Vienna Day 2: Like Moths to a Flame
On the second day, the three of us started our day with yogurt, gouda, and some coffee we made at the apartment we rented.
As an aside on the apartment … We used Vacation Rentals by Owner to find it, and I think this is a great way to go if you’re staying somewhere for a few days — it just feels more homey, and it provides the option for making your own breakfast, especially if you enjoy real food and not just air-filled croissants and pastries. It was a nice place, with a kitchen and big bathroom, master bedroom, and big living area that included two twin beds. Aside from our flu-infested neighbors (who owned the place), and my mysterious case of the sniffles that appeared two days later, we were mostly satisfied. However, the owner was a little stingy with the toilet paper — TWO ROLLS ONLY! Very German for a French dude. Also, we needed 4 keys to get into the place. It was like Fort Knox, and I’m almost positive that in the event of a fire, we would all roast — because you also need the keys to GET OUT. I don’t understand this European way. In Cologne, we have no smoke detectors installed in our apartment, and I could literally lock someone into our pad.
Back to our day: first stop was the Hundertwasserhaus, a modern-art residence that sort of reminded me a bit of Gaudi architecture in Barcelona. Here we “made” a bunch of photos (we were too early for the tour), and took a scenic walk — featuring much graffiti — along the river to our next stop.
Next stop — Karlskirche, where we actually climbed the stairway to heaven. This was a beautiful church and an icon often used to represent the city. While there was some construction and renovation within the church, we were able to take advantage of the scaffolding to get really close to the artwork on the inner part of the dome. Beauteous!
Next up, some penguins and the gilded Strauss statue, where it was difficult to get a decent photo of this famous violinist due to the recently unfettered tour group. You would have thought Strauss was handing out gold bullion. I take offense when large groups swarm monuments. I know you paid a lot for your seat on that bus, but please get out of the way.
Then, we finally made it inside the Opera House. Here we learned the theater puts on about 70 (if memory serves me correctly) different shows per season, without ever performing the same show on consecutive nights (they’re performed in threes, I think). So, if you’re visiting for several days, you can go for a few nights in a row and see something new each time. On the tour, we also had a chance to see the debutantes practicing for the upcoming Wiener ball, where admission is 250 Euros, dress code is formal/coattails, and box seats cost around 18,500 Euros. I will watch it on TV, thanks.
After some delicious goulash and the local pancake specialty, we attempted to get inside Stephansdom for the second time. But, mass was taking place AGAIN. So we climbed 300+ stairs to the top of one of the towers. It was actually a pretty disappointing climb for all the effort since the stairs simply deposit you into a gift shop with dirty windows, offering a sub-par view.
Anyway – here are some photos from the day.
Outside Hundertwasserhaus.
Hundertwasserhaus.
Lindsay and random dog. I told her to bend over to get her in the shot, although it was actually unnecessary. I still think it’s cute!
Dog patiently waiting for owner.
I love how Lindsay’s outfit matches the graffiti in this picture!
Cool.
A penguin fountain that apparently only serves as a fountain when it’s above freezing.
Like moths to a flame.
The beautiful Karlskirche.
Stairway to heaven.
Actually, it was more like an elevator to heaven for the majority of the climb. Lindsay only appears to be relaxed in this picture.
Nice close-ups of the frescoes.
Rejected. Back to Earth he goes.
An inside shot of the cathedral.
Huge church doors.
Inside Vienna Opera House — lobby/main stairway.
The auditorium.
Opera house.
Inside opera house.
Attempting to get a shot of the debutantes practicing for the ball.
It took us a while to find a decent lunch stop since smoking is still allowed in most restaurants. In search of a non-smoking section, I found these ancient hieroglyphics of male/female anatomy.
Traditional goulash and dumplings!
My protein-rich lunch.
Feeling pleasantly plump.
Stephansdom – take 2. A view from the gift shop at the top of 300 stairs.
Stephansplatz. I love how the Dom reflects in the windows of this modern building.
Famous public restrooms. Jeff and I actually used them on day 3.
Of course, we ended the night with … cake! Rick told us to go here.
Treats.
Pompeii. Hey.
Finally. Almost a month later, I bring you some photos and commentary from our next Italia stop — Pompeii.
From Naples, we stuffed ourselves like sardines onto the Circumvesuviana commuter train to Sorrento. It was one of those situations when you think there’s absolutely NOT room left for even one toy poodle, but then two big Americans manage to contort their bodies to squeeze on board — complete with two pieces of luggage. It was not pretty. I have not been so crowded since the womb.
We initially planned to just get to Sorrento, unpack our belongings, and then map out our next three days visiting Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. But once we found ourselves surrounded by four severely obnoxious backpacking (American) tourists, who dropped the f-bomb like a standard article, we opted to get off early in Pompeii, which is about halfway between Naples and Sorrento, despite the downpour. I also failed to mention the creeper who kept touching me and my belongings. That pushed me over the edge. Well, at least out the door. Here are some photos from the day.
Pompeii in the rain.
When Vesuvius erupted, people’s bodies were covered in ash, eventually leaving hollowed out fossils. These were later filled in with cement (or something like it) to show the exact position people died in. Creepy, but also cool.
I am so mature.
Every day, the Romans would flood the streets to clean them, leaving these rocks so people could cross without wetting their feet. Came in handy for us as well.
A street in Pompeii. On the right you can see what looks like a counter. This was actually a fast-food joint. People would go out to eat because homes were too small to cook in. Kind of neat. Thanks, Rick Steves, for the fun facts!
Completely drenched, we opted for some grossly overpriced pizza and vino to get in from the cold. My toes were numb. The wine helped a little.
I almost forgot. Part of the basilica, which was actually the Roman courthouse. This later became the basic footprint for many later Roman churches. (I think that’s me standing in the picture, covering myself and my soaked purse with Jeff’s raincoat. What a good husband.)
That’s it for Pompeii. I think this could typically be a wonderful day trip, but we only stayed inside the remains for 90 minutes, max. The rain was literally falling sideways, making the whole experience slightly less appealing. All in all, though, extremely cool. I always marvel at “wicked old” stuff, finding it completely fascinating to imagine how people lived thousands of years ago. We even managed to find what I think was an old toilet, making the trip complete. 🙂
From there, we headed off to Sorrento, where we’d soon meet the coolest bed and breakfast owner ever. Stay tuned.
As a little travel tip — Rick Steves provides wonderful free audiocasts of many of these tourist attractions. We listened to his Pompeii podcast later since managing the rain, umbrellas and camera was enough. But I highly recommend it.
catching up
sorry for the absence. i know everyone missed my writing with bad grammar, poor punctuation and lack of capital letters. but i’m back now. i’ll attempt to pick up where i left off.
my last post concerned me getting stuck in oslo, norway with a busted airplane. that was fine, we got to tour oslo a little and sample some of the 14 dollar (US) beers. it was delicious but yikes. we sampled some of the local fare which was quite delicious also. i couldn’t resist what i ordered, it was called “norwegian meat” plate or platter. the next question was, “one piece of ‘meat’ or two”? as a general rule with mystery meat in foreign lands, go big… so… two please. my colleague ordered the “whale meat” plate. we were both very curious about what was going to show up when you order whale meat but alas, they were fresh out of the whale. must be a popular item. durn. my food:
norwegian meat plate
the brown item in the foreground with the onions on it is the meat. i’m pretty sure it was hamburger with brown gravy. kind of like a salisbury steak i guess. it was good though. after the food we did a little more walking. there are a couple of actual ski-jumps in oslo, a lot of government buildings, a few palaces, a big train station and a really cool opera house. the opera house is designed so that you can walk all over it. and i mean literally over it, the sides are ramps which lead you to the top. we didn’t actually go in the opera house but we did wander on it. pretty neat.
unfortunately, our hotel was out by the airport which was a 45 minute bus ride away. so, after food and touring it was back on the bus. our plane got fixed the following day and we were tasked with taking it to barcelona to put it back in service. we did so and then were released to go home. it was a good trip.
The narrow roads of Napoli. And some x-rated art.
I bet it was the narrow roads part of the headline that captured your attention, eh?
By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m in Italy, again, but this time with the hubs.
We started our weeklong tour Sunday with an early flight to Naples. Arrived at a darling bed and breakfast — which actually serves breakfast, unlike the B&Bs in Copenhagen — finally by 11 or so in the morning.
Our host served us delicious (and densely strong) coffee.
Like the coffee, the city is a little gritty and intense. I love it.
It doesn’t try or pretend to be something it isn’t, and I certainly wouldn’t call it “touristy.” The food is cheap and delicious (3 Euro for a medium pizza, 1 Euro per glass vino). The roads are narrow, bustling and a bit dangerous. Red lights are hardly a suggestion. If there appears to be room or time for a car, scooter or bus, just go. Same goes for people. There is very little English among the locals. The streets are littered with garbage, and many of the monuments with graffiti, yet it is beautiful. Every day life, and the people, are where it’s at.
Here are just a few quick snaps from our day in Naples.
(Unfortunately, I cannot figure out captions on the iPad WordPress app).
More to come, but I hope you enjoy the sampling of pictures. I end with Jeff tapping his watch, because as he did yesterday — hurrying me along from the statue of Dante to the Archeological museum, where we saw the pornographic Pompeiian art — he will certainly do again as we near time for dinner.
Ciao ciao now from Sorrento.
A piece of Pisa pizza
Now that I’ve come up with this rad headline, I am disappointed that I didn’t take a picture of my lunch. It was one of the thinnest thin-crust pizzas I’ve had, with roasted eggplant, peppers, onions, and big gobs of melted mozzarella. Mmmmm. I will never get sick of Italian food!
The restaurant was right by the train station, Stazione Pisa Centrale, which I managed to find on my own. Jeff, this is proof that I am capable of navigating — even if I prefer to feign incompetence when you’re around. It’s just easier that way.
Pisa Central Station (I actually took this on the way back to the station in the event you're paying attention to the clock. In which case, you're also very detail-oriented.)
Lindsay left early Monday morning to fly from Florence, to Munich, to Newark, to Albany (sounds miserable doesn’t it?). I slept in and left on a 9:28 train to Pisa, where I’ve never been and coincidentally from where my exceptionally cheap flight left later in the day (I actually wrote this in notepad on the plane, as I jammed to my neighbor’s tunes).
The train was easy and the ride was just about an hour long, but there was little in the way of actual instruction on how to get to the Pisa-bound train from the main Firenze station. I bought the ticket to Pisa, but the boards did not list a platform for the city. Turns out, the final destination was another town (don’t remember the name), so a tip here is to just search by departure time. I’m almost positive that no two trains leave at the exact same moment. At least that’s what I gathered from the Trenitalia employee who was speaking only in Italian to me, while pointing at his watch and looking frustrated. Dumb tourist moment.
Once in Pisa, I quickly found the baggage drop at the train station, where I deposited my luggage for 3 Euros (I’ve discovered most stations either have lockers or some version of a storage system, which makes quick stops easy — even when carrying a boatload of crap). Seemed secure, but I made sure to hold onto everything most valuable — including my new leather jacket, which I was certainly grateful for on that particular windy day. (No wonder the tower is leaning.)
The 6-Euro map of the city I purchased proved to be a waste given the hurricane-strength gusts that made it almost impossible to open and read. Fortunately, the main attraction is easy to find — basically, walk straight out of the station for about 15 minutes, then over a bridge and to the left at the Roman-looking wall. This will bring you straight to the leaning tower and the city’s duomo, or cathedral.
Here are some shots of the walk and the main attraction.
Building on the way to the tower. Notice, the sky is somewhat ominous.
The road to the tower.
There is amazing stuff to see EVERYWHERE in Italy. Just a random clock/bell tower.
The bridge you must pass over.
I guess this is Mr. Pisa, himself. And some randomly placed artwork.
Just like these windows.
Since I couldn't use my map, and my new "European" phone wouldn't connect to data, this was my first clue that I was headed in the right direction. Field trip!
The random Roman wall I referenced. Turn left here and you'll see the tower.
There it is! Truly breathtaking. And it looks so oddly placed, kind of like someone cut it out and just pasted it there.
Another shot.
The absolutely impressive cathedral behind the tower.
Proof I was there. Believe it or not, this was the best self portrait I captured. At least you can see further evidence that it was, in fact, windy.
Another random Pisa shot.
And another church just nestled in the buildings on my way back to the train station, right before my delicious Pisa pizza.
That concludes the day in Pisa. From here, I managed one more successful train ride to the Pisa airport (about 5 minutes) and was back home by 8 p.m. What a day!
More on Lindsay’s and my last day in Florence later. Can you just feel the suspense?
Florence day 2, part 2: baby lamb, Boboli, paper
Following Saturday’s market, we had a jam-packed day that went something like this (unfortunately, I don’t remember the EXACT order).
We walked and did a little more shopping with our hosts. The whole city feels like a big outdoor market on the weekends, with stands selling everything “Italiano” — olive oil, truffles (my new obsession), aperitivo, vino, and lots of leather (belts, jackets, purses, gloves). I bought a delish truffle “relish.” I want to put it on everything — bread, pasta, my finger.
Here's the crew...walking.
A neat shot from our walk. A carousel in front of this old archway on our way to lunch.
Then, for lunch.
This was the wine Dan picked. It was super yummy. Remember it.
After some seriously delicious pizza and vino, we had to re-energize with coffee. Here's Lindsay and her tiny little macchiato. This is unlike anything you get at Starbucks.
We continued strolling, stopping at a few paper stores. Florence is known for stationary and marbled paper — something I did NOT know until Lindsay, my paper-obsessed travel buddy, informed me of this interesting piece of trivia.
Here's a woman actually creating marbled paper. This was later in the day, but the demo fits better here in my story.
Then, onto leather jackets. In 2010, I regretted not purchasing one. I had just started my business and was a lot more careful with my spending. Fortunately, el presidente and Terese were regulars at this particular store, and we got their discount. It was almost too good of a deal to pass up (we’re talking, they knocked off like 160 euros). Jeff agreed I made the right choice: “You couldn’t have afforded NOT to buy that jacket.” My thoughts exactly.
Here are Lindsay, Terese, and I sporting our purchases later in the day. I sort of talked Lindsay into getting one (Terese helped), but she was clearly pleased she had caved. She will look soooo cool going to concerts in this authentic Italian leather, undoubtedly impress her new beau, and just look far more sophisticated and trendy than any of her U.S. colleagues and friends (especially in central NY).
Here we are with Terese. She's wearing a previously purchased jacket, too.
I was a little upset when I found out my jacket was made of baby lamb. Don’t hate me, animal-loving friends. The lamb was already dead and probably organic. And he’s really soft. (Sorry). A tip for those of you considering a jacket — don’t ask what it’s made of.
After we dropped our goods off, we continued on to more touristy sight-seeing things.
The basilica of San Lorenzo, the oldest church in Florence and where the famous Medici family is buried.
Same church, San Lorenzo, different view.
The inside courtyard was also very beautiful, with an orange tree planted in the middle.
San Lorenzo courtyard area. Orange tree. Go 'Cuse.
From here, some more museums and then on to the Boboli gardens behind the famous Pitti Palace, an excessively opulent home to the Medici family (we went inside on Sunday, so hang tight).
I realize I didn’t take many pics from the inside of the gardens, but the views of the city and of Tuscany are amazing. Here are just a few photos.
View from Boboli Gardens.
Tourist shot!
A view of olive trees from the back end of the Boboli gardens.
Not sure what to say about this one.
This somewhat concluded our day. We had a fab dinner later that evening at Ristorante la Giostra, where there’s a human menu recited from the owner who models his style after Jack Sparrow.
More to come, but for today, I am outta time. More on the inside of the Pitti Palace and my day trip to Pisa tomorrow!
Ciao.
Firenze day 2, part 1: A whole pig
The markets in Florence are amazing. Don’t expect a full-size grocery store in an Italian city. Instead, you have specialty shops and stands and markets. Local cheese, fresh pasta, ripe fruits and veggies, and Italian honey.
Saturday morning, the four of us ventured first to the big open-air market (if that’s what you call it), which also had an indoor portion that I think you can shop in most of the week. Here are some shots from Mercato di Sant’Ambrogi.
I’m a huge fan of the colors.
Fresh produce. And squash blossoms (I think), which they cook on the Food Network all the time but don't sell in the U.S., at least anywhere I can find.
Love this woman's expression.
Here's an entire pig, which gets roasted and then sold off by the body part you happen to crave. This stand also sold the most delicious Gouda cheese, which was more like butter than anything else. So good.
That’s all for the market. I broke my promise about the leather jackets and Boboli Gardens. Stay tuned til tomorrow for Firenze day 2, part 2.
Arrivederci!
FIR-EN-ZE, Day 1
Now that you’ve heard about the journey, let’s talk destination.
Lindsay has friends with an amazing guest house in Florence, just in the shadows of the famous Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore). The Duomo might be one of the most magnificent structures I’ve ever seen. When Jeff and I visited in 2010, we spent hours just circling it at night, vino in hands, constantly awestruck.
Duomo and tower.
The Florence Duomo.
The door of the Bapistry immediately next to the Duomo. Depicts scenes from the Bible.
Clock inside Duomo -- tells time by hours until sunset.
The inside of the Duomo is actually quite plain (yet incredibly beautiful), except this magnificent ceiling, which has been created on the inside of the dome, itself.
Terese, our hip hostess with the mostest, took us to numerous sites on Friday — the day we arrived. One of our first stops was “the David” and other key attractions at the Academia Gallery. We happened to run into a professional tour guide and personal friend of our hosts. Using his language skills, he got us into the museum quickly (Terese’s pass helped too) and spent at least an hour providing an in-depth art history lesson.
(An aside: Tour guides in Italy are unionized and licensed, and there are heavy fines for performing this job without the right papers. Police will actually stop and ticket. Crazy!)
Some tidbits about the Biblical David. Michelangelo (“M”) sculpted him at around the age of 25 (sometime between 1501 and 1504), and in his interpretation, he catches the moment David sees the Goliath — sling in hand and ready to attack. Other famous artists before “M” had sculpted David, post-battle, with the head of the slain enemy. “M” was the first to capture the expression and emotion immediately prior to attack.
Here's a picture of the 15-year-old David. He CLEARLY does not looks his age. (This pic was taken on my first trip to Italy just moments before I was scolded for using a camera).
We also learned from our guide that David is not just marble, but he is actually politics. His left-facing stature is a warning to the Medici family: stay in Rome.
A fun fact! Michelangelo was actually gay. Are you surprised? Look at the bod on this sculpture. He also lived until the ripe age of 89, more than double the life expectancy of his time.
I am constantly amazed at how prolific these artists of the Renaissance were. M has about 48 known sculptures, plus paintings, plus architectural design work. He did have assistants/employees, though. They helped him on the sculpting side by chiseling away chunks of marble and getting pieces down to the basic shapes, but the man, himself, always did the fine finishing work — creating the muscle tone, smoothing away the rough edges, etc.
Travel/sightseeing tip — The Academia Museum is the only place (or one of the only places) where you can see the unfinished works of Michelangelo, which helps demonstrate the process of the carving and sculpting. As you face the David and walk through the gallery of M’s work, one of the sculptures on the left has Michelangelo’s signature — a sketch of his face — which he used to mark his marble. I didn’t dare take a picture this time around.
Anyway … enough with the writing. Here are a few more shots from our first day in Florence.
Lindsay making music on this water-filled bowl thingy. The Academia Gallery also has a large instrument exhibit, including some of the first pianos ever made.
It was rainy when we arrived but turned into a great weekend. Here are Lindsay and Terese, right around the Ponte Vecchio bridge. I love all the umbrellas in the background. Warning though -- people here are dangerous with umbrellas (and just in general) and abide by no commonly accepted rules of order. Very UN-German.
A famous sculpture, the Rape of the Sabine Woman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rape_of_the_Sabine_Women). This is a huge deal in the art world because of the elaborate sculpting work, especially the imprint made on the woman's lower cheek. This is also one of the first sculptures created with the intent of being viewed from all angles.
In the evening, we enjoyed dinner at one of our hosts’ favorite restaurants, and Terese’s husband (we’ll call him “el presidente,” or just Dan) joined us for dinner. I had lasagna, of course, because it’s my favorite meal on the planet. It was truly the bomb. (I’ll try to get the name of the restaurants and post later).
Stay tuned for day 2 photos and notes tomorrow, featuring tips on purchasing leather jackets, a photo tour of the Boboli Gardens, a great indoor/outdoor food market, and more.
A Coke Bier?
I’m not sure if this is a “German” thing or not, but Jeff and I had a random experience the other night at a local Thai joint.
Drink ordering time: I resort to my typical order — “Kolsch.” It’s the local beer (or bier), and everyone has it so it’s safe, and I (typically) don’t have to worry about my pronunciation. It might be Scion or Reissdorf, but every restaurant carries a Kolsch.
So you can understand my dismay when the waiter brings me a COKE (not Kolsch) and then scurries off. Jeff and I decide it’s probably an English-to-German-to-Thai mistake.
Waiter comes back — “Kolsch, not COKE, bitte,” I say. “Ah, entschuldigung,” he replies. He takes the Coke.
He then returns with a very dark looking bier in a Kolsch glass. Kolsch is always light.
First swig. “It’s sweet,” I tell Jeff. He tastes. “Oh yea.”
“Did they put coke in my Kolsch?”
“Mayyybe.”
I decide not to attempt another order, so I drink it.
When the waiter comes back, he asks, “Another coke bier?”
Mystery solved.
Love locks, wise men, and missed baskets
Jeff is still sick. Kaya is still a terrible walker. So, Breezy and I took a stroll this morning, just the two of us. Like old times.
Here are some snapshots from this beautiful spring day in Cologne/Koeln/Köln.
It all begins with a nice view of the city, just begging us to get our booties outside.
Our first tour stop of the day was the Kolner Dom, the famous Cologne cathedral, which is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. Seeing this never gets old to me. And I see it from our hotel room window everyday.
The Kolner Dom.
Some details on the church: Construction of this behemoth began in 1248, and it was left incomplete in 1428. Work recommenced in 1880 to “finish” construction per the original plan. Our new friend, “German Nick” told us on our tour two Sundays ago that the church is never actually finished for fear that Armageddon will come. So, the locals are always finding new renovation projects. WWII definitely helped with that. Fortunately, during the war, some wise soul was smart enough to remove the stained glass to prevent shattering from all the vibrations, and the beautiful windows were re-installed during a more peaceful time.
The Dom is perhaps best well-known for housing the relics of the Three Kings (or Three Wise Men), which were stolen from Italy many hundreds of years ago. Creepy, but cool.
Here’s another shot.
The rear view of the Kolner Dom (and this poor horse).
Breezy and I then waddled along to the riverfront, where we enjoyed some people-watching and springy sights.
Rhine riverfront, Cologne.
Here we are, just chillin'.
Then over to the Hohenzollernbrücke railway bridge, which is adorned with love locks — a symbol of romance and eternal love. This is my favorite shot … these people must have been really in love, and clearly understood that when it comes to padlocks (and ever being able to identify your love lock again), size surely does matter.
I also got a kick out of this strange fence ornament. This fella has padlocks for earrings. I’ve met some people with lobes like these.
I really do love the colors and this description from a much better writer than myself:
“They stretch from one side of the river to the other, as far as the eye can focus, a metallic rainbow of colour in a variety of shapes, encrusted with gems and emblazoned with terms of endearment. Bicycle chains, horseshoes, strings of padlocks, handcuffs the splash of colour contrasting with the sombre materials of the bridge. Fixed there by married couples, single-sex couples, young or old couples, as diverse as the padlocks themselves, an ‘eternal’ testament to their commitment to one another.” — Mallory on Travel
Another view of the love locks.
I’ve only seen this once before — love locks on the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. I’ll have to dig up some pictures at another time. Apparently, it’s quite European to express your love in this way. For what reason, I know not.
Breezy and I then attempted to cross the bridge over to the slightly “seedier” side of Cologne — at least according to locals. The vibrations were just too much for this sensitive pooch, so we stayed west and snapped a few more pictures.
Spring has finally arrived.
The main train station, HBF.
And then we were greeted with a dose of reality. I’m always surprised seeing garbage in this city, which sits within such an environmentally conscious country.
I'm thinking the Germans aren't very good at basketball.
Breezy and I then made our way back to the hotel room and nursed sick Jeffy with green tea and a sandwich. Beezer is now happily napping, and this is my windowsill view for blogging.
11th floor writing sill. From here, I must suppress my inner spaz. Butt firmly planted.
A European Adventure 