Viennese Whirl: A Day in Pictures

Well, hello again O'Hare.  Just back from a relaxingly wonderful few days in Quebec City and its time to pack the bags again, this time for a somewhat extended trip to Europe - first Vienna for a work conference, then on to Zurich for meetings at the office.  All in all, I'll be away for almost two weeks - I can only imagine the levels of fluff that the boys will have worked up by the time I get home.  Hopefully Izzie will also resist the temptation to hack up in unfindable places - thats a particularly special welcome home pressie.  *sigh*

Anyway, to the airport!  I'm still mourning the compactness of SFO (and that it was only a 15min drive from my house) but I'll eventually get over it and stop mentally whingeing about invariably going through security control to find myself then having to take the verrrrry long underground concourse to get to the gate my flight is leaving from.  If I pop out in Concourse B, its always then leaving from Concourse C and vice versa.  And, even more inevitably, if my flight gets delay for, say, forever, then I always happen to be in the concourse that has the crappier shops and restaurant options.  Ahh…the trials and tribulations of work travel.

Today's service in the skies was to be provided by Austrian Airlines - a code share with United.  I've not flown Austrian before, so i was curious to see if the in-flight announcements would be regular or yodel-style.  Because today's flight was an international one for work, I got to travel business class (yey!) and was treated to this rather imposing view out of the lounge window, directly in front of where I was sitting.  Quite fun when the planes were pulling in - you hope that the pilot's foot doesn't slip off the brakes at the last minute…  

Onboard, the service was actually pretty good - the seats were (initially at least) pretty comfy and high-tech, operated by touchscreen controls in the arm rest.  Also encouragingly, was the presence of the onboard chef - it either meant that the food was going to be excellent - or that one of the crew had lost that day's game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and it was their turn to parade up and down the business class aisle pretending to be the chef de cuisine.  

As it happened, the food was fine (but not as good as Turkish Airlines) but later on in my flight (after I had tried - and singularly failed - to get any sleep at all), my seat refused to come all the way back up to the fully seated position.  The stewardesses tried for a good half hour to get it to work but I knew they didn't really have a clue how to get it to work (it was the equivalent of when your computer does something inexplicable, so you spend a fruitless hour in the "settings" menu, not really knowing what you are doing, but hoping against hope you'll eventually randomly click on something that will help).  So, for the last hour, I spent the flight in a somewhat crunched up posture - not fully upright and almost flush against the back of the seat in front - which was a little irritating.  Looking on the bright side, though, at least I hadn't personally shelled out the $$$$ for the ticket and also, i did appear to be already in the "crash" position should something untoward befall our flight on its descent into Vienna.  So that was something, I guess.

Arriving in Vienna, I was pleasantly surprised to find out we didn't have to fill out any customs forms (huzzah for Europe), so it was fairly easy breeze through the airport, find my driver and head to the hotel.  My conference was scheduled to start tomorrow (Sunday - ugh!), so I had today to recover from the journey before starting work bright and early in the morning.  I was staying at one of the hotels directly opposite from the conference center - everyone else from my company was staying at a place on the other side of town but that was already sold out by the time I'd gone to make my booking.  Probably a good thing, to be honest, as everyone was complaining that it was a 45min taxi ride across town to the convention center, plus the hotel seemed to be in the red light district and surrounded by dodginess and prostitutes!  So, phew - dodged a bullet at least on that one.  

My hotel, however, looked as if it should have been in the red light district or, at the very least, promoted as some sort of red pleather fetish hotel.  The damn stuff was everywhere!!  Here's the sight I was greeted with as I staggered jet-lagged and knackered into my hotel room - and Mumsie, I still don't what that door was behind the chaise.  I daren't try it lest that led to some dodgy sex dungeon or where they kept the handcuffs and whips.  Or it could have just led to the room next door, but I wasn't risking it.  No, sirreee.  Instead, I just unfolded the weirdly shaped duvet and clambered in, desperate to get just a few hours sleep before considering what to do with the rest of the day.  

Couldn't find the slot for the quarters, but I'm sure
it had one somewhere

Turns out the Red Vinyl Dream theme extended
throughout the hotel.  Weirdly reassuring it wasn't just
 my room then.

After a few hours kip, I woke up vaguely refreshed and decided that I probably better get up, make some use of the day and venture out into Vienna for the first time.  As well as being right next to the convention center, my hotel was also next to the subway stop that served it and, as there was just one line that stopped there, it was a foolproof way of heading into town.  I bought a train ticket from the hotel, noted the correct direction to aim for, crossed the road to the train station and that was it.  It was really that simple.  5 stops later and i was getting off at the Karlsplatz stop, as advised by the desk clerk, right in the center of town.  Easy peasy.

For the next couple of hours, that then was the last time I actually felt as if I knew what I was doing or where I was going.  I had a vague plan in mind to take one of the touristy hop-on, hop-off bus tours - my go-to activity when exploring a new city in a jet-lagged state.  See lots of stuff, expend zero effort.  Unfortunately I'd forgotten to bring a map with me and had no idea where any of the pick-up points were for the bus tour, so instead I just decided to wander about a bit and see if I could just happen across it instead.

Well, no.  I didn't manage that at all.  I had bugger all idea where I was - but then realized that pretty much every other person around me seemed to be lost too!  It would seem that actually having a map didn't also help at all either, as I walked past little clusters of confused-looking tourists who didn't have a clue where they were either.  And, hilariously enough, because i didn't have a map, they assumed i must be a local, so I kept getting stopped and asked for directions!  But the weather was glorious, sunny, not too chilly, so i didn't mind just wandering around for a little while, coming across grandiose building after grandiose building, and not having a clue what any of them were.  Here are a few of them:

I know a few people who should be living on DumbAss street...

Very St.Paul's Cathedral, no?

Possibly the world's swankiest McDonald's...

Right next to the world's fanciest pants Spar!  Nice to see
 it still alive and kicking!

Given the flag out front, I think this is a French patisserie

However, after about an hour of this, both my jet lag and my bladder started complaining, so I was forced to fire up the GPS on my phone (i know, I know- I could have used this the whole time, but I was preserving the juice for taking pics!) and decided to navigate my way to Stephansplatz - really the true center of town, where all the tourists go, hang out and take pictures of the very impressive church, Stephansdom.  Looking for a suitable place to stop, unwater and re-water, I just so happened upon Steffl - the Sak's of Vienna - which claimed to have a fabulous cafe on its roof deck with stunning views.  Just the job, I thought.  En route, I happened to go past the showcase Swarovski crystal store - how on earth I managed to leave that place without buying something is beyond me but you can just imagine the fabulousness that lurked within.  Actually, you only have to imagine a bit - I took some pics of the highlights!

Panthers in every conceivable stone, crystal, color and hue.
Obviously someone at Swarovski has a thing for panthers.

Bonkers, right?  I can't remember exactly how much
they cost but the answer is somewhere between
"how much?" and "a shitload"

Also slightly outside of my price range, though
I'm probably not their target market to be honest….

And just because Christmas is on its way, here are some gratuitous
crystal icicles just hanging out

Though you gotta love the inadvertent typo on this one.
Fortunately, those seemed to have already sold out...

View from the cafe at the top of the fancy department store

Not quite getting the hang of this selfie lark...

Explorations were resumed after a restorative coffee and pee.  I made the executive decision that what was needed to keep the jet lag at bay was a slice of Vienna's world famous Sacher torte cake, stat!  And, I think by the results below, I can definitely say - mission accomplished!!  I delightedly stumbled upon this place near the Stephansdom - and what a treat!  Mumsie, I don't think i would ever have gotten you back out of the shop ever again...

Fancy chandelier in the cake shop!

Just checking that sachertorte does, indeed,
pair well with prosecco

The Display Case of Delights!

I just had to really.  Couldn't go to Vienna
without getting a little wiener now, could I?

Another fancy building.  Possibly even the
same one

"Pssst!!  Wanna buy a Mozart ticket, darlin'?"

You can start to sense a common theme here.
Or maybe this is again still the same building.
I think I was in a sugar coma at this point, so
wasn't really paying attention...

Ooooh look - bright and shiny object!!

Devil's in horseback?

Viennese taxi rank.

Anyway, after another hour or so of wandering around (walking off the cake, ish) and feeling as if I had been whirling around the same part of Vienna, it was time to call it a day and head back to the Vinyl Palace to pick up the conversation me, my head and my pillow had been having earlier on.

It was a good chat.

Day 2:  

Up bright and early this morning, ready to head over to the conference center to start work and learn lots of interesting things about gastrointestinal diseases.  The first session that I was interested in started at 10am, so enough time to have breakfast at the surprisingly good buffet in the hotel, put something reasonably smart on and go and pick up my registration packet and detailed program for the conference.  I was meeting Stephanie there too (we were going to the same lecture), so went to go to the lecture hall for the talk.  And couldn't get in.  

Turns out, both Stephanie and I had just bought registrations for the main conference and that all the lectures that were taking place today were actually part of an additional pre-conference (the appetizer course, I guess) that we would need to pay an extra 300 euros for!  Given we were only really interested in one session, lasting 90mins, we both thought that was just a little too steep to justify, so that was that for the day!  

So, instead of a session on gastroparesis, instead we headed into the city center (I was a pro at this by now, so hopped onto U1 to Stephansplatz with hardly a second thought) and decided to indulge in some alternate gastric endeavors!  Stephanie had read about this great Viennese cafe that was supposed to be excellent so - given it was almost lunchtime - we figured now was as good a time as any to try it out.  And - again I might add - the following pictures were taken all in the name of research so that you, dearest blogwatchers, can share in the experience (and not, unlike me, have to work my flabby ass off when I get home to Chicago to shed the excess chubbage!).

No - I did not eat this (probably one of the few things I didn't
consume during my stay) but I thought you'd all appreciate
a picture of a fake spaghetti dessert made out of ice-cream

I guess this is why Vienna is known for its coffee!

Oooooohhhhh….there are no words….

The elegant dining room and my equally
elegant dining companion!

I had the 3 course prix-fixe -1st course
a beef bouillon with a dumpling thing
in the bottom.  Actually pretty tasty.

This was not mine but Stephanie's.  Seems like the
definition of "coffee" here is somewhat flexible

Well, I couldn't come to Vienna and not have Wiener Schnitzel
now, could I?

or apfelstrudel?

After lunch, we enjoyed a few more hours wandering around enjoying the glorious weather and bright blue skies.  We were due to meet a few work colleagues later on in the afternoon (more to come on that), but here are some more photos from our explorations around the city - enjoy!

the parliament building (I think its called the Rathaus, which I
think is suitably amusing)

Close-up of the Rathaus

Really very beautiful - made me think of the Houses of Parliament

Not sure what exactly I'm doing with my arms.
Maybe my center of gravity was disturbed following
my ginormous lunch

Bus stop for statues

Schobrunn Palace (I think)

Whoooaa, Nelly!

Beautiful dome with exquisite stained glass insets

Walking through the gate from Hofsburg Palace,
past the home of the Spanish Riding School of
Vienna with the world famous Lippizaner horses

Umm…really not sure whats going on here.
Anyone?

And then, this.
Who says the Austrians have no sense of humor?

Yes, thank you.  Yes, it was.