Travel
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Nothing to wine about here…
There are two terms that take me right back to Austria (“Osterreich” in German). Heurigen. A heurigen [contraction of heuriger (“this year”) and wein (“wine”)] is the easier of the two to explain. For several brief weeks during wine season in the fall, winemakers (on alternating days) open up (in yesteryears it was announced by… Continue reading
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So a burg, a storch, and a dorf walk into a bar…
We were wholly unprepared for our first full day of sightseeing. Apparently, if you were at the very top echelon of the royal ladder, you got to live in a schloss (“castle”). Think the Schonbrunn or Hofburg Palaces of earlier. However, if you were a step down or on a middle rung, you were relegated… Continue reading
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The IHOT (International Haus of Travel)…
There is something to be said of a big fancy four-star hotel: “meh”. I can see it’s merits. Sometimes the foreignness of a place can be a bit overwhelming. The Hilton or Marriott would be considered an oasis. The rooms are air-conditioned and appointed with modern amenities. The food in the hotel restaurant probably has… Continue reading
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Kaiserschmarrn, oh what a mouthful…
Someone (OK so no one) once asked why I was willing to try so many different types of food. We aren’t talking about choosing tripe Pho over chicken Pho or the lengua (“tongue”) burrito over a pork carnitas one but the tendency to order dishes from the very bottom/back of the menu. The ones the… Continue reading
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Viennoiseries, or the “Things of Vienna”…
Austria, Vienna in particular, makes one feel, no matter their economic or social standing, like an oaf. A lumbering, uncoordinated, unsophisticated oaf. Refinement pervades this city and extends to the rest of the landlocked country. It makes you wonder though. Why so much fanciness? Could it be because Austria is surrounded by the European big… Continue reading
