Vienna, Austria (or "Wien," as they say) 10/31 - 11/2

GUTEN TAG! Wow, I do not know any German, let alone the Viennese German dialect. That was probably the only problem with being on vacation in Vienna, but Amy and I got through it and we had a blast. I have a few good stories for you all from Vienna, but more importantly, I have 43 pictures. Yes, 43 pictures made my final "publication cut" for Vienna! So let's jump right into it.

The train ride into Vienna was awesome! Amy and I had another sleepy train, and this time we were in it for over 10 hours! We both got some much-needed shut eye, and the ride went very smooth. Though, there was one rather comical hiccup along the way. When Amy and I first got into the room we were staying in on the train, we unpacked our stuff, and chilled out for a few. Just then, the employee watching over our cabin (I'll call him a steward) came up to our door and started talking to us. He seemed very friendly, and at the end of our conversation, in some kind of creepo-Transylvania-accent, he says to us, "Make sure you lock your door.... it's verrrrry important." Amy and I are like "...... okay." So we lock our door and get ready for bed. Then, I was going to use the bathroom, so I go to unlock the door, and..... it's 100% jammed. The door will not unlock. Now, after some creepball says to you that you NEED to lock your door, and then your door magically gets jammed shut, you would usually make some kind of internalized accusations, thinking that this man is going to eat you and your girlfriend for lunch or something once you get into Vienna. So, after that thought came and went, I pretty much went to town on the door. Slamming it, running into it, pretty much just trying to bust the door off the hinges... not very rational I know, but I wasn't very concerned with the cost of damages as long as I wasn't going to be stewed. We were also doing some pretty logical things, like asking loudly if someone could let us out and repeatedly hitting the alarm button inside our cabin. Eventually, after about 20 minutes or so, our man Dracula comes to the door and asks what is wrong. I explain it to him through the door, and he is able to open the door from the outside with his key. The door was still acting up, so he had us switch cabins, and that was the end of the drama for the night. I wonder what his lair looks like... ;)

So once we get into Vienna, we were on a hunt to find our hostel. It was called the "Blue Corridor Hostel" and it was on "Siebensterngasse." That's the name of the road... yeah, it's not as simple as "via de..." or "piazza de..." So, we get on a bus, and magically wind up just one block from our hostel; I have to say, along with Amy's help, we pretty much master all forms of public mass transit in any city pretty quickly! After checking into the hostel, we learned that this hostel in specific owns two very large apartments in Vienna; both very near the main office. We were sent to our room right around the corner, and we settled in. The room was very hostel-like, as you can probably imagine. It had a bed with sheets we had to put on it. It had two pillows, both of which were more like garbage bags with 8 or 9 feathers inside them. It also had a little desk... and that about does it... living LARGE!

We walked around Vienna a bit that evening and checked out the sights without cameras in hand. It was just a relaxing night checking out the city, and then we got to bed early. The next day (November 1) would bring plenty of walking and tons of sightseeing with cameras. So on that fateful day, Amy and I wrote out a list of things we wanted to see (similar to what we did in Paris). One of the things on the list was the Ringstrasse. The Ringstrasse was Vienna's "alternative" to a city wall back in the day. You see, they had the large mass of central city, and then they had an enormous ring of grass that surrounded the city, and then on the opposite side of the grass emerged the suburbs of Vienna. It's a very interesting concept, and something that any architecture student would like to witness first hand. So Amy and I are looking for this thing... anywhere. We're looking on maps and we're looking by walking around and checking things out. This was just ridiculous. How could we miss something so epic and large? Finally, we ask a guy if he knows where the Ringstrasse is. At this point, we're right in the center of the tourist area of the city. He kind of laughs at us, and says, "Of course I can tell you where it is. You're going to have to walk about 30 seconds or so... turn around... you see that road right there? (Points to a road about 30 seconds away by foot) That's the Ringstrasse." HUH!? Apparently Amy and I had neglected that cities develop and expand over the years... especially the last 500 years or so. So, the Ringstrasse, which was once this epic grass divider, was now just a four lane road that encircled the main tourist attractions of the city. We didn't feel dumb... right.

The last story I'll tell here is about a restaurant Amy and I went to. So, on November 1, Amy and I started to get a bit hungry for some dinner. We had a Vienna guidebook that my cousin lent to us, so we referenced that in making all of our food choices. The book was published in 2001, just as a sidenote. There Amy and I were, just outside St. Stephen's Cathedral, looking in this book for an authentic Viennese dinner at a reasonable price. We find a place with a name that i can't even remember... I have it written down somewhere, but not with me, so I'll get you the name once I have it on hand. Anyway, in English, the name means "The White Chimney Sweep." The book said that it was mostly beef and very Viennese, and a plate could be purchased for between 10 and 16 Euros. We were fine with that, and the place was right around the corner from St. Stephen's, so we went for it. We find the place in no time flat, and head inside. It was around 6:30 PM, which is very early for the Viennese to be eating dinner, so we knew beforehand that we'd probably be the only ones in the restaurant. The entrance to the restaurant has two sets of doors that enclose a foyer which proudly displays the menu. Amy walked in first, and went straight into the restaurant. I walked a bit slower and checked out the menu... everything was at least 25 to 30 Euro... talk about inflation! The bad news... it was too late! Because we were the only ones in the restaurant, the maitre'd already locked onto us and was sucking us straight into the depths of the restaurant. So, there we are, looking like tourists, dressed like tourists, and not looking like we should be eating in a restaurant this classy. They have hunting trophies lining the walls, the place is spotless, and I think Amy and I had 14 waiters or so. This place was a nightmare. They had about 18 appetizers that are "free" (with the price of the mandatory service charge they nail everyone with), so they brought those out one at a time. With all of these appetizers came an aperitif (palette-cleansing wine... I HATE wine), and a bottle of water. Naturally, I wanted the water. So I would drink some water, and then I would want more, so I reached over to the bottle and poured some into my glass. As I did this, I made eye contact with one of the servers who was staring at Amy and I as we ate. He looked like he had been shot. I tried to ignore this, but when it came time to fill my glass again, I repeated what I had just done. As I removed the water bottle from its handy little holder, our man Jimbo the waiter comes shooting out of the gates like a Kentucky Derby Stallion and dives at me like he's taking a bullet for me. I was so confused. He basically scolds me, tells me I can't pour my own water, and he puts it back in the stand... he pauses for a good 4 or 5 seconds, and then looks back into my eyes. He says, "Would you like some more water, sir?" I look at him, my jaw on the floor by this point, and just say, "uhhhh, yesss....... pllll-ease???" And so he pours my water. Talk about a strange interaction. The rest of the dinner went pretty similarly. Waitstaff was staring at us while we were eating, we were presented two 150-page books containing their white and red wine selection, and we had about 6 "free" desserts all consisting of pumpkin seeds topped with some kind of funk. Overall, not my kind of place. By the way, it's called "The White Chimneysweep," because apparently when the place opened, it was a bakery... which has lots of flour (WHITE). Next door to the bakery was a chimney-cleaning place, and every so often, one of the chimney sweeps would sneak over to the bakery and have some kind of escapade with the baker's daughter... thus making him a "white chimneysweep."

Okay, so that'll do it for the long stories. There will be some short ones intermixed with the pictures you'll see. So, I won't have you wait any longer... now enjoy the multitudes of pictures!

The facade of the Natural History Museum. You'll note that in Vienna, unlike Italy at large, they don't clean or otherwise restore their marble or stone facades. To a certain point, it's interesting, because you can see the age of the materials and the depth and shadows of the statues. However, at times, you just wish that parts of the building could be a bit cleaner.

This is the Museum of Art History as seen through some of its bordering landscaping. It was opened in 1891 at the same time (and in the same complex) as the Natural History Museum.

This is some of the vault-work of Wiener Staatsoper, which is the Opera House in Vienna. One realization that I came to while in Vienna is that anything that says "Wiener" just means that it is Viennese. The logic here is that their word for "Vienna" is "Wien," so anything that is "of Vienna" or "Viennese" is "Wiener." Some examples are wienerschnitzel and of course wiener staatsoper. The original opera house here was built in 1869 and was a neo-classical building. It was inaugurated by a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni (Mozart is, of course, from Vienna). During World War II, the stage was destroyed by firestorm, and only a few rooms within the opera house were spared. The new opera house was completed in 1955.

One of the facades of the staatsoper.

I'd like to think this sign means "no robot dogs," simply because of the ending of that crazy word at the bottom of the sign... not to mention the drawing of a dog looks like a robot.

And yes, the leaves were changing in Europe during this time of the year as well. It was gorgeous walking through this park mid-day with Amy.

This was pretty cool. They must have been filming part of a movie in this park while we were walking by that day. So, if you see this statue on the big screen any time in the near future, let me know... I was there!

Amy and I enjoying the crisp fall day in a Viennese, or "Wiener" park.

So, when we first got to Vienna and checked into our hostel, the woman who checked us in told us that the tap water in Vienna is amazing. She said it was the best tap water in all of Europe. Then we get to this fountain... and I realize you shouldn't drink out of a fountain to begin with, but it was still kind of disconcerting to see this sign reminding people just how bad the water actually is.

Here, again, is the Museum of Art History. Maybe just a little cleaning is in order?? Still beautiful.

I don't even know what to say about this one. These babies need a good spanking. I'd say it's a safe bet to assume the middle finger does not mean the same thing at all to the Viennese. Very entertaining for us Americans.

Amy under a tree in the same park. This park is called the Volksgarten by the way, and means "People's Garden," thus indicating it's a public park.

This is the Hofburg located inside the Heldenplatz. The Hofburg is an Imperial Palace which has housed the likes of several Austro-Hungarian rulers among others. The Heldenplatz is a historical plaza in Vienna. The one event which the Heldenplatz is probably best known for (unfortunately enough) was the site of Hitler's announcement of the Anschluss of Austria, or the annexation of Austria into Greater Germany as a part of the Nazi regime.

This is a statue of Archduke Charles of Austria.

A shot of the Rathaus through the Heldenplatz.

This is the Rathaus. This building serves as the seat of the mayor and city council. It was designed by Frederich von Schmidt and completed in 1883.

A little bit closer for some details.

And some more details of this monumental gothic building.

This neo-gothic church is called the Votivkirche. The plans for the church were formed from an 1854 architectural competition in which Heinrich von Ferstel won. He was twenty-six years old at the time. Ground broke on the church in 1856 and was completed in 1879.

Another shot of the Votivkirche. This is certainly one of the most prominent and recognized neo-gothic structures in the world.

Interesting statues. Much like the "Eros with Swan" statue I alluded to so long ago from Florence, here is another one of those headless statues where everyone else just pretends nothing is wrong at all.

The interior of the Votivkirche.

The altar inside said church.

I included this shot for my Mom, speifically (haha). yes, all Viennese people take pride in punching horses. I really don't know the significance of this statue, but it is positioned outside Parliament.

Parliament.

No Mom, I'm just kidding. One in ten Viennese people still use horses as taxi cabs. The other nine still punch them... often.

The sun begins to drop over Heldenplatz.

A statue outside Hofburg Palace. The man lifting the other man has one too many butt-muscles. I'm pretty confident in saying there's only one muscle on each side, and this man clearly has two or three. That's something I've noticed about a lot of sculptures. People today seem to praise these old sculptors for their "inherent understanding" of the human body, but more often than not, I keep seeing made up muscle groups... from places as high and mighty as the Sistine Chapel all the way to these two bums in Austria duking it out.

The building to our right is the Loos Haus. Adolf Loos was an architect who appreciated simplicity and was very much against decoration in architecture. You could simplify that by saying he was all about function, and could care less whether or not he was sacrificing form. When he was hired to design this building, he intentionally made it a mockery of its next door neighbor. Look at the anmount of decoration on the other building. There are cornice details, there are eyebrows on every window, fancy archways... everything! It's almost the epitome of decoration in architecture. So, Loos took his building as a chance to poke fun at the other building... from an architectural standpoint that is. He made his building without any window eyebrows or treatments, there is no crown molding or cornice details. It is a very simple and elegant building with details worked in through the material choice. A very comical commentary to see in person when you actually know the story behind it.

A little bit closer up on the Loos Haus.

And a detail shot of the column material choice. Very pretty!

No, I'm not some kind of Louis Vuitton man-diva. The only reason I took this picture is because Amy told me that this shoe display looks a lot like my last semester's project... the one that is a bunch of "porous bricks" that each act as their own customizable module. I can see the similar geometries... you be the judge... but I think Louis boy has some royalties to pay RIGHT HERE!

Probably Vienna's most famous cathedral... Stephansdom, or St. Stephen's. This is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna. One thing that Vienna (as a whole) was upset about was the construction of the building that you can kind of make out just across from St. Stephen's. This is called the Haas-Haus, and it was built in 1990. It was designed by Austrian architect Hans Hollein, and is a great example of postmodernistic architecture. The big uproar was about the sharp contrast between this ridiculously crazy modern building and Vienna's heart and soul, St. Stephen's. They have of course kept it, as tourists just love climbing up the Haas-Haus stairs and getting a great picture of St. Stephen's from there.

The Haas-Haus.

St. Stephen's.

The last exterior shot of St. Stephen's.

Gorgeous vaultwork and interior of said church.

So, the tourist book that I alluded to earlier didn't steer us completely wrong. It recommended this sausage place a few blocks from St. Stephen's as "the best sausage in town." They had tehse amazing sausages that were filled with cheese at their core. The bread they wrap them with is also amazing! Amy and I hit this place up twice, and I couldn't get enough!

My turn to pose with the sausages.

Later that night, Amy adn I went to a classical Mozart and Bach concert inside this palace. The acoustucs were great, and it is true what they say: when in Vienna, you MUST attend a classical concert.

The inside of this palace.

Amy inside the concert hall waiting for the show to start.

The show hath ended! This was the group that performed all of Mozart's and Bach's pieces. They were also accompanied at times by Viennese company opera singers and ballet dancers. Very cool!

That'll do it for Vienna. The absolute last post that remains is London and the Pendulum concert I went to. That should be coming very shortly! One last story from Vienna. There are few things I wouldn't recommend from this city... one of which of course being that dinner restaurant. The other is Mozart's apartment. Sure, you need to see a classical concert, but do NOT spend the 9 Euros to get into Mozart's apartment. It is the worst museum I have ever been to (and Amy agrees). It's not taht i don't like classical music or Mozart or anything like that... it's about the quality of the exhibits. There are multiple rooms in this museum, and I counted ONLY ONE artifact that was authentic. The rest were photocopies or reproductions with the originals "housed elsewhere." What a sham! Cheesy exhibits, not the real deal... a classic tourist trap. Either way, to end on a high note, Vienna is gorgeous, and if you're out that way, don't miss it!

Cinque Terre (10-30)

This is the second entry from today. If you haven't checked back in a while, be sure you don't miss my Venice entry as well!

So, first of all, I know a lot of people reading this are probably asking, "What and where is Cinque Terre?" The Cinque Terre are five coastal villages in the Liguria region of Italy (north and west of Rome) which are now a part of Italy's most famous and arguably most picturesque national park of the same name. The names of the villages within Cinque Terre are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

Okay, now before I comment on Cinque Terre, I have to talk about our train ride to get there. Wow! Amy and I absolutely fell in love with what we have been calling "the sleepy train." It's like our own little hotel room on rails. There were two bunk beds, a sink (with running water of course), a medicine cabinet, storage for all of our stuff, and a picture window to watch all the scenery pass us by! Considering the cost and time commitment that a hotel room would set us back, we killed two birds with one stone by taking the train: our transportation was taken care of, and our accommodations were as well! We were living large and loving it! The only thing we couldn't do was shower in the morning, but we were able to wash up using the sink, so it wasn't the worst thing.

So, we arrived in Monterosso, the northernmost town in Cinque Terre, at about 7:30 in the morning. Our train to Vienna, Austria would leave that evening from Riomaggiore (the southernmost town) at about 7:00 PM. That means we had about 12 hours to meander our way through the beauty of Cinque Terre. Two problems. First, it was pouring rain... the entire day. Excellent. Second, we had to carry our backpacks and any other "luggage" with us throughout all of our trekking, because there was nowhere along the way to deposit one's bags. That certainly sounds like it stinks pretty bad, but what you would be amazed to hear is that somehow it did not detract in the least from the sheer beauty of this place! I know I keep talking about how "beautiful" or "gorgeous" the places I've gone are, but I really am finding myself lost for any other words besides those. I mean, you can let the pictures do the speaking, but WOW! Talk about a totally different atmosphere with a totally different pace of life... such a breath of fresh air... a breath of rain-soaked fresh air!

Anyway, the strategy for the day, considering the weather, was to walk around each town a fair amount, check out the local "hotspots," and then hop back on the train and go to the next town south. This strategy worked out very well for us, and although it didn't keep us going for 12 full hours, it certainly kept us occupied for a solid 8 or 9.

When we got to Vernazza, we were hungry for breakfast, and decided to find a place to get some chow. It was about 9 AM, and almost everything was closed. The doors to the restaurants said they opened at 7 or 8 AM... weird. We later found out that when the weather is poor, the locals know that there isn't going to be as much tourist activity, so they just roll out of bed and open up their places whenever they feel like it... classic Italian. Anyway, after taking in some of the scenery and on our way back up the hill towards the train station, we found a place called the "Blue Marlin" that was open for breakfast. We could not have made a better choice for a place to eat! The people were incredibly friendly, the food hit the spot, and the atmosphere was nothing short of hilarious. You could tell this place catered towards the American tourist, with its Americana on the walls, and the waitstaff speaking broken English to every new guest before they even attempted to speak Italian to them. The manager of the place was just belting any song that came into his head at the top of his lungs, and he strolled around the restaurant while half-dancing to check in on all of his happy customers. The bottom line is this place was well worth it, so if you ever find yourself in Vernazza, hit up the Blue Marlin.

The day continued, and Amy and I continued to be amazed at the scenery. We took a stroll along the world-famous Via Dell'Amore (Lover's Walk), and gazed at the striking scenery seen from hundreds of feet above these cliffs. At the end of the day, when we arrived in Riomaggiore, we were exhausted. We were rain-soaked, and had been lugging our bags around for the entire day, so we decided to try and find some authentic Cinque-Terrean food. We found just that at "La Grotta" in Riomaggiore. One thing you need to understand is that Cinque Terre is heavily populated by fishermen, which explains all the bright colors, and the overall feeling of the place. Therefore, Cinque Terre is also very popular for its fresher-than-fresh seafood. So, back to La Grotta. La Grotta is a restaurant literally built into a cave. They installed windows in the sheetrock in some of the interior spaces so you could see into the existing cave while dining inside the restaurant. When it came time to order, Amy got a pasta dish with potatoes, and I ordered pasta alla Grotta, which is La Grotta's specialty pasta. The menu said it was a pasta lightly flavored with shellfish, and then sounded enticing to me, so I was sold. A little while passed, and then our food came out. Amy's food looked great, with its home-made pesto sauce and excellent presentation. My food was wrapped up in tin-foil. Just before the waitress set the food on the table, she lit it on fire. So there sat my tin-foil encrusted food, on fire right in front of me... very cool. She said to wait a few minutes and put out the fire. I did just that and then eagerly peeled open the tin foil to see the food waiting inside for me.... PAUSE....(haha).... so I'm staring at my food.... and it's staring back at me. Big beady eyes. Yeah, it's probably not as bad as what you're thinking right now... they weren't alive. But, it was some vermicelli pasta topped with four whole (nothing spared) langoustines. Also included were several other in-shell shellfish that I was somewhat unfamiliar with. So, what did I do? I dug in. Just like the sheep intestines from Sicily, I had at it. The pasta was delicious, and I really did not know how to eat the langoustines. I have had plenty of experience with lobsters, but these were so small and so delicate looking... how the heck do you eat these things? Naturally I didn't ask the waitress that question, so I just dug in... I busted those bad boys in half and just ate what I saw. And I have to say, they were also delicious. I was very happy to have had this kind of truly authentic Cinque-Terrean cuisine, and those eyes staring at me from my plate make a memory that I won't soon forget.

Okay, enough rambling. Here are 17 pictures of Cinque Terre. Enjoy!

Vernazza. You'll notice that on the hills that surround the town, the inhabitants do all of their horticultural work. They grow most of their own crops by the look of it. So, with the combination of their plant-growing and their fishing, they keep themselves pretty independent and self-sufficient.

A shot of the main clock tower in Vernazza, right in front of the water.

Some of the fishermen's boats in Vernazza. Note all the very "loud" colors. Fishermen in Italy are known to paint all things like this (from their homes to their boats), and I love it!

Amy and I against one of the sea walls in Vernazza a few minutes before we had to get back on the train headed for Corniglia.

A cool tunnel in Vernazza and a cool way to separate the picture (nice shot, Amy). On the bottom, you have the sea... Cinque Terre's primary source of life, and on top, you have the land; the vegetation which they cultivate and also live off of.

A shot of one of the tunnel archways looking out onto the water.

Another shot of the water looking out onto one of the clusters of homes in Corniglia.

There she is! A smile on her face no matter what the weather.

A shot in Manarola overlooking the passing train, the serene water, and some homes back in Corniglia.

A picture of some of the homes in Corniglia.
Amy overlooking the Manarolan water.

And myself. Along the Lover's Walk, overlooking the same Manarolan sea.

Some of the natural vegetation growing along the cliffs adjacent to Lover's Walk.

Amy and I under an overhang owned by a cafe positioned on Lover's Walk in Manarola. Sorry for the graininess on Amy and I... we had a waitress take this picture, and we ended up being very dark, so I had to sacrifice being able to see us for having a little grain in the end.

The man-made stone walk which defines parts of Lover's Walk.

A shot of Lover's Walk as well as the sea in the distance.

The final shot. Again, displaying part of Lover's Walk, and also looking out onto the infinite cliffs and gorgeous Tyrrhenian Sea.

So that'll do it for Cinque Terre. What a place to visit rain or shine. After we were done here, we took another sleepy train headed for Vienna, Austria. I'll talk all about that in my next entry. Until then, enjoy the scenic beauty of Cinque Terre!