Last Saturday (my usual writing day) was spent travelling back to Malaysia. Flying always required a bit of planning but now even more so. In Europe, flights were being cancelled at short notice, airports were packed, and ground staff, airline crew, and ground transportation were going on strike intermittently. Travelling now is full of surprises if you look at it that way. For the unfortunate, it ends up being stressful and disappointing.

Lucky for me, I did not experience any of that. Yes, I experienced long queues for security checks but besides that, my flights were on time except for one delay of half an hour. And I did give myself extra time at the airports. I typically do not go to the airport too much in advance, but this time I gave myself 2 hours before departure which worked out well.

My last week in Europe was hectic. I tried something different this holiday. I wrote my articles whenever I found space and time for it. Which usually was on the move. One of my aims in life is to be able to focus the brain even during chaos. Though my holiday was not chaotic but hectic I wanted to see if I could focus my brain to write on demand sans an organised space. And I was able to do so!

I always joke that focus is being able to think with clarity at the crossroads of a busy Indian junction. To my Indian readers, I mean well, and you know what I mean. Your crossroads and traffic flow are unique.

Back to writing amidst hectic days. The last week I just could not find that time and space before Saturday and I had good intentions to write on early Saturday morning before leaving for the airport but was too tired from the Opera the night before.

So, though I am back in Malaysia I will write about my adventures from my last week in Austria. The highlight was the Opera on Friday night. Austria has magnificently converted an old Roman quarry into a theatre, The St. Margarethen quarry. The capacity of the theatre seemed incredibly large. The link states it can seat 4700 people!

We watched Nabucco that night. The opera booklets did not have much in English, so I had to rely on google to give me a quick synopsis of what I was to savour. The locals had instant translation from Italian to German on boards on stage which was helpful for them. I had to rely on my instincts and Markus, my husband.

To be honest, I did not care for what was being said. I was there for the ambience. Never had I been to such a unique location for an opera. Truly bucket list worthy. If you happen to go to Vienna, St. Margarethen quarry is a must. They have ongoing shows every year. I presume they take a break over winter. It is open air and exposed to the elements. We were wondering what they would do on a rainy day. We were lucky it was one of the warmer nights on Friday last week.

The local police and voluntary army did a brilliant job of directing traffic and ensuring parking was orderly and efficient. Inside on the grounds, many bars served drinks and bites. All so well designed and thought through. Truly a night to remember.

Leaving the venue was also orderly. Some people left as soon as the show was over. Others stayed to chat with their group over a drink. The bars were still open and under a starlit sky, a drink was a must. We bumped into our family there and we stayed back to catch up over a drink. A nice way to conclude my time in Austria. It was a perfect conclusion.

More next week.

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com