http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm Diary of Andreas Grabner en-us http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec25 2010-12-25T19:33:00Z Closing Entry
After 6 years and several hundred and probably thousands of pictures it is time to close this chapter of my life. The diary was great to keep everybody up-to-date on my adventures when I was travelling or living abroad. Now that I am back in Linz and also realizing that I mainly write about the same things anyway (salsa, sports and beer :-)) - it is time to end this diary.
Bye - and - thanks for reading :-) ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec25 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec17 2010-12-17T09:39:00Z Visiting our swiss neighbors
Its been a long and exhausting week. My trip to Bern - the lovely swiss capital - was good but also exhausting. I definitely made a mental note when driving to and back from Munich that the next time it is better to fly to Zurich (from Linz) and take the train to Bern. The drive to Munich was easy - 2 hours to the airport - thanks to non existing speed limits on the german autobahn and no traffic at 4AM :-). Driving home was a different story: snow covered roads, accidents and driving slow behind plow trucks - but - I made it back safe - thats all that matters.
Besides the business aspect of the trip - giving a talk at a Developers Conference - I had one night in Bern to explore the city as well as the salsa scene - guess thats not a real surprise - is it? :-). The unfortunate thing was that my hotel was at the airport - well - actually - I could see to the Gate from my hotel room - it was really that close :-). The airport is in a little town south of Bern - called Belp. Took the shuttle bus into town at 19:15 - then explored the Altstadt and the area around the Hauptbahnhof. Thanks to the web I knew were the salsa spot was in town for a tuesday night. The place was called El Cielo - a great club with a huge dancefloor and great music. And - I have to say - even though Bern is a really small city - it has one of the best dancers I've ever seen. Next to some of them I felt like a beginner - really enjoyed just standing there on the side - watching their moves and interpretation of the music.
Now to the funny stories (at least I think they are funny):
* I was dancing with this girl. After a short while she says: "I got sleepy shoes tonight" - ???? - Sleepy Shoes?? - asking her two or three times she told me that the floor was sticky and her shoes didn't move that well
* The entrance door to the hotel said "Stossen" instead of "Drücken" - quite a forceful language :-)
* I guess I pissed of the cab driver on the way home. I negotiated the price and got him down a bit. At the end I asked for a receipt - he looked angry as I assume he only gave me the discount because he thought I dont need any official paper with it. Sorry dude!
* My return flight was at 6:20AM. So I asked a lady at the airport how long in advance I should show up in the morning. She said: "Ooh - well - 30 minutes will do it - you better sleep in" - sure - sleep in when you have to catch a flight at 6:20 :-)
Thats the story about Bern. The other story - well - its more a fact than a story - is that we (Sandro, Juergen and I) proofed that it is possible to go suite shopping for the 3 of us in less than 30 minutes. If you pick the right store where they give you great advice on what colors match and what type of suite you should take then 30 minutes is all you need. Also gave us more time for the christmasmarkets :-)
Time for some impressions of last week ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec17 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec11 2010-12-11T15:36:00Z The Austrian Dentist Experience!!
Back in Boston when I had my troubles with my teeth and I got reminded by the dentist in JP that I should start flossing regularly. So I started and was happy to get rid of all the little things that remained between my teeth after brushing.
On thursday morning though - flossing my teeth did not only remove the remnants of the breakfast - but also one of my fillings :-(. I called my dentist that I haven't yet been to since I am back to ask for an appointment. Thanks to the snow many clients cancelled their appointment which allowed me to get a timeslot right away :-)
The interesting thing however was to feel the difference between austria and the US. In the US - for whatever procedure they did - I was numbed up. Which was nice as there was really no pain at all. I remember that I was surprised about that and I also told my dentist in Boston that this is not normal procedure. We usually don't get numbed up when we get a filling. His response: "Thats either really barbaric or you austrians are just really tough" :-)
Back in Austria this week - of course - no numbing - not even asking if I want to opt in. And - instead of just doing the filling the dentist said: "well - as you are already here we can also fix number 5 and number 6 - and - you can come back again in 2 weeks for more work" ;-)
Now back to the nicer things that happened:
* Did some Eisstockschiessen at the Linzer Eisrausch with my friends from Gallneukirchen and with Sarah from Boston who is back in Austria for a couple of days to end her 3 months trip through Europe.
* Brought two of my friends back to dancing: both Sandro and Alois (who is soon going back to San Francisco) came out dancing to Remembar and Paraiso. Looks like Sandro definitely caught the "Salsa Bug" :-)
* Lots of Christkindlmarketvisits :-)
Next week I am going on my last business trip for this year. Destination will be Murten in Switzerland - near Bern. Unfortunately there are no good flight connections to Bern from Linz. The option that seemed the best is to fly from Munich - early morning - meaning - its going to be a short night from monday to tuesday as I need to leave Linz between 3 or 4AM in order to catch my flight in Munich. Lets hope the roads will be clear as Europe is struggling a little bit with the snow these days.
Now - time to enjoy the last days with my "two american" friends: Alois and Sarah - who are both leaving early next week. Alois is going back to SF, Sarah is going back to Michigan. Adios ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec11 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec05 2010-12-05T19:00:00Z Back when we were kids :-)
Back when we were kids we enjoyed every minute out in the snow - on the slopes to race downhill with our bobsled. Today we got a little childhood-time back. Klemens and Gabi invited for brunch. As Austria (and most of europe) presents itself as winter wonderland we took out the bobsleds and rushed down the small hill behind their house - awesome!!
Winter is definitely here - that also means that christmas is not too far away. I have to say that I could really live without all the christmas songs that they (radio stations, shopping centers, ...) started playing constantly since mid november. However - yesterday evening I made it to the Christmas Concert of Papermoon. 2 hours mainly filled with christmas songs - but - to be honest - well done and enjoyable.
Coming back to when we were kids (a final thought): back then we didnt think too much - we just enjoyed without thinking about the implications - even though I am sure that our parents sometimes had a tough time with that :-) -> just something to think about!!
Happy 2nd Advent :-) ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec05 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec04 2010-12-04T12:24:00Z Fighting the cold with hot moves on the dancefloor
16 or 17 years ago I started dancing. I learned ballroom at my local dance school - Tanzschule Reisenberger. For years my friends and I danced in their club - it's been a great time. Well - last night it felt like a little reunion. Tanzschule Reisenberger hosted their annual Ball in Bad Leonfelden and we - a small group from the Linzer Salsa Scene - made it all the way up to the winter wonderland in Bad Leonfelden.
5 hours and 4 shirts the resume was that it was worth the trip :-). Birgit and Richi did an awesome midnight show with a mixture of all sorts of Latin and Ballroom dances - really phenomenal!! Birgit - who runs several of the dance lessons in the different cities in the Muehlviertel Area - also introduced the 2nd show part presented by "her girls" who presented a mixture of modern and classic dance - really cool.
Last night was great - so should be this night - going to see a concert of Papermoon. Thanks to Udo who couldnt take advantage of his tickets I got the chance to see this austrian band in concert - seems they are performing their own versions of christmas songs :-)
Looking ahead to the upcoming week I am happy to announce my 2nd visit from Boston!!! - keep them coming :-) ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec04 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec01 2010-12-01T21:22:00Z Winter Time in Austria
The weathermen said this morning: "Snow in the south and east" - as I always believe the weathermen I decided to take the bike to work -> bad idea!! My colleagues jokingly said: "they didnt say south and east of what :-)". Well - it was easy to get to work - but not that easy to get back - biking in 10cm of snow is a challenge :-)
Yesterday I finally managed to see part 1 of the final Harry Potter movie - in the original english version :-). Didnt remember all the details from the book - so the movie was really good to refresh my memory. Now we just need to wait another 6 months until part 2 comes and the tales of Harry Potter end.
There are also some good news from the other side of the pond - seems Stephan finally found a successor and is going to welcome a new roommate this weekend. Based on the first news I got from him it seems the new guy is also into beer and knows the most important social customs when it comes to drinking beer :-)
Thats it - back to figuring out how to move forward with my appartment remodeling plans :-) ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#dec01 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov25 2010-11-25T23:59:00Z When in Rome ...
I havent been in Rome since, hmmm, I think since my days as an altar boy where we visited Rome twice. So - the last time is probably 13 or so years ago. I hardly remember the sights or the what it was like to be in the "Eternal City".
Well - in order to refresh my memory I decided to book a flight and follow the footsteps of Robert Langdom, the main character in Dan Browns novel Angels and Daemons. After a night of salsa in Vienna on friday I stayed over at a friends appartment making it much easier for me to get to the airport in Vienna to catch an early morning flight. Unfortunately I left the sun behind in Vienna as it was pouring rain in Rome - for almost all the time I was down there.
The Leonardo Express brought me from the Aeroporti di Fiumicino to Termini, the main train station in Rome. Enjoyed the first caffe at a small cafe close to the terminal before it was time to explore the sights of Rome including the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant Angelo and the Vatican.
What a "coincidence" it was that the Rome Salsa Congress took place on the same weekend :-). Hotel was booked close to the event which was outside of the city. It still took a cab ride to get there where I think cab driver on the way there took more money that he should have. Reason for that: the way back was much shorter and was €10 less expensive. Anyway - its been the biggest salsa event I've ever seen. I would say that there were at least several thousand people in a huge multipurpose arena. A live band from New York heated up the dancers in the "smaller" hall and a dance company from Boston performed on stage :-)
On sunday it was time to check out public transportation. The buses or trains dont run that regularly on a sunday - that was kind of unfortunate. But - got back into the city - strolling to the Colloseo and the Forum Romanum.
It was a short trip - but a really good one. It rained a lot (really a lot) - which was unfortunate as my backbag didnt do too well in the rain. But - fortunately there are many bars, cafes, restauranti, pizzeria, osteria, ... - and - they all serve really good italian wine :-)
Time for the first pictures. more to come ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov25 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov23 2010-11-23T01:36:00Z When in Rome ...
I havent been in Rome since, hmmm, I think since my days as an altar boy where we visited Rome twice. So - the last time is probably 13 or so years ago. I hardly remember the sights or the what it was like to be in the "Eternal City".
Well - in order to refresh my memory I decided to book a flight and follow the footsteps of Robert Langdom, the main character in Dan Browns novel Angels and Daemons. After a night of salsa in Vienna on friday I stayed over at a friends appartment making it much easier for me to get to the airport in Vienna to catch an early morning flight. Unfortunately I left the sun behind in Vienna as it was pouring rain in Rome - for almost all the time I was down there.
The Leonardo Express brought me from the Aeroporti di Fiumicino to Termini, the main train station in Rome. Enjoyed the first caffe at a small cafe close to the terminal before it was time to explore the sights of Rome including the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant Angelo and the Vatican.
What a "coincidence" it was that the Rome Salsa Congress took place on the same weekend :-). Hotel was booked close to the event which was outside of the city. It still took a cab ride to get there where I think cab driver on the way there took more money that he should have. Reason for that: the way back was much shorter and was €10 less expensive. Anyway - its been the biggest salsa event I've ever seen. I would say that there were at least several thousand people in a huge multipurpose arena. A live band from New York heated up the dancers in the "smaller" hall and a dance company from Boston performed on stage :-)
On sunday it was time to check out public transportation. The buses or trains dont run that regularly on a sunday - that was kind of unfortunate. But - got back into the city - strolling to the Colloseo and the Forum Romanum.
It was a short trip - but a really good one. It rained a lot (really a lot) - which was unfortunate as my backbag didnt do too well in the rain. But - fortunately there are many bars, cafes, restauranti, pizzeria, osteria, ... - and - they all serve really good italian wine :-)
Time for the first pictures. more to come ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov23 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov18 2010-11-18T16:34:00Z 4 days in Germany
Monday morning with the ICE to Nurnberg (awesome ride with this high-speed train); meetings during the day; evening train ride to Munich and then 3 days in a conference hotel. I am sure both cities are really nice - but unfortunately there was not much time to actually see a whole lot. I managed to walk through the old town of Nurnberg and eat Bratwuerstl for which Nuernberg is famous for. In Munich the only thing I managed to do was a walk from the main train station to and into the Hofbrauhaus - the rest of the time was spent in a conference hotel somewhere outside the city. But - it was a good week - great presentations by Alois - one joint presentation that we both gave - and some good networking.
The highlight this week was definitely to hang out with Alois again - lots of stories to share (besides also sharing the hotel room :-)). Then we got the chance to catch up with several former colleagues: Eva and her boyfriend who moved from Boston to Munich as well as Jens and Rainer who exhibited at the conference.
Thats about it. Its been the 3rd week of travel in a row. One more trip over the weekend and then I am back in Linz for a while - enjoying the christmas markets who I believe will open soon as well as enjoying our new Latin Music Bar :-)
Picture time ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov18 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov14 2010-11-14T10:12:00Z Lets Dance - or not?
First Ball of the season: Lets Dance in the Brucknerhaus in Linz. Expectations were high as we have been to this ball several times before and it was always really good to get our ballroom dance fix :-) - well - this year was a little different. Instead of two bands in the main ballroom they only had one. And - it was not really a ballroom band - it was - well - a party band for the "mainly" younger crowed. Not that it was bad - but - if they only know how to play Quick Step or Jive - and that for the whole evening - then there is something missing, e.g: Waltz.
What are the lessons learned: a) dont pick a ball where you are not sure if there is a real ballroom band playing and b) dont always say out loud whats on your mind - it might be more confusing than it helps explain a situation
The week ahead has more travelling to offer. After Zurich and London it is Nurnberg and Munich this week. Good news is that Alois is back in town for the next 4 weeks. Good to see him again after his first 3 months on the US West Coast. The upcoming weekend also sounds "really" promising :-)
Now - time again for a bike ride. Its mid of November but we have temperatures like in spring - up to 20 degrees with blue sky - GIS is calling!! ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov14 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov13 2010-11-13T10:04:00Z We found Paradise: Paraiso Music Bar in Linz :-)
Yesterday was the grand opening of a new Latin Music Bar in Linz. Fortunately for me it is just 2 blocks away - well - for me - almost everything is just a couple of blocks away as Linz is not as big as Boston ;-)
Gina and her team put a lot of effort in this bar which used to be an Irish Pub until about 2 years ago. They did a great job in cleaning this place up. Good dancefloor up-stairs, nice bar on the main level and some relax space downstairs.
That salsa dancing was good - at least in the beginning. After 10PM there were just too many people in there and it quickly changed to a huge latin party. Several shows and a live music performance added the special touch to this evening.
Well - good to know that there is a new place to hang out, to either just have a drink, a quick bite, or some moves on the dancefloor :-)
Time for pictures ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov13 http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov11 2010-11-11T01:48:00Z 47 hours trip to London
Exactly 47 hours ago my alarm went off - it was 2:30AM in the morning - and I got ready to drive to Schwechat to hop on the plane to London. The good thing about getting up that early is that there is absolutely no traffic. Made it to Schwechat in under 2 hours with plenty of time to enjoy a totally overpriced but good Viennese Breakfast.
The first day in London was packed. A workshop with a client during the day outside of London, a train ride into London in the evening, checking into the Hotel followed by another event in the evening. After that - 8PM ish - it was time for the pubs :-)
Today I had 3 hours in the afternoon to explore London. I took "The Tube" to Westminster where I crossed the path of several thousand protesting students. Seems that everywhere around Europe students are on the road these days fighting against budget cuts. Everything seemed really peaceful - it seems though that there were some smaller riots with damages later in the day.
Long story short: got to see Big Ben, The London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden before it was time to board the train to Heathrow and from there back to Vienna and back to Linz with the car. I was on Austrian Airlines - which I really like. But today the flight attendents really didnt do the best job. We started boarding on-time - but - we got delayed 30 minutes because it took them that long to get all the carry-on luggage in the overhead bins. It was almost like watching a comedy - 3 flight attendends shifting around pieces of luggage - back and forth for 30 minutes.
It was a good trip - now its 1:30AM - just got home (no traffic again :-)). Time for some pictures ]]> Andreas Grabner http://www.grabnerandi.at/diary/diary.htm#nov11