Far Too Early To Count.

Breakfast by numbers.

Me man, you woman - you ask...As per usual my one and only sent me ahead to find out about breakfast and how much it cost and being the eh, good wife that I am or rather because I was tres hungry, I did;

" One forty a deca. "

For a moment I thought I was talking tongues or at least she answered me in a strange dialect or gosh, language? Startled to say the least, I asked her again about the price of breakfast with the same result.

Clearly I wasn't the first because eventually she took pity on me and told me that breakfast was charged by weight. Yikes, coffee too? One euro forty cents per deca ( which took me a long while to work out to mean one hundred grams here in Burgenland ).

Already it was just gone eight in the morning which surely should be prime time for the breakfast crowd but this restaurant was devoid of customers and the whole rigmarole of having to guess the weight of a Bretzen, slice of salami never mind a glass of juice proved to much. No, plan B was needed.

We had to be in Oberwart at the crack of this Saturday morning to see a tentacle of the medicine machine. No, no, nothing serious apart from not having anything to eat beforehand. That's why we were searching for breakfast in Oberwart. The XXLutz restaurant where we know they do a nice fry-up, had the gall to still be closed at 8.30 on a Saturday morning...well, they lost our spending dollars. Mackey's ( local slang for McDonald's ) was vetoed by both of us as Bob was right in saying that their egg Mcmuffin sort of tastes like a hamburger even though their coffee is good.

Hunger and irritability ( don't they tend to go hand in hand ) made it vital to find a grazing post.

" Bob, why don't we go to Aloisia's in Badersdorf and then we can shop for groceries in Kohfidisch? "

At first he wasn't keen but the thought of waiting for the nine am kickoff made him do a snap decision, turn the car around and within ten minutes we were seated in our local breakfast den having our first sip of of their delicious brewed coffee. You know, there is nothing nicer than to sit and have breakfast with my honey while looking out onto the Badersdorf dales...

Biggi

...I'm A Lumberjack And I'm Okay...

English breakfast at Aloisia's.

Every now and again Bob and I venture to our favourite breakfast place, although to be frank, we frequent it also for the scrumptious cakes on offer. There is nothing like an English Breakfast on a Sunday or a day off and sadly here in Burgenland we are in a minority regrading this breakfast treat. Continental just doesn't cut it with those brought up surrounded by the English way of life.

By coincidence we discovered that Aloisia has had the good idea to put a type of breakfast onto her menu which by again coincidentally resembles our beloved English one. The notorious Holzhacker / Lumberjack Breakfast.

Be warned, you have to be hungry to do it justice and if you haven't felled a tree before having it, you will have enough energy after having it. They say photographs are deceiving and airbrushed which is true in this case. The picture perfect plate shown in the menu sports two fried eggs, a few strands of bacon, plenty rye bread and a cup of coffee. Well, in reality...

Bob and I have brought friends in need of an English breakfast due to an overenthusiastic participation in wine tastings and family in need of a bit of wowing to Aloisia's and each time the plate had the following on it:

Between 4-5 fried eggs, almost a pack of bacon and a whole basket full of toast and bread rolls.

Did I mention that the coffee or tea ( black tea is an enigma in Austria so take care not to receive a cup of peppermint tea by mistake ) is included in the price? Well, including a cup of barista brewed coffee it costs euro 4,70. Unbelievable, isn't it?

As more family is coming to visit I have a feeling that very soon I will have the occasion to be reminded of England in paradise yet again. Can't wait...

Biggi

A Front End Loader Seems Like Poetry In Motion.

Our discovery of Stone Mountain right here in Burgenland.

Like any good story, the setting was fantastic. Sunny weather, omnipresent Burgenlandish blue sky and vivid greens mingling in the surrounds. Bob was in his ' new ' shorts ( in fact, an old pair of jeans cut short!!! ) and life was going to be extremely interesting.

Bob has his special project in the garden, and we needed to fetch crushed stone for part of it. Off we set, with a trailer behind the chariot. The nearest quarry is in Badersdorf which seems to be the place to be when you are looking for either yummy cakes ( Aloisia's ), great wine ( Jalits ) or as the case was yesterday, stone.

For some odd reason, I have been selected by a voting public of one, to always be the one to have to officiate, do the organizing and ordering in our marriage. Nice one Bob!

As a quarry novice, I got thrown into the deep end by Bob. He stopped the car next to the weigh bridge and told me to go and organize our stuff from the nearby office. Far be it from me to argue with my man, and so I took the steps up into this container-office. There were a few people present, the secretary, and a few drivers.

" Hi, we'd like to buy some stone please. "

Oh, golly gosh, they had a good laugh at my ignorance. A quarry has a gazillion types of crushed stone, from rocks to pebbles and after their giggles, they kindly said that we should drive around and look for the pile of stone that was the correct size.

Bob and I did a fair rendition of Chevy Chase's " Kids, look there is Big Ben! " and eventually stopped near a pile. Within minutes, a somewhat big front loader elegantly traversed the dusty quarry curves to do its deed.

National Lampoon Collection (Vacation/European Vacation/Christmas Vacation/Vegas Vacation) [4 DVDs] [UK Import]

These front end loaders are huge, and very mechanical in looks but when you see them in motion, you can't help but be enthralled. This front end loader did pirouettes, smooth backward slides and millimeter precision moves. I bet this driver could thread a needle too with his front end loader...

The driver of it was high up in his cabin but had the required cool sunglasses. As I was sporting my own sunglasses, my vision was not its usual 20/20 and Bob must have spotted my rapturous idolization of the driver's skills. All of a sudden, Bob paraded in front of me, flexing his nice calves...

Normally only big container trucks come along to get their stones and it must have seemed strange for the driver to fill up our trailer. Yet, this is where the poetry in motion came in. With grace and pizzaz, the driver dropped our pebbles into the trailer and knew when it was full.

The driver must have noticed my admiration, because as he finished, he did a gazelle like piroutte and moved on his merry way. Wow, that was really impressive...

You know, anyone can drive a Porsche, but not everyone can drive a front end loader!

Look at the size of it! But isn't our Burgenland weather just the best?

The big drop...the noise did remind me of chalk scraping down the blackboard.

Amazing indeed. Brilliant handling skills.

Bob's trying to get my attention... as if I would forget.

Biggi

Bob's Off To A Day Of Paint Ball In The Woods.

Boys and their fun!

It almost sounds like a Grimm story title and I am sure there will be a grim outcome for someone...someone clad in clothes all colours of the rainbow - I have a feeling it may be my man.

A friend of Bob's asked whether Bob would like to come along for a day of Paint balling and of course Bob is happy as anything to participate. Gosh, since being asked Bob has been doing strategic manoeuvres on how to play the game well. While the old ball & chain ( eh, me ) only uttered:

" Try not to be hit in the first five minutes otherwise you'll watch all day from the sidelines. "

Naturally, he explained the finer details of the game and the fact that it is quite alright to be hit a few times. No sitting out!

Men will always be boys and the statement can be proved by the numerous company team building excursions that are held at a paint ball arena. Possibly the only given then would be

to make sure not to hit the boss

Bob very kindly asked me ( or rather mumbled ) if I'd like to go as well but to his relief I declined. No, none of this creeping around a paint ball arena with goggles and fatigues and frankly a day of fun for me is structured very differently.

A walk followed by reclining on our comfy couch reading a favourite novel, perhaps a phone call to my parents to ask whether they would like to go for a reconnaissance to Aloisia's and after that some more lounging about. Now that sounds like a fun day!

All jokes aside, I am glad Bob is going on this adventure for a day. It will be a good opportunity to meet people, have a change of scenery while at the same time getting a big dose of fitness. If I recall correctly from movies seen, Bob will have to crawl on all fours, jump over hay bales, run at great speed and all while holding the pain ball gun. Gosh, I look forward to hearing all about it this evening.

Biggi

A Leisurely Sunday Drive Mixed With The Odd Meal & A Swim.

Visitors need a special drive..

It is one of life's little ironies. Only when we want others to see the attraction of where we live, do we find those attractions. The rest of the year, Sundays are spent watching a TV screen or lazying the day away in a comfy lawn chair. Nothing to be sneezed at but all the same, it is much better to do a spot of sight seeing.

Saturday evening was a late one and that did delay our start to our leisurely Sunday drive. In our household ( with or without visitors ) I am usually the first one awake. Yesterday it was a case of having three hours of a head start. A head start that had me changing the plans a gazillion times only to settle on the original thought. My Sunday road map for our friends was mapped out. Mapped out rather nicely, so that everyone was in accord.

Those who know me, will not be surprised that food and eating is never left out when on a road trip of any sort. I had seen Aloisia's new menu a few weeks before and knew that she had put a divine looking breakfast on offer. An English breakfast, which is a treat anytime but a special treat when you have had a late night! Somehow I didn't need to persuade anyone to go there. Filling up the energy gauge, so to say.

The day couldn't have started better. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the birds did their usual background sing song. We sat outside under a tree and just enjoyed life at that moment. No rushing around, no hurrying about and the only stressful thing to do was to choose which breakfast to have. Ideal holiday stuff. We all had the English Fry Up and my golly gosh, did we get a lovely surprise.

The menu had a photograph of it, but when it arrived, we each got 4 fried eggs. A speechless moment if there ever was one. The waitress was so nice and catered to us as if we were royalty. Great stuff indeed. When you consider that the breakfast consists of 2 ( or rather 4 ) eggs, loads of crispy bacon, toasted rye bread, a cup of coffee or tea and all that for Euro 4,50...you will forgive us for eating there more often!

Our next port of call was the Rechnitz Badesee which we could only reach via a short side trip to a street cafe in Lockenhaus. A cafe that is renowned for its homemade organic ice cream. Good lord, the things I know....We all had a healthy portion of it even though it was so soon after breakfast. Being driven around is demanding work and needs fuel.

Bob took us along the most scenic route to the Rechnitz Badesee. The others have been there a few times before, but ironically I hadn't been there yet. I must say, it was nice and such a big place. A kids paradise, no matter how old the kids are. Bob was in heaven and swam a few times.

That saying of: Don't swim after you have eaten must be a fallacy. Bob did not sink, just the opposite, he floated in leisure and with pleasure in the Rechnitz Badesee...

A perfect Sunday outing with perfect company.

Can you think of a nice spot to sit in? Romantic and idyllic all in one.

Nice, isn't it? It tasted so good...

Bob is bobbing about in the Badesee!

Happiness looks a bit like this...

Leaves arranging themselves to be photographed.

My Bob!

These carp are huge and have their own little paddling pool at the front of the lake. They do get fed yet beg for morsels all the time. I wish you could have seen the size of them...

Biggi

Life Lesson #888: Follow The Sheep.

Animals are in the know...

Sheep are notoriously weather hardened animals. They are most often seen strutting it out in mountainous terrain, on manicured lawns or wherever they happen to be grazing. Water or rather rain makes no difference to them. Or does it?

A happy herd of sheep is often seen touring the various backyards or lawns that need trimming. There is an organic sheep farmer in one of the neighbouring villages and he and his wife do take their big herd of sheep all over the district. They follow the long grass and frankly it would make Bob's life much easier if they would visit our backyard for a week or two. It feels so nice and rural when you spot the sheep all over.

As seems usual behaviour for us, we were showing our visitors " Aloisia's " and all the nice creamy cake creations she sells. Our friends made the expected ( from us ) sounds of delight. Stumbling across such a nice coffee & cake emporium in the midst of rural Burgenland seems to do that. To be honest, I still get enthralled by Aloisia's even if I have been there more than eh...once!

After having a strong cup of coffee we left and were on the way to the next stage of grazing. Oh yes, eating out is a must in Burgenland too. Parking at Aloisia's is done at the back and next to a huge meadow. In fact,from there you can see as far as the snow capped mountains of the next province. Rural, pastoral and green. Soul food.

At first I didn't see them, but when I looked closely I saw a few sheep hiding under an old cart.
( No, they were not from the organic troop but possibly Aloisia's sheep to wow us confectionery tourists / enthusiasts ) Goodness, they were clever and not a single hoof was exposed to the elements. We had just had a downpour and these sheep wanted to be sheltered. The odd thunder strike could be heard as well and I think that is what had them cowering there.

Waiting out the danger. Hanging safely until better conditions came. They took it easy and waited until the perceived danger passed. No stress and it did look rather fun. Maybe we need to take a leaf out of their book. Danger waited out in comfort seems a much better idea to me. Rushing headfirst into danger is more apt for Hollywood movies and a few adrenalin junkies...

Biggi

A nice thought, hiding out under there!

A Greasy Fry-Up On A Sunday Morning!

A breakfast of Champions or just plain yummy?

You know, it doesn't matter what time I have to leave home in the mornings; I will eat breakfast first. Not a fry-up every time but oat porridge at least. Don't think me mad, but if I have to leave at 6 am, I'll have breakfast at 5.45 am. Those odd folk who don't eat anything until 11 am are a mystery to me and dare I say, they can get very grumpy...

Since Bob and I have been an item, we more or less have had a fancy fry-up on Sundays. We used to go to the local Mall and have breakfast there. Almost like an adventure and about a year or two into this adventure, we persuaded Bob's parents to go with us. At first they couldn't understand the allure of eating breakfast anywhere but at home, but very soon after, we had made mall breakfasters out of them. Even without us there, they still go and I think that is great.

What is this allure of eating out? Take this breakfast habit we had. When we went to a coffee shop, all the usual distractions of a modern couple ( Internet, books, bed...complete with TV ) weren't there and voila, an old fashioned conversation.

This going for a fry-up has so many aspects to it. Take for example the whole staging of these Sunday mornings: the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the corridors of the mall and beckoning us towards its source, the smell of toast in the toaster and of course the eggs frying merrily away. Simply marvelous. As a bonus, you could watch the supporting actors ( other breakfasters ) and their breakfast habits.

A greasy fry-up must have been an English invention back in the day, because it seems that only the former colonies are used to this kind of breakfast. It came as a slight disappointment to Bob and I to realize that hardly anyone serves a fry-up where we are. Breakfast here ( & in Germany ) consists of bread rolls / rye bread and jam. Sometimes they serve cold meats too.

Yesterday morning somehow saw us sitting in Badersdorf, at Aloisia's . My golly gosh, how did we end up there? ( all those delectable cakes perhaps? ) The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting nonstop and we sat at a table marveling at how nice our life is together. When I had a look at the menu, I couldn't believe it....Aloisia's was serving breakfast and among the choices was a 75 % fry-up;
( two fried eggs, a rasher of bacon and plain rye bread along with a cucumber and tomato slice ).

We both would have loved to see proper toast on the picture and possibly fried mushrooms, baked beans and relish, but hey, even the semi fry-up is a win. When I looked at the price, I had to double check with the waitress. Can you believe, all this including a cup of freshly brewed coffee is only euro 4,50?

Well, Sunday's might have to be re-planned in our household and maybe we can persuade my parents and or friends to come along with us on a Sunday morning Adventure to Aloisia's...

Biggi

Aloisia's

Frequent customer mileage...

We are approaching our first year of living here in Burgenland and it has been eventful, busy, wonderful and certainly never boring. Who would have believed that we both live and love the lifestyle of our small village, Eisenberg ! I am pretty sure that a few people took bets on how quickly we would go back to S.A....

It is so nice now when friends and family come and visit us. Initially they just want to make sure we're fine and to see what we have done, but everyone likes it so I am sure they'll be back. We love the fact that everyone cares enough to visit us. Our " Dance card " is fuller than ever. Wow, who would have thought...

So we now do the tourist thing to entertain our friends. We have it down to a " T " showing off a list of places... some again & again!

One of my favourite places is Aloisia's ( an unexpectedly grand coffee shop in a small village ). On Saturday I drove the family there - and possibly mad - to sample the atmoshpere and delectables. Yummi !

I knew I had made an impact, when the waitress commented on how good I am for their business....and the owner brought an extra plate of mini-delectables for our table.

It is a hard life here in Burgenland but I always step up to the plate !

Can't wait for the next " tourist " to arrive.

Biggi

Who's coming next?