Just Some Knitting Stuff

I recently purchased this enormous knitting bag, and it is so handy and so pretty to look at. At the risk of sounding horribly consumeristic and like a spokesperson for the "Vera Bradley" company, these bags are wonderful. They come many sizes and shapes, and if you sign up for the mailing list, you get a coupon for lots of money off. Then you are hooked, I guess. As you can see, the bag has several pockets inside and holds a ton of stuff.

Here's a top I recently finished, made of a light worsted weight wool and linen blend yarn--Berroco "Linsey." The pattern is the "Aria Shell" by Angela Hahn, in the spring issue of Interweave Knits.

And here's another finished project--yes, one more mini-shawl/scarf. You can't have too many of these! They are a blast to make and are just so pretty and practical. But actually, I do end up giving some away; I can't wear them all. (As always, let me know if you like something I've made, and I'll make one for you, in the colors you like!)

The yarn is a DK weight, plant fiber and cotton blend from Queensland Collection, "Haze." The pattern is called "Ripples," by Annelie Wallborn. (You can find it on Ravelry.)

Finally, Our Vienna Pictures

Here's the link for a few pictures from our March trip to Vienna and Bratislava:

https://plus.google.com/photos/103967026405398398091/albums/5861731929418374673

Spokane Falls in Spring

Conrad and Greg at the lower falls

This year Conrad made a great looking video of our Spokane River Falls in its thundering spring glory:

Bitty's Adventure

Friend Pava sent me these pictures with captions about our cat Cleo, aka Bitty. Pava graciously took Bitty when we moved into our apartment since cats are not allowed here. Bitty did not find it easy to adjust to a new environment, even though she gets better care and more attention than she did before, but now it looks like she has finally settled in!

Bitty goes exploring

She ponders where to go next

Perhaps this is a nice place

I think I'll rest a bit

Please don't talk while I'm resting

Yes, this is very nice

Ah, this is bliss

There's an Easter Market Too!

It is so much fun to discover new things here...today we happened upon an Easter market (Osternmarkt), which appears similar to the lovely Christmas markets I know from Germany. Maybe it's a new thing they started, I don't know for sure. But there it was with all kinds of hand made things, including plenty of Easter themed items, such as hollowed-out, hand-painted Easter eggs:

There were lots of stands selling all kinds of yummy foods and beverages: Apfelstrudel, gebrannte Mandeln and Gluehwein among them:

Plenty of people were out enjoying the market:

We refrained from the Gluehwein because it was early in the day (that did not stop most people, it seemed), but we're planning on going back tomorrow!

Bratislava!

St. Martin's Church, Bratislava

We took a side trip to Bratislava, Slovakia today, an hour's train ride from Vienna. Even though I had read some of the history of Bratislava and checked out what we should do and see there before, I didn't have a good idea of what it was I was going to see.

I had read that Bratislava had a long history as the seat of the Hungarian monarchy and that in the early twentieth century the population was mostly Hungarian and German; only a small proportion of the population was Slovakian. After WWI the Czech and Slovak areas become one country, Czechoslovakia, which was taken over by the Soviets after WWII and which, in the early 1990s, a while after the Iron Curtain came down, split into two countries: The Czech Republic and Slovakia; Bratislava became the capital of Slovakia. By the end of WWII, the Hungarians and Germans were mostly gone (many Germans were expelled).

The city certainly looks like a a former Communist city for the most part. It's grey, the buildings are in disrepair, and there are huge blocks of concrete apartments spread across a wide section of town. But in the center is the jewel...the enduring structures of that long history before the Communists took over. A castle, churches, town halls, palaces, cobble stone streets, beautiful narrow passageways and wide open squares. While we were looking at these sights, reading about the places, and taking pictures, I suddenly got it. Bratislava is the Slovakian name for the German city that was there for centuries--Pressburg.(of course, there's a Hungarian name too). Lots of big historical events took place there, such as the Peace of Pressburg, signed in 1805, effectively ending the Holy Roman Empire.

When I understood Bratislava as having been Pressburg, I felt like I understood the city and its past much better. It all made sense, and it made me miss Germany too.

Back in Vienna

Karlskirche, Vienna

It's cold here, but we didn't come for the weather. After visiting Vienna last year and going to several magical performances, we knew we had to come back for more music and ballet. So far we've been to a newly choreographed version of the ballet "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that makes you understand what ballet is all about, a beautiful rendition of "Rigoletto" at the Volksoper, and the exquisit "Barber of Seville" at the Staatsoper. The operas were, simply put, world class. The singing is so effortless that you think it could not be any work for the singers at all. We still have several more operas to see, and tonight, Greg is taking in the BBC Philharmonic. During the days we walk all over Vienna, stop to see a church, a museum, or some art, eat some cake, and walk and walk some more. It's really fun.

We have trips planned to Melk, Bratislava and who knows where else. But mainly, we're here for the culture... and the cake. Pictures will be posted soon; until then:

An East German "Trabbi" 

Love the flower shops!

A visit to Freud's house and work place

Perhaps our favorite cafe: Cafe Central

Greg enjoying "the best cake in the world" at Cafe Central