September 30, 2008
Yesterday was a day of renewing an old friendship. Kim reunited with her old friend, Linde. They (Jean, Linde, & Kim) have known one another for over 30 years and have the many stories that only old friendships can provide. Also, it should be known that Kim's daughter, Sieglinde is named after Linde (not the opera character as many suppose when they hear her unique name in America). So what better place to meet up, visit, and cheer life than in a cemetery--Vienna's spectacularly huge cemetery? The sky was blue and the air crisp with Fall colors beginning their entry into the new season.
We walked and talked catching up on family news. I so enjoy listening to them and being part of their threesome; I am happy they have let me in even as I listen to often repeated stories. Linde served as a historical guide telling us snippets of stories enhancing our visit as we walked past various tombstones, complaining of hot flashes and aches common to 50+ years of life. From family news we quickly moved on to politics and our ever shrinking global world. Yesterday was a big day in Austria- they were voting for their various political representatives. We heard from Linde's perspective about who she voted for and her fears about more and more conservative parties. They do colors here: the Green Party, Orange, Black, Brown...I had a hard time keeping them all straight except for the more liberal Green...Probably if I lived here I too would vote for the Green Party. We all share our fears around the US election and Jean laments about how she will take a Democratic loss very personally.
Today's news tells me that "Austria's anti-immigrant, extreme right parties benefited from the deep discontent of the nation's citizens,winning more than a quarter of the vote in parliamentary elections...the two mainstream parties lost ground but remain ahead". Linde's Green Party is not part of the mainstream...Today as Kim and I walked around, the political pictures of the advancing scary, anti-immigration conservative party leader with his big blue eyes and dazzling smile had "Danke!" signs plastered all over them...
Once Linde mentioned that Beethoven's grave was here I became excited about finding it to add to our cemetery photo collection. As we strolled many sections we would keep an eye out but didn't find it; I just kept saying, "that's okay, no big deal". We continued our walk, wandering past the dignitaries, the many dead from both world wars and the very unkept pre-World War II Jewish section. This section, like the sections in Alessandria and Milan, loudly announces through its overgrown weeds and vines that those who would have tended to it, their descendants, were cruelly taken away from us. But on we walk... wandering by the Yugoslavian section where extra efforts (see above picture) are made to incorporate life pictures of the deceased.
It's almost time to go and as we walk toward the exit, both Jean and Linde begin to ask other wanderers where Beethoven resides. Soon someone says "go to the left" and before we know it we are at not only Beethoven's grave but those of Brahms and Schubert with a monument to Mozart but not his actual grave as he was buried elsewhere in an unmarked pauper's grave. Pictures snap, I smile inwardly, and we quickly walk to catch the trolley and subway because we have more conversations, coffee and Jean's sumptious tiramisu awaiting us at home.
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