Another Bike Ride / Visit To Friends

Saturday afternoon, a bike ride along the Marchfeldkanalradweg. Which is a poly-syllabic word meaning "Morava Plain canal bicycle path."

The canal was built for the farmers as an irrigation canal. It runs through a district in Northern Vienna before continuing out into the countryside. The good thing for us, and hundreds of other people, is that they built a path along the canal for bicyclists. So off we went.

The canal isn't always this straight; often it curves and twists.

We caught these deer running from one planted field, across an unplanted field, only to hide in the next planted field on the other side. Beautiful animals.

We stopped several times to ask directions in town before finding the path along the canal. People were friendly but they didn't always give accurate directions. B's father says most people simply don't know how to give concise, accurate directions. He, and B, should have been navigators by profession----I've never known anyone more fascinated by maps or in knowing where they are precisely at any given moment than B and her father. They're like human GPS devices.

It was a wonderful ride in perfect weather along the canal and surrounding farm fields. We saw onions and pumpkins and corn and lots of sugar beets in the fields.

We rode maybe 20 kilometers or so and came to a town called Deutsch Wagram, where we caught a train back to Vienna. And on the train, shortly after boarding, we were visited by the conductor who checked our tickets. Which were in order. Except, our bikes also had to have tickets, and they didn't. WTF?

Cost for each human to ride back to Vienna: 3.60 Euro. Cost for each bike: 5 Euro.

B and the conductor got into a philisophical discussion about this, the conductor explaining that the 5 Euro fee was good all day, not just for a ride back to Vienna. It was also notable that, while bikes were allowed on the train, there's no convenient place to put them once inside---you just hope the train isn't crowded as hell (which it wasn't---it was pretty empty, in fact) when you decide to climb aboard.
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After a brief rest, we took the car to visit our friends I and E in their new house.

Previously, they'd been living for 26 years in a fine old apartment. They really liked it. But the owner convinced them to move out, because the place was rent controlled and he knew he could sell it for a fortune once he got them out of there. (When they'd first moved there, the rent was cheap. And more or less stayed that way. And the landlord started smelling money, but in some cases their hands are tied, and then they have to play ball, or else. I like this system!)

And how did he convince them to move out? By giving them 80,000 Euro to do so. Which sounds like a lot, but he'll get 400,000 Euro when he sells the place, so WTF.

Anyhow, with heavy hearts and a now-heavy wallet, they moved out and bought a house in a nice part of Vienna, then spent a bunch of money renovating it. And it really is a beautiful place---four floors, basement - attic, and a nice yard in back. New deck, retractable sunscreen roof, etc. Very Euro-modern and beautiful.

But after months of hassling with craftsmen and the architect and etc. etc. they're pretty tired and ready to be done with it. This is the story I hear every time somebody tells me about a renovation----Jesus, what a hassle.

But they get a nice view of this neighborhood in Vienna...

After a couple hours visiting with I and E on their deck, we drove home and had a good meal: pizza.

And watched a movie on TV about how insipid modern television is. The irony wasn't lost on us.

Societies Compared, Part 1

Below are images from the front pages (not well-hidden back sections) of two Austrian newspapers, Der Standard and Kurier.

I have to emphasize that these are not tabloid papers, such as the British SUN or American NATIONAL ENQUIRER, but in fact are well-respected dailies. Der Standard is considered a more liberal paper, Kurier a more moderate paper.

One of the local radio stations, FM4, sponsored a music festival and at this festival, a German photographer asked for volunteers to pose nude for one of his photo projects. The volunteers took off their clothes and arranged themselves as the photographer directed in an open area near the festival.

The issue here isn't nudity, per se, but rather society's reaction (or non-reaction) to it.

I'll let you imagine for yourself the reaction that would result in your community should photos like this appear on the front pages of daily papers, displayed openly on newsstands (where---gulp!---children could see them. The children...the children...[wring hands, clench teeth, be afraid, look for someone to lash out against])

I could give a shit about nudity one way or the other---you want to be nude, be nude. You want to wear clothes, wear clothes. I just think it's interesting that Austrian mainstream newspapers will run pics like this on the front page, and will refrain from pixilating the "naughty bits."