Monday, March 27, 2017

Rainy, dreary March

PixlrWhat a dreary gloomy day today. It was one of those mornings where I would have loved to just stay in bed. It was really dark most of the day. Ugh.

Yesterday my dad told me that he was planning their vacation for September. They are going to be heading back to Croatia. Fingers crossed that I can manage to take some time off and join them. I will try and figure that out over the next week or so. Will try and request time off. By September I should have enough vacation time accrued to make it work. Fingers crossed.

In less fun news my tooth saga continues. Had 3 appointments Monday and Tuesday last week. On Tuesday I had the tooth pulled. It really is startling having a big gap right in the front. Luckily they fitted me with the flipper the same day and it looks pretty decent. I need to stay away from spicy or crunchy foods for a week. Only bland and soft foods. We are close to the 1 week mark now and I think things are healing up ok. Eating with the flipper is still somewhat of a challenge but it's getting better. Talking is a bit weird still too but not awful. 

I have a check up appointment next week on Monday (week from today) and also need to make an appointment with the orthodonist for a consult on braces. Ugh. 

The weekend was quiet and uneventful. Just wish it wasn't Monday already again. Lets see what this week brings. 

Letter/Mail Update: Letters went out last Friday to: Eloine/NY and Lotte/Denmark. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Nina/WA and Eunice/Malta. 

Posted by Hanna at 06:47 PM in Family, Food and Drink, Weather | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Goodbye Europe ... till we meet again :)

IMG_20160614_083644And somehow it's already my last night here in Austria again. How did that happen? Where did the last 2 weeks go? Time really does fly by sometimes it feels like. 

I spent Sunday and Monday in Vienna and had a really nice time on both days. Sunday I met up with my friend Lydia. Had a great time catching up with her. We first went to the Australian pub Crossfield's (yes an Australian pub in Austria .. but it's a lot of fun) and then to the brewpub 1516. Had a great time eating, drinking and catching up. Shared a huge plate of nachos at Crossfield's and afterwards I had some buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes, fleur de sel sea salt and basil pesto at 1516. Yum. 

Monday I took the train into Vienna again and met up with Claudia for lunch at the Hard Rock. It was great to see her and catch up as well. We originally know each other from spending a study year abroad in CA (Santa Barbara) in 98-99 but have kept in touch since then. It's always fun to meet up with people and to reminiscence a bit and talk about days long past. :) It's weird because often it feels like yesterday I was in CA for my year abroad but obviously that's not true. :)

After lunch with Claudia I met up with my friend Andrea for ice cream. Well we actually ended up having iced coffee but either way. :) It's always great to see her as well. We used to live in apartments next to each other growing up, from grammar school till High School. So we have definitely known each other a really long time :)

After that I also had a class reunion to go to. About 10 people from High School, mostly my graduating class and a couple from a year below ours I believe. I only had about 20 people in my graduating class to begin with so reunions aren't those big massive events. But it's still fun to meet up, catch up, exchange some gossip etc. We ended up staying till about 10.30pm and I slept at my friend Barbara's house. Took the train back out to St. Poelten, to my parent's house, this morning.

Then today was filled with various errands, a couple dr. appts for my mom and lunch at the Heurigen (a vineyard with a small restaurant open seasonally) plus packing up all my stuff and various purchases/gifts of course. And tomorrow I am already off again, back to NYC. 

Mail Update. Mailed letters from Vienna on Monday to: Nina/WA and Lotte/Denmark. 

Posted by Hanna at 03:56 PM in Austria , Family, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Austria Update

IMG_20160610_220127Hello from Austria :) Arrived here Thursday night after our stop in Slovenia. On our way back from Ljubljana we made a stop in Styria for lunch.  Had delicious fried chicken as well as Fritattensoup. 

Yesterday, Friday, I had my appointment at the hair dresser. I wasn't sure what color I wanted to get so I made a quick decision but am happy with the end result.  Turned out very nice.  Later in the day we went over to my friend Anneliese's apartment.  Probably going to see her again in a little while tonight as well.

Today we ran some errands and bought some groceries,  half things that I want to bring back to the US, as well as things to eat while I am still here.

In a little while my aunt is going to stop by so that will be nice. Definitely been keeping busy. Tomorrow and Monday I am going to be heading to Vienna.  

Mail Update. Received letters from/owe replies to: Nina/WA and Lotte/Denmark. Letters should be going out on Monday when I head to Vienna and stop at the pay office. 

Posted by Hanna at 07:51 AM in Austria , Family, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, May 08, 2016

Mother's Day, Work and stuff

IMG_20160508_135116Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are moms and of course my own lovely mom. Talked to her on the phone today. I will see her in less than a month when I get to Europe on June 1st. 

Leaving here the Tuesday after Memorial Day and getting to Croatia June 1st. My parents will pick me up from Split airport. They will already be there as they are leaving earlier to drive there. 

So much to do and take care of before then though.  Quite a lot has been going on at work. The company both Mike and I work has been going through financial struggles for quite a while and it eventually ended in them being taken over by another company.  All in all this is not the worst of news as we still have jobs. Could actually be good in the long run. This starts tomorrow so as of tomorrow we will be employed by a new company. Our salary stays the same. And the old company is paying out our accrued vacation and sick time which is quite a substantial amount considering we both have worked there 14+ years. Everything else will need to be figured out on a day to day basis. But all's well for now.

So that's all the news for now.  The weather has been super dreary and rainy for a good week and a half. It seems to finally be clearing up. Will be nice to see the sun again.  

Mail Update: All caught up with my mail for now. :)

Posted by Hanna at 02:49 PM in Austria , Family, Holidays, Work Stories | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Xmas Update

Pixlr_20151227142931871Merry belated Christmas everyone. :) Hope everyone had a nice holiday. 

We had a nice quiet few days which was much needed after all the craziness at work. Christmas Eve we had to work till 2 so not too bad. Had dinner at Outback before heading to the movies to see "Spotlight". Very good movie and great cast.

Then Christmas Day we opened our gifts with Mike's sister, niece and nephew. Got a lovely Scottish tartan scarf and green ear rings from Mike along with a Bath & Body gift certificate, wine, chocolates, a candle, cute figurines and other stuff from family and friends here and around the world. 

Mid morning we went back to the movies to see "Joy". Another great movie, very similiar in style to his other movies "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle". 

Spent the rest of the day catching up on some TiVo recordings and eating yummy food (shrimp cocktail,  veggies & dip, chips & dip, cheese & crackers etc) and drinking wine. 

Saturday we had to work again till 2. But had a relaxed afternoon and were able to sleep in late today. I am fighting an annoying cold so it was nice to get some needed rest. 

Will have a few more crazy days at work Monday through Wednesday before heading up to Ottawa, Canada on Thursday. Will be nice to be away for a few days. 

Mail Update: Received letters/still owe replies to: Carmen/Malta, Charles/TN, Lotte/Denmark, Celia/MA, Kimber/Canada and Tiffany/OK.

Posted by Hanna at 03:06 PM in Family, Food and Drink, Holidays, Television, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Time to leave again ... where do the weeks go??

IMG_20150812_194253And here we are. Already time to leave again tomorrow. My cab for the airport will be arriving at 3.30am (joy!) So not a lot of sleep for me tonight. Ugh. 

Had a nice stay in Austria but of course time flew by. Went into Vienna a second time on Monday to meet up with my friend Andrea. Had a nice day even though it was crazy hot.  

Met up with my friend Anneliese Tuesday (who did my nails) and today Wednesday I got my hair done. Got some reading done, had some yummy food and spent time hanging out with my parents and relatives.

Tomorrow I am heading back to the US via Germany  (Dusseldorf) and then it's back to work and every day life Friday.

Looking forward to see Mike. I am glad he is ok as he was rear ended in a car accident today. Not a lot of damage to the car and he's ok mostly too. But just a lot of crap to deal with. More annoying than anything else. Ugh. Just glad he is ok.

Mail Update: Received letters from/owe a reply to: Kimber/Canada, Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 02:35 PM in Austria , Family, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, August 09, 2015

Hello from Austria :)

Vienna-collageFinally updating from Austria. :) Left northern Germany on Thursday and stayed about halfway Thursday night. Then drove the rest of the way on Friday and arrived at the house around 7pm. Picked up some Chinese for dinner and unpacked the most necessary items. 

Yesterday, Saturday, I took the train into Vienna to meet up with my friend Lydia. Austria is currently experiencing a crazy heatwave so it was super hot. Having temps in the 90ies (30C) on a day to day basis. But Lydia & I still managed to have a nice day. Met up right downtown in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral and went up to the rooftop terrace bar of a fancy hotel. Nicest views from up there. Of course the drinks aren't cheap but it is worth the views over the rooftops of Vienna. 

Afterwards we walked over to the square in front of City Hall where every summer they have the big international culinary festival. Lots of stands with foods from various countries. I chose the Croatian stand and had yummy cevapcici. Absolutely delicious and it's been a while since I had them. After City Hall we walked around some more and found another nice spots for a drink and snack before we had to part ways again. Always enjoyable spending a day with Lydia, as she enjoys good food and drinks as much as me :)

Today, Sunday, I am currently sitting in the garden in the shade, while the heat is still somewhat manageable. It's already getting pretty warm but not so so bad yet. Definitely manageable especially in the shade with a light breeze every so often. Will maybe try and catch up on some of my letters later or read some more. Eventually I will probably have to move indoors though as it's just going to get too hot, even in the shade probably. 

Tomorrow, Monday, I am heading back into Vienna to meet up with another friend. Have a few other people I would like to see but just not enough time on this trip. As much as I would love to see everyone I also didn't want to stress myself and run around the whole time I am in Austria. 

Well, that's all from me here from heat wave plagued Austria. Hope you're all staying cool if it's hot wherever you are as well. :)

Mail Update: Mailed a letter to Lotte/Denmark yesterday. Received letters from/owe a reply to: Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 04:18 AM in Austria , Family, Food and Drink, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday, August 03, 2015

New Germany Recap

IMG_20150803_213906Hello again from Germany. :) Already been here for 3 full days plus the day I got here. Time's flying as usual of course. Having a good time and the weather is mainly cooperating too. When I first got here on Thursday last week it was pretty chilly and rainy but it has improved considerably since. The last two days were especially nice.

Saturday we toured the cruise ship AIDAMar which was docked in the port of Warnemuende that day. Never been on a cruise so it was kind of neat to see the inside of a big ship like that. We went all over, looking at some cabins and all the different areas of the ship (pool decks, entertainment, exercise, casino, restaurants, bars, etc) After the tour we headed back to Luebeck and my mom and I walked around the old town for a bit, looking at the sights and shopping for souvenirs. 

Sunday we drove to Stralsund and toured two maritime/oceanic museums. I have to admit I didn't really know anything about the city of Stralsund but was very happily surprised with how nice it was. Had a great lunch at a restaurant in the main town square as well. Both museums were nice and the harbor area was really pretty too.

Today, Monday, we headed to Sylt which is about a 3 hour trip from where we are. So it was a bit of a long day (breakfast 6am, return to hotel 8.30pm) but definitely worth it. Took the car train over to the island of Sylt and explored once we got over there. Walked over the dunes to the beach and also had lunch at the famous Sansibar restaurant. Have to say the hype was deserved because my dish was super delicious. :) After lunch we headed to the southern tip of the island to the lighthouse. Walked around for a bit, had some iced coffee/wine before eventually heading back.

I think the plan for tomorrow is to take it a bit easier and have a more of a relaxed day. Probably gonna head to one of the more local beaches. We will see how it goes. :) 

Mail Update: Wrote a letter to Lotte/Denmark (just need to find stamps to mail it) Received letters from/owe a reply to: Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA.

Posted by Hanna at 04:43 PM in Beach, Family, Food and Drink, Outdoors, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Paramore @ Mohegan Sun and Happy Mother's Day!

Collage_20150510133729307And here we go, another week already flown by and it's Sunday afternoon again. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and especially my mom of course. :) Spoke with her and my dad on the phone earlier. They are currently planning a trip to France for the fall. Glad that they are doing generally well and are making fun plans. 

The weather here is really nice, sunny and in the 80ies F (27C) today but Mike's fighting with his seasonal allergies so we are staying indoors. 

Had a fun day yesterday. Drove out to eastern Connecticut near the Rhode Island border and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe at Foxwoods Casino. Not generally a casino fan but we had tickets to see Paramore at Mohegan Sun so we had a late lunch/early dinner at Foxwoods before heading over to Mohegan for the show.

This was the 5th time we have seen Paramore over the last 2 years. As always it was a great show and a lot of fun. Mike's niece and her friend were also there along with some other people we knew so that was also fun. 

Didn't get home till after 1am so we slept in. I then puttered around the apartment for a bit, made myself some tea and watched the latest Outlander episode from last night. Only 2 more episodes in this season. Ugh.

Not too much going on for next week. Will need to start Memorial Day prep at work soon to try and get everything organized for the holiday.

On Tuesday I have plans to meet up with my friend Jana to see "The Age of Adaline" at the movies which should be fun. And hopefully supposed to be off from work on Wednesday. We will see how it goes. 

Mail Update: No letters have gone out. Received mail/owe a reply: Charles/TN. 

Posted by Hanna at 02:39 PM in Family, Food and Drink, Performances | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, March 30, 2015

Spring? Hello? Why is it still snowing?

WinterSo it's Monday again. Another week already gone by. I am so over the cold weather. Technically it's not winter anymore, according to the calendar anyway. But it snowed all day Saturday and this morning we woke up to a dusting as well and had to clean off the car. So over all of that. I just want some warmer, nice days where we can do stuff outside, go for walks and so on.

I did see the geese (Canada Geese like in "Fly Away Home" ... I love them) at work  Saturday. And that's usually a sign of spring when they come back. And on Sunday we saw a robin and they migrate as well. So them being back means it's spring even though it might not feel like it. 

Not too much else going on. My dad is still in the hospital but seems in good spirits. I am planning a trip to see them over the summer and to go on vacation with them to Northern Germany near Warnemuende, about 2hrs from Hamburg, by the sea. Will need to work out all the details. 

Mail Update. All caught up for once. Let's see how long that lasts. Letters went out on Thursday to: Caroline/Scotland and Nina/WA. 

Posted by Hanna at 09:05 PM in Austria , Family, Weather | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack