Everyday stuff

Transportation. There are a lot of things to admire about life in Europe. For one, the transportation system is enviable; trams, busses and trains will get you just about everywhere. Not only is there an extensive tram/bus network in Graz, but they run frequently -- even on weekends. Everything is up-to-date with automated ticket machines and every stop has a digital sign that tells you how many minutes you have to wait until the next tram or bus. Most of us here have purchased a monthly pass ($60) which enables us to ride anywhere, anytime.

Laundry. Just don't get me started! This is one aspect of living here that makes us want to bang our heads against a wall in frustration. There is a laundry room in the Heim, but using the washers and dryers is bizarrely complicated. I can't even begin to describe the process; you need an advanced degree in mechanical engineering to do your laundry there. The concept of 'coin-operated' seems to be unheard of in Austria. Besides the matter of operating the machines (and all I want to do is wash my clothes, not find a cure for cancer!), the washing room in the Heim is booked solid for weeks in advance. The other day I schlepped over to the one and only automat in town, entailing a tram and a bus ride, with my laundry. The place was nice, it was clean, but it was also expensive. Washing and drying two loads cost me over $15, about three times the cost in the States. Maybe I should go the way of some Europeans and simply not wash my clothes or myself at all (and what's up with that?), or I could find a nice spot on the edge of the Mur river and bang my clothes on the rocks.

Food. Here I can go into ecstacies. Austrian cuisine is wonderful. One can eat so well in this town, and usually for a reasonable cost. Every restaurant I have been to so far has offered dishes for vegetarian guests. Some delicious specialties are: Schwammerlrisotto (delicate local mushrooms baked with cheese and rice); Semmelknödel mit Champignon Rahmsauce (Bread dumplings with a mushroom cream sauce); Gemüselaibchen (vegetable cutlets); Spätzle mit Käse (a kind of small pasta variety with grated cheese). You can wash it all down with the wonderful local wines and beers. And for dessert there are the famous Austrian Torten and ice cream creations. Konditerein (café/bakeries) are numerous. The down side is that this luscious cuisine is heavy with cream and cheese. If I'm not careful I may have to reserve two seats for my flight home. I try to walk as much as I can, and occasionally leave out a meal. But going out to eat is so pleasant; usually there are sidewalk tables, or there is a nice quiet garden in the back, and there are interesting colleagues to hang out with. And then there's that great beer. Every restaurant is family owned and is unique -- no franchises like Olive Garden, Applebees, etc. that serve mediocre, boring food and have the ambience of a cardboard box.