And Here We Are . . .

Indeed. As the photos below document, we've moved into our pleasant little apartment on the southeast side of town and are starting to get settled in. And here we are at dinner Monday night with Dorothea Steiner, my host at the University of Salzburg.

Today we met a number of other people at the university, got a walking tour of the town, and bought a few things for the kitchen. The weather was beautiful, clear and comfortable, but we were warned not to think that it will stay this way forever. I also fulfilled something of a lifelong dream: being referred to in all seriousness as Herr Professor Doctor.

Getting Ready, Getting Ready

It takes a long time to leave, sometimes. I've known about this Salzburg trip for a long time--got confirmation over a year ago--and for a long time it's seemed just off there in the distance, something to look forward to in a rather vague way. But tomorrow, at long last, we will actually head off for Detroit with our several large bags of books and clothes (each packed carefully to be just under the 50-lb. limit, we hope). If all goes well, by sometime Monday morning we'll be in Salzburg, at last.

In the mean time, our friends are throwing a going-away party, and soon it'll be time to head over there, celebrate a little, and say goodbye.

So the next posting will probably be from a very different place . . .

Greetings

Over the next several months, as just about anybody who is likely to read this already knows, I will be living in Salzburg with my wife Marlyce and teaching in the American Studies program at the University of Salzburg as a Fulbright lecturer. My plan is to use this blog to post some news, photos, and comments on our experience for those friends, relatives, and gluttons for punishment who may be interested.

I do not plan to use this space for minute descriptions of my day-to-day activities, elaborate discussions of politics, or extensive elaborations of what goes on in my head. Rumor has it that other blogs have that territory pretty much covered.