August 2001

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August was the month of arrival, the month of heat and humidity, the beginning of our month in a temporary hotel awaiting a residence, and finally a month of growing frustration.  We spent days at the residence, walking around the neighborhood talking about life, and eventually realizing that we needed to get away from the irritations.  Two places we visited were the Wrthersee in Carinthia (Krnten) in southern Austria - a historical summer lake and retreat area - and the spa designed by Friedrich Hundertwasser at Bad Blumau.

We especially liked the architectural styling of the eaves on this house - the size of the overhang and wooden detailing.

Derek at the Neustift am Walde dorffest.

Jim, Sara would like a window like this in her new office...

Bad Blumau

Over the weekend of 25/26 August we visited the spa in Blumau, about 2 hours south of Vienna. This is a world famous spa co-authored with Friedrich Hundertwasser, the artist. This balloon wandered by via pure chance Saturday evening.

Each of the buildings (this is the Steinhaus, or Stonehouse, which we stayed in) is uniquely decorated with tiles and paintings in the style of Hundertwasser. Truly fun to look at.

Each of the four large complex buildings is linked via underground walkways and equipped with underground parking, so this is an auto-free resort.

Each building is covered with earth, and although quite large, the resort easily exists without making much of a visual impart on the landscape (save the unforgettable art of the buildings).

We found this resort quite similiar to a Club Med, and the children spent most of the day, including the evenings, in the pool with the wave machine providing distraction.