Today I finally dedicated some time to updating the website. As I was adding recent pictures of my mother’s childhood home at Silbergasse 43 in Vienna, Austria, I giggled as I recalled that day in 2018 when my sister Jeanne and I brazenly tossed our mother’s cremains through the gate onto some lush green bushes.
I just love the story. So, it was only natural I wanted to read it again. I used the search function on my genealogy blog, Who We Are and How We Got This Way. No results. Hmm. Maybe my memory is failing me and I posted the story on this site. Unlikely, since I only just started this blog, and the trip was in 2018. I searched anyway. No results.
Now, I know for sure I wrote the story up. I remember people commenting on it. I headed to Facebook. Sure enough, the only place I posted the trip events was Facebook. Usually, I’ll post to FB and then create a proper blog post from there. Guess I didn’t do that six years ago.
A win for you! (And me too, as I have more followers now!)
Here, for your reading pleasure, is an updated version of that day, complete with annotations to help you understand the context.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, Vienna, Austria
Day 17 of a Grand Circle River Cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna.with my husband Scott, my sister Jeanne and her partner, Suzi.
You will read this post and think, “She’s making that up.” No. And I have the pictures with time stamps to prove it!
Scott and I set out at 9:15 that morning to meet with Irma Wulz, a researcher at the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde (IKG) hoping to find more information about the family businesses in Vienna. Thanks to the expert teaching of our Grand Circle Travel program guide, Mihai, we navigated the underground without any problem.
While Scott sat VERY PATIENTLY for 1 hour and 40 minutes, Irma located several vital birth and marriage documents for me as well as providing me links to additional sites. Well worth the time.
When we returned to our hotel, the Falkensteiner Margareten, Jeanne and Suzi said they really wanted to go to see our mother’s home. This was the most important thing on my list of things to do as we planned to leave some of Mom’s ashes on the grounds of the home she lived in before fleeing Vienna for the US in 1938 at age 6.
We considered using Uber because of the distance we needed to cover—about 5.5 miles. After checking the public transportation maps, we decided we were up to the challenge. Off we went. We took the U4 to the end of the line, then walked a bit to the Tram line. We got off after 4 stops and walked about 5 minutes. There it was—the street sign for Silbergasse! We turned the corner where there were three armed, uniformed gentlemen standing. A quick google check revealed them to be guards for an embassy (I think Saudi Arabia.) Apparently, the neighborhood houses several embassies—it is that nice of an area.
A short walk down Silbergasse and we see the house number—43! Uh oh. People in the yard. I used my “best” German to get their attention. Speaking to them through the gate, I told them our mother lived there in 1938. They were very nice but didn’t offer to let us in. Even after I asked if it was a nice building inside! We said our goodbyes. One man went into the apartment house. The other came out through the gate and went on his way. Wait. Police car coming down the street. Jeanne was getting nervous as she saw a lady watching us from a window. It was starting to sprinkle a bit. Hurry Suzi! Get your camera ready!
I opened the iPod box in which I had carefully placed Mom’s ashes and hurriedly tossed the ashes through the gate into a corner of the yard, where there were many bushes. Hmmmm. Didn’t think it would leave such an obvious spot! No matter. Within seconds of my spreading Mom’s ashes on her homeland, it started raining. Good. There would be no trace for the current owners to be upset about.
We started the walk back. After a minute, the rain picked up. Within two minutes, it was raining steadily. We took shelter under a tree. When the lightning began, we thought better of that. Luckily, there was a covered entrance to an apartment building nearby. The four of us huddled under the portico, attempting to stay dry. For the last week, rain had been predicted each day. I carried an umbrella every day. It never rained. (We credited Mom for the good weather.) Today? Of course, no umbrella.
So, within minutes of spreading Mom’s ashes, it finally rains. We chuckled over that. We stopped chuckling when it started to hail. I’m not kidding. Hail, thunder, and lightning. Seriously, Mom??? Suzi said it was our mom’s way of finally releasing all her energy now that she was finally “home.” I just hoped she wasn’t mad.
We gave up on the idea of the weather clearing. It had been about 15-20 minutes of steady rain, so we called an Uber. After waiting 10 minutes or so, the app said the car was ready to meet us. Then it said “Sorry your driver had to cancel”. Mind you, it was still pouring!! Come on!! Within 5 minutes, another ride was on the way. Our new driver arrived.
His name was Thankgod.
I am NOT making that up! When we got in the car, I asked him why he used the name Thankgod instead of his real name. He replied that was his real name!!! He came from Nigeria and his name was too hard to pronounce but means Thankgod so that is now his legal name!
So, to sum up:
1. Every single day, the weather has been beautiful.
2. The rare, beautiful stretch of weather caused low water levels, which resulted in a change in our itinerary.
3. The change allowed us to have 3 extra days in Vienna, our mother’s birthplace. So, no complaints from us!
4. Within minutes of spreading our mother’s ashes, a hailstorm began.
5. We were driven back to our hotel by a man named Thankgod!!!
Coincidences?? Don’t think so. We love you and miss you, Mom. Thanks for being with us on this trip. 
I hope you enjoyed this memory. It is raining as I write this—with a severe storm warning for our area. Oh! And I just realized that July 10, 2018, was the 29th anniversary of the tornado that struck our neighborhood in 1989.
I don’t know who is writing the events of my life, but they sure have a sense of humor! Thank God!
nothingreallybadwillhappen.com 