On Sunday night I finally got to go ice skating (Eis laufen in German) at the huge rink in front of City Hall. I bundled up and hopped on the tram with eight other students from my dorm around 6:30 pm. We arrived at our destination and were greeted by freshly-zambonied ice in ront of a beautifully illuminated City Hall, the smell of hot spiced wine and bratwurst, and, of course, American disco music. We paid for tickets, rented skates, and hit the ice. I don't really remember the last time I went ice skating, but it came back to me fairly quickly and I didn't even fall once! We skated for about an hour to an eclectic yet entertaining mix of American music, which at one point went directly from hip hop to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". The track that wound through the park was my favorite part. It started in the third rink and woud it's way through the trees back to the first rink. After the first hour, we took a break for a mug of hot spiced wine to warm up. The wine is delicious, and you can pay a two Euro deposit to use a real mug instead of a plastic cup. The Austrian's are so environmentally responsible! With our hands and bellies a little warmer, we skated for about another half hour before heading home. It was a great experience, and it even snowed a little while we were there. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures becasue as soon as I took my camera out of my pocket the battery died. I would love to do it again before the rink closes in March, so maybe I cna get some pictures another time.
On Monday I learned that American men are not alone in their Valentine's gift-buying procrastination. The holiday is celebrated in Austria much like it is in the U.S., with cards, flowers and candy, and of course a line of men at every flower shop between the hours of 4 and 6 pm.
The observation of this cultural similarity was only one of the things that made me smile on Valentine's Day. Another was the weather: it snowed! I haven't seen snow on Valentine's Day in awhile, so this was quite a treat. It was an extra-romantic type of snow, with big, fluffy flakes that made me feel like I was walking around in a snow globe (side note, I love snow globes). When I got home later that afternoon I went to the kitchen to make a hot cup of tea, and when I returned to my room I had a special delivery:
My Valentine sent me flowers! The bouquet came wrapped in brown paper and included yellow tulips and coral-colored gerbera daisies. I had to arrange them in a glass because I don't have a vase, but I think it still turned out pretty good.
The only bad part of Valentine's Day was that I could feel myself starting to get a cold. I had to stay home from class on Tuesday because I woke up feeling horrible, but I think I am finally starting to get over it (knock on wood). I had a lot of tea and soup and spent the evenings curled up in my bed watching movies and TV on my computer, so hopefully I will be better by the weekend.
I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day, wherever you spent it!
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