Back from Vacation
What I did on my summer vacation.
This phrase always comes to my mind whenever a new schoolyear starts. Our teachers always made us write themes on this topic year after year. I don't recall having written anything special about the summers we spent, especially since we always did the same thing year after year. Go to the beach with family and friends, have a picnic, swim and get sunburned, or even, if it was that kind of summer, get jellyfish "burns". But mostly we did what we always did when school was out: woke up late, had breakfast on the terrace, read comics and books at all hours of the day, made experiments in the kitchen, played with the dogs, played basketball or badminton in the backyard, entertained friends, watched late night movies on TV, went to bed late, and do it again in the morning.
Well, this summer I mostly worked, but I also had fun with my family. It began early in June, when the UEFA European Football Championships kicked off. Salzburg was one of the host cities, and I was one of the volunteer workers for the tournament. Three group games were held in Salzburg, and the arrival of football fans from all over Europe brought a festive atmosphere in the old city center where my office is located. The throngs of Swedish fans were an absolute delight to see. The city swarmed with yellow and blue shirts, flags, scarfs, and painted faces. They took over biergartens, sidewalk cafes, the fan mile, precious few parking spaces, the narrow streets and sidewalks, the banks of the river, and even whatever green traffic islands there were. And the nicest thing about them was that they were an orderly, disciplined, fun-loving bunch of merrymakers who were always ready give a welcome hug to the fans of the opposing team. And then that unforgettable "Swedish March", when all the fans made the journey to the stadium on foot, painting the town not red but yellow and blue.
In July the school year ended, but a week before that we had an end-of-the-schoolyear party for Nicole and Nadine's school friends on the roof deck, where we grilled home-made hamburgers. Then, after a hiatus of about two or three weeks, the Salzburg Festival began. The kids went camping for four days with Gerald, and I was left home alone with the dog. I bought theater tickets for "The Sound of Music" at the Marionette Theater, and "The Year of Magical Thinking" with Vanessa Redgrave playing at the Landestheater. We went to Croatia for a week, where we were blessed with wonderful, seemingly endless summer days. While there we met an acquaintance of Gerald's, who invited us to join him and his family on his boat, which he drove to the Limski Canal where he dropped anchor. Sitting in the sun with a cold drink in the hand, diving into the cool water from the hull of the boat, and then speeding through the water into the sunset - what a feeling! Back home, Gerald and I joined a photo club, and then we went out for a hamburger at the riverside Salzach Grill terrace of the posh Hotel Sacher Salzburg, and then roared off with the motorcycle into the rainy night.
Well, summer has ended, the festival is over, the public swimming pools have closed, the nights are becoming somewhat chilly, and school starts in less than a week. How I spent my summer vacation? In four words: Having a great time.
This phrase always comes to my mind whenever a new schoolyear starts. Our teachers always made us write themes on this topic year after year. I don't recall having written anything special about the summers we spent, especially since we always did the same thing year after year. Go to the beach with family and friends, have a picnic, swim and get sunburned, or even, if it was that kind of summer, get jellyfish "burns". But mostly we did what we always did when school was out: woke up late, had breakfast on the terrace, read comics and books at all hours of the day, made experiments in the kitchen, played with the dogs, played basketball or badminton in the backyard, entertained friends, watched late night movies on TV, went to bed late, and do it again in the morning.
Well, this summer I mostly worked, but I also had fun with my family. It began early in June, when the UEFA European Football Championships kicked off. Salzburg was one of the host cities, and I was one of the volunteer workers for the tournament. Three group games were held in Salzburg, and the arrival of football fans from all over Europe brought a festive atmosphere in the old city center where my office is located. The throngs of Swedish fans were an absolute delight to see. The city swarmed with yellow and blue shirts, flags, scarfs, and painted faces. They took over biergartens, sidewalk cafes, the fan mile, precious few parking spaces, the narrow streets and sidewalks, the banks of the river, and even whatever green traffic islands there were. And the nicest thing about them was that they were an orderly, disciplined, fun-loving bunch of merrymakers who were always ready give a welcome hug to the fans of the opposing team. And then that unforgettable "Swedish March", when all the fans made the journey to the stadium on foot, painting the town not red but yellow and blue.
In July the school year ended, but a week before that we had an end-of-the-schoolyear party for Nicole and Nadine's school friends on the roof deck, where we grilled home-made hamburgers. Then, after a hiatus of about two or three weeks, the Salzburg Festival began. The kids went camping for four days with Gerald, and I was left home alone with the dog. I bought theater tickets for "The Sound of Music" at the Marionette Theater, and "The Year of Magical Thinking" with Vanessa Redgrave playing at the Landestheater. We went to Croatia for a week, where we were blessed with wonderful, seemingly endless summer days. While there we met an acquaintance of Gerald's, who invited us to join him and his family on his boat, which he drove to the Limski Canal where he dropped anchor. Sitting in the sun with a cold drink in the hand, diving into the cool water from the hull of the boat, and then speeding through the water into the sunset - what a feeling! Back home, Gerald and I joined a photo club, and then we went out for a hamburger at the riverside Salzach Grill terrace of the posh Hotel Sacher Salzburg, and then roared off with the motorcycle into the rainy night.
Well, summer has ended, the festival is over, the public swimming pools have closed, the nights are becoming somewhat chilly, and school starts in less than a week. How I spent my summer vacation? In four words: Having a great time.
posted by Maria-Fe Parco Ortner at 8:03 PM
<< Home