Vienna: Aug. 31 - Sept. 3

In the late morning, we took the Super City Train from Prague to Vienna. After a 4-hour ride, we arrived at Vienna Südbahnhof. From there, we made our way to the U1 metro station and got out at Karlsplatz. As we approached one of the exits, we were amused by the "Toilette mit Musik," what looked to be a plushly-decorated WC blasting The Blue Danube Waltz. Only in Vienna! (People have actually uploaded youtube videos of this bathroom!) We took the escalator out of the subway station and were greeted with the impressive vision of the Vienna State Opera. As we crossed the pedestrian area next to the opera house, a man dressed in 18th century garb approached us with open arms and said, "Free hugs!" He asked where we were from and was about to attempt to sell us music tickets, but we cut the exchange short, fixed as we were on finding our lodgings, Pension Suzanne. (Though this first ticket-pusher was amusing, the throng of them constantly milling around the opera house can be a bit of a nuisance.) After getting settled in our pension, we headed out to Prater Park to ride the giant Ferris wheel. It was cool to experience the historical landmark, and the ride provided very nice views (though Vienna's cityscape isn't as charming as Prague's). Evening fell as we walked through the amusement park in search of dinner. We ate at a beer garden overflowing with lively patrons. Our dinner of pork stew and spinach dumplings in cream sauce was flavorful and filling. All in all, it was a great way to begin our stay in Vienna.

The next day, we took the U4 to Schönbrunn Palace. I remember well the distinctive buttery yellow and mocha façade from my first trip here a decade ago, but I was glad for a second visit to better appreciate its history and opulence. This summer palace, a sort of Austrian Versailles, showcased some amazing rooms and beautiful portraits. It was here that a 6-year-old Mozart performed for Empress Maria Theresa. Kennedy's meeting with Khrushchev also took place at Schönbrunn. The palace reflected many personal touches, as the royal family took a strong hand in its décor. There's no doubting the splendor of the richly appointed rooms we saw, but my favorite part of the visit was touring the grounds. Our Classic Pass included admission to the palace (with audio guide), the Privy Garden and Garden Above the Cellar, the Maze and Labyrinth, the Gloriette Viewing Terrace, and the apple strudel show in the Court Bakery. All were enjoyable, though the maze thoroughly stumped us, and we were only able to get to the center platform with help. Walking to the Gloriette required some effort, as it was uphill and the sun was strong, but the amazing view from the terrace was well worth the trek. We ate lunch (pancake with mincemeat accompanied by a side salad) at the Gloriette Café. Our last stop at Schönbrunn was the strudel show. The small sample of apple strudel was just okay, but the presentation was entertaining and I liked the cute room in which it was held.

We then headed back to the city center and took a tram to Belvedere Palace. After the splendor of Schönbrunn, the palace and gardens of the Belvedere didn't seem quite so impressive. However, our main reason for visiting was the art collection housed in the Upper Belvedere. I very much enjoyed the 19th century paintings, including a couple of Monets and Renoirs. However, the highlight was Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. It was amazing to see this iconic work in person. The richness and details are so striking, and the entire painting is emotive and utterly romantic. Many other works by Klimt were also on display, and it was interesting to see the wide range of styles he produced.
That night, we had dinner at a heurigen located on a small cobblestone lane a few turns off the main pedestrian drag of Kärntner Strasse. The meal was enormous! Appetizers included spinach strudel, onion quiche, and vegetable strudel. Then came a big salad and the main course: several kinds of schnitzels and a heaping plate of meats, potatoes, and cabbage. Needless to say, I was stuffed before we were anywhere near finishing the dishes spread across our table. I felt a bit guilty about wasting so much food. After dinner, we went to the Haus der Musik, an interactive museum about sound and music. My favorite part was probably the dice game that resulted in a waltz composition.

The next morning, we walked to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which contained many works by the Masters: Titian, Raphael, Correggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Bruegel, among others. There were many impressive, beautiful works displayed in the museum's gorgeous, sumptuous settings, but the most awe-inspiring part of the visit was seeing Vermeer's The Art of Painting. All of Vermeer's works are so atmospheric and lovely, and this one was painted on an uncharacteristically large canvas. I lingered over its rich details, particularly the hanging fabric and the beautiful blue of the model's dress. I've come to think of this lovely shade as "Vermeer Blue."
Afterward, we walked to the Hofburg Palace to see the Imperial Treasury, a display of wealth and intricate craftsmanship. We then had a quick lunch of vegetable strudel and traditional beef broth with dumpling at Oberlaa. We bought a couple of pastries to go and hurried to get in line for the 2:30 tour of the State Opera. Lots of people were already waiting, and it got more chaotic when we entered the crowded foyer. Luckily, things got better once our group gathered and we were assigned our guide. The opera house is truly magnificent and our guide knowledgeable and charming. Oddly enough, the stage set for the State Opera's current production of Manon Lescaut contrasted sharply with the plush surroundings. The modern interpretation of the opera apparently includes walls of gray concrete and a Lexus. (Not coincidentally, Lexus is one of the State Opera's sponsors.) During the tour, we saw some elaborate halls and galleries, got a glimpse of the imperial box, sat in orchestra-level seats, and even visited the huge, chaotic backstage area. It is astounding the number of different productions the State Opera presents in a year; the opera rotation is such that the same production is never shown back to back. There were so many cool things about this opera house... from the standing room areas (costing only €3-4 per place) to the personal subtitle screens to the annual opera ball, where the stage, orchestra, and seating area is converted into a ballroom. For any lover of the performing arts, a tour of the State Opera is a must when visiting Vienna!

Since the State Opera was dark that night, we decided to catch a show at the Volksoper. When I saw Die Fledermaus advertised, I knew that was the show I wanted to see. It is the quintessential Viennese operetta, after all. Not to mention, I love the overture. We grabbed a box of open-face finger sandwiches from Buffet Trzesniewski and took the metro to the Volksoper. It was wonderful to see this Strauss operetta in Vienna. The music is absolutely wonderful, but I must admit I couldn't help thinking of the Tom and Jerry Hollywood Bowl episode, where Tom conducts selections from the Die Fledermaus overture! But, I digress. I really enjoyed the night's performance, from the lovely set design to the beautiful costumes to the engaging cast and the talented orchestra. Die Fledermaus is fun and frothy, with wonderful dancing and great arias. I can see why it is tradition to stage the operetta on New Year's Eve in Vienna. Click here to see a great video promo of the Volksoper's Fledermaus.

We started the next morning with a visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral. Then we toured the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg. The combo ticket also included admission to the imperial silver collection and the Sisi Museum. ("Sisi" is the affectionate nickname for the beautiful Empress Elisabeth, wife of Franz Joseph. She was a sort of Princess Diana of the 19th Century.) After touring Hofburg, we bought some finger sandwiches and pastries from the famous Café Demel and walked to Stadt Park. There, we ate our lunch on a bench near the famous golden statue of Strauss. After lunch, we hurried back to Pension Suzanne to collect our bags and head for the metro. A transfer and several mad dashes later, we got on the 1:50 p.m. train to Budapest with barely a minute to spare! The train literally started moving seconds after we climbed aboard. Thus ended our adventures in Vienna. Onward to Budapest!

P.S. Some additional random notes. One: J. and I puzzled over why the Vienna metro did not include a U5 line. All the metro maps showed lines U1 through U6, but always sans U5. Turns out that all the plans to build the U5 line never came to fruition due to reasons such as insufficient expected traffic. Two: If there were a Czech-inspired Tom and Jerry episode, I could've dubbed this trip the "Tom and Jerry Trip." In addition to the episode showcasing the overture from Die Fledermaus, there is an episode where the cartoon cat and mouse actually live in the house of Johann Strauss! Tom teaches himself to play piano waltzes to lure Jerry, who can't resist dancing when he hears Strauss's music, out of his hole. Another episode presents Tom as a concert pianist performing Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody! Anyway, I think it's cool that old cartoons incorporate classical music. ;)

Prague: Aug. 28 - Aug. 31

It had been a few years since I last took an overseas vacation, so it was with great anticipation that I embarked on my recent trip to Europe. Prague, the golden city of a hundred spires, had long been on my "To Visit" list, and finally seeing it in person certainly did not disappoint. It is a city full of picturesque charm and vibrant energy.
Getting to Prague took some effort: two flights, a tight changeover in London Heathrow, and a traffic-filled shuttle ride from Prague-Ruzyne Airport to our B&B, Lida Guesthouse. We spent the remainder of the afternoon planning (with a lot of invaluable, friendly guidance from our B&B host), resting, and getting our bearings. The next day, we began our sightseeing at Vyšehrad, a castle only one metro stop away from our B&B. The large castle compound included a Romanesque Rotunda, the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, and a cemetery where reknowned Czechs such as Dvorák and Smetana were laid to rest. Jumping from the old to the new, we next visited Frank Gehry's Dancing House. I enjoyed seeing an example of his work that differed from the signature look exemplified by the Guggenheim and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Then it was off to the Strahov Monastery. There, we paid admission to view the famous libraries, but one of them (the Library of Philosophy) was undergoing a massive renovation. Scaffolding hid the entire room from view, and we could only get a sense of its opulence from a poster. The Library of Religion, however, was open for viewing. At the end of the spacious room, we glimpsed the glass cabinets where forbidden texts were held. I was a bit puzzled by the sculpture near the door to the library. He was probably a lamenting monk or saint, but he looked as if he could just as likely be suffering from a toothache. The hallway joining the two libraries were filled with curio cabinets and ancient tomes with dusty, peeling spines. The slightest touch probably would've disintegrated the ages-old books. Of the specimen held in the cabinets, I found the preserved baby dodo to be the most interesting.

Afterward, we walked down the hill to Prague Castle. We ate a quick lunch (I had a salad and mini potato croquettes), and we got to the castle gate just as the changing of the guard took place. Once inside the castle, we visited St. Vitus Cathedral first. It is a massive and inspiring piece of Gothic architecture. I thought the interior even more stunning than the exterior. I especially loved how the light filtering through the stained glass windows painted lovely splashes of pinks, oranges, and blues on some of the stone columns. Of the many differently styled stained glass windows adorning the cathedral, my favorite was, of course, the one designed by Alphonse Mucha, the brilliant Art Nouveau artist. We next wandered the castle grounds a bit, making brief stops at the old royal palace and St. George's Basilica, though these were rather anticlimactic after St. Vitus. However, the balconies from the palace did offer gorgeous views of Prague. This city really does seem to have wonderful views wherever you look! The last area we visited in the castle was the Golden Lane, a picturesque row of cute little houses now serving as souvenir shops. Franz Kafka lived in the blue No. 22 for a time.

That evening, we had a good, filling dinner at a restaurant called Josephina. I tried the turkey with ham and peach, an entrée that probably wasn't Czech in any way, but it was tasty, particularly the peaches. We then rushed back to the city center to catch a concert at Smetana Hall in Municipal House, a glorious Art Nouveau building. The small orchestra played favorites from Mozart and Strauss, giving us a sort of musical preview of our next destination. Two opera singers and two ballet dancers accompanied the orchestra. It was an enjoyable show, but it definitely catered to tourists and felt rather brief. My favorite part was the dancing; it was by turns lively and romantic, and the costumes were beautiful.

After taking care of some travel logistics the next morning, we headed for the Mucha Museum. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the delicate intricacy of Mucha's Art Nouveau posters up close. Having long been a fan of his work, I found it rather wonderful to experience such a variety of his original works in person. Aside from theatre posters and magazine art, the museum displayed studio photographs, paintings, lithographs, books, stamps, money, and a small collection of decorative arts, all designed by Mucha. I learned a lot from the video biography of Mucha playing at the back of the museum.

Next, we strolled through Old Town, the highlight of which was the central square containing the Huss Memorial, St. Nicholas Church (one of two so-named churches in Prague), and the astronomy clock tower. We watched the very brief "show" when the clock struck at the top of the hour. A skeleton (Death) on the elaborate clock rang the bell while 12 saints rotated through 2 open windows. I found it amusing when the large crowd applauded as the mechanism stopped. It was hard to tell if the applause was genuine or sarcastic. The astronomy clock itself, however, is truly a beautiful marvel.
We wandered a bit through the Jewish Quarter and walked up Paris Street, Prague's version of the Champs-Élysées. It's a lovely tree-lined street filled with high-end shops and sporting a view of a kinetic sculpture (a giant metronome) on the other side of the river. Apparently, the metronome replaced a statue of Stalin. The afternoon was wearing late, so we went to a tea house in Wenceslas Square for respite and sustenance. I ordered the flower bud tea, a green tea with a jasmine flower that unfurled as it steeped. J. had a red tea with the intriguing name of hair tea. For food, we had hummus with pita and veggies, a savory couscous bowl, and a sweet couscous bowl.

Later, we strolled a bit along the beautiful Vltava River before reaching the famous Charles Bridge. Despite the fact that parts of the bridge were under renovation, it was still very cool to walk across this landmark, taking in the statues, tourists, vendors, and most of all the magnificent views of the river cutting through the city. We then entered the Little Quarter, where we made a quick stop at St. Nicholas Church (the other one) to snap some photos. Daylight was fading by the time we caught the funicular up Petrin Hill. The funicular exited into a large park at the top of the hill. An observatory stood in the distance, and we walked through a couple of rose gardens to get to Petrin Tower. The 60m structure looked like a mini Eiffel Tower. We climbed the 299 steps up the tower's double staircase to appreciate breathtaking views of this lovely city as the sun sank below the horizon and dusk darkened into evening. Really, it was a perfect way to end our Prague sightseeing.
Next stop: Vienna!

Fortnight in Review

Okay, so it's really closer to 3 weeks than a fortnight, but I don't know of any nifty sounding word that encapsulates a 3-week period. Besides, this is what my blogging habits have dwindled to...

Roadside Assistance. Almost 3 weeks ago, I left work one evening to find that one of my rear tires had gone completely flat. (I later learned that the culprit was a long, shiny silver nail embedded in the tire. I hadn't even noticed when the puncture occurred.) Thank goodness the flat tire was on the driver side; otherwise, I would've attempted the long commute home, blithely unaware of why my car was trundling along. Thank goodness, also, for the AAA. It makes one feel a little safer braving the streets and freeways of the LA jungle, knowing that inability to change a tire wouldn't leave one indefinitely stranded.

Well Fed. A couple days later, we had a 2-day writers conference at work. This meant lots of presentations and meetings, but also lots of free food: 2 catered lunches and a big dinner at PF Chang's. I'd been to PF Chang's many times before, but this was the first time I'd seen their mini-dessert sampler: a tray of 8 different desserts presented in shot glasses. Some were too sweet, but I still thought the concept was pretty cool. (Here's a photo I found on a review site.) We had about 26 people at dinner, sitting at 2 long tables. Three of these samplers were ordered for our table alone! Needless to say, I was in a bit of a sugar coma as I drove home.

OD-ing on Olympics. The Opening Ceremony was amazing, but the glamour of the event waned a bit when I found out that parts of it were pre-recorded and digitally enhanced. Oh, and the fact that the little girl was lip-syncing. Makes one wonder what else was not real. Phelps and the US swim team rock; every superlative has already been used to describe the amazing feat of 8 golds in one Olympics, so I will simply remain in silent awe. Nastia Liukin embodied breathtaking elegance and artistic gymnastics at its best, while Shawn Johnson was an adorable dynamo of power and precision. Too bad the competition was somewhat marred by underage controversies, questionable scoring, and wonky rules. But, then again, what else is new in the world of gymnastics? At least most of the medals went to people who deserved them. It certainly was an exciting 2 weeks of sports, and it was cool to see competitions that are never televised in non-Olympic years. Of course, my sleeping habits became even more messed up than usual during the 17-day span, but I think it was worth it. Oh, and I just love the Google Doodles that accompanied these Games!

Night at the Bowl. It's been 3 years since I last attended a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, so when free tickets were being offered as a bonus at work, I jumped at the opportunity, even though it meant missing part of the Women's Gymnastics competition. It was a wonderful concert, and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite not being familiar with the music (Philip Glass: Two Interludes from the CIVIL warS, Violin Concerto; Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations). And the seats were amazing too: garden boxes. So this is how the other half lives...

More Good Food. Two Thursdays ago, some co-workers and I went out for a vegetarian dinner at Fatty's Café. The word vegetarian turned a lot of people off from attending the dinner, but I'm glad I went because the food really was delicious. Our little group shared a "monster four" appetizer sampler, 4 entrées, and a chocolate fondue dessert. Yum. I definitely plan on going back again.

Parking Lot Technology. Last weekend, I met up with a friend at the Century City mall. (Not surprisingly, it has become yet another Westfield property.) I can't even remember when was the last time I set foot in that shopping center. Probably ten years ago. So, I was quite taken aback by how much it had evolved. The aspect that impressed me the most was actually its parking garage. The massive lot has a sensor above each parking space that remains green when empty and becomes red when a car parks in it. Along the major lanes, arrowed lights tell you how many vacant spaces are available in each direction. How awesome is that?