Positively Dotty

Elisabeth, Jose and I tried Dots Experimental Sushi last night. It was an interesting combination of traditional sushi with a few twisters.

Jose and Elisabeth shared a Dots Sushi Special with Geisha Lips and Cape Town Bombs. The Cape Town Bombs looked awesome, sort of like Salmon Roses but with a hot sauce on top. I ventured in Mango Maki, which had prawn, avo and you guessed it...Mango. It was a very sweet creamy experience. My other choice was Calfornia rolls which had prawn, salmon, avo and something inside and multi-coloured fish roe on the outside...suitably different.

Moving on we met up with the more party crowd at a heuriger in the 19th district. We missed the food but managed to have a few wine spritzers before moving to the next destination of the evening (there was a fairly ambitious itinerary for the evening).

Everyone was in bright spirits last night but there were these times of great sadness as we say goodbye to to each other. The last photo was the group chatting up a storm on the tram to the next club. It seemed like a nice place though a little pricey, 8 euros for a cocktail!

Inception: Seeding an idea

I've heard a lot of things about Inception from various people but have tried very hard to avoid official reviews. I have seen an amazing array of posters advertising the movie which seem truly warped. *spoiler alert*

I finally got a chance to see the movie last night with a few other YSSPers at the English cinema in Vienna, the Hadyn. The Hadyn was huge seats and the screen has a curtain in front of it that opens like on a stage in time for the movie. It felt strangely like going to see a play. A little side note: The Americans find assigned seating strange.

I'm a fan of Christopher Nolan (director) after seeing Memento and The Dark Knight and hoped that Inception lived up the very high standard set by both.

Inception was mind-blowing, the concept of dreams within dreams was something I've not really considered before but in hindsight could see it. There were a few plot holes but the movie explicitly shows you where you are in every level with different sets. I'm not sure they correctly calculated the time expansion across levels but it made for high drama at the end.

I definitely think it is worth the hype surrounding it.

Since we are at IIASA and studying systems analysis, have a look at the flowchart. Its a spoiler alert for those who haven't seen it yet, though I'm not sure that after reading the flowchart that you'll have any more idea of the movie than before.

*there is an updated version after the artist saw the movie for the third time*

For those who didn't get the synchronisation of the kicks: try this picture by a deviantArt user.

Schnapsmuseum

Long before I came to Vienna people kept telling me to go to the Schnapsmuseum in Vienna. Now I didn't now that Vienna is famous for its Schnaps but apparently they are. A group of 6 of us went on a tour through the 'museum' and got to taste the various types available.

Its a very short tour, only a few rooms but the information garnered is worth the visit. I learnt not only about the process of producing Schnaps but also about Absinthe, Brandy and Liqueurs. We also received a history lesson on Austria and its alcohol laws.

I also learnt that the original distillery was much larger but was bombed in 1945 and they lost 11 buildings in just minutes. There are a series of photographs on the walls from various eras that show the destruction and the history of the family. One of the family was a driver for the Emporer, another an advisor.

Our tour guide is actually the owners son who only does tours on the weekend as a favour to the family. Imagine having the keys to a Schnaps distillery as a student...the parties must have been fabulous.

The tour concluded with a tasting of all the different varieties and a demonstration on how to tell the difference between proper Schnaps and the artificially sweetened stuff. Needless to say that the real stuff smells just like rotten fruit...wonderful.







Following our tour our guide decided that some food would be a good idea to soak up all the alcohol we'd manage to consume. Our choice came from the Lonely Planet: Kokoma, a seafood restaurant that was actually fairly decent. Definitely one of the better meals I've had a Viennese restaurant.

Sixes and Sevens

Vienna has the most amazingly comprehensive transport network that includes U-Bahns (undergrounds), S-Bahns (schnell-bahn), trams, buses and night buses. In Simmering where I'm staying we have access to all within 100m of our front door. The U-Bahns and S-Bahns are very well documented, the trams and buses not so much. I'm still not sure where most of the trams go, only that I have to catch the 6 to Quellenplatz and then take the 566 bus (The one not labeled Eisenstadt if its from Suidtiroler Platz - that takes the freeway etc) You guessed it, they have multiple buses with the same number.

The transport network has been unfailingly reliable since day one. If you get on the tram at 7.35 you will get on the 8am bus and be dropped in Laxenburg at 8.25am. Awesome. Not so awesome when you get on the tram 6 and the driver forgets its a 6 and drives the 71 route in the wrong direction :( as happened this morning. One bonus of this slight detour (it took less than a stop before the locals volubly complained) was that I finally got to take a picture of the Enkplatz Church.

We are the dancers, we create the dreams

I can slowly feel my sanity slipping away everyday I don't dance. For those who know me well, I have been dancing since I could walk, it is not really an hobby, its a passion. I haven't been dancing at all since being in Vienna bar one evening of Salsa. This probably the longest absence since my last injury 6 years ago and I can feel it. It like compulsion gnawing away at me.

My favourite dance quote reminds me daily why I dance:
"We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams"

I'm actually very disappointed with the dance scene here or people's responses to me asking about it. Maybe its just the environment I currently find myself in. No-one seems to care to help. Every city I've been to has Ballroom socials open to the public (I'm not counting Jhb in this, they are weird), not closed to certain dance schools or partners only. For a city that is famous for its Viennese Waltz, they're terrible at welcoming individuals. I'm slowly resigning myself to hanging up my dancing shoes(and I bought some shiny new Supadance ones) til I get back to Cape Town. Thankfully CT has an amazing array of dance events in September/October for me to make up for the abysmal scene here.

The Vienna Whirlwind

Blake visited this weekend and in two days we managed to tour both Bratislava and Vienna. We started at Stephansdom and moved basically walked a fair amount of the Ring, with a traditional Austrian lunch near MuseumsQuartier.

The Vienna Museum sparked a lot of awe at the royal jousting armour and city models as it grew. Its really impressive to look through the history of the site that Vienna sits on and the growth in wide and height of the city over the years.

The Hundertwasser House caused a fair amount of amusement but we realised that if we were to actually live there we might in fact go crazy. It needs to be seen to be believed.

We also stopped off for some dessert along the Danube Canal complete with fancy glasses.

Jazz hands and funky feet

Yesterday is a story of many places, many things and much hilarity. It started with a mad dash to Vienna Rathaus (City Hall) for the start of Imelda May's free jazz concert. Vienna is filled with cheap (free) cultural experiences in Summer with free opera viewing on the big screens, film festival and Jazz festival of which last nights performance was a part.

Imelda May wasn't spectacular, more Country than Jazz but it was still nice to sit back and listen to while soaking up the ambience. The Rathaus itself is spectacular and I will get to taking the tour on of these weekends. The bars and fast food restaurants look appealing too, so maybe a stop for a quick drink one night wouldn't hurt either :)


For those of you in Vienna, I took a 'short cut' through the Volksgarten, it is absolutely stunning to take a stroll through. Its open til 10pm daily according to the sign. With all the major lit at night, Vienna is just as alive and welcoming as during the day.


After a not so quick stop back in Simmering for an online planning meeting for Umonya (does anyone know any CS contacts at WITS?), I high-tailed it back to basically the same U-Bahn stop to watch the football at the University grounds, an area filled with beer stands and many TV screens. Our group had a pretty even split of supporters, but the octopus was right, Spain did prevail.

We moved on to a Scottish Pub (Highlander Pub) a few blocks away for a commiseration/celebratory drink depending on the person. I happened to read the food menu...Chilli Con Carne was not Scottish when I last checked, then again neither is Guinness which takes up most of the signage space.

The highlight of my night was not actually any of the above, but the impromptu Samba and Salsa lesson for Avery and Markus at midnight on the U-Bahn platform. I think there is some potential there :P

The 3 Ss

Saturday was filled with the 3 Ss: Sight-seeing, shopping and SALSA. My day started with a trip on the U6 to Alser Strasse to visit a dance shop. I am now the proud owner of a new pair of Supadance latin 3.5 inch heels. I walked around the area a bit but its not that sight-seeing worthy.

My next stop was Naschmarkt for a stroll through the flea market. It was very warm yesterday so I promptly bought a Chinese fan to accompany my stroll. The flea market seems very chaotic and frankly a little boring. Its sort of like a Green Point stadium market from way back.

After a quick lunch in the market I delved into the Museums district of Vienna: The Natural History Museum and the Museums Quartier. It seems like every museum building in Vienna is a beautifully decorated architectural marvel. The Natural History Museum is yet another one. The foyer ceiling is worth mentioning and the decor on the walls of each exhibition room. I can't say I was terribly impressed by the exhibitions (Special exhibition: Darwin evolution). The elephant was actually the statue in front of the NMH. I'm Europe and I've been inundated with lions and now elephants.

The photo on the right is the Venus of Willendorf at 25,000 years old. Its kept in a dark room with only a little overhead light. It was found in the Danube valley and believed to be a symbol of fertility. No trip a NHM is complete without a dinosaur skeleton or three.

The Museums Quartier is a young trendy area to grab a drink nestled between lots of museums. I'll go back another day to wonder through the various on offer. They do have the strangest outdoor chairs though: bright pink.

My final destination of the day was Floridita, a Cuban salsa bar near Stephansplatz. Its a non-smoking club, which is fantastic given Austria's lax smoking rules and they have a bag check so you don't have to clutch a purse and try to dance. A couple of people joined me from IIASA and we danced for a few hours before catching various night buses home. The outing reminded me of why I dance, the fun, the energy and most of all the instant stress relief

Madama Butterfly - Vienna State Opera House

Last night I went the Vienna Opera to see Madama Butterfly, the final performance of the season. The Opera House is truly awe-inspiring, with the most decadent furnishings and space. My camera really couldn't quite capture the ambience created.
















I bought a standing ticket (Stehplatz) for 4 euros, for which I had a direct view of the stage but had to stand through the three acts. There are roughly 550 standing tickets sold every performance. You have to start queueing at roughly 5.30pm for an 8pm performance to get a ticket but it is well worth the effort (the only other tickets left were 210 euros).

The singer playing Pickington wasn't as strong as Madame Butterfly which was distracting but overall the performance was beautiful. I'm hoping to catch the last ballet performance next week for the same price, who said culture had to be expensive.

Eins...Zwei...Drei...

I'm learning German very slowly. I have opted not to do the formal classes which are an hour each for 10 hours total. Markus (German YSSP) has kindly offered to instruct some of us in German. Yesterday we started with counting. I can now count up to 20 and in theory everything past that too. My pronunciation needs a lot of work. We also covered how to ask for a table in a restaurant and how to order a meal and ask for the bill. I got to try some of this on the barman last night while ordering.

Most important phrase of the day: Entschuldigen Sie bitte! - Excuse me please

The picture attached is a sign from a hotel around the corner from the Naschmarkt. Its a black cat and the story goes that these signs were displayed over shop doors to advertise the trade or services available and the name. They are made from wrought iron and can still be seen in a few places around Vienna. The Wien Museum has an example of a hedgehog and the lantern that gave Schonlanterngasse its name. I'll post more as I see them, I think these signs are wonderful.

Blooming and Booming

Today was a mish mash of various events with a lot of soccer thrown in. The day started with a visit to the Museum of Applied Art (MAK) which is Vienna's answer to the V&A in London. The collection itself if not nearly as impressive but the building itself is a work of art. Marble pillars, painted ceilings, fountains embedded in the walls. The building is worth a visit just to gawk at (and its free on Saturdays). The Design Shop off the atrium is a showcase of how art and functionality can be combined to create quirky yet beautiful practical pieces.

The MAK borders the Stadtpark (City Park) and everything in the park seem to be blooming. The clock above is a perfect example (I wasn't tall enough to get a full picture).

On the way to lunch at Naschmarkt I got horribly disorientated and landed up at the wrong exit at Karlsplatz, not a tragedy because I stumbled across the Opera Toilet. It sings whenever anyone enters the toilet, a highly amusing spectacle. My other discovery was a beautiful fountain in the gardens around the U-Bahn exit.

Naschmarkt is a vibrant market with a mix of fresh produce, flea market junk, foreign cuisine supply stores and pavement restaurants. A group organised to Toko Ri, the Japanese restaurant within the market. Ordering sushi in German with Japanese names is amusing.

What followed was lots of World Cup match viewing...

The final bit of excitement for the day was a thunderstorm that materialised within minutes over the Danube Island (we were having a BBQ with the Forestry group). Stunning lightning and thunderclaps heralded the rain and so ended the day of sunshine and badminton and bbqing.

Palace Sommernachtskonzert

Tuesday night was the Vienna Philharmonic Sommernachtskonzert Schönbunn, a free concert given in the palace grounds. As the sun set over Vienna crowds flocked to the impressive gardens of the Palace. Normally you cannot walk on the grass, but for this special occasion any space is hoarded. Its not that clear from the photo but the stage is down the hill. We were inundated with mosquitos and we couldn't hear the music that well but it was definitely worth seeing the palace lit up at night.

The program was a mix of the old and the new. Star Wars at a Palace anyone?

Program
Williams: "Star Wars Main Title" aus "Star Wars" (5:10)
Joseph Strauß: Shpärenklänge. Walzer, op. 235 (8:00)
Liszt: Klavierkonzert Nr. 2 in A-Dur (21:40)
Williams: "Princess Leia's Theme" aus "Star Wars" (4:20)
Williams: "Imperial March" aus "Star Wars" (3:00)
Lanner: Abendsterne. Walzer, op. 180 (7:30)
Nicolai: Mondchor aus "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" (4:30)
Holst: "Mars" aus "Die Planeten" (8:00)
Johann Strauß: Wiener Blut. Walzer, op. 354 (9:00)
Josef Strauß: Auf Ferienreise. Polka schnell, op. 133 (2:10)

Wien Museum - Karlsplatz

The Wien Museum is free on Sundays (which is a nice discount from the normal 6 euros). It was really interesting to see the changes of Vienna from the Roman occupation to the Hungarian Empire and then the modern day occupation. It has city maps, old plans and statues rescued from renovated buildings.

There is a special exhibition currently hosted at the museum showcasing Vienna in film. Its quite interesting to see the depiction of Vienna after seeing the city.
The Karlsplatz Kirche is currently under construction but beautiful nonetheless. The pillars framing the church entrance are carved with complex scenes. There is rumoured (we of limited funds did not pay the massive entrance fee) to be a massive fresco on the ceiling covering roughly 13500 feet.

Prater

The Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna has been a key landmark since 1897. Its a costly ride at 8.50 euros but well worth the view of the whole city. It has seen many a fire and world war and has been rebuilt a few times. It has been the venue of numerous movies including "The Third Man" and "The Living Daylights".

The Prater itself is an amusement park that opened in 1766. A few YSSPers spent the afternoon and evening trying out the various rides and having a quiet drink in the Beer Garden. The perfect way to end the mammoth sight-seeing tour/walk that covered the whole of Vienna's 1st district.

There is old and then there is very old

A group of intrepid explorers (namely 7 YSSPers) took to the streets of Schwedenplatz (the Jewish district) for a lively day of sightseeing. Vienna is old and pretty. Apparently Franz Joseph, the emporer, liked pretty things and made sure that all roads leading out of Vienna looked pretty for when he drive by. (The fountain is a memorial for the Black Plague)


Starting at Stephensplatz we managed to catch the Corpus Christi celebrations at noon outside St Stephen's Cathedral (We circled back later). We're not quite sure what the celebration is about but the parade was huge and filled with various religious figures.

Moving on we wandered the streets until we happened upon a truly bizarre clock set between 2 buildings. I can't seem to find anything on it in the guidebooks but I'm going to carry on looking, there is sure to be a story.

We also found a Greek Orthodox Church sandwiched between a pub and a government building. The inside of the church is truly breathtaking with scenes painted on all the walls and ceilings. There was also this grand chandelier (seems like a theme in Vienna), very sparkly. It reminds me of the church hidden in the suburbs in Istanbul with the gold leaf mosaic ceilings. Unfortunately my photos are terrible because I wasn't allowed to use the flash.

There is a famous local painter/environmentalist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in Vienna and his work is part of the cityscape. He designed the power plant and an apartment complex that are bizarre. I can't think of a better description. He felt that "straight lines are godless" and you can quite clearly see it in his designs. He also believed in tree inhabitants as well as human. I've posted 2 pictures, one of the front and one of the side. There are no straight lines, lots of foliage and the ground in uneven to "stimulate the brain". After the decidedly avant-garde we went back to the norm, the St Stephen's Cathedral.

The cathedral is huge with a 450 foot south tower (the ran out of money to finish the north tower). The roof is 200 feet high and sharply pitched. It is covered in ceramic tiles into patterns. The one has the 2 eagles, one looking west, the other east, to Hungary and (I think Germany). This is supposedly the national emblem for Austria (Not confirmed). The interior has soaring pillars with intricate detailing (including frogs and mice and dogs).

We never had time but there is a tour of the catacombs and a walk up the south tower (all 343 steps) when the weather clears.