A penguin on the roof

In sharp contrast to Saturday, when the sunshine made the cold temperatures feel much less cold, Sunday morning the sky was all grey and the -10 degrees felt like -10 degrees. Overnight St. Nicholas stopped by and left behind a bag full with goodies for Jakob (whereas one or the other chocolate bar was reserved for Markus) as well as a new classical tea-pot. Sandra and Flo unfortunaltely left us right after breakfast heading back home together with friends and so we were left all on our own. Given the unfriendly weather we decided to spend the day indoors and make use of all Jakob's toys.

No need to leave the building when there is snow all over the terrace

In the later afternoon however we put on our snowgear after all as Markus and Jakob decided to play on our terrace which is all covered in snow as well. The attempt to build a snowman failed as the snow was far too fluffya nd not sticky enough. Mrkus could however make snowballs and so the two guys were tossing snowballs onto the handrails and Jakob liked it when the ball busrt into pieces once hitting the glass. When Markus then pushed Jakob in his bobsleigh through the snow and tried the penguin slide Jakob was all excited and cracked up. This showed once again, that it cna not be wild and crazy enough for our sunshine.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

Jamaica Run

Throughout the past week winter dominated Austria and Vienna almost drowned in snow. Especially towards the weekend the snowfalls got richers and only on Friday 25cm of fresh snow covered the city and Markus was really happy that he did reach home with 1,5 hours delay coming from Prague. As the clouds cleared up that night temperatures dropped into double digit negative territory and Saturday morning, when we had breakfast together with Sandra and Flo the sun was shining, we had a blue sky and yet very wintry temperatures.

The fresh snow combined with sunny weather and the fact that our guests bought Jakob a little bobsleigh almost forced us to get ready to get outside once we have finished breakfast. We wanted to enjoy the powder snow on the nearby Jesuitenwiese which not only has a floodlit tobbogan hill but also a few other mounts more suitable for beginners. Jakob was not very impressed when we pulled him along the footpath across the Jesuitenwiese and he only started laughing when Markus ventured out rning through the powder snow. Finally there was some action thanks to bumps and an uneven surface. When however the bobsleigh tipped over and Jakob ended face-down in the snow he was not ammused at all and complained loudly.

It can't be fast enough for Jakob

The good thing however was that Jakobs love for the snow was not cooled off by this accident and he happily boarded his vehicle again as the beginners hill gor closer and closer. After a first successful run down the hill "on the leash" Markus sent our junior off on his own and Jakob liked that even more which he epxressed with loud laughter full of joy. He could not steer the bobshleigh but that did not bother him at all - he just liked the speed and bumps. Markus had to pull our sunshine uphill countless times and he did not get bored to that. The biggest problem was that Jakob's woolen gloves got more and more covered in snow and Jakob's fingers were freezing. hence we returned home in order to warm up again.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

Frosty the snowman

The winter has a tight grip on Central Europe providing not only freezing temperatures and a lot of snow but also influencing traffic both on the ground as well as in the air badly. Markus and his client were quite anxious throughout Tuesday whether their fligh to Prague in the evening would really happen and were preparing for a plan B - an overnight train. By the time they left the city for the airport it has staretd snowing again, while the airlines stilkl showed no sign of any delays. Once checked in and waiting in the terminal building, it turned out that the plane has not arrived yet and so they left Warsaw with more than 1,5 hours delay, but at least they made it: The "White Hell" was left behind.

A frozen smile can not be pretended

Judging by the weather development on Wednesday in Prague it seemed though that LOT has not only taken numerous pasengers to Prague but also carried the snowclouds as the intensity of snowflakes increased every hour. When Markus left the ofice in the evening returning to his flat - his client dinner was cancelled as his client has not arrived yet due to the bad weather - he felt an urge to be active. Hence he put on all parts of his running outfit available - 3 layers of long sleeved Nike DryFit shirts and headed off for a run alongside the Vltava River. It was very refreshing to run through 15cm of powder snow with fresh flakes falling on his head and the -6 degrees or the frozen eyebrows were not felt at all. The fact that hardly any people were out on the roads and traffic was very very light provided a very peaceful setting and when Markus returned to the apartment 45 minutes later he felt like new-born and the hot shower gave back moe energy than he used for the activity in the snow.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

An unwished sightseeing tour

Monday morning Markus was due to depart for a business trip to Warsaw with a client and when he was picked up from home Vienna was covered in ca 10cm snow. Traffic to the airport was relatively light as obviously many people decided to leave their cars at home and use public transport instead. Markus flight took off on time and nothing indicated any potential delay. Come 0945, shortly before scheduled arrival the passengers were informed about the fact that Warsaw airport was temporarily closed and that they were expected to land with a 30 minute delay. As the snowfall in Warsaw did lose intensity during the time the plane was n the holding pattern the airport remained closed and thus the pilot had to reroute to Krakow in the South of Poland.

The airline organised a bus transfer, but as this trip is expected to take ca. 3,5 hours already in good conditions this sounded like a endless trip in wintry conditions. Hence Markus decided to take a train for the journey, leaving Krakow at 1403. The trip itself was smooth, the train was less busy than Markus expected and the closer he came to Warsaw the denser the snowfall was and the colder it got. Not only has winter arrived in Europe, but Markus finally also arrived at 1715 in the epicentre of winter at.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

The gingerbread man

Having travelled to Vorarlberg by plane, Jakob returned home on Wednesday by doing his first trip on a train. Together with Sandra and Kerstin he boarded the train early morning in order to get on the way for an 8 hour trip from the Western to the eastern part of Austria. Jakob enjoyed the privacy of the compartment, played and had fun and after a while even fell asleep and rested for good two hours. Like that the trip felt much shorter than 8 hours would suggest. Unfortunately Markus missed the three on Wednesday as he was going to London for the rest of the week and thus he had to wait until Friday night to cuddle Jakob again.

Pretty hard work to flatten the dough

The past weekend was very nice and wintry with first snowflakes falling Friday night in Vienna. Markus took care of Jakob on Saturday while Sandra and Kerstin did some shopping and it felt very good to spend time with the sunshine after not having seen hi for almost two weeks. On Sunday, the first advent Sunday, we did start preparing Christmas cookies and Jakob was very helpful. He was working hard to cut trees, snowmen, stars or hearts from the gingerbreaddough His favourite form though was the simple round circle which he hardly gave away. With that circle he decorated the dough and cut circles but also moons. As our junior enjoyed the work so much we were not concerned about the fact that the flour was all over the kitchen as well as all over Jakob’s. When we finished baking the cookies it the forecasted heavy snowfall started.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

Not feeding chicken pocks, but tuna, chicken and beef

With Markus' hefty traveling schedule these days Jakob and Kerstin end up home alone most of the time and thus they decided to fly away. Firstly, Jakob liked it on the plane when we went to Mallorca and secondly grandma Heidi is still dire straits since she tripped, fell and broke her arm a few weeks ago. So Markus drove the two - who were actually a little bit nervous - to the airport on Sunday morning and waived them Good-Bye before he himself left for Warsaw onMonday where he sent all last week with a client. The short flight to Friedrichshafen was smooth and Jakob did again like it. He likes even more the fact that the whole family is there to entertain him in Vorarlberg.

One would question, whether a little energetic 16 month-old like our little sunshine could really make the life easier for someone handicapped with a plaster, but experience showed: it does. Jakob has finally made really friends with Tom, the cat. he strokes him and more importantly - makes sure that Tom gets something for breakfast. Once Tom has finished his meal, Jakob puts away the feeding bowl so that noone trips over it. In summer Jakob still tried to eat out of the bowl instead - this time luckily seems over!

J knows how important food is for him. It also has to be for Tom!

By mid week Jakob has picked up a cough, had slightly higher temperature and we also found two blisters on his body and so we thought that he would have picked up the chicken-pocks - which Anna was suffering from the past weeks - as well even though Jakob was vaccinated against it. A visit to the pediatrician did not confirm the chicken pocks, but diagnosed an inflammation of the middle ear in a very early stage and prescribed antibiotics. So there is a sick bay anyway on the western front of Austria. Our junior though does not give us the impression that he is sick - he is full of energy, smiles and laughs and does not mind the coughs or pain he for sure has.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

Just like in Bedrock

Most likely everyone still remembers The Flintstones - Fred, Wilma , Barney and Betty. The cartoon series from the 1960-ies is for sure well known in general, but do you also know how Barney & Betty's son was called? Hi sname was Bamm-Bamm. and his girlfriend was Pebbles - Fred & Wilma's daughter. Bamm-Bamm's name came from his only ever words he spoke and the fact that he liked to hit hard on things with the club he carried around at all times. Our little junior is also a real bundle of energy: he is runing around all day, riding his rocking horse, chasing people and even more so likes being chased around in the flat. Jakob currently is also using everything for making noise - his beloved toy is a hammer with which he even likes to hit on his head - and he also has a girlfriend - Anna. Together they remind us a lot of Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm.

The original characters from the 60-ies...

...and the couple today

When Kerstin had her ladies' night this week Wednesday and some of her former colleagues visited us at home Jakob was everything but tired. He turned on the volume, and provided his best for the audience. He entertained the ladies for a while making fun and noise by throwing toys on the table and using the hammer of his workbench as drumstick - yet again. Just like Bamm-Bamm.

Bamm-Bamm, Betty & Barney

All over the place

Our life has changed big time since Markus starte working again. For Jakob and Kerstin the new job meant that they are on their own throughout the week while Markus spends time in the office in Prague or London or is back to travelling all over Europe to see his clients again. Every now and then - ideally at the beginning or the end of the week - he also visits his clients in Vienna and thus can prolongue the weekends with family.

While we can not spend time together during tge week and only can see each other on video calls thanks to Facetime and the iPhone 4 weekends are now dedicated fully to family. It is interestig to see that when time is scarce preferences are shifted and the most important thing is to be happy together. Suddenly bad news are not seen as so bad news such as the theft of Markus' scooter or small accidents. The amount of time spent abroad and on the road will remain large in the short run, however there is light at the end of the tunnel and markus can spend more time during the week again with his loved ones.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

A new chapter

On Tuesday evening a wonderful time has come to an end when Jakob and Kerstin drove Markus to the airport. It was the last day of his gardening leave and in order to get to his new workplace on time he had to board a the OS711 to Prague. His new employer - Wood & Co - is a dedicated regional investment bank and the boutique-type brokerage house Markus used to be working for in the past.

While the new job and new challenge is something positive for all of us, there is though a quite high price we have to pay for the time being: Markus will be away most of the upcoming months as he will be based in Prague for now and also spend a lot of time in London again. Not seeing Jakob every day is very tough and does hurt. The weekends and days with the family will be intensely used and enjoyed and hopefully it wont be long until he will be able to sleep at home most of the nights again.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus

No pain - no gain!

Thursday evening we left Vienna for a long and active weekend in Vorarlberg as on Sunday the Sparkasse Marathon took place which by now has become a traditional event for Markus run the half-marathon distance. Anna, Lini & Peter visited the Laendle as well (arriving Friday afternoon) even though Peter decided last minute to not take the challenge of the 21,0975 km race as he was suffering from a cold and therefore they used the days to visit Peter's sister in Vaduz, some friends and to watch the race. While it was raining when we arrived Friday night the weather improved throughout Friday and peaked in a gorgeous early spring weekend with sunshine and more than 20 degrees.

Ready to take on the challenge.

Markus' birthday on Saturday was declared a "no-celebration-day" in order to not jeopardize the performance on Sunday and so it was an easy going day on which Markus just picked up his number in Lindau, we had a walk through Lindau together with Sandra & Flo and in the evening had a big portion of pasta prepared by Heidi. Sunday morning the sky was blue and cloudless and when Markus boarded the ship in Bregenz to reach the start area in Lindau it was already quite warm. By the time the race was started - at exactly 11:11 by both the mayor of Lindau and Marathon due to the celebrations "2500 years of marathon" - the temperature in the sun has already reached more than 20 degrees again.

Jakob was the first one to congratulate - and took the medal.

Given the warm weather and the fact that Markus' preparations were not ideal - even though he had loads of time during his gardening leave he did not stick to his training plan but rather did odd training runs with a maximum length of 75 minutes - he started into the race rather slow and tried to keep the pace for a finishing time of 1:45 minutes. After km 11 the fact that there were no long runs in the preparations he had to reduce his pace in order to make it to the finishing line and was only able to speed up again for the last three kilometers of the race. In the end he reached the finish in the Casino Stadium Bregenz after 1:49:23 which left him not surprised but definitely a bit frustrated. The obvious lesson from that is: No pain - No gain. Clearly there is a lot to make up for next year! Irrespective of the finishing time during the afternoon and evening Markus' birthday was celebrated with banana & yoghurt/blueberry cakes and Heidi's delicious Kaesepaetzle before falling dead tired into bed.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus