Munich in September + October

Rather than writing about everything we've been up to I figure people enjoy photos more anyway.

Here's some of the fun September and October brought our way...

September

visitors decked out in their Bavarian best at the Oktoberfest

brotzeit

plenty of pretzels and beer

Münchener Kind'l street art

October

views from the Gaisberg

Auer dult

Autumn leaves

incredible weather

... as for November, we were once again traveling and trying to decide where to spend Christmas. 

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Right after Christmas we headed to Austria for a fun getaway with friends.

Spectacular views of the Alps

Serious snowboarding

Lots of aprés ski glühwein

Fantastic sledding

The perfect skiing weekend

This is exactly how Winter should be.

Jedermann

This is the 90th year for the Salzburg City Festival where the see and be seen Jedermann (everyman) play is performed. The cathedral is the perfect backdrop for this medieval play about mortality.

Aren't those hairstyles and outfits fantastic?

Heat Wave

We are currently having a sweltering heat wave over here. I'm really not one for heat - unless of course I'm lounging on a beautiful beach with crystal clear turquoise water, but the closest I've been to any water ways lately is the Isar here in Munich or the Salzach in Salzburg.

For some reason I think I have a mental block on how miserable Europe can be in the summer - who decided that air conditioning is overrated anyway?

I've also been working nonstop now that the tourist season is in full swing. Some days it's amazing and other days I feel like I am herding cats. None the less it's usually fun to interact with people from other cultures and to have interesting conversations. Yesterday we talked about traditional dishes from our home lands and how people celebrate festive occasions.

I'm convinced I need to make a trip to Malta. I had a tour last month and one of the women actually makes the Air Malta uniforms for the flight crew by hand. This week I had another couple that was affiliated with Air Malta and they were just as delightful as the couple from last month. They both gave me their email addresses to get in touch once I make it over.

Working in the crazy sun can be very exhausting, but last week I came home to flowers, a tiny cake, and a delicious fruit salad courtesy of Stefan and a sweet package with a beautiful and delicious bar of chocolate from a faraway friend.

I also was able to check out the Roman ruins / excavations under the Salzburg Cathedral. They are only open during the months of July and August, so if you are in the area it's definitely worth checking out. (These images definitely do the place justice - just trust me on this one.)

As much as I'd love to update more often sitting anywhere near this inferno of a computer is just not happening. I probably seem like a hermit when I'm not working, because all of our blinds are closed in hopes to keep the sun from heating this place even more.

Back to Work

We're back in Germany now and trying to fight a bit of jet lag. I read that eating a handful of cherries before bed is supposed to help naturally regulate melatonin, so I went with that method.

My tours are back in full effect and a few new stores are popping up around Salzburg. I wanted to see the new movie 'Knight and Day' while I was in Ohio, because it has scenes filmed in Salzburg, but it looks like I'll wait for it to come to DVD.

This past week I noticed they were packing up Jaume Plensa's 'We' sculpture from the Residenz. I'm curious where it's heading.

Gone but not forgotten

This past Monday was Memorial Day in the US. It's a day to remember those that have sacrificed in serving the country, which unfortunately is a very real and harsh reality for many families even today.

I was surprised and delighted to see that General Harry Collins' grave in Salzburg was visited by his military division. He was largely credited in variety of ways with helping Salzburg after World War II and is also responsible for liberating the Dachau concentration camp.

Mirabell Gardens

Lots of rain this week... but even so, the flowers are blooming and growing. The whisteria is looking as if it's straight out of a Bob Ross painting and the ornamental cherry blossoms are falling like confetti.

It's so nice to sit at Mirabell Gardens and enjoy an amazing pastry while being showered with cherry blossom petals. Definitely no complaints from me!

I always try to sample something new when I'm there.

This time I went with something passion fruit + pistachio from from Patisserie-Konditorei Fingerlos. It's was just as delicious as it was beautiful.

sign of the times

After all of the travels it's back to work. I guess work and travel have become synonymous in my world, but never the less I was able to join tourists on their vacation to Salzburg.

It's been a long time since I visited - September to be exact.

That was right before we left for our trip... when I decided it would be fun to take my husband to work and had a crazy awful group, which included the wandering off guy (who by the way was left at Neuschwanstein the next day), and the entire group showing up to the meeting point a good 15 minutes late, which is impressive since they all had marked maps and weren't traveling together.

We made it to the train with about a minute and a half to spare. Thankfully someone took to pushing the Grandma in her wheel chair through the city or we never would have made it. Stefan ended up schlepping some woman's bag of beers back to the train station so we could make it on time, because she decided they were too heavy. They drank their beers on the train and didn't even offer Stefan one for all of his troubles.

All in a day's work. When working with the public, various cultures, or those with so so English skills that sometimes feign understanding nothing surprises me anymore, but it's also the reason I love what I do.

Today I did get an unexpected surprise - one glaring sign of the times. So many stores have closed.

Yes, there are several new places that have opened, but there are plenty of empty store fronts. I'm not really sure I can complain, because I did only partake in window shopping at a lot of them - the gorgeous rose shop (Gerhard Swarovski Rosentury) with the wedding gown made of fresh flowers - gone.

The egg shop... downsized. Don't worry, it is still there, but now those windows that seemed to go on and on filled with beautiful painstakingly decorated eggs doesn't have the same affect in such a small window.

I try not to make a big deal out of the things that people wouldn't know they are missing, but today was different.

I love seeing how the city changes - the scaffolding comes off the cathedral, when an archeological dig is going on, or where the horse carriages will be moved to accommodate whatever is new, but I am surprised the winter was so harsh to so many stores. I know that's the nature of business and new shops will hopefully fill the vacant spaces, but it's a real bummer that this economic crisis has taken its toll on the independent shops - and beautiful ones at that.

Salzburg in the summer

We have had a dreadfully rainy summer here.

Even so, it's still nice to accompany tourists on their first visit to Salzburg. The city doesn't miss a beat, even when the weather isn't exactly cooperating.

Here are a few details from my most recent trips:

The cathedral is finally finished its facelift and the scaffolding is gone. The printed ads for the radio or of scantily clad women in swimsuits have made way for a refurbished 17th century Baroque façade and the angels crowning the Virgin Mary are once again visible.

Others are still searching for peace. There was an Iranian demonstration that brought tears to my eyes. Seeing the images of Neda Agha-Soltan and simply knowing how many people have been displaced breaks my heart. There's so much violence and struggle for the freedoms that many take for granted.

Fortunately there are small details that offer a bit of hope from the evils people put upon each other. Jaume Plensa has an interesting piece of work in the Residenz courtyard, which is aptly titled 'We'. You may be familiar with his Crown Fountain at the Millennium Park in Chicago.

'We' is made from powder coated steel and has letters and characters from various languages, which he says create building blocks for words and thoughts. I always appreciate how art can often transcend things that language barriers cannot.

I think this piece of work would have been better appreciated in a large open area, where many people would be sure to see it.

At the Residenzplatz were the ever present horses waiting to work. Horses always remind me of Austria, probably because they are present both in Salzburg and, of course, at the Spanish riding school in Vienna.

Mozartplatz

At the Auer Dult I found a fantastic old book about Salzburg. It's given me so much more information to include on my tours that I haven't found anywhere else. The information is probably more exciting for me than my tour groups, because I actually get to see the excavations and changes.

I can always tell if people are interested in the topic by how much their eyes are glazing over or if they wander off to take photos. Often times English is not their mother language or they do not speak English very well, so I'm sure it's exhausting for them to take everything in.

Something new that I learned: During one of the WWII bombings (16 occured from 1944-1945) that destroyed 40% of the city, Mozartplatz was hit, however it also revealed 6 foot thick walls of a Roman temple beneath the ground. There was also an inscription stating 'Here lies happiness, let no evil enter'. This city really has so much history and I wish it came with glass floors.

These are the things I ponder while I admire the little details and enjoy Demel ice cream at Mozartplatz (this time I had raspberry and grapefruit basil). If you go to Salzburg you must try their ice cream - it's nothing short of amazing. The flavors are as intense as the colors, but they are not saccharine or overly sweet. Even my tourists full heartedly agreed that it's delicious.

All of the small things do make Salzburg feel like a city where a musical could burst out on the street at any minute - and not just because of the Sound of Music. The blue skies, the little birds, the open plazas, the colorful flowers, and the charming cafés give it a movie set feeling.

First Tour of the Season

Even though I have been giving tours to Salzburg for nearly two years, I love going back. Not only do I get to meet interesting tourists from all around the world, I also get to appreciate the different restaurants and changing beauty.

The Mirabell Gardens are blooming and absolutely perfect at this time of year. Everyone was out enjoying the flowers and the sun. The reactions of the tourists are priceless. They are intrigued by The Sound of Music, Mozart, and the fact that this is my job.

My other favorite aspect is stopping at Demel for their amazing pastries. Since the weather is warming up they currently have ice cream and sorbets as well, which are very very good. Today I had green apple and blueberry, although I'm sure I'll work my way through their rotation.

If you live in the area you definitely should consider a day trip - just look at those flowers! If you go, be sure to check out my Salzburg Visitor's Guide with all of my favorite places to visit.

Polaroid

I often think cities tend to have character, much like a dear old friend. Some are open and inviting due to the way the streets are layed out and the buildings are constructed, while others are slightly more difficult to see the beauty in. Sometimes they aren't so easy to navigate or leave me thinking 'if I was the urban planner I would have...', but I tend to leave a new city with the same impressions I get from meeting new people. The first impressions aren't always right, but it's easy to trust your instincts before letting your guard down and really getting to know a place.

There are a few that I have instantly fallen in love with. The hustle and bustle of New York City is amazing. I appreciate the diversity and how it really seems like a place where, despite differences, people keep striving on and seem to understand that getting along with each other is a part of getting ahead.

In Barcelona, I fell in love with the Gaudi architecture, the proximity to the ocean, and the winding back alleys of the Barri Gòtic. The laid back attitudes of the people that lived there reassured me that it wasn't an overly complicated or fast paced place to live.

And then there is Vienna. As of now I would probably say it was the least exciting city I've visited thus far. It reminds me of a stuffy great aunt with a lot of great art and an incredible menagerie of animals, but is very insular and narrow minded. The city is distinctly more contained than any other large city that I've visited in Europe.

I have issues with how acceptable it is be far right politically in Austria, which for some reason Vienna felt more this way than Salzburg does. This Turkish Hurriyet Daily News opinion article sums things up pretty well. However, I'm trying to see the good in things.

There is definitely a regal feeling within the innenstadt, but I couldn't quite figure out what the hype was about. As soon as you left the grandiose buildings in the middle of the city it turned gray and ramshackled really fast. I also was really sorry to waste my time at the Prater, which is a stationary carney exhibit.

Sometimes I feel like I should give Vienna a second chance. Part of that new found optimism for the city is that I just read about an Austrian business man who has decided to save Polaroid film. They also have an exclusively polariod museum called Polanoir.

Not only that, there is also a first of it's kind lomography store in Vienna, which I was able to visit when we were there.

There were a few things that I undeniably loved about Vienna - Hundertwasser Haus, the zoo (probably the best I've ever been to!), and our hotel, The Levante Parliament.

Now, in the words of Semih İdiz, "We hope, for the sake of truly civilized Austrians, that their country elects a black man or a Turk as chancellor as soon as possible."

Hopefully they'll also find some beauty in diversity through art.

Lauren goes to Austria

Having friends come to visit always gives me a renewed perspective on things. It was so nice to go to Salzburg without working and simply to follow our own schedule. It's also nice to get off the normal route that I take my groups on and explore more of what the city has to offer.

Salzburg is any easy place to take people to impress them. It's so quaint and charming. I was also happy to take Lauren there because when we were roommates she always said how she wanted to visit Austria.

Lately there has been quite a lot going on in Salzburg - a movie shoot about an Austrian actress and an excavation. I never know what we are going to encounter.

We had fantastic weather and packed in a lot of shopping and delicious food. Lunch at Carpe Diem was quite good, but definitely for skinny people - the portions are small, but the presentation is interesting. I tried three cones (salmon potato, cheese truffle, and chicken wing) followed by homemade granny smith apple with coriander and plum sherbets. I really like the idea of having small dishes so you can eat a variety of things and the sherbets really made me want to get an ice cream maker.

We didn't spend all of our time shopping and I managed to give Lauren a short tour of the old town. It made me feel like I was taking a friend to work. Sometimes Salzburg seems really small town as each place has it's claim to fame: the oldest bakery, original frescoes, the oldest restaurant, the biggest North of the Alps... and on and on. It's really quite sweet.

I didn't want Stefan to miss out on all of the fun so I brought him a rose macaroon from Demel. They have some really beautiful (and delicious!) pastries.

Take my advice...

Only in Europe will you have the following experience... and I am sure plenty of ex-pats can attest to this. You get tired of the food that is native to the area you live in and you seldom venture out of your realm because it's often a disappointment.

When you have your guard down and you are traveling you wonder if things are different elsewhere. Next time you have that thought please think back to reading this - STICK WITH WHAT'S LOCAL! No matter how good something sounds you will leave thinking I could make something 50 times better at home and be 50€ richer in doing so.

Absolutely steer clear of a restaurant that serves Indian, Italian, and some third cuisine. Yes, we have restaurants that are 'jack of all trades - master of none'. I assume as long as they set up shop in tourist districts they know they are going to make a killing and the people will never be back.

I didn't heed my own advice and, once again, I left severely disappointed.

I can insert whatever ethnic food that is not common here or anywhere near by (Mexican, Caribbean, etc.) For this adventure we tried Caribbean and I had read online that someone recommended it. I should have known by the name (Papa Joe's), but even still, I try my very hardest not to be prejudice, but this has happened too many times...

As soon as our appetizer came I knew we were in for it and I was happy that I didn't order anything remotely Mexican. I also clearly understood why they had an enormous drink menu, which these places often do, probably because people get liquored up and think they had a good time. No joke, the nachos that Stefan ordered were round tortilla chips and three saucers containing: guacamole (from a jar), sour cream, and 'salsa' (which was actually sweet and sour sauce) - that was it.

Next was dinner. It was unfortunate that we had already placed orders because we should have left, but the conversation was nice so before we knew it dinner was served. Stefan ordered the Saffron seafood Jambalya and I ordered a coconut chicken dish. Mine was served with rice, which brought me back to school days in the cafeteria. If they can send that awful rice over here you would think they could send decent food along with it. The coconut aspect was as if they opened a can of some coagulated drink mix and poured it over the chicken. Stefan looked at his and said 'on the menu it showed prawns...' as he dug to the bottom looking for them.

The highlight of the meal was a small British boy coming in with his parents and waiting to be seated. Near the 'wait to be seated' sign is a chair that says 'Papa Joe's chair' and something about only Papa Joe sitting there. Without hesitation after his parents told him he couldn't sit there, he asked the host (think with the best British accent) 'Are you Papa Joe?' Then he said 'Can I shit (it's the accent mixed with a slight stutter)--sit...in your chair'. I could not stop laughing. The man didn't understand him and he politely asked again saying 'I wanna sit in your chair.' They were whisked away to the table and sadly his wish wasn't fulfilled.

Neither was mine... would it kill someone to have decent 'exotic' food over here?

Innsbruck

It's been quite a while since I have wanted to go to Innsbruck, which is really not too far from Munich. Part of the reason I wanted to go was because Tord Boontje has a Winter Wonderland instillation at Swarovski, and because the nearby Kristallwelten.

I really am the last person that has an interest in crystals or Swarovski, but this piqued my interest. I guess it's different visiting a place like this rather that purchasing, as they call it here, 'schnick schnack'. We were surprised to find the Swarovski headquarters on our trip to little Liechtenstein, and it seems as though their stores dot every major European city - at least once.

We ventured to Austria in the afternoon and stopped at Kristallwelten first. Let me preface this by saying they have a great marketing team, because it was much different than I anticipated.

We bought our ticket to enter 'The Giant', a beautiful waterfall, and then walked around the grounds admiring the art works and the hedge maze.

Once it was two o'clock we were supposed to enter the Kristallwelten. You scan your ticket and the gate opens - simple enough... that is unless everyone with their entire family hasn't decided to wait in line for half an hour before they are supposed to enter, thus blocking the entrance for everyone else.

While I'd rather refrain from using this as an instance further proving no matter where you go you will encounter stupid people that's just what this is. After standing a line that wasn't moving, we decided to walk further up and ask people what time their ticket said. Big surprise, we were standing behind people that weren't supposed to enter for a while.

Once a large enough group of us gathered and complained we squeezed past people to the front and then were herded through the various exhibits. We didn't even wait for the tour because at this point I simply couldn't handle being around people. If that wasn't enough, everywhere we went people stunk to high heavens and it was a reasonably chilly day.

Much of Kristallwelten is very avant garde. For someone that studied art history, and appreciates modern things, this was just a bit too far fetched and I can't see that it appealed to the masses. But since art is supposed to evoke questions it served its purpose.

Surprisingly there weren't even many crystals in the exhibits and there was no information on how a crystal becomes a crystal. We were simply stuck in this avant garde fun land.

The highlights for me were the Dan Flavin-esque neon lights in the 'calligraphy' exhibit, a crystal tree by Tord Boontje, the world's largest kaleidoscope, and an enormous faceted dome with changing colors that you could walk into. I must also say I liked the ceiling of the gift shop, which in true museum fashion you are forced to enter as you leave.

After this strange experience we finished the drive to our intended destination - Innsbruck.

I instantly loved all of the bright colors and proximity to the mountains. It was stunning and so Austrian.

Since I spend a substantial amount of time in Salzburg I noticed the similarities - Mozart Kugeln being sold, a place to buy Sacher Torte, and the Tomeselli Cafe even had an ice cream shop there. All of the tourist wares were the same only Innsbruck had been substituted for Salzburg. The architecture being similar would be expected. One of the big attractions in Innsbruck is the 'Goldenes Dachl' - the golden roof.

We walked around and admired all of the details. Innsbruck wouldn't be nearly as beautiful without it's bright façades.

After venturing around town we went to yet another Swarovski shop to finally see Boontje's Winter wonderland. Stefan even commented that it was more of what he would have expected from the Kristallwelten. In true Boontje fashion it did not disappoint.

During our visit Innsbruck was celebrating it's annual Festwochen, which many cities in this area celebrate at this time of year. We walked through and enjoyed a krapfen (donut). I also found it odd that many of the shops were closed, but this could be due to their Festwoche.

As the evening came we decided to do something a bit different for dinner. I will write a separate post about that experience.