Aufsteirern

From the second I boarded the train at Wien Meidling, it was so familiar. Buy a ticket with my ÖBB youth card, stop in Wiener Neustadt, over Semmering, downhill to Brück an der Mur, then home...

Stepping off the train at Graz Hauptbahnhof I was almost giddy. I could have skipped through Hauptplatz . A large circular tent and stage obscured the Rathaus, Austrian voices joined together with the band singing Happy Birthday to someone. A number of wooden cabins replaced the normal food stands, offering a Jause in Hütte style.
All that for tomorrow, though. Left at the Zeughaus and I found Christoph and Anna's house without a hitch. They have an apartment in the center of town in an Altbau Gebäude, an old style building. In this case probably 18th or 19th century with tall, narrow windows, ironwork on the stair, and palatially tall ceilings.

Anna and Christoph at their apartment

In the morning we had the standard bread-and-spread breakfast with espresso (mandatory for Christoph). I headed into town and explored for a few hours. The streets were lined south white tents seeking every sort of hand made thing, from toys to touques. Over half the people were wearing some sort of traditional dress, and maybe a third were wearing full traditional dress.

I met my trachten-clad friends for lunch at Karmeliter platz. We had sausage and Bauern Brot (farmer's bread) while watching traditional dancing and drinking red Sturm. It is the red version of the young wine we drank in Niederösterreich. Delicious, but dangerous.

My first Heisse Maroni ever!

In the afternoon Anna stayed home to rest away a sore throat. Christoph and I walked around with one of his coworker's families. Really, the four of us followed 2 year old Fabian as he giggled and ran through the forest of legs!

After an hour or so I went up to Schloßberg to enjoy the evening quiet from one of my favorite places in the world. From my perch on the old brooch battlements I could hear the music from Hauptplatz and the roar of the flooded Mur river rising up from red tile roofs.

Later that evening we relaxed, drank tea, and watched Tatort (Crime Scene). It's a classic German crime show that's been playing since... Forever?

Aufsteirern was, in many ways, similar to the Regatta the Sunday before in Donostia. It was a traditional celebration hosted by the leading city in the region. Food, drink, and music are central to celebrating both. But in their expression they are so different. Aufsteirern is so... Austrian! Organized, orderly (people were counted going in and out of busy places to prevent overcrowding), a little reserved, clean. No piles of cups in the corners. Each was so festive and fun, I'm glad I was able to go to both!!