Rathaus: Beer and Opera

Tonight we went to the Rathaus to hear Don Giovanni. I thought maybe they would have both english and german subtitles, but only german. Bummer. The food was very good- the whole group had something different: Indian, Turkish, Mediterranean. Tasty. And we all had a bunch of Ottakringer. Here's a great photo of Anna with a couple (full disclosure- one was mine).

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And then time for the movie/opera. Very cool looking up at the old Rathaus while watching the movie. It was three hours long though, and I only lasted one! Anna and Anne are still there actually- power opera fans.

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Anna has Arrived

Anna arrived last Saturday afternoon, and I spent the whole day keeping her up against her will. First, we went to the Rathaus and had some food and beer. It was raining pretty hard that day, but we managed. Then we went to Li's for dinner in the Naschmarkt (I love Li's)

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The next day we went up to Khalenberg to visit the Heurigers. We had lunch and wine at Hueriger Hirt, a wonderful place, perched about the Danube and the vineyards.

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We decided to walk down through the vineyards rather than back up the hill, and we were able to find our way to the Ubahn and back into town. What a site.

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We ended the day with a nice bike ride around the 1st district. As you can see, Anna has already mastered the public transportation.

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Update on My Mom

Today is a good day. My mom has moved out of the ICU and it sounds like she is recovering from the surgery quite well. You can follow her progress at http://suzyvs.blogspot.com/

Thanks especially to my brother and my brother in law for being there when I could not. Love you mom!!!


This afternoon Anna arrives, so we will have our first joint post tomorrow.

Icebags, Cassoulet, and New Experiences

Okay, so there is an ice shortage in Austria. Look at the ice tray they gave me when I got here. (paperclip for comparison- that's the small paper clip- I'm talking dime ice cubes here)

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Super tiny cubes. Lube cubes, Rob would say. So Jessica told me that there were these "ice bags" at Billa (the supermarket). I was highly skeptical, but came home to a box of them outside of my door. You fill them up like so...

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Then after about 30 minutes, you have this:

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What a novelty! Fast, cheap, ice. Don't ask me why they don't have normal ice trays.

Also, today for the first time, I had cassoulet. It was wonderful! White beans, duck confit, and pork sausage. Got it at the U.N. Commissary and it is fabulous. I had it together with a grilled cheese with Austrian cheese.

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and together, what a pair...

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Heurigers, Hills, and Hot Weather

Today we ventured out to the Heurigers, located on the outskirts of Vienna. The first one we went to was in Heuriger Hirt, located in Khalenberg. It was pretty awesome, although we went down this huge hill (from the top of a mountain) to get there. A nice austrian on the dirt road said it was one of the best. We arrived to an almost picnic like atmosphere, set within the wineries, with people laughing and drinking and eating.

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Very nice. So we sat down and order some white wine and soda water (very hot day) and then ventured inside to order from the buffet. I ended up with a wonderful pork dumpling with sauerkraut. Super tasty.

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The wine was also great, especially this "bowle" or punch we got!

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After walking all the way back up the hill, we took the bus down to another Heuriger in Grinzing, which was a wonderful, quaint place. Had some more white wine (and another full meal!) and chatted up the server, who was extremely nice. The place was very cute.

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Walking out, I couldn't help but take a picture of one of their buildings, that was so alive with color.

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All in all, a very neat day on the outskirts of Vienna.

Losing my Key, and Other Interesting Findings

Yesterday, Jessica and I went to the Naschmarkt to buy fruit for a pot luck this evening. Afterwords we had dinner and started heading back to our building. On the way, I noticed I didn't have my keys. We hurried back to the restaurant, only to find they were not there. Well, one phone call and 20 euros later, I had a new key. I think it must be at the fruit stand that is closed today (for Assumption day) and tomorrow (Sunday).

Speaking of the potluck, my dad sent me some "no oven required" recipes for this evening and beyond. The chicken cacciatore looks pretty good- hopefully I will have time to make it today, and if not, then for dinner tomorrow! Thanks dad! Anna arrives next Saturday, so it's great to have some new recipes to try out in the ovenless kitchen.

Also, I recently honed in on my favorite beer here. It's Stiegl Goldenbrau and it is delicious!

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Finally, thank you all for your emails and thoughts lately about the return of cancer to our family. I was watching Cast Away last night and I thought this was such a great quote.

“I had power over -nothing. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”

UN Commissary and Ironing to Make My Mom Proud

Today, I had two unique experiences. The first involved the commissary at the United Nations, which was pretty incredible. Everything you want from Argentinian beef tenderloin to high-end chocolate, to Doritos. Oh, and the booze and cigarettes. You would think the only thing the people in the UN do is drink and smoke. It's pretty strange. I bought some shrimp, steak, soap, rice, beer, vinegar, mustard, and Jim Beam (that didn't cost a million dollars like most in Austria). Using the shrimp, I was able to make a pretty good meal tonight.

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The photo doesn't really do it justice. After dinner, I thought it was time to iron. I don't iron. Really. It's something that has always terrified me. I mean look at this.

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How could this ever be ironed? I gave it my best, and I'm happy to say that I think it turned out okay.

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Much better than I imagined. I don't even want to tell you how long it took. But, I think my mother would be proud! (That's not to say that I won't go back to my great dry cleaner when I return back to the states).

The Washer and Dryer that Dante used in the 9th Circle

There they are. The washer and dryer that I am sure were damned to be used in the 9th circle once Dante arrived. The washer takes forever. Literally 60 minutes or so to get your clothes nice and soapy- not sure if they are clean. On and on it goes (and this is if you are lucky enough to get your stuff in line quickly after work). If not, fat chance.

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And there there is the dryer. I was advised not to use it due to it not drying anything, but I thought I would give it a try. Well, it doesn't dry anything, but I'll tell you what it does do- it takes your wet clothes and brings them up to critical point, so that upon removal, you literally scald yourself getting them out. Steaming, you take them upstairs where they end up all over the furniture.

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I'm glad laundry day is (almost) over- I haven't even touched the iron yet!

Rainy and Cold Hike in the Rax (Salvaged by Gulash, Beer and Edelweiss)

Today, a group of us went hiking in the Rax Masiff. It is about an hour outside of town and when you first arrive, you take a cable car to the top. We were hoping that the ride up would put us atop the clouds, but that was not to be. Luckily, a friend loaned me an umbrella, or I would have froze! As you can see, it was quite cold!

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The great thing about hiking in Austria is the huts. Once you get there, you can have a cold beer (even nice to have a cold beer on a cold day), hot gulash, and a shot of schnapps to keep you going (all of which I had).

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The steam in that picture is my lens, which had fogged up upon entering the hut. I can imagine in the winter it would be quite a retreat inside those huts. I was also able to get a picture of edelweisee, the elusive alp mountain flower. Very unique and pretty flower.

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Tonight, I'm trying to do laundry but there is a huge line. Awesome.

Ambassador Pool Party and Rathaus

Today, Jessica Raber and I headed to the Bilateral Ambassador's house for pool party organized by the Community Liaison's Office. It was pretty fun and the Ambassador's house is quite exquisite. This is clearly a political post!

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After the pool party, I headed to the Rathaus which everyone has told me about. There was a food festival going on, so I got some Middle Eastern food and a amber beer and walked around for a while.

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There were going to show a movie on the huge screen, but not until much later, so I grabbed a bike and headed back toward the apartment.

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I was still hungry, so I biked over to Li's and got an order of their chicken satay, which is amazing! I also tried a new beer, which is supposedly one of the strongest beers in the world. Tastes like Baltica Nubmer 9.

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Tomorrow morning, we're headed out on a hike of the Rax Masiff!

Visiting the IAEA and a Great Dinner

Yesterday, I visited the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in a couple years. The buildings there are incredibly large. It was good timing because I was able to get a photo for our office's engagement brochure that we are developing right now.

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Last night, at Jim's recommendation, we went to dinner at Servus, and I got schweinslungenbraten and a cold, unfiltered beer. The food was absolutely amazing. Great recommendation.

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Oh, and I finally got some new produce for my fridge that is not freezing! Had an apricot yesterday and it was the best one I have ever had in my entire life.

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The Fridge is Chilled and Not Frozen!

Finally, after one whole week, I have found the setting that keeps my fridge perfectly chilled without freezing all of the produce I put in there. It is about at 4.275. Any more- frozen. Any less- not cold. When you have such a small fridge, it becomes a delicate science.

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I also got some new ingredients for cooking on my tiny stove top (induction top). A little basket of fresh garlic and a tube of tomato paste- perfect for the apartment! The garlic is great and different than I'm used to- no cloves. I just take the whole bulb and smash it and then cut it up. Very easy and not too strong.

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I have also finally tried the original Budweiser, and I have to say, it is pretty good. It doesn't take like other Czech beers I've had- very clean and straightforward taste. And you see how it looks perfectly chilled? Finally, my fridge is in order.

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Nice Day and Haircut

Today was quite nice. The sun came out again and lit up my office in the afternoon during a long conference call. I notice suddenly that I was sitting in a Herman Miller Aeron chair. Wow. Back in D.C., we don't have nice chairs like this.

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Today kept fairly busy and I am starting to fall into the routine here. It's tempting to stay late because just as you are getting ready to leave, Washington is waking up and asking questions. I was out by 6:00, hurrying home so that I could get a haircut. My first Austrian haircut. Hair must be more valuable here than back home because it costs a lot more to get it cut. Back at the DOE barber, it costs about $14. Here, it was three times as expensive. Was it was worth it?

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This evening, Jessica Raber and I tried to eat dinner at Ra*Mien, the "hippest Asian restaurant in Vienna" but it was closed for a remodel. Once Anna gets here, we will all go back and check out the nightclub in the basement. (thanks Jim!)

This weekend there is a pool and pizza party at the Ambassador's residence. Might have to check that out.

Customer Service and Teeth Issues

It always comes down to two fundamental things for me: customer service issues and teeth issues.

Yesterday I got a nail file and was able to file down the sharp part of the chip in my tooth and I think it will hold fine. Here's the picture I'm going to send to the dentish! Pearly whites (mostly fillings)

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And then customer service. I am in an arguement with Airfare.com right now. For the record, do not/not ever use them. They are asking for all of this personal information to "verify" that I am who I say I am even though I provided it when I bought the ticket. Anyway, after purchasing this ticket, I see that they have received a F from the BBB. Sweet. I won't even start with my complaint about Brooks Brothers (charge for retailoring a mistailored suit?)

Today, it is raining in Vienna, but I am told that the weekend will be spectacular. I believe I will take Mr. Solit's advice and head to Durnstein for a beer at the Schloss.

On a clear day, I have a wonderful view of the Danube and the IAEA, and the mountains in the very far distance.

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First Weekend in Vienna

Slow morning here, so I thought I would send an update. I had a pretty interesting weekend. Saturday, I went to the Karlskirche, which was fantastic. You can climb all the way to the top of the dome and look out over all of vienna. I also walked around the Naschmarkt and bought a few things. Oh, and I joined the most expensive gym of my life- but it's only for a couple months and it is two blocks away.

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Sunday I decided to take a bike ride using one of the city bikes they now have in D.C. too. I rented one and headed toward the Danube. They have a 13 mile stretch of manmade island in the middle of the river which is all for recreation. I got all the way down to one side of the island and then- my bike broke. really broke. the back wheel came off and the tire locked. these things probably weigh about 75-90 lbs or so. i had to drag it, literally drag it, all the way back to the closest metro, which took about 3 hours. quite an adventure.

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then last night part of the outside of a recent filling came off! not very much so i think it will be okay, but very annoying and nerve racking. at least it's not my front tooth.

i've just been told about some wonderful hiking close to the city by the wineries, so i think that is where i will head this weekend

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Less Email

Rather than clogging everyone's email inboxes (especially those that are uninterested) i've set up this blog to track my trials and travels in vienna.