LIFE IN AUSTRIA

Some of our friends ask us about everyday life here in Austria...these are a few of my unofficial observations.

FIRST:  DRIVING

There are no free right turns allowed on red lights ever.

Stop means stop. No free rights. That would be going.

The traffic lights are green, then go to blinking green, then to yellow and then to red. From red, they go to both red and yellow, and then green.

Simple, right?

Also speed limits are difficult to get used to and remember all the time. Some speed limit signs are posted, but not all the time. City residential limits are usually 30 kpm or 18 mph. Regular city streets are 50 or 60 kph or 31-38 mph. Between cities either 70 or 100 kph or 45-62. The freeway is 100 kph in town and 130 kph out of town or 62-81 mph. The mission speed limit is 120 kph or 75 mph.

German border crossing sign showing 50 km/h (31 mph) limit in built-up areas,
100 km/h (62 mph) in rural areas,
 but only an advisory 130 km/h (81 mph) limit for the Autobahn 
(From Wikipedia)

The confusing part is when it is not posted and you just need to know what it is. You can also get a speeding ticket and not know about it until the police send it to you. 

Surprise...

Which has happened to us.  Of course it could have been when the Elders borrowed our car for a day.  They do not just pull you over and give you your ticket. 


SECOND:  SHOPPING

Grocery stores do not provide free bags, you can buy one or bring yours from home, as most people do, no one ever bags your groceries and there is always a line of people behind you that seem to be in a hurry.

"Did you bring a bag? If not we will be happy to sell you one."

Grocery shopping is always an adventure.  There are 8-10 different kinds of flour and all in little 1 Kilo (about 2 lbs) bags.


Some things come in tubes:

From left to right:  tomato paste, barbeque mustard ,  mayonnaise , mustard

You buy eggs in quantities of 6 or 10 or 15, no dozen eggs. 

The grocery stores sell other products besides groceries and they seem randomly displayed. You have a row of frozen foods next to a row of luggage or clothes or other unrelated items and then another  row of normal grocery items and the pattern repeats itself throughout the stores for the most part. It seems to change every time you go to any store.  Interesting, but inconvenient for us grocery only shoppers. 

THIRD:  MOVIES

The price of a movie ticket is based on how long the movie is. 

"Can we see a movie??"
"Well, let's just check and see how long it is."

Up to 109 minutes is the starting point, and then it goes up depending on the length of the movie. For example to see The Hobbit in 3D, a very long movie, would have cost 19 euros or about $25 each. We did not go!


FOURTH: LANGUAGE

We do get frustrated that certain words are different in Germany than Austria. 

The first time we went shopping and looking for yeast.  In Germany it is  "Hefe".  We did not find it. Then someone told us to look for "Germ", which is yeast.  

Then there is some confusion about just plain hot dogs.  In Germany they are called "Wieners" and in Austria they are called "Frankfurters".

We must be in Austria...

The list is never ending and we continually learn new Austrian wording.


Well, that's all for now,
      Elder Didenhover


ps:

These are just a few selections of the best chocolate ever.  They come in all sizes as you
can see.  We had heard that the post office will not allow you to mail chocolate because
it is considered grocery supplies.  Please!  This is not common groceries!  What craziness
is this?!

So now, our family and friends can understand why we aren't mailing chocolate back home!
It is against the law...

SENIOR MISSIONARY CONFERENCE: Switzerland March 2014

We had a wonderful experience attending out first senior conference. 

We traveled by train to Innsbruck and then drove with the Mowers the rest of the way to Switzerland.







We left a few days earlier so we could enjoy some of the sights.  Our first stop was Interlaken.  This is a beautiful town in the setting of the Swiss Alps. 

We took the time to ride a cog wheel train up the mountain to another village.  

The scenic views were absolutely breathtaking!

Our next stop was in Lucerne on the famous Vierwaldstattersee (four lakes that connect with each other). 

The wooden bridge of Lucerne, Switzerland

Lucerne is famous for an old wooden bridge with a long covered walkway. Strolling along the banks of the lakes is a favorite pastime for the Swiss.

The next day we drove to the old city of Bern.  This brought back many memories of  my time there as a missionary. It has definitely changed in the past  40 years...more traffic, more modern elements, very high prices.

A pint of strawberries being sold by a vendor was 7 Euro (about $10)

I took the time to sit in a small park overlooking the river and ancient steeples. My mind traveled to my missionary days...very fond memories.

Elder and Sister Fox playing a duet on the  Alpine Horns.

Our conference began on a Thursday.  We were given workshops, a morsel of entertainment, and spiritual nourishment. It was wonderful to just be able to compare notes and realize we all have unique situations, challenges, and joys. 

                                                                 

We were able to attend a session in the temple. 

I was overwhelmed by emotions remembering that the last time attending the Swiss temple was with my mother. Even though it has just been six months since we last attended our temple in Spokane, it seemed like much more time had passed.   We easily forget what a privilege it is to access the temple on a regular basis.








We enjoyed our dinner...we were fed authentic Swiss food like Raclette, an evening meal of potatoes cooked in their skins with various accompaniments like pearl onions, pickles, etc.  A special over melts cheese in separate small trays to put over the potatoes.  Yum.  The breads in Switzerland are especially flavorful with all the cheeses available.

Besides our workshops, we were given a few tours of our choice. 


We went to a Kaserei (cheese factory) where we were given a demonstration of how cheese was made hundreds of years ago. We were inside a small single room  building dated from 1765.  A gentleman in his traditional Swiss shirt explained the process in his Swiss dialect.   I love the Swiss dialect!  It was so good to hear it again!  

"We must all press on..."

We were invited to participate by stirring the immense copper cauldron that was swung over an open fire.  Then Sister Smith and I were able to take the curds and  being put into a large mold and press all the excess liquid out. Nothing is wasted. The pressed liquid as wells as excess curds are fed to the pigs on the farm.






In our mission, we have couples doing such a variety of tasks.  The couple in Vienna work at the YSA Center (a separate building for the many students in Vienna) and spend most every day there all day.  They prepare meals for 30-50 young single adults.  The Buchanens serve in Ravensburg (my home town) as leadership support to the small branch.  Another couple does genealogy research in one specific town in Germany.  We have office couples, we have couples like us that work with the YSA groups and serve in the wards according to the desire of the local leaders.  Some have large groups to work with, some very few. We have just a few in Linz right now, but with the help of the missionaries we are growing.

Senior couples from the Alpine German Speaking Mission at their annual conference in Bern, Switzerland.

Our mission president, Pres. and Sister Miles are almost at the end of their mission.  They have faithfully spent the last three years presiding over 299 missionaries in three countries.  Just the travel alone is staggering---each zone conference,  interviews,  stake conferences, mission business, etc.  Pres. and Sister Miles have been a source of inspiration, love, and counsel for many missionaries young and old.  We will miss them when they leave in June.

Mission life suits us.  We love the variety of our labors.  We love the missionaries and never cease to be amazed at their level of commitment and spirituality. 

We love the members that are so caring and demonstrative.  In Austria, if the members like you, you are always greeted with a hug.  If they are unsure of you, a handshake is the standard.  I don't think I have ever been hugged so much in my life!  Its simply a wonderful custom!  Elder Didenhover gets lots of hugs from the missionaries. They love his humor and the parental counsel and just knowing that they are loved.  It is warming to see him give complicated handshakes and a then a big bear hug to the elders. 

There is so much joy in the gospel!  We have had trying days, but for the most part we are amazed at how a deeper awareness of the gospel and of Jesus Christ brings so much joy and happiness.

We hope and pray for our family and friends each day that you will partake of this joy with us in spirit.