Vienna, Austria: Days 2 and 3

(Written en route to Prague from Vienna on Monday, June 1)

Guten tag from Vienna!  We have had a fantastic time here so far and are headed to Prague today.  Here are my impressions of the city -- Vienna is a warm, beautiful city with rich history, friendly people, and beautiful architecture.  It is very canine-friendly and people often walk their dogs off-leash.  There are actually pet waste baskets on almost every corner.  Literally every person we have talked to here has been helpful in guiding us in the right direction or with ordering food.  Most people can speak at least a little English, or at the very least, understand a few words, so it has been easy to get around and communicate with people.  

The public transit system is stellar -- there is the U-Bahn (underground rail within the city), the S-Bahn (underground rail with connectivity within the city center and surrounding "suburban" areas), city buses, and the above-ground tram system.  We have almost exclusively been using the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (although we may take the tram when we return to Vienna on Wednesday) and have had no problem getting around.  Trains run efficiently and are generally on time (based on our experience).  There is also a train which specifically goes to and from the city center from the airport (the city airport transit line, or CAT) which we took when we first arrived in Vienna.  It is also remarkably inexpensive to travel by train or bus, and consumers purchase tickets on the "honor system," meaning there are no automated ticket stations at any of the metro stops.  And there is definitely not an issue with funding public transit, either, so people definitely buy their tickets like they're supposed to.  There might be a conductor randomly checking tickets (which happened to us on the CAT), but this isn't always the case.  

Our tickets to use the U-bahn.

We have solely relied on public transit (or walking) to get around, but in terms of driving around the city, all private parking is underground.  There is some on-street parking, but all of the huge lots are underground.  There are also car share systems as well as a city bike share company which tourists can use in Vienna.  All in all, it's very easy to get around!

The one downside of Vienna is that I'm not a huge fan of the food.  I sort of knew going into this trip that I would have a limited selection of foods I could try since I don't eat beef.  Austrian food seems like a mix of both German and Eastern European fare.  There are very few fresh fruits and vegetables around.  So far, we've seen a wide variety of pastries on every corner, both savory (generally with cheese and/or some kind of meat) and sweet (filled with sugar or fruit preserves).  There are also schnitzels and wursts (sometimes with both cheese and meat!) at almost every restaurant.  Other common dishes might include palatschinke (a sweet OR savory pancake), beef goulash, various types of sweet and savory strudels, and dough-like dumplings.  

We have gotten to see a lot given our limited time in Vienna and my limited mobility.  Fortunately, I've been recovering pretty quickly from my ankle sprain, although my foot is still somewhat swollen.  I was finally able to put on my sneaker today (my foot was too swollen to fit in it the first few days after my injury), which should make walking on all of the cobblestone roads much easier.

Day 2: St. Stephen's Cathedral, Mozart museum, Schonbrunn Palace

We started out at the famous St. Stephen's cathedral in the city center (where most of the tourist attactions are located), grabbing some pastries on the way for breakfast.  St. Stephen's is the most well-known cathedral in Vienna and was first consecrated in the 12th century.  It was rebuilt a few times, boasting a typical haunting gothic-style architecture on the exterior with a beautiful stone pulpit at the center of the church and a large high altar at the front.  The roof has a mosaic of a double-headed eagle.  

St. Stephen's cathedral exterior.

View of St. Stephen's outside a flower shop.

A view of the high altar from the back of St. Stephen's.

You can't see the mosaic of the double-headed eagle
on St. Stephen's rooftop very well.

The gothic-style pulpit, side view.

One of the side altars in the church.

Following our trip to St. Stephen's, we visited the Mozart musuem, located in an 18th century building where Mozart and his family resided for three years.  The museum spans three floors, with the first floor guiding tourists through the composer's apartment.  Mozart was born and brought up in Salzburg, Austria and only spent a little over a decade in Vienna, so the museum only featured a snippet of his life.  Mozart evidently moved to Vienna to gain fame and fortune as a musician, which he only achieved towards the end of his career (and life).  

He was close friends with Joseph Haydn, who visited his home often.  In fact, Mozart often had guests over who often stayed at his place for several days or months (including his father, Leopold).  When he first arrived in Vienna, he taught private lessons until he became more financially established.  During this time period, he taught in the afternoons and focused on composing in the mornings.  He and his adored wife, Maria Constanze Weber, often held dinner parties where they served alcoholic punch (ha!).  Mozart and his wife brought an eight day old son into the apartment when they first moved in and had another son during their stay in Vienna, but he died when he was two.  

With regards to Mozart's many works, the museum focused on two of his most famous operas, The Magic Flute (his last opera) and The Marriage of Figaro.  

Leopold (Mozart's father) and Wolfgang A. Mozart's signatures.

"The Magic Flute" board game was sold during the premiere of the opera!

A concert ticket to a Mozart concert during one of the opera premieres.

The beauty of handwritten sheet music.

There is some controversy surrounding Mozart's death.  He fell ill with a respiratory infection, described as "pneumonia-like" by his doctor, just before he died.  However, there are also rumors that he was poisoned by an "arch rival" and Italian composer, Antonio Salieri.  Nevertheless, Mozart composed until the very end, working on a piece requested by an anonymous amateur composer (who apparently wanted to pass the piece off as his own!).  There is no doubt that the music museums in Salzburg are way better than what Vienna provides, but I found this Mozart museum to be enjoyable despite its mixed reviews on TripAdvisor.  

Afterwards, we grabbed a small lunch (see below).  

Melted cheese and ham on rye bread.  People love rye bread here.  

Some sort of thin pizza-like crepe dish with some cheese,
ham, and onions.  Yum!

A cute flower shop we found right next to our lunch spot.

One of many sausage stands we found along the way.

After a quick break at the hotel to ice and elevate my ankle, we headed to the Schonbrunn Palace grounds for the afternoon.  Schonbrunn is a palace established by the Hapsburg royal family.  At some point, it was used as a hunting lodge, but Hapsburg ruler Maria Theresa eventually turned it into a summer home (involving countless renovations and expansion) in the 1700s.  This palace is filled with decadence, boasting beautiful ceiling frescos, gilded and intricately designed walls and doors, and ceramic heaters in literally every room.  The three individuals featured in the tour of the Schonbrunn Palace interior included Maria Teresa, Franz Joseph, and Franz Joseph's wife, nicknamed Sisi.

Joe in front of the Schonbrunn Palace entrance.

Front of Schonbrunn Palace.

A panoramic view of the Schonbrunn Palace.

The palace grounds were HUGE.  After touring numerous rooms in the interior, we took a brief walk around the intricately landscaped garden.  There were a number of labyrinths within the garden, which I obstinately avoided because I didn't want to get lost.  Seeing the labyrinths made me chuckle a little because when I visited Spain many years ago, one of our tour guides described palace garden labyrinths as places Spanish kings could court their mistresses discreetly.  I'm almost positive that happened in the Schonbrunn Palace too.

This entire walkway was covered in roses.

There was no way we would cover the entirety of the gardens in a short amount of time (you could literally spend an entire day at the Schonbrunn -- there's even an entire zoo on-site, which happens to be the oldest zoo in the world), so we headed to a nearby viewpoint at the top of a big hill which boasted magnicifent views of the palace and the entire city of Vienna on a clear day.  We somehow made it to the top of the hill (walking very slowly) even though I was feeling pretty gimpy.  We were greeted by an amazing structure called the Gloriette which housed a cute restaurant and coffee shop for those who made the walk.  We ended up having dinner here before heading back down.  

A view of the Gloriette from the back of Schonbrunn Palace.

A view of the Gloriette.

These guys were enjoying the view, too!
One of these ducks got really pissed at me and
started flapping its wings in fury because I insisted on
taking pictures of them.

A view of the Schonbrunn Palace and much of Vienna from the top of the hill.

Yay, we made it to the top!

Another view of the Schonbrunn Palace.

Here is the view from our booth, and some food we ate at the Gloriette:

View from the restaurant.

Joe tried another Austrian beer called Edelweiss.

This is a traditional cheesy pancake with minced beef.

This was described as pasta with ham, Austrian-style.  It was relatively tolerable.

We finally ended the day with a nice indoor concert performed by the Schonbrunn orchestra.  The program featured parts of The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) and the Blue Danube Waltz (Strauss).  We had a fantastic time!  

Day 3: Boat cruise down the Danube River, tour of the Melk Monastery grounds, more of the city center

We had a group excursion planned for our third day in Vienna that did not involve a lot of walking.  This was convenient because my ankle was pretty achy and swollen and we walked an awful lot the previous day (according to Joe's Samsung Health app, we broke 20,000 steps).  That morning, we took a tour bus to a little dock along the Danube River in a city called Spitz.  Along the way, we passed numerous vineyards (and wineries), small hotels and cottages, and old cathedrals.  A paved trail lined the Danube for miles for cyclists, runners, and walkers to enjoy.  This was apparently a common vacation spot for Austrians who wanted to get away from the city.  From the dock, we took a boat ride down the Danube to one of the most well-renowned monasteries in Austria located in a little town called Melk.  The Melk monastery grounds were enormous.

Views of the Danube and surrounding areas.  These views suck.  What a terrible vacation. (just kidding)

Random castle we saw while boating along the Danube.

Another random but beautiful structure we saw on the cruise.

The monastery was established in 1089 and received a number of generous donations from the Hapsburg family but the grounds have been reconstructed at various points in time.  Guesthouses were available for nobility to stay in.  There is a focus on knowledge and learning at the monastery too -- there is a famous scientific research program on-site as well as a monastery school (which costs only 80 euros a month per student!).  Probably a dozen library rooms house shelves and shelves of books, some of which were several hundred years old (including copies of the Rules of St. Benedict, which outlined rules on how to live an honorable life).  The monastery was constructed with the intention of creating a sort of Heaven on Earth, and it shows, notably in the actual abbey itself.  

But before I describe the abbey, let me mention my other two favorite parts of the monastery grounds.  The first was the scenic view of the Danube and surrounding areas from the back of the monastery.  If that's not heavenly, I don't know what is.  My second favorite part was the fresco inside one of the rooms close to the abbey.  Isn't it spectacular?

View from the back of the monastery.

Amazing fresco in the monastery.

The abbey was just breathtaking.  As in, it literally took my breath away once I entered.  An ornate fresco lined the ceiling of the abbey, which I tried to get a panoramic view of (likely not well-executed).  The patron saints of the church, Peter and Paul, are depicted at the high altar shaking hands.  Just above are the words "Non coronabitur nisi legitime certaverit," translating to "Without a legitimate battle there is no victory."  Reading that in the middle of such a beautiful church sent chills down my spine.

The high altar.

Front to back view of the abbey high altar and ceiling frescos.

Here are some other pictures taken in and around the monastery:

View just outside the monastery gates.

View just outside the monastery gates.

Cool spiral staircase right outside the abbey.

Spectacular view outside the abbey.

Not surprisingly, the path exiting from the abbey led us to the gift shop.  Normally, Joe and I skip the gift shop, except something sort of caught my attention.  They were selling a liqueur in which the alcohol was infused with plants from the abbey garden, including licorice, mint, and lavender.  The recipe was developed by two fathers, one of whom was a Benedictine monk living in the Melk monastery.  We decided to buy one as a souvenir, resolving to keep the empty bottle as a memento from our trip.  

A liqueur made in-house which we purchased as a memento.

We took the tour bus back to Vienna, where we were dropped in front of the world-renowned Vienna Opera House.  We didn't get to go in, but we'll be back in Vienna on Wednesday (after spending two days in Prague) so we're hoping to take a tour of the historic building before we fly out to Rome.

Outside the Vienna Opera House, which was constructed in 1867 by Franz Joseph.
This was the first building along the Ringstrauss (a trolley ring line that borders the city center).

Since my ankle was feeling less achy on the third day, we went for an evening walk through the Hofburg Palace grounds.  This palace was also constructed by the Hapsburg family.  It now serves as a tourist attraction with a few large museums but is also where the Austrian president resides and holds government meetings.  Surrounding the palace grounds is a large public park, where we saw many, many people picnicking, jogging, and even salsa dancing (didn't get a photo of that).

Panoramic view of the Hofburg palace.

Statue of Mozart and a treble clef garden in the park next to the palace.

People enjoying a nice day in the park next to the palace!

We decided to enjoy a simple dinner in the park, which we bought in from a small food stand right outside the park grounds. (Unimpressed by Austrian food, I ordered a chicken kebab sandwich.)

Joe had some wurst with cheese.  He enjoyed it.

I had enough of Austrian cuisine so I went with a chicken kabob sandwich.

After dinner, we walked more around the city center and accidentally ran into a Russian World War II memorial.

Russian WW2 memorial.

We finally made our way back to the hotel to enjoy a relaxing evening and get some shut eye before leaving for Prague the next day.  

Vienna: Day 1

Well, Joe and I have finally arrived in Vienna, Austria -- 5 hours after originally planned.  All is well, the city is beautiful, and our hotel is fantastic.  Our original flight itinerary included a two hour layover in Brussels, which turned into almost four hours.  Joe and I were relatively unworried, though (more mildly annoyed) -- we are on vacation and really had nothing immediately planned when we got to Vienna.  I actually looked forward to searching for some Belgian chocolate at one of the airport stands (I know -- probably didn't have the best selection and was highly overpriced, but I still wanted to try some!).

Since we didn't get settled in our room until the early evening, we sort of took it easy today and leisurely walked around the area surrounding our hotel and grabbed some dinner.

The lovely alleyway right outside our hotel. Isn't it just lovely?

Here are some observations we've made thus far:

1. Vienna has a nice balance of historic and modern architecture that can be seen around the city (poor example below; more pictures to come later).

2. Vienna's public transit system is absolutely amazing and it seems fairly safe to walk around (both in regards to crime and pedestrian safety).

3. The people here are incredibly nice and, in fact, will go out of their way to help you when they can.

4. Even though we haven't tried any authentic Viennese cuisine, it does seem like there is a tremendous amount of cultural diversity in the city.  When we first connected to TripAdvisor at our hotel, we saw a variety of restaurants featuring a number of different cuisines proximal to our hotel, including Austrian (obviously), Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Italian, and French.

We actually decided to try a cute little Italian joint close to our hotel though, even though we'll be in Italy in less than a week.  We figured it would be better to try a restaurant that was smallish, relatively inexpensive, but also somewhat crowded, and finally settled on a little pasta and vino joint down the street from us.

I had the most amazing and refreshing drink with my meal, an campari orange (orange juice with campari, a type of liqueur).

I got a simple pasta dish with fresh mozarella, tomatoes, basil, and arugula, while Joe sampled a few appetizers, a crustini plate, lemon and garlic marinated anchovies (alici marinate), and a baked mixed vegetable dish.  It was all delicious!

Joe is drinking an a light Austrian lager called Stiegl.

Joe loved his alici marinate!

I devoured this giant pasta plate of deliciousness within minutes.

More updates to come after we start exploring the city a little more!

Second stop: Toronto, Ontario

Greetings from Toronto!  We've had the great pleasure of stopping in this great city for a few days before taking off for our European adventure.  Fortuitously, it was cheaper for us to fly to Vienna through Toronto than directly from Washington DC, so it was a nice opportunity to meet up with some of my extended family in Canada that we hadn't seen in a while.

We stayed with Neel (technically an uncle by Bengali terminology but more like an older sibling to me) and his lovely wife, Tiasi.  They have two adorable kiddos, Anik and Avani, pictured below with their proud Papa.

We only had a few days to spend with everyone, but really got to do/see a lot.  Our first day in Toronto was spent at the Historic Distillery District, which started out as a grist mill in the 1830s, later became a whiskey distillery, and is now a mixed retail / restaurant area surrounded by condos (a small part of the area houses a currently functioning distillery, though).  

Cool sign we saw at the distillery.

A sampler of four beers at a local brewpub called Mill Street brewery,
where we also stopped for lunch.

I'm very unskilled at taking selfies but I wanted a picture with Neel.

Atlantic salmon with beer broth, chickpeas, and various other veggies.

Delicious pasta with beer-braised pork sausage in a rich tomato sauce.

We also walked along the waterfront in the Humber Bay area after lunch since it was a gorgeous day!

The Humber Bay Bridge

A view of downtown Toronto from the waterfront walking trail.

We came home that afternoon and grilled up some meat, potatoes, and corn for the evening.  Actually, correction: Neel cooked everything and we did nothing except play with two really cute kids.  By the way, we really had a ton of fun getting to know Anik and Avani.

Me with Avani.

Joe pushing Anik around on a scooter.

  

The next day, we headed to the Ontario Science Center for a few hours, then over to Neel's parents' house for another fantastic cookout and a bit of a family reunion.  Coincidentally, my parents were visiting Toronto so we got to spend the evening with them as well!  My mother and Neel's mother (her aunt) were also very close growing up so it was nice that they got the chance to catch up.  

A Ghosh family photo at the Rainforest exhibit in the Ontario Science Center.

From left to right: grilled chicken kabobs, tandoori chicken, and spicy grouper fish.

The food spread of deliciousness continued.

Chaanachur is a tasty fried snack but some mixes
are better than others.  This one is specifically
a Bangladeshi mix made by "Ruchi" which is
barbeque-flavored.  The bag was almost empty by
the end of the night!

A fantastic family photo.  From left to right: Joe, Neel, Anik, my dad, my mom, Neel's father (Dadu), Tiasi, Avani, and Neel's mother (Dida). 

Everyone loved Anik's little sister, Avani.

I think this picture is so cute! Check out that little belly.

Avani playing peek-a-boo with her grandmother (Thamma).

Sadly, we had to leave Toronto this afternoon but we are off on a new adventure -- this time, to explore Vienna, Austria!  It turns out that that our flight is delayed four hours and we'll miss our connecting flight to Vienna from Brussels due to a large-scale power outage in the area.  Yikes!  So, we'll be stuck in the Toronto Pearson airport for several hours, but it could honestly be way worse. 

For example, I coincidentally sprained my right ankle this morning (which is actually sort of crappy) so Joe (and others) encouraged me to ride around in a wheelchair to prevent further injury and inflammation to the area.  I was initially averse to the idea but agreed that it was better to rest up before we start walking around a whole lot.  Also, since people in wheelchairs receive priority in airport security, we got to skip the lines, woohoo!  We also received dinner vouchers because of the delay in our flight.  On top of that, with Canadians being the nicest people on the face of the planet, we've gotten to use the free wifi at the amply available iPad stations around our terminal.  If you don't believe me about how nice Canadians are, check out this sign:

Restaurant purchases not required?!  WHAT?! This would never happen in the US.
Notice the rows and rows of iPad stations behind this sign, by the way.

We'll update more on our travels when we finally get to Vienna!

Our first stop...the Washington DC area

And we've embarked on our trip...first stop, the Washington DC area.  We actually decided to fly up here for a wedding before starting our Europe trip.  Joe has known the groom, Mahan, since high school and we met his now wife, Teresa, several years ago when they started dating.  Mahan's family is Persian and Teresa's family is Korean, and while the wedding ceremony mostly showcased many Persian traditions, it was lovely to see everyone in their respective traditional clothing.  Some of the Persian traditions carried out utilized food to "signify and emit sweetness, love, joy and prosperity to the couple," which I thought was absolutely beautiful.  For example, various family members came up to the front to grind and sprinkle bits of sugar cones on the lovely couple to symbolize sweetness in the marriage.  Various foods, including painted eggs to signify fertility, nuts to symbolize strength, and flatbread for prosperity were offered to the couple on a large, ornately decorated table.  We had such a great time celebrating with them!

The next day was actually our second-first (Joe and I had two weddings last year, so it's the first anniversary of our second ceremony) anniversary, so we celebrated by watching Pitch Perfect 2 because my husband is awesome and I love acappella.  I have to say, it was a great movie but not nearly as classic as the first one, which I suppose I should have expected going into it.

Afterwards, Joe's parents took us out for an amazing Japanese buffet which included everything from fresh sushi to ramen and udon noodle soups to pan-fried gyoza!  We all needed a nap to recover from that dinner.

Finally, we got to meet up with our dear friend, Victoria, for a lovely hike on the Billy Goat trail in Great Falls Park.  This trail offered amazing scenic views of the Potomac River but also was fairly challenging with some serious rock hopping.  We only did the Billy Goat A part of the trail, which was only 3 miles, but it took us a good two and a half hours to finish Part A of the trail and walk back on the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal path back to the parking lot.  What a workout!  Here are some breathtaking pictures from our hike this morning:

Afterwards, we all felt exhausted (but accomplished) so we re-energized with some Afro-Portuguese food from Nando's, featuring the amazing peri-peri (piri piri) chicken.  Even though this is originally a Portuguese prepartion, it turns out piri means "pepper" in Swahili and refers to a type of pepper that is generally grown in southern African countries.  The chicken is evidently marinated for twenty-four hours and it is absolutely delicious!

Roasted chicken, buttery mashed potatoes, and green pea mash
with cilantro and mint.

Thanks for meeting up with us, Jared and Victoria!

Please do not judge my protruding belly, which resulted from eating
too much delicious chicken and mashed potatoes.  

Next stop, Toronto!

To graduation and beyond!

Well folks, it happened -- I graduated with a doctoral degree in epidemiology, after five grueling years of hard work.  There were moments that I felt nothing during the major graduation milestones, like when I turned in a paper copy of my dissertation, or even when my doctoral degree was posted in my academic report.  But then there were other times where I felt overcome with emotion, like when I cleaned out my cubicle, my comforting desk space for the last 3 years.  Or when I got to see my family waving proudly at me while I was on stage with 200 other Emory PhD graduates.  Even then, even when I look at my now framed diploma, I don't feel like it's real.  But it is.  And that's pretty magical.

Hip, hip, hooray!

What a special moment!  Both sets of parents came to celebrate.

I made my husband stand next to me
in my sweaty robes. I hope they dry clean
those things!

It was hot and steamy as all hell but I wanted a picture
with my parents, gosh darn it.

Yay!  I'm being hooded!
(Photo credit: Devang Dave)

...Because I had to include at least one picture with food
(this was at Folk Art in Inman Park). PS - It was delicious.
We love Folk Art!

Me in front of the Emory entrance gate.

I had a moment a few weeks ago when I found out an old mentor of mine passed away.  Presumably he had been ill for quite some time, but I actually hadn't spoken with him in over a decade.  His passing reminded me of the power of mentoring and how our biggest heroes, those we choose to emulate, can shape who we are, who we become, and how we effect (hopefully positive) change in the world.  It truly humbled me.  It also empowered me in a way.  We can all choose to contribute positively to society and create opportunities for others to do so.  I sure hope I can make a meaningful difference in someone else's life, or make a powerful impact in the world.

So, onward.  What's next?  Well for me, I'll be spending the next two years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a fellowship (the Epidemic Intelligence Service) designed to train public health professionals how to respond appropriately to public health emergencies.  Basically, I get to learn how to be a professional "disease detective!"

Also, Joe and I decided that we have been tired, cranky, and aching for a vacation for quite some time, so before I start my position in July, we're taking a month long trip around the world!  Okay, so we're not really traveling the entire world, but we do get to visit some really great cities.  We're leaving tomorrow, and starting off to a quick weekend trip to the DC area for a wedding, flying up to Toronto to see some of my extended family, then heading to Vienna, Prague, and various parts of Italy, Greece, and Turkey.  We're pumped!  We're utterly exhausted from wrapping up work things before we leave, but luckily, we get to leave all of that behind for an entire month!!  I've never been so excited to set up an out of office reply on my email accounts.

I'm hoping to document the highlights of our trip in this blog when we get breaks (and when I dump all of my camera photos onto the laptop).  So stay tuned, y'all!