Eddie & Roheela

London Bound! Originally we were going to meet Ted & Kim in London, then they were going to come visit us in Vienna. Then coincidentally Eddie & Roheela had similar plans at the same time. How fun, the more, the merrier. Sadly, the Icelandic volcano put a halt on Ted & Kim's flight and they weren't able to fly over (we will have take-2 next spring!). Luckily, Eddie & Roheela's flight the following day was successful and was the 2nd flight to land in Heathrow since the start of all the volcano and traveling madness.

Once in London it felt almost like home. Having studied abroad there in college, Andrew came along with me to some old stomping grounds. I felt like it was so easy- English everywhere to be heard and read, and we had a blast. It was so good to be with E & R and meet their English and Irish friends and paint the town. We spent all day & night making the best of our 3 days there.

Back in Vienna, Eddie & Roh made for some fun roommates. The mornings were spent making breakfast-including Eddie's famous french toast and pancakes and nights of playing intense card games into the wee hours. Being the sleeper-inners they are, it was almost comical to witness the infamous church bells outside our living room (AKA guest bedroom) window piously wake the angels. Eddie learned quickly and started wearing earplugs to bed-but nothing can really escape you from the heavenly sound right outside the window, especially on Sundays and holidays.

Eddie & Roh really explored the city with & without us. When I wasn't at school and when Andrew wasn't working, we loved getting out together. They even joined us in a double-header softball game. Aside from Vienna sightseeing, we rented a car and took a little venture. The first day we drove to Bratislava, Slovakia and then to Sopron, Hungary and back to Vienna. Along the way, we saw such things that looked like a hobbit village (a street lined with short houses with small doors), stumbled upon the European Kiteboarding tournament at Lake Neusiedlersee in Austria, and ended the night with our navigation system taking us down some crazy scary back roads in Hungary where we thought for a moment was "the end."

The next day we went on the most fantastic road trip. Passing through the gorgeous Austrian countryside, we headed northwest to a small town called St. Oswald bei Freistadt. E & R met a co-worker of Eddie's mom who is Austrian. Although he has lived in Seattle for 19 years, he told us that his parents would love to have us visit. Rudolph and Martha were the sweetest couple and most gracious hosts. The little country town they live in is straight from the movies. From the beginning they spoiled us-bought us dinner, cooked us breakfast, and fed us unlimited food, beer, schnapps, and bole (a spiked punch drink). The best part about this place is that we got to stay in their country cabin that was a few kilometers up the mountain from their house. The charming cabin was quaint, had no electricity, was equipped with the nicest outhouse we'd ever seen, and had 2 stocked fishing ponds on the property. We got to take our turns catching our fish. There was minimal screaming done by the girls as we reeled them in and Rudy conked them out. It was hard enough watching him filet the fish in front of us but at least we didn't have to do it ourselves. If catching our fish wasn't fun enough, the adorable couple smoked and prepared our catch of the day and we had ourselves a lovely lunch. The evening was spent sitting by the outdoor fire and gazing at the night sky that was splattered with stars. Sitting by candlelight, we talked and played games until the AM hours. That night, the four of us slept surprising well in the 2 twin-beds in our little cabin.

We spent the weekend walking the small town, drinking and filling up our water bottles with the local healing water, and visiting the brewery. Like everyday, we stopped to get ice cream. Gotta appreciate friends who made it a priority to have at least one stop for ice cream each day.

Having nearly 3 weeks to spend with Eddie & Roheela was incredible. When else do you get to spend day-in and day-out with such fun people? Sunrise, sunset. Although we didn't request anything from home (except pen pal letters from my past classroom that my class in Vienna is writing with), E & R came bearing gifts. They got us new ski goggles (they noticed how I borrowed Andrew's huge ones), Tillamook cheese (cheese is good here, but not the cheddar so much), a big box of chocolate for the prego lady, and some booze for the dad-to-be. Before they departed they got us some new place mats (we had service for 2), a salad bowl (again, ours served 2), an electric tea kettle (our stove kettle can take a little time), and a BBQ! We've got to hand it to them, they are observant to our needs/wants and know how to take care of us.

We are very happy that our world traveling friends put us on their vacationing map. Promise me that we can get back on the daily ice cream diet when we come home this summer!

Baby on Board

So, we've been a little busy since our last post. We had a good stretch of visitors that we will write about in the next post and many, many things have happened. As you may know by now, we are having a BABY!! After we popped the news to Destiny & Eric (it was so nice to tell them in person), we spread the word to all of you. We are due October 16th. Now that I'm 5 months along, my belly recently decided to pop, and we are getting more and more excited. I have had an easy pregnancy and haven't had an obvious prego signs, just some fatigue (but who isn't tired). If it weren't for the monthly ultrasounds, I would still be in disbelief. I found an excellent doctor and the health care in Austria is amazing. We are planning on delivering at a reputable hospital across the street from our house (http://www.rudolfinerhaus.at/en/the-rudolfinerhaus.html). No taxi or public transportation necessary. It makes me laugh and ponder when I think of going into labor and walking down the 63 steps from our flat and crossing the street to deliver our child.

I am planning on starting off the school year in August then taking October-December off. I get 3 months maternity leave. We plan to bring our new bundle of joy home to Seattle all of December. I will return to work in January and Andrew will be Mr. stay-at-home dad. He is so excited and we are really lucky to have this opportunity for our baby to be at home with dad. Andrew (along with everyone else except Marko), thinks we're having a girl. We're keeping it a surprise. Of course we won't know for sure until the baby is born and I find it peculiar that so far there has been an overall GIRL response. Our baby is ALREADY loved by so many. He/she is already blessed by having amazing family and friends. Thank you for all the love and joy you've already shared with us. As time is getting closer to coming home for the month of July, I can hardly wait to see you and give lots and lots of hugs. And I cannot wait to squeeze my nieces!

Greece and Easter Break

Our most recent adventure started Friday, April 2nd. We left after work and headed to Athens where we met Eric and Destiny-we were so excited! Our flight to Athens was 1 hour and 45 minutes. After our reunion with Eric and Destiny, and though they had been up for what seemed like forever, we went to a little street side cafe near our apartment. We sat and enjoyed the night spring air-in Athens! After that, and most nights from there on out, we stayed up chatting-sometimes until 5 in the morning! I don't think that helps with jet lag.

The weekend brought some great meals, weather and sights. Being Easter weekend, the usual busy streets of Athens were quite. Most Greeks were spending the holiday in surrounding villages. Our apartment was situated about a 15 minute walk from the Acropolis. We explored that area extensively and ate in the Plaka a couple of times. Walking up the Acropolis and to the Parthenon was amazing, we had clear blue skies, sun over head, and few crowds!

We cooked our own little Easter dinner. At midnight went to a nearby church for part of Easter services. It was very festive- at midnight the clock bells rang, firecrackers went off endlessly, and we lit our candles at the church. It had a much different feel than the services at home.

After an enjoyable stay in Athens we decided to head to the islands. We got up early in the morning and headed for the metro down to the port to catch the boat we had booked earlier that weekend. The ferry was huge and much nicer than we were expecting. It was a high speed boat but still took 5 hours. After stopping at a few islands along the way, we made it to Santorini. We spent a couple of nights and got a feel for life in the Cyclades Islands.

Once we reached the island of Santorini, hotels were eager to advertise their accommodations. The first guy we talked to drove quite a bargain so we headed up the hill with a couple of options. The place we ended up staying at had an epic view in a town called Fira. Fira itself is perched on the cliff side and we had panoramic view of the crater and a view into downtown Fira. Quite extraordinary. We ended up with two rooms next to each other with a "private" (patio) in between that had the view of which I just spoke. It was hard to beat. It didn't take long for us to settle in and soak up some much needed vitamin D. With the sun and smiles draped on all of our faces we took a deep breath of life on the the Aegean Sea.

For the next couple of days we took walks along the ridge into town, enjoyed the amazing scenery and continued to have amazing meals-we LOVE Greek food! Tiropita, spanakopita, dolmades, tzatziki, moussaka, gyros, greek salad, pastitsio, saganaki, and baklava-YUM! Each night we enjoyed the sunset, and we even caught a morning sunrise. We took a trip out to the beach town of Kamari and walked on the black sand. What an amazing time of relaxation and sight seeing we had with our family.

Unfortunately the time came that we had to leave the beautiful island. Two flights later and a bit of time in the Athens airport and we were home in Vienna.

We got the opportunity to show Dest and Eric a bit of the city before the poor weather crept in. We did our best tour guide impersonations. While together, we loved having morning coffee, eating bowls of cornflakes, Skping with the girls, walking around town-oh and of course, introducing Eric to Kaser Krainers and taking them to have falalfel sandwiches at Dr. Falalfel. It was nice just to show them what life is like where we are living. Eventually Eric and Destiny had to leave us (luckily they made it a day before the Icelandic volcano eruption). We had an unbelievable time together, one we will remember forever and ever! We are already planning our itinerary for next spring.

Jack & Renae's Visit

For the latest of what is going on in Ciara and Andrew's world we had some esteemed guests visit in the last few weeks. Jack and Renae Foster showed up in Vienna on the 15th of March, much to the excitement and pleasure of the Leckie family (Europe Post). They immediately brought a smiling attitude to our home. They came bearing gifts, we felt like it was Christmas all over again. Two of which being some of the most missed things from home, Emergen-C and a half loaf of Tillamook Medium Cheddar. What a delight. They also made us a personalized calendar with pictures of family and friends. Those Fosters always take care of us! Where would we be without them?

Once they got settled we immediately got them out on the town. We headed out for drinks and dinner and got them exploring the splendid public transportation we've come to love. We kept them up the best we could in an attempt to avoid jetlag.

The next day we ventured out in Vienna. We stopped in a local Biergarten style restaurant in the center of town and had a good meal. I introduced Jack to some Austrian Bier's-which he welcomed whole-heatedly the entire trip. Coming in at a close 2nd-the Kaiser Krainer (sausages filled with cheese) was also a favorite.

While here, they got a chance to see Ciara's school, shop for produce and eat fallafel sandwiches at the Naschmarkt, shop on Maria Hilfer, roam around the 1st district and visit Schonbrunn Palace with its Easter Market and delicious food. Being the best of running friends that they are, Ciara and Renae got to go on a few runs together like old times. Through the course of their 10-day stay, we started with snow, a day of rain, and then sunny 70 degree weather.

Thursday we went to Semmering to go skiing, and enjoyed a wonderful spring ski day. From the scenic restaurant on the top of the mountain, we of course got our fill of Kaise Krainers and Biers! It was great to get in a good day on the slopes in mid-March.

For the weekend we got out of town and went to Prague. We packed up the necessities-cards, nose cups (courtesy of Alice), assorted cheeses, snacks, chocolate, and of course a few beverages. Well equipped for the trip we ended up having to run for the train! Miscalculation in the time of departure. Barely making it on before the doors closed, we made it in the nick-of-time. Always an adventure. If we counted the rounds of cards we played on the train and throughout their entire stay, I'm sure it would be well over 100. With sore losing and heated contests aside, it was a fabulous time. Once in Prague, we checked-in to our suite in the Castle District. During our time there, we had a traditional Czech dinner, roamed the picturesque city, checked out some new restaurants and visited the Easter market in Old Town Square. That Sunday, Jack & Renae walked along side Prince Charles and snapped a great photo of him.

Back in Vienna, we spent time having pajama parties, making meals, going to dinner, playing games, roaming the city, and just spending time together before they left. It is so nice to have a little piece of home in our new home abroad. Thanks for visiting Jack & Renae-we had a wonderful time! Next on the books.....Destiny & Eric meet us in Greece. Only 3 days away now...

February Fun

February marks the beginning of visitors. We are excited to have a list of friends & family coming from now until summer. We started first with Sarah and Nikki. After a little confusion of the arrival day, Sarah arrived in Vienna just in time for an adventure to Venice for Carnival. We took the "Carnival" train which meant an overnight ride Friday, spend all day Saturday in Venice, then another overnight ride Saturday, bringing us back to Vienna on Sunday morning. We had two cabin sleeping cars for the 7 of us, and the train came complete with a Saloon Car and Disco Car-it never fails, no matter how far removed you may feel, you can never escape the Macarena!

Once in Venice, the colors and artistic beauty of Carnival costumes were abundant. One-by-one we selected and bought masks to celebrate the occasion. We walked along the cobble streets and over bridges and took in the sights. The people dressed in extravagant costumes were exquisite-they assumed serious roles and posed for the cameras. Most of the festivities took place in San Marco square and the day was filled with celebration and ended with shows and dancing. We had so much fun walking into squares playing music where we stopped everything and danced. The train rides were also a blast, filled with games and eats and drinks.

The day we returned from Venice, Nikki arrived! It was so great having both Sarah and Nikki here during my February ski week. We spent the first 3 days touring around Vienna-went to a couple museums, ice-skating at the Rathaus, quiz-night at Johnnys, and of course eating and drinking. Then we were off to the mountains in the Salzburg area. We stayed at a guest house in Altenmarkt and skied gorgeous slopes at Zauchensee. We were blown away by the amount of mountains and ski resorts there are in this area

and we are already making plans to go back in the summer for rafting and canyon hiking.

One night in a nearby town called Flachau, we did about an hour hike up a steep and snowy mountain with unguarded cliffs and subtle turns. Our destination was a huge traditional

Austrian restaurant. There, we ate heavy and delicious food amongst other locals and visitors whom we became friends with as

the evening went on. After dinner, the best part of night was the sled ride back down the mountain. We saw the terrain during the sunset hike, but now it was dark and we only knew that it would be best to stay away from the edge.

The sleds were fast, really fast, and all we could do to slow down was dig our feet in the snow as best as we could. Once we got the hang of it, we eased off the breaks

and went for it. It was incredible and some of us were a little more out of control than others (Nikki :).

The day before Nikki had to head home, the girls took a Salzburg trip. We walked around the charming city, gave ourselves a small Sound of Music tour, and visited the Augustiner Brau-the brewhouse where monks have brewed beer since 1621-and they know what they're doing!

This February "ski week" has been non-stop fun filled with shenanigans. We miss Nikki and her excellent German and shopping talents and are still loving having Sarah here until the end of this week.

It's back to school and to "normal" life-although, I'm not sure how "normal" our lives have been lately.

2010....

let's say it has started off cold, very cold, and yet, amazing!

After returning to Vienna to "normal life," it was time to get back into the swing of things. I am loving my students and school, but Andrew has also been doing a good amount of substitute teaching. My assistant had to be out of work for over a week, so my students had both Mr. & Mrs. Leckie as their teachers-and they loved it! Aside from that, Andrew has been assisting in the elementary library and office and he's getting pretty good at doing Read Alouds with the classrooms, shelving books, and answering phones. He has also been busy coaching basketball and tutoring. Recently he has traveled with his team to Frankfurt and Budapest for tournaments. Even with his busy schedule, Andrew is still the chef and lunch maker in the family and still taking great care of me.

I started taking German classes at the University of Wien, so again I am a student at UW. Between teaching in English all day and having english speaking friends, I have not been able to embrace the German language. In hopes to prevent the blank-stare-look I often have when asked something in German, I hope to learn some survival phrases besides my ability to order food and drinks at restaurants. I have also started a running group with some friends and it's been nice to meet other people with similar interests. Andrew and I are going to do the Vienna half-marathon in April and I signed up for the Berlin full. Berlin has always been a dream marathon of mine. Recently for my birthday, I traveled an hour to Sopron, Hungary with 5 other girl friends to go to Wabi spa. The spas in Hungary are pretty extravagant and are very reasonably priced. I was able to get my hair cut, a facial, massage and my train ride there and back for less than it would cost for just a hair cut in Vienna. Thanks Georgia for my birthday present-a trip to the spa!! We made a fun trip out of it and know that we are going to make this a habit.

Last night we went to the IAEA Ball at the Hofburg Palace. This is a ball put on each year by the UN and what an event it was. With 5,000 attendees and the such an elegant venue as the Hofburg Palace, it was quite the spectacle. We were surrounded by ball gowns and tuxedos, while moving from ballroom to ballroom in a palace that holds an incredible history. We got to watch as the debutantes performed for the first time and watched entertainment from around the world. There were around 8 different dance rooms to go to playing a variety of music and dance styles. The balls stays open until around 4 or 5 in the morning and as we left around 3 am, we watched the older people out-party us for the night. In the winter around Vienna it is ball season and it blows my mind when I see people still dressed in ball attire at 9:00 as I am meeting my running group in the morning. The Viennese love their balls...

This upcoming weekend starts our stretch of visitors coming between now and May. We have 12 confirmed guests coming before the summer and possibly more! Next week is ski week and we have a break from school. This Friday Sarah Affolter gets here and we leave for Carnival in Venice. Sunday Nikki is here and we'll all explore Vienna and then make our way to Satlzburg and get in a little skiing.

Until next time...

España!

On Christmas, when you can´t be with family and the ones you love, then go to a place you love and spend time with great friends. So we headed to España. We landed in Barcelona where Brad picked us up and instantly started touring the city. We made our home-base at Brad & Janeth´s house-mi casa es su casa-we made ourselves at home. That night, in proper Spanish style, we ate a delicious dinner at 10:00 pm. Brad, the laundry king, is Andrew's great friend from college that stayed in Europe after they traveled around together in 2000. He started a laundry mat company called Lava Xpress and now owns, franchises, and sells machines in Europe. Janeth is his lovely girlfriend from Colombia whom is the sweetest person and you can't help but love her.

The next day we walked through the narrow streets in Brad´s neighborhood, along Las Ramblas, and toured the center of the old city. We were also on a mission-we had to buy A LOT of food for our Christmas excursion to the Pyrenees Mountains. First stop-the Boquaria-Barcelona´s fresh meat and seafood market. After purchasing a 5 kilo turkey, chorizo, oysters, razor clams, mussels, prawns, calamari, and more meat than anyone should ever eat. We ate at a busy fresh seafood counter in the market where they prepare dishes from food right there in the market-there we squeezed into our spots and feasted- it was delicioso, so good we made sure to go back. Again (as every night) we ate dinner at most people´s normal bedtime.

The next morning we packed 8 people, luggage, and a smidgen of food into a muy grande y azul van. Last town before we headed into the Pyrenees was Berga. In Berga, we hit up the Supermarcado- 8 people grocery shopping and 3 extremely full carts of food and drinks later we packed back into the van, this time with bags of groceries at our feet and on our laps. We went up the windy mountain roads. The higher up we got, the colder it was, and soon we were driving in a winter wonderland. We almost made it to our mountain house, but not before getting stuck in the snow at the bottom of the hill. We all had a good time walking back-and-forth from the van to the house carrying all of our things in the fluffy and slippery snow.

The next five days at the mountain house were spent eating, drinking, eating, drinking, oh-and eating some more. We got to know each other very well over incredible meals and lots of game playing. Max and Gustavo are from Argentina, Janeth from Columbia, Anna from Berlin, Brad, JoAnna, and John all Americanos but live in Barcelona, and Andrew and myself. So sometimes we spoke in English and sometimes in Spanish, well, it was mostly a combination of both. We had the most amazing meals that everyone took part in making. We had tradional big American breakfasts (which I mostly cooked), Colombian and Argentinian lunches of fried plantains, guacamole, pica de gallo and other deliciousness, dinners of carne cooked on the outside grill, a massive seafood fest, and homemade pasta. On Christmas we had a traditional dinner with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing... Then I made turkey soup and turkey sandwiches with the left overs. One night, we had dinner at 6:30 and again at 1:30 am-the night when Max and Gustavo started making homemade pasta at 11:00. How amazing that was. They spread fresh pasta over the 10 person dining room table, then cut it to size.

Anna made Gluwein (which we were very used to by now and makes the perfect cold-holiday drink) and she made another burnt rum specialty. Note of caution: when making burnt rum, beware of objects that may melt above the stove (such as overhead oven fixtures ··· and items above the fireplace). Being in the Pyrenees was a great way to escape city life, take time to relax, and be in nature-it was a fun holiday getaway.

Back in Barcelona...Crazy Barcelona-

We made our home base back at Brad & Janeth's house. The next couple of days we toured around-we saw Gaudi buildings around the city including the Sagrada Familia (126 years in the making), the Picasso museum and took a trip to Figueres to the AMAZING Salvador Dali museum. During this time, our friends Jason & Diana from Seattle, came to visit us in Vienna, and since we weren't there, they stayed in our house and saw the sights (slight miscommunication). Shortly after, they met up with us in Barcelona.

With them, we continued to explore the sights, especially the restaurant and bar scenes. Barcelona is to have the most restaurant and bars per head than any other European city. Multiple times we visited the well-known Xampanyeria (Champagne bar), that isn't really how it sounds. It is tiny and PACKED. They serve a million different meat sandwiches (not for me), and delicious cava (champagne) for less than 2 Euro a bottle. Each time we went, we stocked up for home and New Years. If you're looking for a roomy place to sit and eat, this would not be it. Instead you are packed in with a million other people and you stand and eat and discard the paper your sandwich was wrapped in, onto the floor. When in Spain...

During the time we were there, we frequented tapas bars, had great Spanish wine, and had our share of Catalunya, Basque and Spanish food. We also got to meet up with Vanessa's family (from Colombia), we met her cousins and step sister & brother for dinner. Then they went to Vienna and stayed at our house. We got to spend some time with her cousins for a couple days when we returned to Vienna (wish you were there too Vaness!). We have been really lucky to meet good people that are friends and family of people we know.

The streets of Barcelona are narrow and if you don't pay careful attention, they can look the same. It's amazing to see all the stores and restaurants that suddenly appear at different hours of the day. Most merchants have graffiti painted garage doors that cover the store front during certain hours-most of which are closed during the afternoon siesta. Finding your way around Raval and the parts of old town can be tricky because sometimes a place may be there and sometimes it's not, but I got to know my way around like a pro-Andrew had a little harder time as he was lost one night in the same neighborhood for over an hour.

New Years Eve-spent around town. We had delicious paella for lunch-made by Carlos and his family at his restaurant. Their restaurant is next to Brad's first laundry mat he opened and have been friends for 6 years. He made delicious seafood paella and after our meal brought us homemade grappa from his village and cava. Next we headed back to the boquaria for more fresh seafood. Back at the house Diana and Jason made cioppino-delicious! Best cioppino I've ever had. I made fried plantains and guac and we had another mini-feast before our NYE celebration.

That night, the moon was amazing. It rose and shone like the sun. It was so bright, it was almost as if you needed sunglasses to look right at it. It was a special night because it was a blue moon (2 full moons in one month-which only happens every 2-3 years) and there was a partial lunar eclipse. We enjoyed the sights, then headed to Max and Anna's to bring in 2010. We walked through Las Ramblas and it was a ZOO. Although we were in the heart of the mayhem city-in the middle of Las Ramblas and Placa Cataluyna, we were in a perfect spot. We had a party on their roof top and could hear the crowds filled with thousands of people around us-where people were going wild and things get extremely rowdy. As we counted down the New Year and the clock struck midnight, it is tradition to eat 12 grapes for every dong. We did this, trying not to choke, and made a wish for each grape. That night we danced, and had an amazing time until moon set.

We spent the next day having another great time with Jason, Diana, Brad and Janeth, then we flew to the capital, Madrid. Barcelona and Madrid are very different. Although Madrid is bigger than Barcelona, it felt smaller to us. I think it is because of it's bigger streets and the layout of the city. Both places are incredible. From what we experienced, Madrid had a big city feel and with busy night life, but it wasn't as crazy and wild as Barcelona. In Madrid we had a list of must-see/do from a friend of mine I teach with that used to live there. We of course ate amazing food and tried out fun bars and restaurants. We saw grandeur architecture, did some shopping (Spain is much cheaper than Vienna!), and went the Prado and Rena Sophia. We saw such incredible art on this trip, from Dali, Picasso, Goya, Velazquez, and so many more. We checked out the fun neighborhoods and watched a Real Madrid game amongst locals at a bar. It was a nice getaway for us. We took the high speed train back to Barcelona-that was fun way to do it-fly to Madrid, then take the train home so we could see the country side. The train was the nicest train I'd ever been on and it went close to 300 km the entire time.

Back in Barcelona we spend one more fun night with Brad and Janeth. We went to our friend Gustavo's Argentinian restaurant and continued the theme of eating ourselves to capacity. Each day was an adventure and most days we had our personal tour guides Brad and Janeth to help order the best food and take us to all their favorite places. 15 days of non-stop fun, filled with uncontrollable laughter is a great way to end a year and bring in a new one. To you and yours, Happy New Year and to an incredible 2010. We love our family and friends and appreciate them more and more as time goes by.

Much love,

Ciara and Andrew