Summer in Salzburg . . .

VOCABULARY

The summer holidays are well underway and I do hope that you are enjoying yours, wherever you have chosen to spend it. We always go away in June, before the nine-week school holiday begins, simply because the holiday destinations are not as crowded and the hotels can be much cheaper than in the main season. This is very unfair for families who are not allowed to take their children out of school during term. In England, many families with young children have ignored this rule and are now facing very hefty fines.

So, as I have already mentioned, I have now returned to Salzburg after being away for five weeks and am thoroughly enjoying these long, sunny days. I am certainly one of the fortunate ones, who do not have to work too much in summer and can take advantage of the many wonderful places that this region has to offer. Last weekend, when the thermometer reached 37 degrees, I headed for the lakes and spent a perfect day on “Fuschlsee“, swimming in the crystal clear lake. If you walk around the lake first, as we did, you don’t have to have a guilty conscience about lazing about in the sun for the rest of the day. The scenery around Lake Fuschl is amazing and if you are lucky enough to get a table in one of the restaurants on the lake to watch the sunset, your day is complete. Unfortunately, half way through our meal, a terrible storm arrived and we had to carry our soggy pizzas indoors.

I think that most people were relieved when, by Monday, the temperature had cooled by 10 degrees. Even though we long for the sunshine, all year round, many people complain about the heat causing headaches, dizziness and lack of concentration. Road rage, where drivers get extremely angry with each other, is very rife. This is also a good chance to finish off the household chores, such as vacuuming or ironing, which are im- possible to do when it is so hot. (Well that’s my excuse anyway).

By Tuesday, the sun had come out again, a good time to cycle to the city and see what had changed since I was last there. Some shops had closed down and new clothes shops will take their place and they were digging up the Getreidegasse, which was horribly dirty and noisy and difficult for pedestrians to walk past. But this did not spoil the charm of the city, which is preparing for the opening of "The Summer Festival". It is wonderful to while away your time in one of the many cafes and I was delighted to see that a solution has been found for the Cafe Demel, which has been closed since 25 March, 2012. This empty building was such an eyesore, and it is difficult to understand how such a place could remain empty for over three years. However, as Mr. Dogudan explained; it was difficult to make a profit out of coffee and apple strudel, when the rent was so high. The Glockenspiel Cafe, which has replaced Demel, was full of tourists and locals alike and, finally, Mozart has something to look at again, instead of a boardedup building.

The first thing that strikes you in the city, after being away for so long, is the absence of beggars. Obviously, a solution has finally been found to keep these poor people out of sight of the wealthy tourists.

Yes, it is great to be back in Salzburg- the city I am proud to call home. I am looking forward to spending the summer here and to watching the city come to life with visitors from all over the world who will come for; The Summer Festival, The Sound of Music or Mozart.

I never take it for granted that I can live here and, if Austria had the sea, guaranteed warm weather and a decent Marks and Spencer’s store, I would never leave. to appreciate – schätzen term – Semester to face sth. – etw. gegenüberstehen hefty fine – saftige Strafe to mention – erwähnen the fortunate ones – die Glücklichen to take advantage – ausnützen guilty conscience – schlechtes Gewissen to laze about – faulenzen scenery – Landschaft soggy – gatschig to be relieved – erleichtert sein to long for – sich sehnen nach dizziness – Schwindelgefühl lack of – Mangel an road rage – Gewalt im Straßenverkehr rife – weit verbreitet household chores – Hausarbeit vacuuming – staubsaugen ironing – bügeln an excuse – eine Ausrede to close down – schließen clothes shop – Kleidergeschäft to dig up – aufreißen pedestrians – Fußgänger to while away one’s time – seine Zeit vertrödeln delighted – entzückt solution – Lösung eyesore – Schandfleck to replace – ersetzen locals – Einheimische alike – ebenso boarded-up – verbarrikadiert absence – Abwesenheit out of sight – aus den Augen to look forward to – sich auf etw. freuen to take sth. for granted – etw. für selbstverständlich nehmen decent – ordentlich