Euroventures 2011 - Vienna

It's a short train ride on the OBB (Austrian Rail) to Vienna from Salzburg, the trains are relatively comfortable and there are partial announcements in English.  Took the 9am train and got to Wien Westbanhof noon-ish.  However I should note that riding the OBB (Rail Jet high speed train) within Austria is actually kind of expensive, a <4 hr ride from Salzburg to Vienna cost me €44, whereas a >6 hr ride from Venice to Salzburg only cost €29 (with 3 hr ride from Vienna to Budapest costing the least at €19).

 I rented a flat not too far from the train station from www.airbnb.com, my first time using the site.  I got pretty much what I expected at Rosemarie's flat, which was mostly spacious with 2 bedrooms and a open concept kitchen (that I did a little cooking in one evening).  The bathroom was ridiculously tiny, to the point it was almost comical trying to get undressed and then squeeze through the gap into the shower.  Not the end of the world though, and having a private flat is a very nice change from staying into hotel rooms.  The location was very convenient with a big mid-range shopping mall half a block away that included a very large supermarket that I couldn't resist shopping in (I remember cheap mushrooms and Ritter Sport chocolate bars in flavours I'd never tried or even heard of!)

It was very comfy in the flat, almost too comfy because it took me a while to get motivated to go out (I was happy resting and going over guidebooks and maps spread out on the dining table!) thus my first day in Vienna wasn't very productive.  The movie tie-in for my stop in Vienna was Before Sunrise (staring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy about young love, where 2 people meet on a train and decide to spend a day wandering in Vienna), so I strolled past a couple sites that they also checked out, hopped on a tram for the hell of it (damn, the new trams vs. the old ones... big difference!  The Ring Tram looked so quaint as it chugged along on the tracks, the new tram that I rode, as soon as the door closed it jetted off and it felt like only seconds before I'd reached my intended stop... I'm sure the look on my face must've been pretty comical as I hurried off because I didn't know where 10 more seconds on the tram would take me)

My favourite discovery in Vienna is the Naschmarkt with vendor stalls selling everything from spices to teas to sugary confections to souvenirs down one aisle, and a fabulous variety of little restaurants in a second aisle.  The eateries ranged from fancy seafood places that prepared fish so fresh and delicious-smelling that even I would eat it, to classic Austrian fare (I have my reservations with wiener schnitzel...sorry, but I don't like breaded meat, even less so when it's not chicken...), to endless Asian options!!  The sushi I had there was so fresh and delicious for €13, I'd venture to say it's better than the combos in Toronto!  No surprise I went back to the market every day I was in Vienna.

Food aside for a moment, I also visited a number of beautiful churches, I recall Baroque period decor, which is pretty jaw-dropping for it's ornate tendencies.  More on this when I have all my photos sorted.  I also enjoyed the Albertina Gallery which had a special exhibition entitled "Monet to Picasso -The Batliner Collection" showcasing Impressionist to Contemporary Art (naturally encompassing Cubist art which I'm always very excited about).  Also part of the whole Hofburg Palace complex not far from the Albertina was the Sisi Museum, Sisi (aka Empress Elisabeth of Austria) being a fascinating female figure who defied gender and royal conventions in the 1800's.  I really enjoyed seeing the palace apartments and Sisi's rooms while learning about the story of her life.  One of the evenings I put my earlier Vienna Opera research to the test and indeed managed to a score €3 to see Madame Butterfly.


While walking around Vienna, I couldn't help but compare it to life in Paris.  A bustling city with a historic backdrop.  Public transportation and heavy traffic rumbling on the streets amidst a backdrop of old buildings each showcasing unique moldings right above a high profile retail sign.  As with every busy metropolis...there is shopping!  Therefore I took a culture break and checked out the Danube Mall, where they had a regular Desigual store (see last entry for related note on one of my fav clothing labels) and put my Visa card to good use there.


On my last evening in Vienna, I had not seen close to everything I wanted to see (which was expected, I knew even before I arrived that 3 days would be insufficient but I had to get moving on).  I'd meant to go to Cafe Sperl, a Before Sunrise location and classic Viennese cafe, in the late afternoon for some coffee and cake but didn't get into the area until almost 7. By then they'd begun serving dinner, which I was less interested in, so I took a peek and kept walking despite my growling tummy.  Just around the corner I see a "Ra Mien" sign and the window is a picture of busy waiters and patrons at every table.  I was sold.  It turns out it wasn't the traditional Japanese noodle that I'm accustomed to, but more like what we, from the Canton province, know of as 'Ho Fun' however freshly shaved off this big hunk of whatever-noodle-is-made-of (please don't ask me to explain, I'll never get this right).  Most importantly, it was delicious!  The soup, the noodle, the ample amount of seafood...  When I ordered chrysanthemum tea, they actually brought me a small tea pot with real chrysanthemum flowers soaking in it!  You'd be hard pressed to find that even in Toronto. The noodle joint functioned as both culinary hotspot and a bar lounge at night, on my table next to the menu was the DJ line-up for the month.  Awesome.

Vienna is a first-class city in my books with much to offer.  You can hand me a ticket to fly back there anytime!

Euroventures 2011 - Salzburg

 View from the Salzburg Fortress

The train I took from Venice to Salzburg was an overnighter.  Having had a bad experience with a sleeping compartment on a previous train journey (Paris to Zurich), I decided to book regular seats this time.  I was on an OBB train and if you can sleep on a plane, you'll be fine in a seat on these trains.  Each compartment sits 6 but most were not full, our compartment ranged from 2-5 people through the ride and it was prob one of the most occupied compartments.  The train had power outlets for the window seats, 4 overhead storage shelves, 4 coat hooks, 4 pull-out tables, personal reading lights and one controllable overhead compartment light.  A pretty sweet set-up if you can manage to score a compartment to yourself.

Arriving in Salzburg at 4am was pretty brutal.  Luckily my hotel - the Hotel Lasserhoff - had a 24 concierge and they let me stash my bags there, as my monster bag had no hope of fitting into one of those lockers at the train station (another reason to pack light!) For those not familiar, Salzburg is a smaller city in Austria whose claim to fame is being the birthplace of Mozart and home of the family Von Trapp (whose story we know from The Sound of Music).  It's very friendly and safe, but also quite small.  I had cut across the historic center twice by 6am and wasn't nervous once about wandering deserted streets in the dark in a foreign city.

Check-in wasn't until 2pm so after ducking into a McDonald's (which opened at 6am and had free wifi) for a not-so-exotic breakfast, we walked through the beautifully groomed Mirabell Park, where you might recognize the fountain from The Sound of Music. Clearly this stop was going to be about Mozart trivia and Sound of Music filming locations.  Tourist Information and most tourist sites open at 9am, almost everything is within walking distance.  So the first order of business was to obtain a 'Salzburg Card' which, for €34, entitles you admission into all museums/historic sites/public transportation for 2 days.  While some places make not be your top priority to visit, it's certainly a load off the mind and wallet knowing you can visit and travel to where you like.  No regrets that you opted for a cheesy tourist trap or took the wrong bus (which I did! haha) because it's already paid for.

Some highlights for me included the Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg Castle), which we hiked up to on foot after visiting a couple Sound of Music sites at the foot of the hill (a ways from the funicular).  Holy crap that was one steep trek!  And even after setting foot within the fortress walls, we were greeted with more (you guessed it) stairs and slopes!  I haven't huffed and puffed so much since I was in San Francisco!  The museum info indicates that Salzburg Fortress has never been taken by force -- it's no wonder!  What army would be crazy enough to advance up that slope wearing full armour and carrying weaponry??!  Needless to say, the views at that height were spectacular and well worth the effort of the climb.  Plus I took the funicular down. :P  A much more pleasant stroll was had at Schloss Hellbrunn, a whimsical 17th century Archbishop's summer palace with extensive gardens featuring a number of trick fountains.  In the park is also the gazebo from The Sound of Music where the number '16 Going On 17' was performed.

Doors are kept locked to keep dorky tourist from leaping bench to bench impersonating Liesl Von Trapp.

I didn't realize it at the time but the souvenirs are actually much better in Salzburg than in the capital Vienna (Wien) so if you're stopping in both cities, get your souvenirs in the former.  Also if you're a chocolate lover, have some Mozart balls.  There are stores in the historical center that sell nothing but, also different manufacturers with different priced products that taste comparable.  I'm not very well-knowledged on the different companies, but Mirabell is a common manufacturer with products at a medium price range.  I noticed that the Billa (supermarket) sold bags significantly cheaper than at the specialty/souvenir stores.

My hotel also added to my positive experiences in Salzburg, so I can't complete this blog without giving a shout to the Hotel Lasserhof - 5 mins from the train station, 10 mins from the centre of the city.  Affordable rates, free wifi, friendly concierge at 4am (who stowed my bag, offered me a map and circled key landmarks for me etc.), spacious room, and one of the greatest complimentary breakfast buffets I've had in my years of travel.  I left every morning with a belly full of toast/waffles/eggs/meats/yogurt/cereal/veggies/fruit/juice/tea (and that's just the stuff I eat, there was more), which goes a long way when you're walking all day.

I was in Salzburg for 2 full days and made good use of my time starting early each day - especially the first morning.  Tourist attractions tend to close early so it's a good idea to take in a concert or longer sit-down dinner to stretch out your day.  I had tickets to Cirque du Soleil (Allegria in an arena... perhaps I'll do a blog on Cirque shows around the world another time) one evening and dying of exhaustion the other evening.  Despite that, I felt like I got through most of what I wanted to see in a day and a half and spent a couple hours on the 2nd afternoon traveling to the edge of town (which is a 20 min bus ride away haha) to check out a Desigual outlet (one of my favourite fashion retailers), wow, now that's an outlet store!  They had a ton of stuff but sadly none of it was all that spectacular on me.

What a beautiful city Salzburg is!  Truthfully, it doesn't warrant a repeat visit, but it's so lovely that you just might want to stop in again.