(B) - Aranka Acs and a Palace of Glass - A building with more than one life!

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Palace of Glass

On the waterfront in Alsoors, a small Balaton village in Hungary, is a palace of glass. And, it was there that countless young people used to dance and have fun. But, sadly no more. This once popular disco is now shuttered and barred, and the youngsters have all disappeared. But, this huge building of glass was not always a disco, it was something else, too. And. Aranka Acs, who grew up in a nearby village, told me the following story.

When she was a child, Aranka Acs and her family used to spend many long summer days down by the lake in Alsoors. Lake Balaton was the perfect place for summer days out. And, it was to the communal canteen that most people went for their lunch. And, it was this canteen that later became the disco. But, Aranka Acs has no feelings of nostalgia when she thinks back to the canteen.

Being built of glass, the building was unbearably hot, and people ate and left as quickly as possible. This palace of glass was not a nice place to linger. And, the food, too, was not very nice. It was industriously produced, and the limited choice was always the same. People went there because there was no where else to go. But, then came the end of the socialist era and this daytime disaster became a night-time wonder of good fun and music. And, it stayed that way for 25 years. So, buildings, too, have more than one life.

But, what is the future of this now empty and silent palace of glass? The choices are many. But, I secretly hope that this magnificent lake-side palace of glass will once again become a palace of life. A place for the young. There is now a black hole where fun used to be and it's keeping the youngsters away. And, a place without youth is a place that's not living. The building's still there. Why not open it up and let it live once again?

Vocabulary

ate – (eat/ate/eaten) – ass

daytime – tagsüber

disappeared (disappear/disappeared/disappeared) – verschwand

grew up (grow/grew/grown – up) - wuchs-auf

limited choice – begrenzter Auswahl

linger – weilen

night-time – nachts-über

shuttered and barred - geschlossen und geriegelt

unbearably – unerträglich

waterfront - Ufer

wonder – Wunder

Questions

Where is Alsoors?

What was the palace of glass until recently?

What was the palace of glass when Aranka Acs was a child?

Was the palace of glass a nice place for lunch?

Why did the people go to the palace of glass for lunch?

When did the canteen become a disco?

For how long did the palace of glass remain a disco?

(A) - Edward Cave and the First Magazine in the World!

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Edward Cave and the First Magazine in the World!

There are women's magazines, sports magazines, motoring magazines and many more kinds of magazines, too. But, why are magazines called magazines?

.

In 1730, Edward Cave, an English printer, decided to produce a general interest magazine for men. And, he wanted to call it a “A Store of General Information”. But, this didn't sound good. So, instead, he chose the French word “Magazine”. It has the same meaning and sounds much better.

.

And now, it's a word that everyone knows. Which magazine do you read?

.

Vocabulary

chose (choose/chose/chosen) - aussuchen

French – französisch

general interest - allgemeine Interesse

instead – stattdessen

printer – Drücker

produce - erzeugen

magazine – Zeitschrift

meaning – Bedeutung

Store – Lage

And, now the text once again!

People Reading Magazines in a Coffee Shop by NAJ

Questions

When did Edward Cave decide to produce a magazine?

Was it a fishing magazine or a women's magazine?

What did Edward Cave want to call his magazine to start with?

Why did Edward Cave chose the name “Magazine”?

Is the word magazine Spanish or English?

What does the word magazine mean?

Which magazine do you read?

(B) - Martina Feistrizer - Fairytale summers in fairytale days!

For full AUDIO/VISUAL - Please click HERE! 

Martina Feistritzer – A Fairytale Childhood

As a little girl growing up in Vienna, Martina Feistritzer used to look forward to her long summer holidays on her grandparent's farm in the Burgenland. And, those were the days that she loved. Life was magic and a fairytale story, and, all because of a forest and a railway that ran through its middle. And, the forest was no normal forest, it was magic. And, Martina and ten other children were part of its spell. They were the fairytale children and they were there for the fairytale train which came past twice a day.

.

And, as this old steam train steamed through the magical forest, the holidaymakers on the train loved what they saw. Real-life waving and singing fairytale characters. And, Martina and her friends loved it as well. They were making people happy. They were not only dressed-up in funny old costumes, they got lots of pocket money, too. This was their summer time job.

But, of course, fairytales have to come to an end. And now, all these years later, Martina and her friends all have their own little children. But sadly, these little children will never see the fairytale train. It disappeared a long time ago. And, this is a little bit sad. For, when Martina thinks back to her childhood, it's the smell of the engine she misses the most. Summers were magic. They were steam, smoke, fairytales and fun. The most magical mixture of all!

Vocabulary

dressed-up – verkleidet

engine – Lok

fairytale – Märchen

holidaymakers – Urlaubern

look forward – auf was freuen

magic – zauberhaft

pocket money – Taschengeld

province - Bundesland

spell – Zauber

steam – Dampf

twice – zweimal

waving – winken

Questions

Where did Martina grow up?

Where was Martina's grandparent's farm?

Was Martina's summer job a good job?

What did Martina wear for her summer job?

Who was on the train?

What will Martina's little children never see?

What does Martina miss when she thinks of her childhood?

(A) - Sir Antony Gormley - Life-size Statues in Lines!

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Sir Antony Gormley

Sir Antony Gormley is a British sculptor who has become well known throughout the world with his famous human figures. His best known works include The Angel of the North, a giant sculpture in the North of England, Another Place, an installation where 100 figures stare out to sea on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Horizon Field, an installation where 100 life-size statues stand in a line across the Austrian Mountains in Vorarlberg.

Sir Antony's works are very realistic and very interesting. Some people are shocked when they see them.

Sir Antony has won many prizes for his work. He was born on the 30^th of August, 1950.

Vocabulary

best known – meist bekannt

figure – Gestalt

giant – riesig

Mountains – Berge

sculptor - Bildhauer

sculpture - Plastik

stand in a line (stand../stood../stood..) – in eine Reihe stehen

stare (stare/-stared/stared) starren

well known – sehr bekannt

won (win/won/won) – gewonnen

Questions

What is Sir Antony Gormley?

Why has Sir Antony Gormley become famous?

Where is the Angel of the North?

Is Horizon Field in France?

How many figures are staring out to sea on Crosby Beach?

Are Sir Antony's works realistic?

Have you seen Horizon Field?

www.antonygormley.com

Thank You to Karli Brieber, the Apotheke zur Kaiserkrone and Aber House in Wales!

                        

Friends of Diarikom

Apotheke zur Kaiserkrone

Grosshandel

Mariahilfer Straße 110 A 1070 Wien

Tel: +43 (0)1 526 26 46 111

Fax: +43 (0)1 526 26 46 191

Email: ware@kaiserkrone.at

Diarikom and Lexmatica are sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber

Wirtschaftstreuhänder – Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater

www.recht-steuern-immobilien.at

The Most Beautiful Beaches in Europe!

Mountains, rivers, lakes and much more.

Wales – Come and visit!

Aber House

Barmouth

Elisabeth Razumovsky

www.aber-house.co.uk

Diarikom.blogspot.com

Texts about people, places and surprises!

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More Lexmatica Texts!

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(B) - Mirijam Ploteny - An ice cold experience and more! - And, in England!

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Mirijam Ploteny

Mirijam Ploteny, the Austrian actress, has travelled the world and experienced many fine places. But, it's her first stay abroad she remembers the most. It was a long time ago, it was England, it was winter, and, it was cold.

Ramsgate is a small English town on the coast. And, it was there that Mirijam Ploteny had gone to learn English. And, her flat had a wonderful view of the harbour and sea. Great in the summer, but torture in winter. And, her first big English winter surprise came early one morning. It was the frost.

And, the frost was not only outside, it was inside as well. The insides of the single panes were covered with beautiful frosty designs. Her apartment was freezing and the electric heating just couldn't keep up! Keeping warm was not only a question of pullies and thick woollen socks, but drinking piping hot hot drinking chocolate as well. But, then came the second surprise. And, this was a shock!

It was Sunday evening and Mirijam Ploteny was enjoying a show on TV. All of a sudden there was a very loud “click”. The metre had run out of money! Metres get hungry when heating with current. Everything was dead. The heating had gone off, the lights had gone out, and the TV had died. Mirijam Ploteny was in darkness. And then, with the help of her lighter she managed to find her purse. Soon, all would be working again.

But no! All Mirijam Ploteny had was a 50 pound note. And, electric metres only ate 50 pence pieces! And, so it was that Mirijam Ploteny went out into the cold freezing night to change her 50 pound note. And, she was lucky. The land lord of a nearby pub had no problem changing Mirijam's 50 pound note. And, later that night, Mirijam Ploteny's heating came back. All's well that ends well. And, in the morning, Mirijam Ploteny went shopping for candles and matches. Never again would she be stuck in the dark. And, from then-on, she always had the right change for the metre. Once was enough.

And, Mirijam Ploteny was young in those days, and young eyes see things in a less serious way. It was all an adventure in life. But, Mirijam Ploteny never forgot the kindness of the English and the way they were willing to help. And, she would do it all again if she could. But, next time, with enough 50 P. pieces for the metre! “Always be prepared” was the lesson she learned.

Vocabulary

abroad - Ausland

actress – Schauspielerin

ate (eat/ate/eaten) – ass

candles – Kerzen

change – Kleingeld/Wechselgeld

current - Strom

frost – Raureif

harbour – Hafen

inside - innen

keep up – mit halten

land lord – Gastwirt

lighter – Feuerzeug

matches - Streichholz

managed (manage/managed/managed) – schaffen

metre - Stromzähler

note – Schein (Geldschein)

outside - außen

pane of glass – Fenster Scheiben

piping hot – sehr heiß

view - Ausblick

Questions

Where is Ramsgate?

What was Mirijam's first winter surprise?

What did metres eat?

What was Mirijam's second surprise?

Who changed Mirijam's 50 pound note?

What did Mirijam go shopping for?

What lesson did Mirijam learn?

OLD MOON EYES - Nr. 12 - Three Little Welsh Children - Great for kids and beginners! - Easy!

For FULL AUDIO/VISUAL please CLICK HERE

Old Moon Eyes – 3 Little Welsh Children

David, Sarah and John are Welsh. And, they live on a farm in South Wales. John, who is seven (7), enjoys mucking-out the pig sty. David, who is nine (9), loves planting potatoes, and little Sarah, who is eight (8), likes going to the river.

And, what does little Sarah do at the river? She catches lots of big juicy frogs! And, what does little Sarah do with the frogs? She takes them home in a sack so her mother can cook them for tea! Fried frogs and chips are delicious.

Do you eat frogs, too?

Vocabulary

catches – (catch/caught/caught) – fangen

enjoy (enjoy/enjoyed/enjoyed) -genießen

farm – Bauernhof

fried frog and chips – gebratener Frösche und Pommes

juicy – saftig

live (live/lived/lived) – leben

mucking-out (muck-out/mucked-out/mucked-out) – ausmisten

pig sty – Schweinestahl

planting – pflanzen

potatoes – Erdapfel

river – Fluss

South Wales – Südwales

Welsh – Walisisch

Questions

Are Sarah, David and John English?

Where is their farm?

What does John enjoy doing?

How old is David?

Who enjoys planting potatoes?

What does little Sarah do at the river?

Do you like fried frogs and chips?

(B+) - Hugo Portisch - Rubble and a Shovel - A big clear-up before studying could begin!

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 Rubble and a Shovel - Hugo Portisch

Hugo Portisch, the popular Austrian broadcaster and journalist, brought out his autobiography at the end of last year. And, this book is as exciting as its title. And, its title: *It Was Always Exciting.

In his book, Hugo Portisch talks about people he encountered, events that he witnessed and other great moments of true historical importance. And, it was there amongst the Marshal Plan, the Berlin airlift, the occupation of Austria and much, much more that I stumbled upon a very short anecdote that very clearly highlighted the hardships and struggles that were part of everyday life as it was at the time.

It was just after the war. Hugo Portisch wanted to study. But, that was no easy thing. The University of Vienna was in ruins, and there were only three functioning lecture halls. The building was covered in rubble. But, there was a solution. And, the solution was the students' association led by Karl Schubert and Willhelm Czerney. Together, these two young men organized the clearing of rubble and the repair of the building. And, they did this in a very original way. In order to be admitted to the university, every prospective student had to commit him or herself to two weeks of hard work clearing the rubble. Everyone was given a shovel. And, it worked. Within just a short space of time the university was ready and studying could begin once again. Together, the students worked and together they won.

Of course, there is much more to this story than just that, and Hugo Portisch explains it brilliantly well in his book. And, this book is a must. In it you will find many answers to many unasked questions, and by reading this book you will understand life as it is now. And, maybe, you may even find yourself, too. In many ways, Hugo Portisch's life is your life as well! It's a journey we're all taking together.

*Hugo Portish's book is published in German. Title: Aufregend war es immer. Verlag Ecowin.

ISBN 978-3-7110-0072-9

Vocabulary

anecdote – Anekdote

commit – verpflichten

encountered – begegnet

hardships – Hartumstände

highlighted – hervorheben

lecture hall – Vortragssaal

prospective – künftig

rubble – Schrott

shovel – Schaufel

solution – Lösung

struggle - ringen

stumbled upon – stolpert darüber

witnessed – beobachtet

Questions

What does Hugo Portisch talk about in his book?

What is the short anecdote about?

When did this story take place?

Who were the two student leaders?

How well can you imagine this time?

Why is it important to understand this time?

Why are journalists and historians important?

(A) - Bratislava - A city with 3 names on the Danube!

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Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia, And, it is a city with three names. Its Slovakian name is Bratislava, its Hungarian name is Poszony, and its German name is Pressburg. And, this wonderful city on the Danube has an interesting history.

Until 1724, Bratislava was the capital city of Hungary. And, it was there that 11 Austrian emperors and empresses were crowned kings and queens of Hungary. Empress Maria Theresa was the most famous.

Between the wars, there was a tram between Bratislava and Vienna. And, many Bratislavians used to come to Vienna for afternoons in the zoo and visits to the opera.

Nowadays, the two cities are connected by train. The Viennese love Bratislava, and the Bratislavians love Vienna.

Vocabulary

Between the wars – zwischen die Kriege

capital city - Hauptstadt

connected - verbunden

crowned – gekrönt

Danube - Donau

emperor - Kaiser

empress – Kaiserin

German – Deutsch

history - Geschichte

Hungarian – ungarisch

Hungary - Ungarn

Slovakia - Slowakei

Slovakian – slowakisch

Questions

On which river is Bratislava?

How many names has Bratislava?

What is the Hungarian name for Bratislava?

How many Austrian emperors and empresses were crowned in Bratislava?

Until when was Bratislava the capital city of Hungary?

What connected Bratislava and Vienna between the wars?

What connects the two cities now?

And, now the text once again!

From Vienna - This is Diarikom - Thank you to our friends!

Friends of Diarikom

Apotheke zur Kaiserkrone

Grosshandel

Mariahilfer Straße 110 A 1070 Wien

Tel: +43 (0)1 526 26 46 111

Fax: +43 (0)1 526 26 46 191

Email: ware@kaiserkrone.at

Diarikom and Lexmatica are sponsored by Mag. Karl Brieber

Wirtschaftstreuhänder – Steuerberater – Unternehmensberater

www.recht-steuern-immobilien.at

The Most Beautiful Beaches in Europe!

Mountains, rivers, lakes and much more.

Wales – Come and visit!

Aber House

Barmouth

Elisabeth Razumovsky

www.aber-house.co.uk

Diarikom.blogspot.com

Texts about people, places and surprises!

www.diarikom.blogspot.com

More Lexmatica Texts!

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(-C) Captain Otto Herold - We have sadly lost him - Here is my tribute.

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Destination Unknown Otto Herold and Manfred Pollak (-C)

It was the 21^st of December 1975. Vienna was cold and covered with snow. Things were bad. The notorious international terrorist Carlos and his band of German and Palestinian accomplices had taken over the OPEC headquarters. And, Sheik Yamane of Saudi Arabia and other oil ministers were being held hostage. And, with 4 policemen dead, the Austrian government was in a difficult position. And so, the terrorists demands were agreed to in full.

These included a message in French to be read out at 2 hourly intervals on the radio and a plane to take them to freedom. And, Otto Herold, a young pilot at the time with Austrian Airlines volunteered for the job. And so, on the morning of the 22^nd of December, 1975, Otto Herold and Captain Manfred Pollak took off for destination unknown with terrorists and hostages on board. And, all went well. But, there was one small thing that Otto Herold never forgot.

Otto Herold had volunteered to serve coffee and everyone was happy. That is to say, all except one! One of the hostages, an oil minister, rudely rejected the offer of coffee and demanded a tea. And, when Otto Herold went to collect the dirty cups one of the terrorists stopped him. The now non too happy oil minister was made to clear up the dirties instead. There were to be no more passenger complaints.

The flight then came to an end in Algiers and Carlos and his gang disappeared. And, Otto Herold and Captain Manfred Pollak were flown back to Vienna.

And, 6 months later, Captain Pollak and Otto Herold were decorated by the Austrian president for their courage and bravery. Of course, both continued flying and Otto Herold was later promoted to captain. And, of course, as every one knows, captains can never stop flying.

Whilst happily in retirement, Otto Herold very much enjoyed his fleet of model planes. But, no models, however impressive, could ever replace the Viscounts, DC9s and Airbuses which he once flew. Life, for Otto Herold was high in the sky. And, his flight to destination unknown will never be forgotten! Captain Otto Herold and Captain Manfred Pollock were very brave men.

Vocabulary – Wortschatz

according – laut

accomplice – Komplize

brave – tapfer

consideration – Betrachtung

courage – Mut

decorated – ausgezeichnet

demand – Forderung

destination – Zielort

difficult position – Schwere Position

dirties – Schmutzige Geschirr

except – außer

experience – erleben

hostage – Geisel

impressive – beeindruckend

notorious – berüchtigt

promoted (promote/promoted/promoted)– gefordert

retirement – Ruhestand

rudely – unwirsch

volunteer - Freiwilliger

Questions

Why were things bad in Vienna in December 1975?

Who had taken over OPEC?

What were two of the terrorists' demands?

Where did the plane take off for?

Where did the flight end?

Why were the two pilots decorated?

What small thing did Otto Herold never forget?

(C++) - From My English Country Garden - A letter from Builder Michael

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From my English Country Garden – A letter from Builder Michael

Being the most intelligent person in the world is something I enjoy! So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I met someone who is possibly even more intelligent than I am! And, it happened last week.

I was talking to a certain Mrs. Kastner of Vienna. And, she was explaining that the United States of America is not the United States of America at all. According to Mrs. Kastner, its real name should be The United States of West Bachio! But, why?

In the 16^th century, a certain Herr Bachio, a native of Ottakring - a suburb of Vienna - set out to sail round the world. And, without even knowing it, he did in fact land in what is now known as the United States of America. And, he was, without realizing it, the very first European ever to set foot on American soil. But, he thought he had landed in Ireland.

And, because he couldn't find Dublin, he turned round and set out for home. And, it was only whilst describing the Irish as having darkish reddish skin, and all wearing feathers in their hats and all living in tents which he called wig wams, did Herr Bachio realize that he hadn't been in Ireland at all! So, what did the clever people of Ottakring think of all this?

The problem was that America hadn't been discovered at the time. If it had of been, Herr Bachio would have known where he was. So, why did he think he was in Ireland. It turned out that not even Mrs. Kastner knew. But, I did!

Instead of having sailed west, he had gone east. And, as everyone knows, the first place one comes to (if you exclude China, India, Japan, etc.) is America. Or, was it that Herr Bachio was unable to read maps? I doubt it. Herr Bachio was one of Austria's greatest map makers. The truth was that he was in India , that's why Red Indians are called Indians, and that's why he couldn't find Dublin. And, even I learn something new everyday!

Yours, BM