Hello from Vienna, Austria!

Jim, Rosie, and I are settling in well, It’s been a busy and interesting 2 weeks. We are learning new things every day!

We are very fortunate that our Airbnb is very close to a wonderful park that is very dog-friendly, so we have talked to many dog owners and Rosie has had some playdates. It is also close to a couple of grocery stores, public transportation, and cafes. The building we are staying in however is undergoing a refacing, so it is covered in scaffolding and webbing and occasionally there are workers outside our window.? We joke about offering them a glass of water or an ashtray.

We are starting the process of looking for a flat.? We like the area we are in because it convenient to public transportation.? Jim can be sitting at his desk in 25 minutes which is such a difference from his 45 minute - 1.5-hour commute from South Riding to Rockville the past 18 years.?

We are learning our way around the city.? Jim didn’t have to work our first week, so we were able to explore together.? We purchased 3-day tickets for the Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus, over the course of the week we went on 2 bus tours to give us an overview of the area and a walking tour of the city center.? The tour guide for the walking tour was fantastic, we learned quite a bit about the history and culture of Austria.? She timed it perfectly, so we were able to see the famous Lipizzaner Stallions on their way to training. When she found out we were moving to Vienna she spent some time after the tour answering questions and offering some suggestions for us.

We found the Vienna English Speaking Catholic Community, so we can go to Sunday Mass in English.? It takes us about 20 minutes to get there on the U-Bahn.? The community is very welcoming and again very helpful.? There are people from all over the world that attend Mass, which is very cool. I also found a Daily Mass that works with my schedule in a beautiful Baroque church, it is in German, but the cadence of the Mass is universal.

We have been taking a lot of walks around the city which is helping us embrace the Viennese cafe lifestyle.? After all the walking it is nice to sit in a cafe and have a drink and a snack.

Jim is working for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which is part of the United Nations. The mission of the IAEA is to promote the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.? He will be teaching member nations about contingency response associated with nuclear security….in laymen terms, how to defend from attack.? The UN campus in Vienna houses numerous UN agencies.? Jim is considered a diplomat which is pretty wild.? Family members are given a badge so I can freely enter the facility and join Jim for lunch at their cafeteria. ?

Jim had a good first week of work.? Much of his time has been spent filling out paperwork that needs to be done for us to gain residence in Austria.? He is learning to work in a new bureaucracy.? In Vienna they take “time” for virtually everything, and that requires patience, somewhat different form the American approach to things.

We need to be issued legitimization cards that prove we are residents for important things like cell phones and clearing our household goods through customs. This will probably take a few weeks.

While Jim is at work, I am trying to explore the city a bit on my own. I’m getting more comfortable traveling by U-Bahn and tram.? Dogs are allowed on public transportation, though they need to wear a muzzle, so now that the weather is cooling off Rosie and I will explore some of the dog parks. I hope to find some places to volunteer.?

We miss our family and friends more than we can even say!? We are grateful for FaceTime and texting, it is easy to stay in touch, unlike when we lived in Hawaii 30 years ago!?