Gemütlichkeit

My summer continued in Germany, where I spent 3 weeks for work.

I lived here



and had an office in this building.



I had to ship things that I needed for work and, of course, they were held up in customs. My German co-workers helped by taking me to Wetzlar and dealing with the customs guy while I kept a sincere I-don't-understand-a-thing look on my face. It didn't take much acting on my part - my German language skills extend to "please," "thank you," and "could I have the check, please?" Yes, I didn't even learn "how much is this yarn?" Sad, isn't it? My co-workers showed me around the older part of town after they wore down the customs guy into letting me leave...with my boxes...without paying additional money. It's a very pretty little town.





The yarn mojo continued...we passed this - a yarn shop. I couldn't tell you where in the town it is located - but there is one! Even hidden behind those items on the sidewalk I still heard the siren song of the yarn in the window.



I did stop in for a very quick visit. The owner/clerk did not speak English - again, who needs language when yarn is involved?

Luckily my co-workers did not question the need to stop for yarn. Photo of (small) purchase to come.

Vienna - without DH

The Official Viennese Fibre Tour began after I returned from the airport and seeing DH off.

I know - fibre or fiber - but when in Rome...

I started my search a few days earlier by trying to think of a yarn manufacturer that would have a website where I could look up shop/stockist information specifically for Europe. One of the first that came to mind was Lana Grossa. I hit gold on their website. I then found the directions to most of these places by a combination of Google maps (the Vienna zip code is VERY helpful when using Google maps for directions) and the Vienna bus and subway maps to figure out my tour for the day.

I first went to Stick and Strick, located at Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 86, 1110 Wien. It is a very small shop but fun to explore. The owner (I assume) was very nice. She did not speak English, but as we all know, yarn is a universal language and can overcome any linguistic barriers.





On the way to the next shop, I found a street fair. I don't know whether it was a holiday, but every neighborhood I went to that day had a street fair.



The next shop I traveled to was Creativ-Handarbeitsboutique located at Erdbergstrasse 45, 1030 Wien. This was another small shop where the welcome was very friendly.







Wedermann, located at Mariahilfer Strasse 101, 1060 Wien is a wonderful shop. The owner spoke English (again – not necessary, but nice) and there was a very good selection, especially of sock yarn. Sock knitting seems to be a popular in Europe as it is in the US.





Wolle + Mode located at Neubaugasse 59/3, 1070 Wien was another experience altogether.



I don’t know who the 2 women were in the small shop (clerks or shop owner?) but they were not welcoming at all. When I first walked in they appeared to be really annoyed that I was in the shop. When I was looking around, I had the impression they thought I was going to steal something. There was a street fair going on right outside their door, so maybe that was the reason for their attitude, but it’s not an acceptable excuse. And come to think of it, they had sale merchandise outside on the sidewalk – if I was a thief, you’d think I’d grab the stuff that wasn’t being watched. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to read that I didn’t buy yarn there, even though they had lovely stock. I was really put off by their attitude. I doubt I would return if given the chance as there are so many other shops in Vienna that I didn’t get to visit.

Isn’t it interesting how the attitude of the people in the shop can either make or break your yarn experience – no matter where the shop is located?

This was the fruit of the day’s travels.







I got 10 skeins of cheap acrylic yarn (Cornelia by Schoeller Esslinger) for 5 euro at the street fair on Neubaugasse. It’s quite nice for acrylic – very un-plastic, soft feel to it. I think I’ll be doing an EZ baby surprise jacket out of it. And for only 5 euro, I couldn't resist.



I do believe I was quite restrained in my purchases. Each time I was tempted to purchase more, I envisioned having to drag those purchases around for the next 6 weeks -that controlled my impulse to add to the stash like nothing else has.

The whole day/evening was not devoted to yarn acquisitions. I went to Late Night at The Cathdral at St. Stephen's.



The next day I headed to Germany.

Stay tuned as the fibre tour continues...

Vienna - with DH

Vienna - the last place DH and I visited together before DH returned home. My adventures continued but that's a blog entry for another day.

A scene from the train on the way to Vienna from Salzburg – not bad for a point-and-shoot camera.



We saw so much, yet only a very small portion of Vienna. We viewed a small portion of the riches of the Hapsburgs…





including the largest emerald in the world.



As always, anything to do with sheep caught my attention and I learned about the Order of the Golden Fleece.





The Hapsburg Treasury includes coronation and liturgical clothing. I was amazed at the artistry of the embroidery on the cappa or pluviale (which is basically a liturgical mantle). Look at the detail picture - all embroidery - and nearly three dimensional.





We toured a small part of the vast Schönbrunn Palace. They don't allow you to take pictures inside the palace. I'm not sure whether this is because they want you to buy their gift shop merchandise or mainly to keep the crowds moving through the palace.





This is a typical lunch - similar to smoked sausage with cheddar. It was obvious (in more ways than one) I was a tourist because I requested ketchup instead of mustard.



There were sausage stands like this in every city we visited. It was a great way to have a cheap yet filling lunch, although one begins to miss one's vegetables.



The opulence of the Vienna State Opera House is not to be missed.







Our time together in Vienna ended all too soon. I accompanied DH to the airport on the morning he left. We wouldn't see each other again until I returned home 6 weeks later.

Naturally, I sought solace at the yarn shops in Vienna. More to come...