FUNDRAISING/OUTREACH RESULTS

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Charity Cocktails February ~ 1000 €

Project:Scarf Knitting for the Homeless. Donations of yarn will be helpful.

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Fashion Sale June ~1000 €

Fundraising Events:

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Bake Sale Sept ~ 415 €

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Paint, Wine & Vernissage October ~329 €

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Mad Hatter’s Tea Party November~ 362 €

Botanical Lecture. March 15, at 5pm in the Clubhouse, Professor Hannes Paulus a specialist in evolutionary biology, has kindly offered to deliver a lecture:"Sexual deception in a special European orchid group."

The events above raised more than 3000 € for our 2018 charity, Wiener Frauenhäuser (and we had a lot of fun doing it, too). Outreach Activities •

219 woolly hats knitted

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110 Christmas Parcels including woolly hats & Manner Schnitten biscuits for the homeless and needy

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3 evenings cooking dinner at Vinzi Port homeless shelter (~150 meals)

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16 volunteers collecting 30 boxes of donations at the Wiener Tafel/Lidl Food Drive

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3 boxes of decorated Christmas Cookies for the homeless

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9 platters of baked Christmas Cookies for the homeless

Thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work and support! 2019: CHARITY FUNDRAISING PLANS Chosen Charity: Die Möwe, voted for by members as our 2019 charity, offers protection to children who are victims of abuse: physical, psychological and sexual. Die Möwe has six centres in Vienna and Lower Austria that offer support and professional help to about 4,000 children a year. They also work on prevention with schools, children, teachers and parents. Collection:Foreign & Old Currency. Many of us have leftover foreign holiday money and outdated currency (Schillings, DM, Lira, etc) stuffed in the back of a drawer. We plan to put it all to good use and collect it for our charity, Die Möwe.

Art and Wine evening. To be held on March 25. Another evening of creative expression lead by Emma Lang. Pottery and Wine evening. May date to be determined. Hawaiian Ice Cream Sundae Party. June date to be determined. A fun party with Hawaiian Hula dancing and a variety of ice cream sundaes to celebrate the summer. Wine Quiz. Social evening set for September. Craft Workshop. Meeting in October to make crafts to sell at the December AWA craft fair. Charity Cocktails & AWA’s Got Talent. Planned for October. November: A celebration in the style of our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party - but this time with a scarf theme.

FEBRUARY CALENDAR

JUNE/ HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 10:30 Basic German for Absolute beginners 10:30 Advanced Beginners’ German Conversation

BEHIND THE SCENES Orf Funkstation (Radio) Tour 10:45 €12:50 12:30 Clubhouse Fluent Spanish 13:30 Clubhouse Beginners’ Spanish Conversation** 15:00-16:30 Baby & Toddler Group 17:00 Happy Hour Cocktails at the Marriott

13:30 Italian Conversation 15:00-16:30 Baby & Toddler Group ** By arrangement only

11 10:00 HEALTH & WELLNESS Falun Gong with Nayiri 15:00-16:30

12:00 German A1+ Conversation 13:00 American Mahjong 14:00 Japanese tea, taste and culture at one leaf (€15

10:30 Basic German for Absolute beginners 10:30 Advanced Beginners’ German Conversation 12:00 German A1+ Conversation

13:00 American Mahjong 13:00 Book Discussion Group 18:00 ART IN THE EVENING at the MAK; SAGMEISTER & WALSH: Beauty,(€12)

10:30 Basic German for Absolute beginners 10:30 Advanced Beginners’ German Conversation 12:00 German A1+ Conversation

** By arrangement only

13:00 American Mahjong

12:30 Clubhouse Fluent Spanish Conversation 13:30 Clubhouse Beginners’ Spanish Conversation** 13:30 Italian Conversation

11:30 French Conversation 11:30 Tour of the Neidhart Fresken in Tuchlauben €12

17:00 Bucket List Group

12:00 German A1+ Conversation 13:00 American Mahjong

A bedazzling group of 20 AWA members and spouses waltzed around the floral-laden Rathaus to partake in the Blumenball. Sharing a table - but mostly out and about - the lively party was found in the Grand Ballroom, the Disco, the Tango spaces and more, posing on staircases and with the gorgeous flower arrangements, snapping photos of the opening ceremony, dancing with the red-robed princes and, of course, falling over themselves at the midnight Quadrille. Many thanks to organizers Barbara Wolff and Rocelyn Kielnhofer, who purchased the tickets, organized a pre-ball toast at a nearby winebar and did their best to gather the entire group for a photo. Requests already for a ball date next year, possibly at the Hofburg?

11:30 French Conversation 12:00 Fluent German Conversation 12:30 AWA Board Meeting 13:00 Canasta 14:30 Falun Gong 18:00-19:00 Falun Gong 15:00 Falun Gong 17:00 Falun Gong 10:00-12:00 AWA Weekly Coffee at Café Sluka 10:30 MAWA( Men of AWA) Coffee 11:30 French Conversation 12:00 Fluent German Conversation 13:00 Canasta

18:00 MAWA ( Men of AWA) Dinner Night 19:00 Ladies’ Dining Experience; Orpheus 10:00-12:00 AWA Weekly Coffee at Café Sluka 10:30 MAWA( Men of AWA) Coffee 11:30 French Conversation 12:00 Fluent German Conversation 13:00 Canasta

14:00 Falun Gong

26 Blumenball 2019

10:00-12:00 AWA Weekly Coffee at Café Sluka 10:30 MAWA ( Men of AWA) Coffee

14:00 Falun Gong 18:00-19:00 Falun Gong

10:30 Basic German for Absolute beginners 10:30 Advanced Beginners’ German Conversation

15:00-16:30 Baby & Toddler Group 15:30 Seniors’ Afternoon Tea Party ** By arrangement only

10:30 MAWA ( Men of AWA) Coffee

12:00 Fluent German Conversation 18:30- 19:30 Prosecco, popcorn and US Taxes Advice 13:00 Canasta 14:00 Falun Gong from Nathalie Goldstein, 18:00-19:00 Falun Gong CEO MyExpatTaxes

Baby & Toddler Group

10:00-12:00 AWA Weekly Coffee at Café Sluka

18:00-19:00 Falun Gong

F E B R U A R Y C AJUNE L E/ HIGHLIGHTS N D A R/ 2018

THURSDAY 10:00 Board Games 10:00 Bible Study

14:30 Yoga Nidra! Yoga Sleep Technique with Ivy

10:00 Board Games 10:00 Bible Study

11:30 Singing Group

13:00 English Conversation for Learners

18:00 Prosecco & Popcorn Movie Night / Veggie Vienna

FRIDAY

10:00 President’s Coffee / Charity Bake Sale

13:00 Mahjong for Beginners

10:30 Singing Group

13:00 English Conversation for Learners 15:00 Yoga with Ivy 19:00 Ladies’ Wine Evening at Weinplateau Südafrika (Spouses/ partnerwelcome)

15 10:00 Culinary Experience with Teresa Benet- Spanish cuisine

10:00 Board Games 10:00 Bible Study 13:00 Senior’s Luncheon at Gmoa Keller

12:30 Monthly Luncheon at Momoya

13:00 English Conversation for Learners 15:00 Yoga with Ivy 16:30-20:00 Cooking for the Homeless

10:00 Board Games

1 MARCH

10:00 Bible Study

10:30 Singing Group

13:00 English Conversation for Learners 15:00 Yoga with Ivy

TOURS/ T R HIGHLIGHTS IPS/ S OCIAL EVENTS JUNE/ / 2018

BEHIND THE SCENES ORF FUNKSTATION (RADIO) TOUR Monday, 4 February at 10:45 Argentinierstrasse 30A, 1040

Nathalie is an expert in the US Tax situation for Expats and will outline the general principles and suggest solutions. SIGN UP BY Monday, 4 February awa@awavienna.com Erin Silangil/ 0677 6194 4622 BEHIND THE SCENES: THE NEIDHART FRESCOES Wednesday, 6 February at 11:30 Tuchlauben 19, 1010

Our last visit to ORF TV studios was a hoot! Seeing ourselves on TV was illuminating to say the least! This time we are exploring the ORF world of Radio. Cost is €12:50 SIGN UP BY Wednesday, 30 January awa@awavienna.com Sheila Hargreaves / 0676 755 9804 HAPPY HOUR COCKTAILS AT THE MARRIOTT Monday, 4 February, from 17:00 to 19:00 CASCADE BAR, Parkring 12a, 1010 Cocktails at ‘two for the price of one’ with the buffet costing only €5 for as much as you can eat! Friends welcome. Minoo and Sonja are our new hosts. SIGN UP BY noon on Monday, 4 February awa@awavienna.com BEHIND THE SCENES: JAPANESE TEATASTING AND CULTURE,

ONE LEAF Tea Lounge Fluchtgasse 2, 1090 Tuesday, 5 February at 14:00 Tea is an ancient beverage, surrounded by long standing traditions and legends. The British have enjoyed it for over 350 years, the Chinese for over two and a half millennia. According to legend, a tea leaf fell into the cup of a Chinese emperor who had been sitting beneath a tree with some boiling water, and this marked the beginning of the beloved beverage we know today as tea. At one leaf Tea Vienna we are proud to take tea back to its origins and offer you the opportunity to brew, taste and savour our unique collections of carefully selected teas. With a light snack. Cost is €15 SIGN UP BY Thursday, 7 February awa@awavienna.com Sheila Hargreaves / 0676 755 9804 PROSECCO, POPCORN AND US TAXES ADVICE FROM NATHALIE GOLDSTEIN, CEO MyExpatTaxes Tuesday 5 February 18:30- 19:30 AWA Clubhouse

These frescoes are a unique vestige of medieval life in Vienna. Discovered during renovation of a 15th Century private Dance Hall of a wealthy merchant, they show various scenes of life back then!! SIGN UP BY Friday, 1 February awa@awavienna.com Sheila Hargreaves / 0676 755 9804 YOGA NIDRA: Yoga sleep Technique with Ivy Thursday, 7 February at 14:30 in the AWA Clubhouse This technique is successful with those who find sleep difficult. Come and learn from Ivy!! The participants can be seated on chairs or lying on the floor. SIGN UP BY Monday, 4 February awa@awavienna.com PROSECCO & POPCORN MOVIE NIGHT / VEGGIE VIENNA Thursday, 7 February at 18:00 in the Clubhouse VEGAN 2018 DOCUMENTARY AND VEGAN POTLUCK For this month’s movie night, we’ll be teaming up with Veggie Vienna to watch the documentary Vegan 2018 and enjoy some vegan food together. Please bring along a plate of sweet or savoury vegan snacks to share. SIGN UP BY Thursday,7 February before noon, awa@awavienna.com /AWA 01 9662925 ART IN THE EVENING Tuesday, 12 February at 18:00 MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS (MAK) Stubenring 5, 1010 With their exhibition project SAGMEISTER & WALSH: Beauty, Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh make a visually impressive multimedia plea for us to take delight in beauty. Spreading across the entire MAK, their exhibition investigates why people feel attracted to beauty, how they can deal with it, and what positive effects beauty can have. Meet at 18:00 in the lobby of the museum and we will then walk through the exhibit at our own pace. The Koloman Moser exhibit is also worth visiting upstairs. https://www.mak.at/en_sagmeister_walsh Tickets are €5on Tuesday evenings. Organized by Ida Vickers, +4369917005573 SIGN UP directly with Ida

T O U R S / T R I P SJUNE / S O C I A/ 2018 L EVENTS / HIGHLIGHTS LADIES’ WINE EVENING Thursday, 14 February at 19:00 WEINPLATEAU SÜDAFRIKA Tiefer Graben 7, 1010 This Wine night will be a special one on Valentine's Day. We will revisit one of our favorite locations - the Weinplateau Südafrika. This time, for one night only, we will allow men to join us so that we can eat, drink and be merry and in love. SIGN UP BY Wednesday, 13 February awa@awavienna.com HEALTH AND WELLNESS:FALUN GONG In the Clubhouse Monday, 18 February, at 10:30 Join AWA member, Nayiri Asvazadurian, and learn what is Falun Gong, what the benefits of Falun Dafa are and how it presents as a mind- body meditation practice. She will outline and demonstrate the study of the Health and Wellness effects of both the exercises and the history of the process and the underlying principles. SIGN UP BY Thursday, 14 February awa@awavienna.com

SENIORS’ LUNCHEON Thursday, 21 February at 13:00 GMOA KELLER, Am Heumarkt 25, 1030 SIGN UP with Phyllis Wieser directly 01 320 8418 / phylliswieser@aon.at

OUTREACH ACTIVITY COOKING DINNER IN A HOMELESS SHELTER Thursday, 21 February 16:30 - 20:00 hrs in 1030 Wien We will be preparing an evening meal for 55 homeless residents in an emergency shelter. A homeless guide will source the ingredients, BUCKET LIST IN THE CLUBHOUSE plan the menu and coordinate our evening tasks: Tuesday, 19 February at 17:00 Can you think of some things that you have thought you’d preparing and serving a hot meal and clearing up afterwards. Contribution for the ingredients / like to experience “sometime in your life”, but have yet guide is €12 per volunteer. As well as providing a to make them a priority Whether it is the experience of hot meal to homeless people, we also support the driving through a car wash, jumping out of a plane, or hearing your echo from a mountain top, it’s time to take a homeless guide with work and integration. look at making those things possible – no matter the ands, SIGN UP BY Thursday, 17 January (spaces limited) awa@awavienna.com Eva Schlögl/ ifs, and buts. As a group, we can begin to develop and 06991 9079888 explore how to pursue our bucket lists. SIGN UP BY Monday, 18 February AWA CULINARY EXPERIENCE awa@awavienna.com SPANISH STYLE with Teresa Benet Urte Paulus Friday, 22 February from 10:30-14:30 Teresa hopes to welcome AWA members to watch her, and help, of course, prepare and cook Tapas MAWA (Men of AWA) DINNER NIGHTS and Paella. Cost will be €12. Bring an apron!! Wednesday, 20 February, at 18:00 SIGN UP BY Tuesday, 19 February MAWA (Men of AWA) is the group for spouses of AWA awa@awavienna.com members. New members are especially encouraged! Robert Blaukopf / robert.blaukopf@gmail.com MONTHLY LUNCHEON Friday, February 22 at 12.39 MOMOYA RESTAURANT Börsegasse, 3 - 1010 Vienna A wide range of Asian variety food with excellent service and the food does not disappoint. Great price-quality ratio restaurant in the center of Vienna! SIGN UP BY Wednesday, 20 February. awa@awavienna.com AWA contact is Nadia Di Paola / 0678 1252229 LADIES’ DINING EXPERIENCE Wednesday, 20 February at 19:00 ORPHEUS, Spiegelgasse 10, 1010 Join Annick to enjoy the Greek cuisine. Please contact Annick directly by Friday, 15 February europolitan@chello.at Annick Gauthier / 0699 1968 8173

SENIORS´ AFTERNOON TEA PARTY Monday, 25 February at 15:30 GRAND HOTEL Kärntner Ring 9, 1010 (1st floor) Lively Ladies meet to chat and exchange views. SIGN UP BY: Friday, 25 January. verasaunders@ gmx.net Vera Saunders / (01) 990 6492 evenings

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VJUNE/ I EHIGHLIGHTS T N A M/ 2018 - EGG COFFEE, BY BY LISA SHULL

I never really knew very much about Vietnam until I had the opportunity to visit Hanoi. Then I fell in love with both the country and the people. Since I would be there during the Christmas season, I was hoping to buy ornaments there to add to my collection. But unlike Vienna and many Western cultures, Hanoi was not decorated in Christmas tinsel. A young college student was my guide on the first day in Hanoi and he explained that only about 8% of the population is considered to be Christian, while 18% are Buddhist, about 70% practise a type of Vietnamese folk religion and 4% claim no religion. So no new ornaments from that trip!

changes every year but is usually in January or February, lasting 9 days and signifying the start of spring. There are so many traditions, celebrations and food associated with Tet that a whole article could be written on that alone! Vietnam became an independent country in AD939 after being part of Imperial China for 1,000+ years. Hanoi was finally confirmed as the capital in 1976, but the first capital of Vietnam, Hoa Lu, lies in the Ninh Binh Province about 90km south of Hanoi. This is where the first two imperial dynasties lived. Several original buildings still remain in this ancient capital, located in a beautiful area of lush, green rice fields and stark limestone mountains. Not too far from Hoa Lu is the Tam Coc (Three Caves) scenic area where

I rode along the Ngo Dong River on a small traditional sampan boat which was rowed by women with their feet. We travelled through three river

grottos or caves with low ceilings that dripped water, but could barely see the stalagmites and stalactites in the darkness.

Lisa Shull

The folk religion involves seeking the wisdom or guidance from past family members, natural deities, or figures who have contributed to Vietnamese history. Altars generally contain something representing sky, fire, water, plants and sun, and almost always a cloth of some kind, preferably in gold and red -- the color of happiness and fortune. There is always an incense burner to welcome the spirits to their home, and there may also be a religious figure such as Buddha or pictures or names of ancestors etched in wood or stone. All elements of the family altar are supposed to demonstrate that the family wants to care for the spirits of their ancestors, to welcome them into what is still their home, and to pray for the continued well-being of the extended family of past, current and future generations. The biggest holiday in Vietnam is Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The date Fighting cock rock formation on bank note.

I also visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay, recognizable for its picture-perfect towering limestone rock humps known as karsts. It was like a water version of Tam Coc -- no surprise then that Tam Coc was referred to as “Halong Bay on Land.” I really can’t describe Ha Long Bay other than being spectacular. I took a cruise out into the Bay and sailed along and amidst the many limestone islands and inlets. A famous rock formation, Fighting Cock Inlet, is featured on the bank note worth 200,000 Vietnamese dongs (VND). In Hang Dau Go cave, one of many hidden caves among the karsts and islands, I saw thousands of limestone waterfalls in different colors. Unfortunately pictures cannot capture the size and grandeur of this site. Interestingly the Vietnamese use the Latinbased alphabet, so I could try reading signs to avoid getting lost! The script was introduced by Alexandre De Rhodes, a French Jesuit missionary who came to Vietnam in 1627, and he also created the Vietnamese alphabet. Prior to the official adoption of the Latin-based alphabet, the Vietnamese mainly used

KARSTS AND M O/ HIGHLIGHTS R E ! / 2018 JUNE writings based loosely on Chinese characters. Vietnam has a very long and interesting history. Various countries have colonized and/ or occupied Vietnam over the centuries, including China, France, and Japan. In September 1945, Ho Ha Long Bay Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s independence from France under the name of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The French influence is still seen in the modern architecture, which I found fascinating. Today it is a socialist republic, but, after talking with several Vietnamese, I realised that the country is becoming more capitalist in its economic policies. One cannot talk about Vietnam without mentioning the food. It is a food-lovers paradise. I am in love with Pho!!! Chicken or beef! Since my return, I tried cooking Pho several times and realised I am going to have to return to Vietnam to get some cooking lessons. One of the

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the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, a water puppet show… I only saw such a small bit of Vietnam but it was enough to entice me to return. Rocelyn Kielnhofer, a fellow AWA member who lived in Vietnam for several years, said to me, “Anyone who travels the length of Vietnam will notice many changes that occur from one region to the next. From landscape to language, climate to culture, etiquette to ethnicity; the list is long and fascinating. Whether you’re a traveller, an expat, or even a local, one of the most interesting aspects of travelling through Vietnam is observing and experiencing these changes.” Next time, I need to get out of Hanoi and see even more of this beautiful, historic country.

more unusual traditional beverages is egg coffee: coffee with a mixture of

an egg yolk and condensed milk whisked together, sometimes with a shot of brandy! I couldn’t believe how good it was. I stopped in a small café one day to have a cup and rest my sightseeing-weary legs and there in the shop was a little bit of Vienna – a picture of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”! I learned to watch out for the traffic! It’s pretty crazy. There are more motorbikes than people, I think. Of course I had to try riding both a motorbike and a pedal bike. I can recommend both as an excellent way to get around the city! I could go on and on about my short visit to Hanoi. The people were some of the most open and friendly and helpful I have ever met. The country itself was beautiful, filled with flowers such as the lotus, the national flower symbolizing beauty, commitment, health, honor, and knowledge. Many types of flora thrive in the tropical climate and I saw many types of plants I’ve never seen before. Buddhist temples, historic homes, the Citadel, Hoa Lo Prison,

Left: Sampan Rower Bottom: Traffic in Hanoi

18 TRAVEL

MY SLOVAKIA, IN /THE JUNE/ HIGHLIGHTS 2018 HEART OF EUROPE BY LIBUŠA MIŠÍKOVÁ

Slovakia borders Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Ukraine. Although it has almost 5.5 million inhabitants and a territory of 49,035 km2, it is not even in the top 10 of most visited European countries. But after reading this article, I hope that you will consider a trip.

continuously-operating enterprise in the world, has been making coins since 1328 and reached its highest levels of production during the reign of the Empress Maria Theresa. Since we adopted the Euro in 2009, after joining the EU

Geography. The landscape of Slovakia is similar to Austria’s. The most important Slovak river, the Danube, connects the capital city Bratislava with the capital cities of two neighbouring countries – Vienna in Austria and Budapest in Hungary. In fact, Bratislava and Vienna are two of the closest capitals in the world, only 60 km apart, and in the 1930’s they were connected by a city tram.

in 2004, the Kremnica Mint (together with other Central and Eastern European countries) also manufactures Slovak Euro coins. Banská Štiavnica and Kremnica are both picturesque towns that have preserved their medieval atmosphere together with the harmony of nature, which attracts many tourists.

History. The first Slavs arrived here at the time of the Migration of Nations and, after decades of struggles, they succeeded in establishing the Great Moravian Empire in 833 AD, the first common state of the Slovak and Czech ancestors. After the empire's fall, Old Hungarian tribes invaded Slovakia and made it part of the Kingdom of Hungary for 1,000 years. A crucial period in Slovak history was the 19th century. For the first time the people formulated their own political programme and in 1843, codified the rules of the Slovak language and its script under the leadership of Ľudovít Štúr. In 1918, after the fall of Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Slovaks and the Czechs declared their wish to live together in an independent state and established the first Czecho-Slovak Republic on 28th October, 1918. After WWII, the communist party gradually seized power in the country and their communist dictatorship was overthrown only by the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The joint Czech/Slovak state then ended and the Slovak Republic was established on the 1st January 1993. Despite this split of common state, however, the relationship between the two countries remains very friendly, especially since our languages are very close. Trade and Development. After centuries of internal struggle between the nobles and their ruler, the Hungarian state was finally consolidated. Economic growth was finally possible especially due to the thriving mining towns. Banská Štiavnica, a centre for mining science, is also home to the Mining Academy, the first technical university in the world, founded in 1762. The Kremnica Mint, the oldest

Banská Štiavnica

Education and Investment. The first university of Slovakia, Academia Istropolitana, was established in 1467. Since then Universities have been established in several towns and the education system is free up to highest level. However, the economy is facing a lack of a technically educated labor force, due to the emphasis on machinery and automotive industries. After joining the EU, Slovakia attracted many foreign investors and this significantly accelerated the growth of GDP. Supported by massive economic reforms in the 1990’s, crucial investments flowed into other industries and the banking sector. This year the British car maker Jaguar Land Rover will open its manufacturing facility in Nitra, West Slovakia. Culture and Castles. Due to its geographical position, Slovakia has always been on important trade and cultural routes in the region, and influences of Western as well as Eastern cultures or religions can be detected. Most Slovaks are Roman Catholics (62%), but tolerate other religions. In Slovakia, you can find a Northern discipline along with Southern temperament, and Western rationality with Eastern emotionality. We experience our joys, successes, disappointments and sorrows with emotions. We are sincere, friendly, open,

SO MUCH TO SEE - EXCEPT THE /SEA! JUNE / HIGHLIGHTS 2018 Folk Dancers

hearty, generous, but also touchy and we differ from our neighbouring nations. But in the end, we are a country of friends.

Folk crafts, costumes, music and dances in Slovakia are passed on from one generation to another, and each v different cultural traditions and folklore of which Slovaks are very proud. Many folklore festivals and performances are having a renaissance. For example, a Slovak overtone flute called "fujara" and the Music of Terchova were included in UNESCO World Heritage.

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Our nature is amazing and beautiful, and therefore, the most favourite leisure activity of the Slovak people is hiking or just walking in the forest. The Carpathian forests are also home to thousands of bears, increasing numbers of wolves and lynxes, beavers, wild horses and the huge, prehistoric, European bison - of which there are only 1,000 left in the world. After an exhausting trek or on hot days, people have the opportunity to take refreshment in the many mineral springs or cute Spas that are widespread throughout Slovakia. Officially there are 1,657 springs registered.

The first written mention of Slovakia’s oldest castle, Devín, dates back to the year 868. Spiš Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and also one of the ten largest castles in the world. Altogether, Slovakia has as many as 220 castles and castle ruins! Not enough? Then add its 425 chateaus to the mix. In the eastern part of the country, wooden churches represent specific samples of sacred architecture. Their folk builders expressed the perfect harmony of the human soul with nature, and the effort to disengage from earthly worries. Among the oldest are the Gothic Libusa in the High Tatras wooden churches in Hervartov and Tvrdošín. Wine Time. Traditionally Slovaks drink mostly Nature. The diversity of nature in Slovakia is one beer and schnapps, but Slovak wine has been of the biggest attractions. We have nine national improving in quality since the private wineries began. There are six wine-growing regions and parks with large forests full of life, crystal clear glacial lakes, deep valleys and mysterious gorges, eight wine routes in Slovakia with the Tokaj and more than 6,200 caves and chasms. The High wine being rightly referred to as the King of wines. One rarity of the Tokaj wine road is and Low Tatras are home to many endangered animal species such as the Tatra Chamois, which the medieval Tokaj wine cellars carved into volcanic, “tufa” rock. These cellars, some carved is a completely unique chamois species that to a depth of 16 meters, date back to the Turkish evolved over thousands of years totally isolated wars and, to some extent, were built as a refuge after the end of the Ice Ages. Hiking in High from marauding troops. Tatras you may see them climbing the high rocks with elegance and ease. Many say that the In Slovakia, you might discover many other European wilderness ceased to exist centuries interesting or mysterious places, taste traditional ago, but in the Poloniny National Park, on the Slovak food-dumplings with sheep cheese triangular border with Poland and Ukraine, there and bacon, or go shopping on Sundays in is an untouched wild forest called the Wolf Bratislava’s posh shopping centres. But don’t Mountain with trees that are more than 1,000 look for the sea! You would not find the sea! years old.

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T H EJUNE/VHIGHLIGHTS E T, P/ 2018 ET & APRICOTS BY VIRGINIA SHERIDAN

I found the perfect doctor’s office in Vienna. It’s staffed with smiling medical professionals who will see you at any time of the day – even at 2 in the morning. The doctors have their own lab on site, so they can complete bloodwork in 10 minutes, show you X-rays almost immediately and schedule an MRI in a day. The waiting room is filled

with photos of happy patients and stocked with free snacks and water.

No long waits to see a doctor – you can drop in for an appointment any morning and there’s usually no queue. And the entire staff speaks English! If you think these services are not available to every person, you are correct. In fact, they are not available to people at all, because this amazing medical facility, the Dobling Small Animal Clinic (Tierklinik Dobling), treats exclusively dogs, cats, reptiles, birds and any other small pets. The practice has been in existence for almost 50 years, and has been owned by Veterinaries Eva Berger and Elisabeth Zulehner-Harold since 1999. It is one of the few animal centers in Vienna that handle after-hours emergencies. “Most vets don’t want to work overnight,” explained Dr. Eva Berger, “but now with the Handy, it’s easy to be on call from your home and we don’t need to stay in the office.” Most emergency calls can be solved over the phone and usually involve treatment for pain, vomiting or bleeding. But one memorable patient required immediate surgical intervention. “A Labrador Retriever ate 20 kilos of apricots,” said Dr. Berger, adding that even though “Labs are known for eating just about anything,” the quantity in this case was extreme. “The dog could not digest the pits or vomit so I had to open the stomach and pull out every pit by hand. I could not eat apricots for a year after that!” The Clinic occasionally receives overnight calls from humans who confuse the emergency numbers. Although she generally refers callers to the correct service, she has occasionally helped a few panicky mothers-to-be who

wondered if they were going into labor. “The initial training for vets is the same as it is for human doctors – Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy,” Dr. Berger said, adding that vets additionally need to study eight diverse animal anatomical systems. In addition to the usual vet care services, pet patients at the Clinic can receive physiotherapy, psychological counseling, acupuncture treatments – even chiropractic treatments. “The dogs sit calmly during the treatments – it’s amazing! My colleague examines the animal and knows when it is the right time to move the body. It can help with joint pain and reduce the medication necessary.” Vets who specialize in chiropractic are rare, said Dr. Berger, because it requires extensive additional training and a rigorous international exam on top of a veterinary degree. While emergencies and alternative treatments are interesting, they are admittedly a smaller part of the overall practice. The primary focus of Tierklinik Dobling is “Whole Life, Whole Health Care.” Beginning in the puppy stage, Dr. Berger’s team offers behavior training, diet and nutrition counseling, boarding coordination, assistance with end-of-life services, and travel/relocation information. “We can give advice with difficult moves and transport services. We can help with the paperwork and the regulations. I once had a patient, an epileptic dog, who needed a particular medicine dispensed while he was being transported to Australia. That was difficult. We had to design a dispenser that could open at the time he needed the medication.” Although the clinic’s official patients are small animals, Dr. Berger says that in reality their most important job is to support the human owners. “We need to educate the owners, to help them to care for their pets, to calm them when they are worried. I have an old fur coat that I use to teach owners how to give shots to their dogs, to get it through their skin, so that the owner can be calm and confident when they have to do that.” The Tierklinik accepts clients mainly from its immediate geographical area – the 18th, 19th and 20th Districts – but its animal-loving staff will help pet owners moving to any area of Vienna. “Everyone at the clinic has at least one pet,” explained Dr. Berger, whose Burmese Mountain Dog accompanies her to the office and to her outside work with horses. “We know about leash-free zones, training, boarding, breeders, so much information. We can help find a new home for animals when owners need to leave them behind.” If only human medical clinics were as helpful!

/ HIGHLIGHTS / 2018 A D V E R T I S E M EJUNE NT S

Sunday Service: 11:15 Rev. Matthew A. Laferty Sechshauser StraĂ&#x;e 56, 1150 Vienna tel: +43 1 895 8175 office@esumc.at I www.esumc.at U4/U6 LĂ¤ngenfeldgasse or 57A Grimmgasse A friendly, caring community with many different nations, cultures, and traditions. Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors We offer: - a place for worship, study, growth - an opportunity to find your own ministry - a chance to feel at home - toddler care - a wonderful and fun Sunday School - five choirs and special music - active groups for families, men, women, young adults, prayer and others.

The English-Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna

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FA W C O

JUNE/ HIGHLIGHTS / 2018

B Y B E V E R L E Y B A C H M AY E R

RAFFLE OF THE 2019 FAWCO FRIENDSHIP QUILT WITH SQUARES MADE BY 39 MEMBERS FROM 17 DIFFERENT CLUBS

Looking for a good book to read? Look no further. There are 374 book suggestions from around the globe, right here on this beautiful bookshelf! The FAWCO Foundation Friendship Quilt, lovingly assembled by Roberta Zรถllner (Munich IWC), measures 142 x 285 cm. How can you win this Quilt? It will be raffled off at the 2019 FAWCO Conference in Edinburgh. You do not need to attend the Conference to purchase tickets. Order tickets here: http://www.fawcofoundation.org/ newsflashes/350-friendship-quilt-2020.html. Want to know more? Want to purchase tickets? On February 22, we will meet at the clubhouse at 10:00 to learn more about the opportunities that FAWCO brings to our community. Join us to learn about the many programs offered, and to purchase raffle tickets for the beautiful quilt, or to have a few snacks and enjoy a morning networking with club members. Important dates to remember: February 22, Networking meeting at the AWA Clubhouse about FAWCOFebruary 22, Networking meeting at the AWA Clubhouse about FAWCO March 21-24, 2019 FAWCO Conference in Edinburgh Contact Bev or Laurie to find out more about these events and to register!

AWA BOARD REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 2018

Change in AWA Board members: Thank you to Laurie Richardson for her work on the board. Busy with her new, prestigious position as Chair of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in Vienna, Laurie is vacating her spot, to be filled by new board member, Bev Bachmayer. AWA Elections: The process was put in place and nominations circulated to members. Highlights Advertising: AWA needs more advertisers! New Security System: The faulty and unreliable front door opening system needed to be replaced. I asked if AWA could pay for and have installed, at a cost of 477 euro, a more secure system including a video screening to identify who was ringing the bell. (PS This is so much safer but members need to look at the camera above the buzzer button and not the display in the perfumery or we just see the backs of heads.) Membership Report: New members continue to flood in, a very pleasing effect!

AWA B O A R D

Honorary President: Mrs. Alexa Traina President: Sheila Hargreaves 0676 755 9804 / sheilahargreaves@a1.net Vice President / Programs: Helene Gressenbauer-Rรถsner 0664 920 9807 / helene@gressenbauer.org Charity Fundraising Chair: Irene Schlegelmilch 0660 6404410 / awavpfundraising@gmail.com Treasurer: Jillanne Gabler 01 966 2925 / awa.vienna@treasurer@gmail.com Secretary: Susan Cole 01 966 2925 / awaawavienna.com Weekly Coffee Chair: Gerda Moes 0676 387 2450 / gerdamz@gmail.com Internal Communications Chair: Urte Paulus 0676 676 5829 / Urte.paulus@gmx.at Membership Chair: Sara 01 966 2925 / AWAViennaMembership@gmail.com Public Relation Chair: Vacancy Webmanager & FAWCO representaive: Beverly Bachmayer 01 966 2925 / awa@awavienna.com Highlights Advertising Manager: Nadia Di Paola 0678 1252229 / awahighlightsads@gmail.com

M A K E T H E M OJUNE S T/ HIGHLIGHTS O F V/ 2018 IENNA MAKE THE MOST OF VIENNA B Y B E V E R LY B A C H M E Y E R

MY BUCKET LIST FOR 2019 BY SUSAN MIKES

Have you noticed the mornings are lighter? Finally, the sun is rising earlier in the morning and setting later at night. The Eistraum and neverending Balls give you the opportunity for the longer days. I know it’s cold, but get out and enjoy!

UNTIL MARCH 3 VIENNESE DREAM ON ICE – SKATING ON THE SQUARE IN FRONT OF THE CITY HALL www.wienereistraum. BALL CALENDAR

Maybe my bucket list will inspire you to create your own.

88 Temple Walk http://simplyjustwalking.com/justme/ destinations.

Traude Wild has inspired me to visit Japan and travel to the temple

Jakobsweg /Way of Saint James https://www.jakobsweg-wien.at/ Walking by this locality near the Stephansdom peaked my interest. Volti Fun https://schottenhof.at/

for February and March Friday, 1 BOKU Ball – Ball der Universität für Bodenkultur / Agricultural Sciences Ball, Hofburg www.bokuball.at Saturday, 16 Ball der Wiener Wirtschaft / Ball of the Viennese Industry, Hofburg www.hofburg-ball.at Saturday, 16 Johann Strauss Ball Kursalon www. johannstraussball.com Friday, 22 Kaffeesiederball / Ball of the Viennese Coffee House Owners, Hofburg www. kaffeesiederball.at

The Schottenhof is a horse riding stable with heart. I have completed the basic adult course, riding Equestrian vaulting. SOHO in OTTAKRING http://www.sohoinottakring.at In the 1960s in Soho, Manhattan, artists such as Andy Warhol lived, and SoHo became the centre of the avant garde scene. SOHO Ottakring is the sister Viennese event in the Ottakring district of Vienna. Look out for the 2019 summer in Vienna's SOHO. FESH'Markt http://www.feschmarkt.info

Monday, 28 Wiener Opernball / Opera Ball, Staatsoper

Fesch Markt Wien is a 3-day event from 14 to 16 June

www.wiener-staatsoper.at

KUNSTSCHATZI at the Kunsthistorische Museum

Friday, 1 March Bonbon Ball, Konzerthaus – www. bonbonball.at Friday, 1 Ball der Bau- und Immobilienwirtschaft Hofburg www.immobilienball.at Saturday, 2 Juristenball / Legal Professionals, Hofburg www.juristenball.at Monday, 4 Rudolfina Masked Ball Hofburg www. rudolfina-redoute.at Tuesday, 5 Elmayer School of Dancing Ball, Hofburg – www.elmayer.at

16.2. LIECHTENSTEIN. THE PRINCELY COLLECTIONS Albertina www.albertina.at

The full programme of events in Vienna in February can be found at this secure site. https://www.wien.info/en/music-stageshows/ overview Or at the English Speaking website https://www.viennawurstelstand.com/

http://www.khm.at/entdecken/angebote/ kunstschatzi Fancy mingling? Cocktail bar & DJ Line-up in the Kuppenhalle inside the Art Museum on Tuesdays: 5 March, 23 April, 8 October, 12 November and 10 December HOTEL LAMÉE ROOFTOP Toasty Tip for Staying Warm in Cold Weather: Glühwein with a view. Barbara Wolff recommends the website, Best Rooftop Views Vienna which gives this magic spot from which to enjoy gorgeous views of the city centre and a good close-up of Stephansdom and city centre roof tops. https://www.vienna-unwrapped.com/bestrooftop-views-vienna

AWA VIENNA OFFICE & CLUBHOUSE: Singerstrasse 4/11, 1010 Wien T: (01) 966 29 25 E-mail: awa@awavienna.com www.awavienna.com

OFFICE HOURS: Monday to Thursday, 10:00-16:00 Friday closed OFFICE MANAGERS: Ivy Melchor & Erin Silangil

Ã&#x2013;STERREICHISCHE POST AG INFO. MAIL ENTGELT BEZAHLT