VIENNA, Week of April 17th

April 17: A national holiday so much was closed down. We explored a few tram routes out to the Ottakringer and Potzleinsdorf. We walked through some lovely parks that were not crowded. We some saw picking Barluch. Also near the Ottakringer there were a lot of Schutzhause—this are very little cottages with a tiny yard. People in apartments buy them and use them as a “country” get away. They are all lovingly cared for.

April 18: Gave a test and then we walked down to the Graben to go to an Italian restaurant we had seen. I ordered the lunch special which was spaghetti with tuna. Mary had a spinach tortellini with ham on top. We walked around and picked up a few things and looked in some shops. Did a bit of grocery shopping and then went to hear the Chief Justice of the Austrian Supreme Court speak at the university. He gave a talk on the history and role of the court—at the reception afterward I got to speak with him at length and asked him, among other things, if there were any controversies in Austria as in America regarding the politicization of the court. He said there weren’t any issues of the stature of Rowe v. Wade, but that politics still played a role in some court issues. Most surprising was his belief in natural law—I don’t think Senator Kennedy or other Democratic liberals would ever approve him for the US Supreme Court based on this belief. However, I didn’t get to ask him how he defined natural law. Afterward I saw him headed out the door and walking down the street to catch a tram when his cell phone rang and he stopped to answer it. I thought what Supreme Court judge would be doing this?—there would be a limo waiting and probably some security and aides assisting him.

April 19: Finals. I don’t know how everyone will do, but almost all students were interested in the subject material of the classes I taught. They were involved in discussions, attentive, and obviously had some interest in international issues. They were all very respectful.

April 20: Invited out to a home of an Austrian professor of international relations. It is some distance so we took the underground to a station where he parked his car and then we drove about a half hour (past the largest shopping center in Europe) to his home. We met his wife who was a very devout Catholic Christian. It is a lovely home that reminds me of those in suburbia—you could see the vineyards from their windows. We met their children and she told us two Catholic missionaries would also be coming for dinner. We met Joe and Mark (from the US)—they are in a small order (Milejs Jesus). It is a very conservative order and they obviously did not agree with some of the liberal trends in the Roman Catholic Church. They also publish a journal in German which seems interesting. One article was an attack on evolution. I hope to get a copy of this article to read at leisure and compare it to conservative Protestant attacks on evolution. They live by freewill gifts—we were told by the hostess that someone gave them beans so that is all they ate for two weeks. The hostess seems to feed them regularly. She also told us of some nuns who went door-to-door in the village witnessing—actually it seemed more like prayer-walking. Many Austrians would not let them pray for them (although some did)—the most interesting thing was that it was the Turkish Muslims who invited them in to their houses for prayer.

April 21: A beautiful day so took the tram to Kahlenberg just to walk in the Vienna Woods—will grade later! In the evening took a break to go to our favorite Italian Eis stand near the Graben. The lemon ice is the best I have ever tasted, although the strawberry and raspberry is superb as well.

April 22: Another beautiful day. Did our usual weekend shopping because of all the stores being closed on Sunday. Went to Naschmarkt (the giant flea market and food stall market) and looked around. I would like to buy some things, but I have no idea what is real and what is fake. Did buy a souvenir cap—the middle easterner wanted ten Euros but I got him down to 6 Euros. Probably that was too high. For lunch we shared a lamb kebap. For dinner met some of the other faculty and we went to a lovely local café (Neubauschenke) and sat in the interior garden. It is a delightful neighborhood restaurant with great food at good prices. Fish was what most people ordered; two had Barlauch soup and I did order liver dumpling soup—I won’t be getting much of that after we leave Austria. It was so pleasant sitting out – we talked for at least 2 ½ hours and no waiter rushed us to leave when we did. When we got back to the apartment I turned on the TV and we watched the cartoon production of the “Legend of Sleep Hollow” in German. After some channel jumping landed on the BBC channel which I almost never watch because they have sitcoms and I have trouble watching something when I haven’t seen it from the beginning. But tonight the BBC was airing a special on Hillary Clinton—it was fascinating and I am not sure it would air on American TV. I have had the impression that the BBC is rather liberal and certainly pro-Clinton or pro-Democratic and anti-Republican (but this is from only reading certain critics and not really from watching it). However, you couldn’t tell the BBC had a left bias from watching this special on Hillary—she came across as an arrogant, ambitious lady from her time at Wellsley to the present. There were many fascinating interviews with those that new Bill and Hillary. Everything from Bill’s womanizing to Hillary’s drive was dealt with. After watching it, I wonder who would vote for Hillary. I would like to see what the BBC has produced about other US politicians.

April 22: Had our Turkish friend over for dessert. He expressed concerns about how Turkish young people in Vienna are being influenced by the materialistic culture here. Traditions break down in some families. Also drugs can become a problem. He tutors some young Turkish children in math and science and can’t discipline them as he could in Turkey. Didn’t get into too much politics, but it is clear he does not see the Kurds as freedom fighters.