Stories
that come in from the air are moments of magic. And, radio is a
wonderful thing for little listening people. And, the best stories
of all are the ones that send children to sleep with dreams in their
pockets and smiles on their faces. And, this, in Vienna, was radio
for children as it once used to be! And, it was all thanks to one
woman! Marga Frank.
It
was 1955. The age of new radio in Austria. A period of
excitement when things were invented as needed and methods didn't
come from a course. And, it was then that Marga Frank started a
program for children. The Little Dream Man. And, The Little Dream
Man was something quiet special.
The
Little Dream Man began every night around bedtime. Its little
listeners were all on their way to their beds. For, about to start
was something they loved. Stories that ended each day on a high.
But, of course, the telling of good stories wasn't all that it
seemed. It was an art.
Each
story had to last for exactly 4 minutes and 45 seconds. No longer
no shorter. And, and this was a challenge. And, it was the magical
thrill of these beautiful stories that made The Little Dream Man
successful. But, there was more. The program was live every evening
just before six, meaning, 365 stories each year! But, everything
always happened on time, and, as the years went by, so did the
stories.
And
the generations moved on as well. The Little Dream Man was so popular
that it lasted for almost 40 years. And, its first little listeners
grew up to become the grandparents of the last little listening
dreamers. And, then television arrived. And, the Little Dream Man
fell sadly asleep.
And,
Marga Frank was happily still with us until not long ago. And, with
her 90 long years, was able to look back on a life of providing great
listening pleasure. And, Austria, too, said thank you in a very big
way. Marga Frank was awarded the Austrian medal of honour for her
work. The highest honour of all! And,
quite rightly so. For she – after all - was the one who sent
millions of children to bed every night with smiles on their faces
and dreams in their pockets. Dream on little children.
The
Austrian mountains are full of surprises; and the best ones of all
are the ones which are reached by difficult paths. It was just after
Christmas. We were a very small group. Just 5. We had switched on
our torches and lamps. The darkness was total and the going was
slow. We had ice under foot. It was dangerous. We had to be
careful. Uphill in the winter was no easy thing. But then came the
lights. Welcoming beacons shining out through the darkness. And,
there was the hut of the Hochsteinalm. And, we were hungry.
Whilst
Landlord Sepp Ammering was making his guests very welcome, Sabina,
his wife, was at work in the kitchen. And, our meal was fantastic. A
typical Upper-Austrian dish called “Brad'l in der Rhein” which
roughly translated means pork, potatoe dumplings, and cabbage all
roasted together in the same dish in the oven. A perfect dish for
cold winter nights in the mountains. Of course, there were other
things, too, and all just as good. And, the Schnaps
at the end of the evening was just the right way for saying goodbye.
But,
of course, there's more to the Hochsteinalm than just fine mountain
food on cold winter nights. It's not only a wonderful place for
hiking in summer, it's home to many interesting animals as well. It
has something for everyone and especially for children. For
youngsters there's something behind every tree! The Hochsteinalm
near Gmunden and Traunkirchen in Upper Austria is not only a great
place to go - one can stay there as well. They also have wonderful
rooms. The hut is a great place to stay.
Maybe,
one day we'll meet in the mountains and finish our day with a
wonderful meal. Brad'l in der Rhein at the Hochsteinalm. Sepp and
Sabine Ammering.
Picture - On The Way to the Wine Harvest - by Nigel A JAMES
Franz
Zweigelt
Austria is
famous for many famous things. Its food and its wine are amongst the
best in the world. And, the Austrians love wine in a very big way.
And, one of the best wines of all is a beautiful red called Zweigelt.
And, Zweigelt is all thanks to one man. Franz Zweigelt.
In 1922,
whilst working at the Klosterneuburger Wine School, Franz Zweigelt
developed the Zweigelt grape. This grape was strong, tasty, and
extremely resistant. And, it definitely saved the Austrian wine
making trade. This grape was resistant to disease. But, the Austrians
had very little resistance to Zweigelt.
Soon,
Zweigelt had become the most popular red wine in Austria, The
Austrians could not get enough. And, overnight, Franz Zweigelt
became a popular man. A national hero. He was loved and admired. A
Zweigelt red was one of the best in the world.
Franz
Zweigelt was born on the 13th of January, 1888, in the
small Styrian village of Hitzendorf. Franz Zweigelt wrote many
scientific books in the course of his life. He was also the
publisher of two scientific magazines.
Franz
Zweigelt died in 1964 on the 18th of September. In 2002,
the Franz Zweigelt Prize was awarded for the first time. A prize for
excellent wines.
Zweigelt
wine is a very important part of modern Austrian culture. The name
Zweigelt stands for Austrian quality and standards. Zweigelt will
never be forgotten.
Katalin
Rath - The Ice Cold of Fear! - A true story from not so long ago
Budapest
1974. Autumn was passing into winter and the cold was increasing
each day. But, in the hearts of two very young people was the heat
of excitement. Katalin and Ferry were getting ready to flee.
Their native Hungary had become too small for their dreams and they
needed more. They needed freedom. But, legally
leaving the east was no easy thing. Permission
was needed. But how?
The
answer was relatively simple.
Having
just completed their medical studies, a trip to Leningrad was nothing
unusual. Many students did it. And, to this end, Katalin
and Ferry had joined the Hungarian communist youth organization KIS.
And, because Katalin and Ferry were two party members, the ministry
of the interior had automatically approved their application
for travel to Leningrad and a two-day trip to Helsinki. A
ministry stamp
on their already KIS approved application forms had been nothing more
than a matter of form.
If KIS says yes, then everyone else says yes as well.
But
there was something that neither KIS nor the ministry of the interior
had known. KIS had only approved
a journey to Leningrad. By using a very special pen, Katalin had
carefully added the trip to Helsinki herself. A dangerous thing to
do. And, it, if discovered, would have meant life behind bars for
Katalin and Ferry.
And,
there was one other risk too. A top secret risk. Katalin and Ferry
had two essential documents to take with them. And, these were their
future success; these were their medical Diplomas. But, how to hide
them in their luggage? Katalin decided the best way of doing
so was by sewing them into the lining of one of their cases.
And that's what she did. And this painstaking work was hard
and took a very long time. The stitching had to be real and
old and perfect as well. And, this was the hardest of all.
And,
the test was not long in coming.
At
the airport, everyone's cases were being thoroughly controlled and,
to Katalin's dismay, the entire lining had just been ripped out of
the woman's case who was in front of them at the check. This, too,
could happen to them. And, sure enough, their luggage, too, was
thoroughly searched. But, Katalin's stitching stood up to the test.
Katalin and Ferry were through. And they and the rest of the group
took their seats on the afternoon flight to the north. Leningrad was
waiting for them.
And,
despite being constantly followed in Leningrad, Katalin and Ferry
enjoyed every moment. Soon communism would be a thing of their pasts.
The west was just hours away. And, then came the next test. Their
short stay in Helsinki. But, what to do with their luggage? They
were being carefully watched! Two big cases for just one night in
Helsinki? Definitely suspicious. They had to go down to essentials.
Katalin
kept a cool head. She'd had an idea. As scheduled, Katalin and
Ferry joined the rest of the group going to Helsinki in the hotel
lobby. And, all they had with them was just one plastic bag. Enough
for a very short visit. And then, just as the group was leaving,
Katalin's and Ferry's plastic bag broke and their belongings fell on
the ground. Quickly, Katalin fetched one of their empty cases, and,
in front of the group, put in their belongings. Perfect for shopping,
she grinned. Thirty minutes later their train pulled out of the
station. And, Katalin and Ferry didn't look back. Leningrad and the
east were now firmly behind them and all had been so very easy.
Helsinki and freedom were now very close. Katalin and Ferry closed
their eyes and relaxed to the rhythm of the tracks. Katalin slept.
But
then, with the border in sight, the train suddenly stopped with a
jolt and a screech! Katalin and Ferry woke up. Border guards and
dogs were waiting to board. The Russians were leaving nothing
to chance. And, once again came the feeling of freezing cold
fear! And, as the guards and their dogs made their way through the
train it became obviously clear that this time, things were
going to be nasty!
But,
once again they were lucky. And, once again, it was the people
before them that got all the attention. And then, having controlled
and searched the entire train, the guards and their dogs
disappeared. The train would soon be moving again. Finland was now
very close. They could see it quite clearly. Soon they would
touch it as well.
But,
soon took longer to come than expected. Nothing happened. The train
just stood there and waited. The train didn't move. Ten minutes
passed. An hour went by. Two hours went by. What was happening?
Nobody knew and nobody dared ask. The risk was too great. Freedom
was just down the road. But, would they ever get there? Everyone
was nervous. And then, with a
jolt and then
another jolt, the train started moving. Slowly at first, then
faster and faster. But, still the silence remained. No one believed
they were moving. And then, all of a sudden, they saw Finish plates
on the cars. They had gone over the line and passed into freedom!
They had arrived. And then the cheering broke out!
And
the rest was relatively easy. Katalin and Ferry waited until the
group was about to leave for the station before jumping. They
simply slid away from the group and walked round the corner. And
then, just to make sure, Katalin and Ferry hid in a park. And then,
after dark,, Katalin and Ferry made their way to the port and then
to Sweden by ship. And, there they stayed for almost a year.
And,
Katalin and Ferry did everything from cleaning toilettes to serving
in restaurants. There was nothing below them. And then they moved on.
Both became dentists, and Katalin became a celebrated artist as well!
And
Hungary?
Now
living in Vienna, Hungary has
become part of their every day life once again. Family is
family and the ice cold of fear is a thing of the past! Now is the
future they dreamed of. Escaping was then. Now they are home!
Katalin
and Ferry came out of the cold and into the west, and then, back
again to the east. Katalin and Ferry – They took the risk and
succeeded.
..
Selected
Vocabulary
approved
– bewilligt
blessings
– Segnen
brake
into - einbrechen
close
– eng/knapp
escape
– Entkommen
essential
– unentbehrlich
fear
- Angst
flee
– Flehen
Guardian
Angel – Schutzengel
jolt
– Stoß
jumping
(jump/jumped/jumped) – springen
leaving
nothing to chance – nichts der Schicksal überlassen.
Greek
islands are famous for very many things. There are the
turtles that lay their eggs on the shore, the
soft sandy beaches, and the tasty Greek tasty food.
And, there is one more thing, too. The ice cream boat.
The
ice cream boat is a mobile floating ice cream stand and it
goes from island to island. It is very popular. The
ice cream boat sells not only ice cream, it sells soft drinks,
sandwiches, and mineral water as well.
And,
little Susie? Her favourite ice cream is strawberry
ice cream. And, Greek strawberry ice cream is the best in the
world. Little Susie loves Greece.
