Today is the 30th of December. I heard that a full moon in December is called “Cold Moon”. When I took this picture, an elder pedestrian spoke to me and said “You may make a wish”. We all wished each other a wonderful New Year and good luck and parted ways. I found this short conversation quite nice and pleasant.
Always when I see the moon, I get a feeling that I want to talk to it. This feeling is maybe not only my own. The moon is always so close to us and seems so familiar. I find it somehow filled with meaning that we are able to see such a beautiful moon at the end of the year. I find it especially mystic … From my mouth the following words flowed spontaneously “Thank you, moon. Stay with us please forever…”
Yesterday (December 26th) I finally saw at least a partially blue sky. Since for along time in Vienna there were cloudy and dark skies I was very happy about that. In the evening I went for a walk on Mariahilferstrasse. The air was cold and dry. Suddenly I noticed the moon above the church in the sky. The weather improved and the moon was clearly visible. Normally here is one location of Christmas markets in Vienna with many visitors. This year however, Mr. Haydn in front of the church must have felt somewhat lonely. Right now there should still be a small market in front of the church selling New Year charms to give to other people. This year however everything was cancelled.
One night passed and one day later the weather has improved even more. There is even sunlight and a blue sky. How much I have missed it! But the weather forecast however says this will sadly not last long. That’s why I will go for a walk soon and enjoy this blessing.
From the small street where I live to the big shopping street Mariahilferstrasse, I suddenly noticed that it was so bright. I looked up and saw that the Christmas illuminations had been switched on! Oh how I had waited for this! How bright and beautiful! There were many other people taking pictures of it. Everyone had been waiting for it. In this difficult time filled with restrictions and bad news I feel as though these lights also illuminate my heart. I noticed that tears flowed from my eyes and it was not due to the cold wind…
Yesterday (December 3rd) when I opened the curtains of my window, I was surprised to see that it had snowed. The roof of the neighbouring house was all white! Still it was snowing a little bit more. I love Vienna in the snow but this time I could not be entirely happy about it. Snow in Vienna during the time before Christmas I find special because it creates a unique atmosphere. Especially Christmas markets in snow are so pretty. Getting hot wine or punch and enjoying it in the cold while warming up with it. That is a specialty in Vienna and together with snow it is more enjoyable. This year however all Christmas markets have been cancelled! How sad. The last couple of years it was rare to get snow during that time and then right now it did snow.
I heard that yesterday there was snow not only in Vienna but in fact the entire country, which is quite rare. If there is a lot of snow in the mountains, it is lovely to go skiing. The last couple of years, those regions as well did not have enough snow. And now it is snowing even though tourists cannot come to Austria easily. I find that somewhat ironic.
But starting today in Vienna it will get a little warmer every day and the snow will not stay for a long time. Presumably Monday the snow will be barely visible and the city can defrost a little bit from lockdown! Because the infection numbers came down a bit, the Austrian government decided on lifting some restrictions. With all my heart I hope that this time will end soon.
Today, November 23rd, the Austrian minister of health publicly stated that the number of infections has decreased slightly. If all goes well, starting December 7th, there will be some easing of lockdown conditions. Yesterday in Vienna there was a beautiful red dusk. I hope that our future will be like that beautiful dusk filled with hope.
Since Tuesday, November 17th 2020, Austria has been in the second lockdown. But this time it is a little less strict than the first one. Some people are out on the streets going for a walk, playing sports, and some restaurants are open for getting takeout food. Unfortunately the infection numbers are still increasing. I hope that the effect of the lockdown will show in the numbers soon. All of us living in Austria are looking forward to Christmas markets. Previously it was said that despite the pandemic there would be Christmas markets but because of the situation some markets have already been cancelled. Today the preparations for the famous market in front of City Hall Vienna were stopped. Now it is being said it is unknown whether this market can indeed open at all this year. To be honest, I never thought we would experience such a time…
Today the weather turned really nice. After some time I went for a longer walk to Burggarten and a short stroll on Kärntnerstrasse. Due to the coronavirus restaurants are closed except for takeout service. Also because recently there was a very sad incident, not many people were out on the streets. I made some discoveries and my heart could be consoled a little bit.
Found a pinecone between fallen leaves! Pinecone is called “Bockerl” in Austria. In Japanese it is called “Bokkuri”. Sounds somewhat similar, doesn’t it? 落ち葉の中に松ぼっくりを見つけました！松ぼっくりはオーストリアでは「ボッカル」といいます。ちょっと響きが「ぼっくり」に似ていませんか？Found different types of leaves. いろんな葉っぱを見つけました。Christmas illumination on Kärntnerstrasse. Even though it is not switched on, glass reflects the sunlight and glitters in different colours. Like magic! ケルントナー通りのクリスマス用のイルミネーション。灯されていないのに、太陽の光に反射して、いろんな色に輝いています。魔法みたい！
Pictures by Yuka Simeno（except the third from above), Novmber 6th 2020 in Vienna
Pummerin ringing / Mourning the victims / Stephansdom, the heart of Vienna / Viennese call its bell Pummerin with a feeling of familiarity / Now it is mourning / We sink in grief / Its sound also echoes in our hearts / November 3rd, 2020
Pumpkins at a supermarket.スーパーのかぼちゃコーナー ”Hokkaido” pumpkin. I put a full sized fork next to it to demonstrate size.「Hokkaido」。大きさの比較のため食事用フォークを置きました
Now it is pumpkin season. At supermarkets in Vienna many different pumpkins can be seen. From very large ones to small ones are decorated in many colours and sizes. It is entertaining and humorous to watch.
I think what I as Japanese imagine in terms of taste and what local people do could be quite different. Usually in Japan, pumpkin dishes have a very sumptuous taste which is more dense and sweet than Austrian cuisine. A typical pumpkin dish, which my grandmother always prepared, is cooked and sweet. Not only pumpkins, my grandmother also cooked bean dishes with a sweet taste. As a child, such a sweet taste accompanying rice was not something I liked. Now however I enjoy such a taste and I miss it a lot. If one wanted to create the same taste with local pumpkins, one would not succeed. Local pumpkins are much harder and have a more neutral taste. Starting some years ago, a type of pumpkin named “Hokkaido” has been available in Austria. Hokkaido is one of the Japanese main islands. I do not know whether there is a relationship between those pumpkins and the island but I had hoped the taste would be similar to Japanese pumpkins. I tried to prepare it Japanese style but unfortunately just like all other available pumpkins in Austria, the taste did not turn out the way I intended. Nevertheless recently I bought a “Hokkaido” pumpkin and prepared it in different ways as salad, soup and stir-fry and enjoyed it.
By the way, today is Halloween. When I started living in Austria, there was no such thing here. But around the turn of the millennium this custom was slowly adopted here as well. Of course at Halloween pumpkins cannot be missing. This year however due to the Coronavirus, the Austrian government is asking people not to participate in Halloween parties. The government is already preparing the announcement of stricter measures. This year, the faces of Halloween pumpkin decorations, to my eyes appear not to be smiling…
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