Graz, AT

Graz, the biggest city in Styria, a region of southern Austria near the border with Slovenia, is located in the valley of the Mur River, in the beautiful foothills of the Alps. It is most known for its title as birthplace of the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The climate is similar to that of northern California and the scenery is nearly as stunning. Though not as large a tourist draw as neighboring Vienna (2 hrs NE) and Klagenfurt (1.5 hrs W), the very bicycle friendly Graz has much to offer. Schlossberg (Mountain Palace?) is a stunning hill-top fortress directly in the middle of the city center. In 2003, Graz was named the cultural capital of Europe and many monuments were built in celebration of this new title. One classy and very modern example of this is the Mur Insel (Mur Island) which is a café/auditorium built in the middle of the Mur. During the summer, many concerts are held at this open air auditorium and daily you can enjoy some of Graz’s best coffee either within the structure or in the stadium seats. There is also a slide for those young at heart. At night, the Mur Insel is wonderfully lit up and not a few hundred yards away stands the eye popping Museum of Modern Art. Much like the EMP in Seattle, the museum has an aesthetically intriguing style. After 3 days in the city, I have grown to appreciate its uniqueness and mark on the city’s skyline.

This weekend has been really awesome, Graz is a city I could see myself raising young Keegan in. It is a vibrant community that has a strong foundation in multiculturalism and multilingualism. It has the convenience of a large city without the hurried pace. There are many parks along the Mur which runs directly through the city. My favorite is the Augarten, a family park that has attractions for all ages. It is a great place to bring children or simply enjoy a book in the Styrian sun.

Kathi Pregartbauer, a good friend of mine who was a teammate of Niki’s in Innsbruck, lives in an apartment that overlooks the Augarten and there is where I made home there for the last few days. Upon my arrival in Graz, I hopped on a streetcar to the city center (Hauptplatz) to meet up with Kathi and her girlfriend Steffi. We had some coffee and caught up at the very geműtlich (comfortable/hospitable) Café Schwalbenest near the Mur Insel. After coffee and a brief stop by the flat to drop off my things, we met up with Kathi’s twin brother, Gogo (Gottfried) for some Pizza at the new, and very modern Paradiso Italian Restaurant. Then we made our way up the many steps of Schloßberg to have a few beers and take in the beauty of the city.
That night we tried our hands at some “high stakes” poker (€2.50 all in, or about $4). As usual with me and poker, my money disappeared in the first hour but the company was good and it was intriguing to watch the unexpected (& often very cunning) personalities of everyone playing.

Saturday I made my way to Vienna to do some “work” scouting our next opponent and their new QB Steve Levy from Cal-Berkeley. He has a strong arm, but is a natural fullback and loves contact, maybe too much. The most notable surprise of the game was the performance of Clinton Graham, the Vikings star running back who is supposed to be resting a severely injured thigh. He probably should have sit out the game, but instead ran the ball 13 times for 145 yards. I was pretty impressed as they had to help him get up after most of the runs.

Hohe Warte, the Vikings football exclusive stadium was very impressive. The atmosphere was electric and the fans were well educated in the game. I was very impressed by the organization and set up, but when you win Europe and Austria year-in & year-out, that kind of support and sponsorship follows. The final score was a lopsided 34-3, but at the half it was anybody’s game and only 14-3. Carinthian shot themselves in the foot several times after long drives that found themselves deep in Viking territory, but nothing gained for it.

We certainly have our work cut out for us this week, but Vienna is very beatable this year and I think our offense can put up some points. If we can contain an injured Graham & force Levy into throwing situations, I think we can hold their scoring to a minimum. I’m confident that our offense can score points this week, so it’s up to me & the defense to secure the win. We need the win to remain eligible for the playoffs, so this will be a very important and busy week on my end.

Saturday night I returned to Graz around 11pm and joined the girls at the Office Pub to celebrate another friend another friend’s birthday. The live band was a bit loud but very talented and only disappointed when the drunken English Rugby Players in attendance requested Sweet Home Alabama & their repeated demands were not met. However, they were quieted by the very impressive talent of the Russian fiddler who wowed them with performance after performance. He truly was impressive.
Sunday I got some work done and broke down the game film of Vienna. We then had lunch at Schillerhof Pizza, a very nice outdoor beer garden style restaurant/bar. The best part of Sunday, however, was meeting up with Kathi’s family for dinner. Both of her brothers Flo (Florien) & Gogo were there & it didn’t take long to figure out where their athletic prowess came from; their mother, Ute, very quickly handled me at both Ping Pong and Darts.

Well, I missed my train Sunday, and can’t say that I am sorry that I did; another beautiful day in Graz was ahead. Maybe it was the weather, perhaps the great company, but I must say that I am “volle begeistert” (totally enthralled) with this locale.

Now I find myself back on the train with another 8 hours until I am back in Vorarlberg, already planning another visit to a place that felt as close to “home” as I’ve been in Europe.