We have been gone over fifty days now. It just flies by. Great news, the euro is down at $1.21 which sure helps our budget.
Today is our last day in Wien before we head to the Czech Republic.
Did I mention we are riding around in Porsches here? The metro trains are designed and engineered by Porsche!
With so many things to do and see, we were wondering what to choose today, but when we got up the choice was already made for us: it was raining hard and steady. While Gail slept in I took the metro across the city to visit Schönbrunn Castle, another huge complex, though not as fancy as yesterday's Hofburg Castle. The Schönbrunn is painted yellow and has wide, expansive grounds, but is missing all the additional side buildings the Hofburg has.
We return to Mann Bakery to eat a nice warm breakfast of nut rolls (like cinnamon rolls) and coffee, then took the metro to Belvedere Castle where we saw a large collection of works by Klimt, including his famous "Kiss." The Belvedere is beautiful, and the gold-embossed Klimt paintings are bright on a rainy day. Around two we headed out of central Vienna into the suburban hills where the wine fields are located. Tucked in a little neighborhood we find Heuriger Muth, producing wine right here since 1596 (one of the oldest wine growing families). It is almost like the beer halls in Munich, Germany, but with wine instead of beer. The same type of ambience. This is our first stop. Gail got a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc and I got 2008 Cuvée, made of pinot noir and blue burger grapes. Really really deep red, smooth and tasteful. I am eating a small baked ham with noodles and salad, Gail has goat cheese, bread and tomatoes from their garden. We are relaving indoors at a big wooden table, like a picnic table, and it is warm and inviting.
Next tasting stop: Beethoven's house, named because Ludwig lived here in 1817, while working on the Ninth Symphony. There are wine houses all through this region of Vienna, each serving their vineyard's vintage. We chose this one just because of the history.
Here Gail had a white: Wiener Gemischter Satz Classic. I am guessing the grape is Satz. It was dry like a chardonnay. I had Curvée again, with Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Merlot grapes. Good enough to order a second glass. Then I went to the buffet and picked out little samples of baked pork, pork ribs and potatoes. It is all sold by weight, so many euro per 100 gram. Once I tasted it, I went back for more. I wish I knew how the Germans and Austrians cook their pork. It just has such a rich, porky flavor. And they crisp up the outside... I died and am in pig heaven. I have not had such good pork since last year in Munich; there I had the wonderful beers, here I am enjoying good wines. And the ribs here: I think Famous Dave's has pretty damn good ribs, about the best, but they are rank amateurs compared to this crew. Pig heaven. Now I am wishing I had fasted for the past two days.
OK, I'll fess up. I ate until I was stuffed, past stuffed, really. And thinking about it, this pork is probably going to kill me outright, if not tonight, then I am sure I just shaved a week or two off my life expectancy. BUT, and this is a big but, last year I had that pork in Munich and it was like nothing I had ever tasted before. Since then I have regretted not ordering it a second night because I never got it again in Germany. Suddenly, here it is, on Vienna of all places. So I made sure:
I will have no regrets after tonight. I ate till I could eat no more (and then a little past that point).
Well, Beethoven wins on food, big time, but Muth wins on wine. Those “blue burger” grapes were something.
Unlike Napa, instead of tasting sips of wine at each winery, you eat and drink full glasses. Downside: can't go to too many in one day. Upside: great food and really good wine. And we are taking the Porsche home, so I am not driving... let's get one more glass!
Well, the seating at these places is communal, long picnic tables with benches, so eventually someone sits beside you. Right as we were getting ready to go at 18:00 a couple from Germany sat down and one thing lead to another and we all ended up staying and talking and drinking more wine until 22:00. They are here on vacation from Germany, asked where we were from and so on. Their English was pretty good, my German very passable, so we got along great.
Highlights of the conversation included:
Those Greeks and how they got in the Eurozone, and if they exit it will not all fall apart. They like Merkle's approach, and are what we would classify as conservatives.
Why don't people in the US want good health care? (Mystery to me too.)
Europeans in general like Obama and are somewhat afraid of the religious/conservative movement and the great division opening in the US, as it reminds them of a divided Europe in the past. This conservative/religious alliance, stirring up monetary resentment, is how Hitler started and rose to power, a memory still very real and deep.
They just laughed out loud when I suggested some people in the US think Europeans are "socialist." They suggested that we should teach some history in our schools if that is what people think. Socialist. *snort*
They also laughed about “that politician from Alaska” who doesn't know about anything, and how can Americans, a great people, take someone like that seriously?
And don't we have any serious discussions any more or is it always just fighting between the sides.
Places you can hike and visit in Europe without being shoulder to shoulder with people. The US wins hands down here.
Information about visiting California. Mountain climbing. Shopping. Opera. Books. Our kids (same ages), professions, and being able to travel more now.
US tourists who come up and immediately start speaking in English, just assuming everyone speaks it, not even politely asking ahead of time if they do.
The downsides of Croatia and Serbia joining the EU. The recent war there. The language barriers and how free travel between countries is helping the young generation. Those French: good conservatives (until the recent election of Holland) good food and wine, such a nice country, but SUCH an attitude! Spain will pull out of the crisis, they work hard. Italy is too beautiful to let fail. South America.
Well, good wine, good food, interesting conversation... Nice evening.
We wander out into the dark streets together, they show us the Karl Marx complex, then we catch the Porsch back to the city and part ways on the metro.
We have each others’ email, and promise to visit.
We have to get up early tomorrow to catch the train to the Czech Republic. One week till we return home.
(*Later note: We have been emailing Ralph and Angelika, and they will be here to visit us in August. Looks like we will be trying to visit another couple we met in Italy, Alain and Nadine, in France this summer. Kind of cool, picking up friends all around.)