Burkah Blues

On Sunday afternoon I was flipping through the newspaper at MIL’s house. I had a nice piece of cake in front of me. A big spoonful of whipped cream was dissolving in to my coffee. I can’t really read the Kronen Zeitung, plus, I’m always put off by the topless girl on page three. “This …


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My Favorite Kaiser

Yesterday we buzzed up to Wels to do a little city shopping. I ordered my new specs and we dropped in to an attractive old apoteke to pick up some more of an excellent homeopathic goop for muscle and joint injuries. We had kaffee and kuchen under crystal chandeliers at the Cafe Hoffman. Then we …


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Drag Queens and Drunk Mozarts

We were in town for not 10 minutes when a tall man in a dirdnl and a blonde wig walked right up to me and kissed me on the cheek. No introduction, nothing, his arms spread out, his hands facing upwards as though he was greeting an old friend. His companion, a similarly attired person …


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Fasching Costumes

“Flinserln” | Bad Aussee | Austria | Carnival (Fasching)

Rerun for Fasching: Attack of the Jelly Donut

Listen to this story as a podcast here. Carnival is finally over. This is a blessing not because I don’t like Carnival, I do. I’ve enjoyed the kitchy television variety shows and the sound of parade music wafting across the Enns valley. Yesterday in the Spar, the staff were costumed as cats, ears and whiskers …


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