This weekend I was again pleased to have a guest visiting me in Melbourne. Geri, who I know from Salzburg and who has meanwhile settled in Brisbane, came down to the South for a long weekend. Besides the obvious highlights in and around the city, we enjoyed a few encounters with Austrian "culture" in Melbourne:
After enjoying a delicous "gugelhupf" and a "creme schnitte" in a pastry shop in St. Kilda, we went to the Hofbräuhaus for dinner. I know it's German, well Bavarian, but I would argue that it is close to what you'd expect from an Austrian place. Not only did we enjoy Wiener Schnitzel, Kasnocken, Radler & Weissbier. We were also surprised by a glimpse of Alpine culture in the form of jodelling, schuhplattln, vogerltanz and a special performance of the Edelweiss song from the Sound of Music. I'd be the first to leave the venue if just one of these things would happen to me back in Austria, but here on the other side of the world I quite enjoyed the performances. All of which were a bit over the top but very enjoyable for us as well as the Aussie audience.
Similarly I enjoy watching Inspektor Rex here in down under, which is on the TV on Thu nights. I wasn't the slightest bit interested in that dog since I was a kid, but here in Australia it is something I do not only enjoy but also take pride of. Strange, how distance and a bit of nostalgia let you embrace the stereotypical "crap" presented in these instances. I love down under, but a glimpse of home from time to time is just great!
