Surrounded by Wieners. October 16, 2008

29.Sept.08

We spent the long morning using the internet messaging future Couchsurfers and reading depressing news about our potential future politicians; Palin with the maturity and intelligence of a 12 year old and McCain the “maverick” promoting change yet voting with our idiot president 95% of the time. It’s amazing none of them believe in evolution as they perfectly represent the human-chimp link. Sorry, I just had to let that out; we want to hear good things about the place we will again call home one day, but all we keep hearing is crap; economic crisis, 700bil Wall Street bailout (like that’s gonna work idiots), more redneck support for nut-job, neo-con, fundamentalist politicians, maybe we’ll just stay here?  Anyway, on with the blog, hope all the insanity back home is settled by the time we get back!

It was incredibly depressing to say goodbye to Klaus as he was without a doubt the best host we have had yet, but onwards and upwards to WIEN! You may know it as Vienna, but the rest of the planet calls it Wien (hence the dish “Wienerschnitzel”). It was a bit of a train ride, but by nightfall we were in a new city and had met our host at the tram stop a short walk from her apartment. We had a nice nook in the corner of her work room on a pile of soft futon mattresses. Our new host Evelyn gave us a detailed map of the city and circled all the highlights we must see before leaving. Sounds great so far and with lots to see we were glad to have planned four days here.

30.Sept.08

We finally got our lazy asses out of the house after sleeping in and jumped on the subway into the heart of the city.  The subway stop is right outside of the magnificent Opera house, and a short walk to a very nice cathedral.  We paid to climb an ugly elevator right through the middle of the cathedral for a view of the city from the top, but it was disappointing as you could only see out little windows with metal bars impeding the view.  We strolled through many gorgeous city parks filled with fountains and statues, and through alleyways curving under massive, gorgeous architecture to a piece of the city center.  There is no real city center in Wien; there is the old city sector which hosts a great number of open plazas.  Just walking through Wien is like walking in a museum, every building is an art piece, all very old yet well maintained, the city is frozen in time a few hundred years ago.  You can almost hear the clip clop of hooves…because of the horse carriages taxiing tourists around.  But seriously, it is so easy to imagine living a couple hundred years ago and taking a carriage from your beautiful penthouse to the opera house to see a symphony performed by Mozart; or at least imagine being a pauper begging to the extravagant aristocracy in their silly poofy gowns and penguin suits.  Either way I’m sure this place was even more magnificent then, without all the cars.  We hopped in to a fancy restaurant for a bite of Wien delicacy, Wienerschnitzel.  Surprisingly it was no better than any other Wienerschnitzel we have ever eaten, but you couldn’t beat the surroundings!

We spent the entire day just wandering around and soaking up the splendor of Wien.  We entered gorgeous cathedral after gorgeous cathedral, but were a bit disappointed with the main Gothic cathedral, with its towering spires, as it was under heavy construction.

Nearing sunset we worked our way back to the opera house where we waited in line to buy standing tickets for tonights show ‘Pique Dame.’  Our spot was in the nosebleed section in the far back above it all, but for only $3 a person it was a terrific spot with a full view of orchestra and stage.  The show was in Russian, but with English and German subtitles on nifty little computer screens in front of everyone.  The singing was awesome, music wonderful (Tschaikovsky), costumes beautiful; all except the story which was really quite silly and simple.  Of course that is how operas go, it is not about the story, but what brings it to life, and with that in mind it was a great experience.

To top it off, the inside of the Opera house was pretty lovely, and the outside even more stunning lit up at night!

01.Oct.08

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me! For my birthday we spent nearly the entire day in the most incredible museum we have ever been to; the Kunsthistorisches Museum. It exhibits art and artifacts beginning with the most ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia, and works its way to the European middle ages. Without a doubt this museum contains the largest collection of the most incredible artifacts we have seen. At every museum we visit there are always some exhibits which are slightly boring or trite, but we go through just in the name of thoroughness. In this museum there was not one boring moment. To make the place even more awesome, all the art is housed in a structure of magnificent architecture sitting opposite the equally exquisite Natural History Museum separated by a garden with statues and fountains. Each exhibition room is ornamented with carvings, frescoes, and paintings adorning the walls and ceilings; the main antechamber and café are particularly intricate. The museum is artwork within artwork within the art piece that is Wien. It was five hours well spent; even the snacks and cakes in the museum café were exquisite.

After our brains were fully immersed with art we hopped in the subway and headed to a few scenic spots around town. One spot in particular was quite stunning; on an island with the old city on one side of the river the new city with modern commercial high rises on the other. We walked towards the old city side after spotting a particularly splendid cathedral along the river banks. I nearly expected rapunzel to let down her hair at this fairy tale castle, though its insides definitely didn’t live up to my expectations it well made up for it just with the exterior.

And that was about it for the day. We went back to our temporary home and Jessica made me a splendid birthday dinner of pork schnitzel and pasta.

02.Oct.08

We have simply seen the innards of too many palaces and decided not to pay the extortionate fee to enter the Schoenbrunn palace. There was much to enjoy for free however, as the massive gardens were dotted with hedge mazes, fountains, statues, and squirrels. We spent a good few hours simply wandering the gardens, enjoying splendid views of the city and chasing squirrels trying to get a good close picture. It wouldn’t have been a problem with our nice camera with its 18x optical zoom, but alas, we have only this point and shoot currently, which is great, except for distance close-ups. Too bad too because though given our best efforts we couldn’t get a good shot and the squirrels are really cute with dark brown fur and pointy ears with tufts of hair sticking off the tip.

We wandered the city a bit more which never gets boring and headed then to the restaurant owned by Jessica’s third cousin. At least we think she’s a third cousin, though people give different opinions as to the exact relation; Karin, the daughter of Wilhelm who is Jessica’s grandma Maria’s brother. In either case it is more relation than ‘father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate.’ There was enough relation to be treated just like close family upon entering her beautiful little restaurant Flein, named so because it specializes in Schwaebisch food from the family’s hometown of Flein. My pork liver was succulent and Jessica’s chicken and spaetzle simply delicious. Best of all however was the accompaniment of Karin who was eager to hear of our travels and had great stories of her own. Talking with her made us rethink our old ideas of opening a local restaurant similar to ‘Flein’ with local organic produce, a seasonal menu changed sometimes daily to allow only the freshest options, and all surrounded by plenty of garden. All in all it was a great lunch!

A couple hours of wandering the city later we found ourselves sitting in a wide auditorium listening to a great orchestra play two hours of Straus and Mozart classics. It was superb, as expected. Upon exit, we found Wien even more a delight by night with all the statues lit up in an array of color, especially with a light mist trickling from the pitch black sky.

03.Oct.08

The day was filled with ever more sightseeing. A long trip with the strassenbahn and bus up to a tiny village atop a high hill rewarded us with a decent view of the city from the top where we enjoyed some delicious organic coffee. Surely the view would be even better on a clear day, but we had to deal with what we had. On the way back down we enjoyed a few more excellent pieces of the city, like city hall, senate house, etc.

Soon we were enjoying another unbelievable meal with Karin at ‘Flein.’ We said goodbye, and headed to Evelyn’s where we grabbed our bags and said another goodbye. Then off to the train station where, covered in sweat from running and just in time, we boarded our train to Bratislava.

A couple hours later we were in a new capitol city. Wien, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia are in fact the two closest capitols in the world. We met our new Couchsurfing host Peter and his girlfriend Stanka, most importantly their dog Klara, and with an English guy crashing at their place we all headed out to a techno blasting bar with a Simpson’s theme. From Austria to here the price of draught beer was snipped into ribbons. Less than a dollar for a pint of delicious local Slovakian brew! This could be the beginning of big trouble for our livers.

We headed to another bar which was just like out of a movie depicting Eastern Europe. Intimidating guards prefaced a long red-lit tunnel leading to a former bomb bunker filled with flashy lights, make-up, snazzy outfits, hair mouse, and camaraderie complete with that great dialect and booming personality we all stereotype for countries under the former iron curtain. A good night comrade!

Wien Flickr Pics:

http://flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157607835578403/

UPDATE:  Upon re-re-reading this blog I found certain comments at the begining to be mildly insulting to twelve year olds.  There are many twelve year olds I have met in life I would gladly endorse as a president over Sara Palin (I say president because that old fart is bound to die soon anyway).  I sincerely apologize for any insult caused to said twelve year olds.

A homage to the Governator. October 11, 2008

26.Sept.08

We tried for about an hour, but had no luck trying to hitchhike to our next city.  So we moped down to the train station and hopped on for a two hour ride to the home of Arnold Schwartzenegger; Graz!  The citizens used to be very proud of their little Arnie, even named a stadium after him, until he refused to repeal the death sentance on that reformed gang member some years back, then they changed the name of the stadium and renounced him as their child.

We arrived to Graz and took the tram to an apartment complex where after a few flights of stairs met the most awesome Couchsurfing host we have ever had; Klaus.  Klaus instantly greeted us with a very comfortable room, and a delicious home cooked meal!  Klaus is retired and lives alone in a very nice apartment right in the middle of the city.  We had some great conversation over dinner with some local beer and wine, then headed out to meet a huge group of Couchsurfers at a nearby pub.  It was too smokey for us, but the people were great.  When they all decided to go to some dance club we decided to call it a night.  Klaus, Jess, and I wandered back home where we got to meet Klaus’ girlfriend Lisa before going to bed.

27.Sept.08

Klaus prepared us a terrific breakfast of the usual favorites; meats, breads, cheeses, butter, and jams which we ate along with his girlfriend who made for some likewise great company. He certainly knew how to pick the best of everything, and after our stomachs full and taste buds thoroughly satisfied we headed out o explore the city. A massive blue-lit modern elevator took us to the top of the hill where sat the city castle.

The view from the top overlooking the red roofed city with its tall church spires was exquisite. The castle itself was measly, and mostly destroyed by that smelly little man Napolean, talk about small mans complex, he had to knock down every city wall he came by; probably due to his hatred for things taller than him. Anywho it was great atop the mountain and Klaus showed us some wild red berries, which grow everywhere, and are edible with a sweet taste and slimy texture. We headed back down the long way through switchback staircases through a very lovely garden with many wild fruits and berries to be picked and eaten. We meandered through the winding city streets stopping in the usual ornately decorated cathedrals and preserved monuments which make this city yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site (making this like the 30^th UNESCO site we’ve been to on this trip). The city is postcard perfect.

The modern museum (in a large, especially out of place, blue alien spaceship structure) was having its 10 year anniversary, all entrance plus tours were free. Of the many modern art museums we have been to this one was pretty neat. There were lots of weird, freaky stuff and some very clever exhibits. We took a small tour of some exhibits, and though we understood the German it was kind of boring because describing arts complexity seems to be a bit trite, as art is largely an emotional expression. How can there be a ten minute description of how this particular artist decided to bend the mirrors of this specific exhibit to express a reflection of the degeneration of society…what a load of bull shit! It just looks cool, that’s about it and maybe there is some deeper meaning, but if it the art piece doesn’t show the message itself, why should it need to be described? Anyway, cynicism aside it was a particularly neat museum.

After the art exhibits we decided to wander the city more.  Atop the castle earlier we had a view of a beautiful looking gothic cathedral in the distance. We decided it is something which must be seen up close.  It was a bit of distance away, but the walk took us through some neat parts of the city. The cathedral was in fact even more beautiful up close than afar, though the innards left something to be desired.

After stopping at a market for dinner ingredients we hopped on a tram back and were soon home rolling out home made tortillas and cutting up veggies for our famous Quesodillas! Klaus’ girlfriend Lisa joined us later and they drove us out to a small hamlet nearby where we sipped local beer and watched live jazz in a room smokier than the stack of a coal plant. A long and extremely fulfilling day!

28.Sept.08

In the morning, after another killer breakfast, we decided to make a day trip to Maribor, Slovenia. It was only a two hour drive and we stopped by Lisa’s cute cabin off in the woods. A rainbow of flowers in full bloom surrounded by lakes teeming with ducks and fishies; a perfect little oases for nature lovers, did I mention Lisa is a sex therapist; how awesome is she!

After our pitstop dropping Lisa off we headed out again towards the Slovenian border coming to the terrifying realization that we had forgotten our passports!!! Too far along to turn back we just kept going and hoped we could convince the border guards to let us through to Slovenia, although our worry was getting back in to Austria! We found ourselves praising the almighty EU however for completely disintegrating any trace of a border crossing. Without a guard in sight we merrily drove through into a new country, though it would be nice to be getting passport stamps for all the countries we visit, oh well, it is a new world. To our extreme luck there was an adorable wine festival taking place right along the river and in front of the oldest grape vine in the world (no joke).

Tons of live music, cheap glasses of local wine, free fried potatoes, delicious sausages, traditional Slovenian costumes, free samples of home made moonshine, and wave after wave of smiles, laughter, and cheering; what more could one ask for? We explored the city a bit as well and wandered along the river, taking in and fully enjoying a new country we hadn’t even planned on visiting. Slovenia rocks!

Lisa had prepared us an awesome dinner of chicken and noodle dumplings upon our return. Do better hosts even exist? I cannot imagine anyone more generous than Klaus and Lisa, considering we are total strangers and they treat us like close family. As if things couldn’t get any better, Lisa whipped out of the oven a dessert made of peaches wrapped in baked sweet dough, which we ate with vanilla ice cream. A recipe Jessica vowed to repeat many times when we have a kitchen of our own! We played some cards then headed back to Klaus’ place for some red wine, conversation, and comfy sleep under our thick down comforter.

Our stay in Graz was exquisite. The only downfall was my fun little Acer laptop completely pooped on us. The fans stopped functioning, I can only assume due to a short circuit. So now we are without a computer, how sad. Alas it was only a small speck of bad during two days of greatness.  Klaus and Lisa will be missed, they were such unbelievable hosts.

Graz Flickr pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157607567312512/

A Night on Salt Castle. October 3, 2008

24.Sept.08

Waking at 5am is never fun, but when you have to catch a free ride to the next city, it is worth the pain. Still dark, we took the U-bahn to the stop and waited for our ride to arrive. They arrived a little late which is nerve-wracking without a phone to call them with, but we were on the road towards Salzburg riding with two Croatian guys, one of whom about to fly to England to study abroad, fun! A short nap later and we were in a new city Salzburg, and a new country Austria (or Österreich) with our new Couchsurfing host Christiana. She went off to work and we went off to explore the city.

We made a pit stop along the way to city center and ate one of the top Doener Kebabs I have ever had the privilege of biting into; already I like Salzburg! We got to the main river and crossed one of the many bridges running over to Maribelle Platz, a huge park built for some fancy aristocrats of the city. The first section we explored was filled with dozens of weird little hobbit-like statues, all of which I had to take a picture next to.  Then we entered into the central part of the gardens which was stunning, with a fountains and statues surrounded by perfect arrays of deliciously bright flower beds.

The Mozart Wohnhaus, or living house (as opposed to his birth house elsewhere in the city) was a waste of the money they overcharged us.  The audio tour was more music than information, and nothing in the house was really astounding, nor were they real relics from Mozart’s family, only interpretations of what might have been their decorations.  Aside from a few nice tidbits, it was a waste of time.

After that we wound our way through part of the old city, finding a piece of the old city wall and ascending a massive flight of steps to get an awesome view from the top. We found ourselves on a large hill mostly undeveloped save some quaint churches and after an hour or so hike through the uninhabited woods we came to a miniature castle.  Nothing too special, but it was nice and quiet tucked away in the forest, and overlooking the boring side of the city.  We sat outside on the deck and sipped some local beer, then made the descent back down.

We hopped into a couple old churches on the way back home, because they are all so beautiful, then stopped by the grocery store for ingredients making the best burritos we could manage.  Christina came home from training to be a nurse and we all enjoyed some Mexican delight, something she’d never tried before.

25.Sept.08

We made a full day of sightseeing today.  We must have visited every church and cathedral in the city, always trying to give each other wet willies with the holy water.  They were all beyond awesome; many hidden through massive alleyways opening into splendid courtyards with fountains, statues, with the buildings covered in awesome domes and steeples.  The insides were all equally awe inspiring, and empty spaces opened up for beautifully decorated graveyards full of bright flowers and statues.  It was a foggy day, but the it gave the city a peacefull air.  We entered a mausoleum which was a great place for pictures of the courtyards and city rooftops.

Next we were on a tram heading up to the main castle up top where we started with an audio tour about the torture rooms/dungeons and a detailed history of the castle.  The views from the top were extraordinary and after the tour we definitely got what we paid for with a plethora of museums about court life in the castle, wartime, and city history.  It was one of the better castles we’ve visited.  A nice bit of info was where the name Salzburg comes from.  It means Salt Castle because the castle was built near a massive salt quarry allowing endless amounts of the best food preservative of the time.  This allowed the castle to hold out against a siege for years, as well as its independent water supply.  The city was never taken by force, but was taken a couple of times through politics.

We ate another Doener on the way back, met with Christina and hung out at the house for the night, getting thoroughly annoyed listening to CNN about the political and financial situations in our home country.  Something we don’t look forward to going back homw and dealing with.  If only this fairytale could last forever.

Salzburg Flickr pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flufflebuns/sets/72157607560914153/