Here in Vienna Summer is almost over. Ivy grew tremendously, its lush green is beautiful. But soon the colour will change, leaves will fall… To me it looks like Ivy holding on to Summer…
Flower beds on the streets in Vienna are so pretty. Those types are quite new and perhaps last year they had their debut. Many different types of plants were planted and each season their growth shows are the passing of seasons. I think the choice of plants is quite clever and well thought out. In Spring the first types emerge from the soil, grow and then blossoms come out, other plants emerge… Passing by, one can make new discoveries and this brings joy to our eyes. Plants grow and slowly we transition to barren Winter. Even though it is in the city, the cycles of nature become visible and can be felt. Plants are integrated naturally into the city which calms our senses. And right now flower beds are already beginning to show the face of Fall…
In the 7th district of Vienna on Neubaugasse there is “Eisfuchs”. “Eisfuchs” in German means “Polar Fox”. But no, this is not a story about a zoo. Instead it is about a small ice cream shop. Quite small in fact so if you don’t pay attention, it is easy to just pass it by. From the other side of the street, a big advertisement with “Eisfuchs” is clearly visible. Here in Vienna there are many Italian ice cream shops. Also there are some ice cream shops such as Vegan or other special ice cream varieties, etc. This “Eisfuchs” seems to be Austrian locally produced ice cream. If that might be a mistake please excuse it but I have not seen “Eisfuchs” anywhere else in Vienna. Inside the shop there is a sign “Ice cream from local production”. When I pass by I usually buy a cone or a cup and enjoy it. Yesterday I chose two flavours. One was “Nectarine with green tea “and the other was “Walnut and fig”. “Nectarine with green tea” was very fresh and fruity. “Walnut and fig” was sumptuous and had a distinct fragrance of Walnut and figs added depth to the taste. That was very delicious! When you are in Vienna, I recommend you try “Eisfuchs”.
Sitting on a bench in front of Gabiano castle. ガビアノ城前のベンチに腰掛けて
For the past 6 years my husband and I have been studying classical singing with an Italian Maestra. That is why we go to see her in Northern Italy from Vienna. The last time we went was December 2019 and back then we could never have imagined that we would not be able to see her again for some time. You do know that the situation became quite difficult and we had to wait for a long time until it finally improved. And so finally last week we went to Italy again!
First we were very happy that our teacher and our friends were all in good health and we were so happy about seeing them again. How familiar it all felt! I had a kind of feeling that all of us experienced this same difficult situation and felt so grateful to be healthy. The city also did not look any different and as usual some people sit on benches enjoying human interaction. That made me very happy. Ever since I have been going to Italy regularly, I got the feeling that communication and interaction with other people is very important for them. Approaching and talking to people without hesitation, etc. that is how Italian everyday life goes. This way of life is not really foreign to me because my grandmother who raised me had this similar kind of mentality. That is why I like this aspect of Italy very much. And when I imagine those past dark days my heart really breaks. People had to be at home for days or even months, which brings no joy of living. I hope that this kind of situation never ever comes again.
We used some spare time to go to Castello Gabiano again, where we last went in March of 2019. According to our memory from back then we went for a short walk. Below you will find some pictures.
I found a new fountain at Neubaugasse in Vienna. It is right in front of a newly constructed bench. Three small fountains come from three outlets at alternating intervals. Since there is no border between the fountain and the street, everyone can come really close to it. Yesterday I sat on the bench in front of the fountain to rest and was enjoying the playful water action. Because it is so close to the bench, one can feel the water hit the feet when there is strong wind. I think that is a nice summer attraction.
Today I sat on a different bench a little farther away from the fountain and was observing the water from a distance. A small girl with her mother was sitting in front of the fountain. The child was interested in the fountain and went right to it with bare feet. She stepped on the water and had a lot of fun playing there. Some time later a child who was a little older came by with her father, took off her shoes and joined the other child right at the fountain. I presume they did not know each other but they played together like good friends which was rather cute to look at.
After they had left, two dogs and their owner came by and showed a lot of interest in the fountain. The interval of water coming out suprised the dogs and they were eagerly awaiting the next salvo of water. During about 30 minutes while I was there, other dogs as well enjoyed the playful water action.
I felt that there was quite a peaceful and enjoyable mood on that Summer day.
Yesterday the weather was very nice. It was quite hot and a blue sky. That’s why my husband and I went for a short walk. When we came to Museumsquartier (MQ, we noticed that in front of the elevator outside Leopold Museum there was sign which said it was free to go up to the rooftop. “MQ Libelle” is a gastronomy location newly built on top of Leopold museum. Unfortunately because of Covid-19 it has not been able to fully open yet. Always when we passed by we always said it was sad. So when we saw this sign, we very happy and immediately got on the elevator. When we got off, a beautiful scenery hit our eyes. All around the rooftop there is a protective glass barrier for safety. There is a space which seems to be a café, some people were sitting there. I made some pictures through that glass boundary and you can see them below.
Tower of “Casa Piccola” with a single cloud hovering next to it. How cute! 「カーザ ピッコラ」の塔の横に浮かんだ雲ひとつ。なんて可愛いの！Behind my husband you see the entrance to Heldenplatz at Hofburg between the domes of the two museums (Art history and Natural history). You can see some Viennese historic buildings. 夫の後ろ、美術史美術館と自然史博物館の間に、王宮に続く英雄広場の入り口が見えます。 その向こうにもウイーンの有名な建造物が幾つも。There was a street dance event in the courtyard of Museumsquartier. 美術館エリア（MQ）の広場では、ストリートダンスの催しが行われていました。MQ Libelle viewed from behind can be seen in the upper left area of the picture. 「MQリベッレ」を裏側から見たところ。左上がそれです。The next day the weather showed a very different side. Rainy and sometimes thunder could be heard. Between the rainshowers we went for a walk and I found those waterdrops on the leaves very beautiful. 一夜明けて今日は朝から雨降り。時々雷も聞こえます。 雨の止み間にちょっと散歩。 緑の葉っぱについた丸い水滴が綺麗です。
Pictures by Yuka Simeno, July 31st and August 1st in Vienna
Finally I am here again. This is the city where I grew up. Kochi! How much I love it here! For a long time I could not come back to this place. Today I fully enjoyed the feeling of being back home at the Sunday street market. Ever since I was a child I often came here with my grandmother. She was a regular customer of some stands and was friends with some of those people. She used to chat and sometimes she could also get discounts on some items. This market is so lively and interesting. Since the situation is not very favourable right now, I see that it is somewhat reduced and not quite as colourful. I hope that this time will pass quicklöy and all of us can enjoy freedom in full.
This product sold at supermarkets in Vienna for me is acceptable. If one wants to be real Tofu, some Asia shops have it. ウイーンのスーパーで売られているお豆腐の中で私が食べやすいと思う商品。 アジア系のお店に行けばいいお豆腐が買えます。
“Hit your head on a corner of Tofu and die” is a Japanese saying that used to be commonly heard some time ago. All Japanese know that Tofu is quite soft and therefore this expression is extremely sarcastic. In Austria however the Tofu types usually sold at supermarkets are quite hard. Of course not as hard as stone but for Japanese it is very unusual and seems like a different kind of product. Obviously it is not conceivable to hit your head on it and die. Maybe if it were frozen…
Bad jokes aside. My great grandfather Shimeno produced Tofu as a job. I call him “Shimeno great grandfather” because his family had no children and adopted my grandfather (mother’s side) when he was a child. Therefore “Shimeno Great grandfather” is not a direct blood relative of us three. According to my mother, she and her parents lived together with Shimeno family until about the age of attending early primary school. After that my grandfather’s family moved to Tokyo where his real biological father lived.
As a young child, my mother experienced my great grandfather’s Tofu shop. That was a small Tofu shop which not only sold but also produced Tofu themselves. Early in the morning before sunrise my Shimeno’s Great Grandfather got up, lit the furnace and started cooking Tofu. When my mother got up to go the bathroom she always used to observe that and she always greeted him “Grandfather, do you make Tofu?”
When I remember this story of my mother, I can literally picture that scene. In the dark, the furnace brightly lit and a grandfather standing in front of it working. Close to him my grandmother as a child with a bob haircut walking by him half asleep and greeting him… I find that so heartwarming and it puts a smile on my face. My mother heard from my grandfather that cats often used to lie on the residually warm ashes of the previous day and when he lit the fire, those cats quickly came out and ran away.
By the way, Tofu is one of my favourite foods. I heard that “Shimeno Tofu” was pretty popular. I really wanted one time to try Shimeno Tofu. What kind of taste was it?…
Today is Thursday “Fronleichnam”, which is also a public holiday in Austria. After a long time I went for a walk around Museumsquartier. This is a very popular space between two museums. Until recently it was compulsory to wear a mask here and all the poular seats were not provided. Very few visitors and the square was almost empty. Today it was very lively again, benches were again provided and a new sculptures are here to decorate the space. Many people relaxing and enjoying the day. That is so nice to look at.
In front of a house there is a small flowerbed which I pass by almost every day. It is the flowerbed in this picture and it was a little joy to look at those plants. Somehow those small fruits got a little bigger each day and I thought they might be Strawberries. Yesterday when I passed by and was looking forward in joy to its growth. When I saw it however I felt some confusion. The flowers and fruits were gone! There may be some reasons but to me it is so sad that I cannot see them anymore. Just like the flowerbed which does not belong to me, such things happen and there is just nothing we can do about them.
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