Dinosaurs, Wild Boars, and Stuffed Dogs: The Components of Any Good Family Trip to Vienna

The past couple of weeks have been hectic as we prepare to return to the US.  Suitcases and rucksacks need to be packed, our money needs to magically turn from Euros to USDs across the Atlantic, our little apartment needs to be cleaned, etc.  We'll be accomplishing most of these tasks within the next couple of days, but let's talk about some adventures we've had, shall we?

Earlier this month, we met our cousins in Vienna for a day of dinosaur exhibits, Vietnamese food, laughter, and complaining about the Viennese weather.  (Does the precipitation ever stop?)  It happened to be International Museum Day and Mother's Day too. 

My cousin Haakon is a dinosaur-enthusiast.  When we visited Budapest, he showed us his favorite dinosaur book, and laughed at me when I guessed "Stegosaurus" for every picture he pointed at.  This time, his arsenal included a backpack filled with mini-dinosaurs, a dinosaur T-shirt, and a wild distrust of my dinosaur knowledge.  Basically, he was well-prepared.

So off we went to the Naturhistorische Museum Wien (the Vienna Natural History Museum).  But first, some tourists posing, full-on photo-shoot style!

Interesting things abound in every direction, yes? :)

       
Once we arrived at the museum, we decided to opt out of seeing the featured Body exhibit, figuring that it might be too scary for the children.  Instead, we proceeded to the normal exhibits, the first of which was this little, not-creepy-at-all dog. 

Did we make a good choice?  Natalie didn't seem scared; maybe the doggie was just sitting really still.

While she was very brave, I was less so.  Exhibit A: The Wild Boar

My father is a bit obsessed with wild boars/feral pigs for some reason, and he was overjoyed when Ben sent him this article about wild boars in Berlin.  Of course, I had to see what all the fuss was about.  I didn't like it very much.

Exhibit B: The Whale

  
Weird Fact: I'm terrified of whales.  My weird phobias could be a blog post in itself, but suffice it to say, my expression of discontent is real.

 Here's Ben being brave

 

and excited.  The museum itself is beautiful, as you can see in this picture.

Next, patriotism and two surprises:  

Even the baby gorilla had to use its Mom to protect itself. 

Finally, the Dinosaur Hall!

 
Out of nowhere, this dinosaur roared and swung his tail!  Haakon was a little scared of his dino-pal, but Mom protected him. 

Besides feeding Natalie to the disembodied dino skull, we also touched a dinosaur bone and dino-poo.  What more could you want in a dino exhibit?

We finished up the museum by checking out the Meteorite Hall, which had an impressive selection of meteorites of all sizes and compositions.  Ben, being a space-enthusiast, loved it, and he could have been content roaming amidst the display cases all afternoon, however, we needed food.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the delicious Vietnamese food that we had at Saigon.  Check out the online menu for the number of dishes you could try - how do they stock their kitchen!?  I never had Vietnamese food before that week, and I somehow ended up having it twice.  Trending? 
      
It truly has been so nice having family a train ride away and being able to meet up several times since we came to Austria.  It's something that I'm going to miss.  Dear cousins, thank you for a wonderful day in Vienna, and we hope to see you soon in the States!  

When you Wear your Dirndl to Dinner

For Ben's birthday, we went on a weekend trip to Hartberg with our friends, Johannes and Amy.  The trip has to be broken down into a few posts; we jammed a lot into the few days we were there.

First, we traveled from Salzburg to Weiner Neustadt.  We had to switch trains in Vienna, and man, we picked the wrong train to go on.  There were three different trains leaving for Wr Neustadt within ten minutes of each other, and we had to pick the one that stopped abruptly 10 km outside of our destination.  We had to exit the train and wait for a huge bus to drive us to another train station for us to finish our journey.  As we pulled up to the train station, we steeled ourselves, grabbed our suitcases, and prepared to pounce on anything or anyone who stood in our way.  The bus door opened and we sprinted for the train station.  Workers in reflective vests yelled, "Bahnsteig drei! Your train is waiting for you!"  We dashed to Bahnsteig drei as our fellow passengers were still getting off the bus.  As soon as we took the closest seats on the train, the doors closed and all of the older passengers from the previous train and the bus were stranded at this dinky train station for who knows how long!  I felt bad that the train didn't wait for them, but I also was tired and was done being hassled so I had to laugh at the situation.

So, we made it to Wr. Neustadt, and after a friendly Grüß from our friends and from Leinie, we boarded a train for the last leg of our journey.

 

There was a big ski competition on Friday, and Johannes wanted to watch it while on the train, but Leinie wanted some attention.  Too bad an American was the best at those Austrian slopes...

Actually, I don't care at all.  American myth: everyone loves sports.  American myth-buster: me!

So as not to recount everything, suffice it to say that we met Johannes' father at the train station; he showed us around his house, which is a testament to Austrian planning and to being environmentally friendly; and then it was time to go to a Bushenschank.  And what would three Americans and an Austrian wear to said Buschenschank?  Lederhosen und Dirndl, natürlich!

A Buschenschank is a restaurant that specializes in wine and farm-fresh ingredients.  The farm and the restaurant are usually owned by one family, which makes it easy for them to control the quality of their products.

I ordered a Käsestangerl, which I will forever remember how to pronounce because I pronounced one of the vowels like an American, and I was rightly corrected by the waiter.  It's a cheesy roll loaded with ham, peppers, and cheese.  It was delicious.  It was less than 4 Euro.  And I ate 80% of it.  Woof.  Ben had a Brettljause: salami, hams, cheese, horseradish, pickles, pepper aufstrich, eggs, tomatoes, thick bread, etc. etc. 

Johannes and Amy ordered a Schinkenteller, or a plate of different hams and toppings, and Sauer Bohnen, beans and onions drenched in vinegar.

*For more information on vinegar, read my blog later in the week! It can be delicious! Who knew?

We got some peculiar looks during our outing.  We walked into the restaurant, and it was like in a movie when someone walks into a party and the turntable screeches and everyone stares.  It's not common for people to wear Tracten in the winter, but we made an older woman who sat next to us happy.  She said that Trachten was going out of style, but the younger generation is bringing it back.  Well, glad to have charmed her and we had fun too.  P.S. Her dinner was a piece of heavy bread covered in schmaltz, or lard mixed with garlic and herbs.  Gulp.

A Day in Wien

A few days before Christmas, Ben and I met our friends, Johannes and Amy, in Vienna.

 Children had the day off from school.  This is how they spent some of their time.

 

The Christmas Market in front of Vienna's Rathaus (city hall) was absolutely packed with hordes of children and tourists, and a sprinkling of locals.  Its aromas were cinnamon, glühwein, and festivity.    

We took a ride around Ringstraße on my first Straßenbahn to Hundertwasserhaus, a unique apartment building in Vienna.  From the website and edited by me:

"The Hundertwasser House was completed in 1983-1985...The flats have various [floor] plans. There are one-story and two-story flats.  Many apartments have protruding balconies or pergolas and loggias... What was taken away from nature by the construction of the building was restored on the roofs. The living, uneven floor in the public areas of the buildings amounts to a rediscovery of human dignity, which was taken from people in an urban development of flat surfaces. The mosaics on the walls, in the stairways and in the corridors were created by the workers along with the tiles in the kitchens and in the bathrooms, which were laid irregularly to avoid the grid system... With this house, Hundertwasser proved that human architecture more in harmony with nature is possible within the regular construction time, within the financial budget of a public project, and within the current building laws without any special permits."

Afterward, we visited the Hundertwasser Cafe, complete with table toys and real heiße Schokolade.   

 

I'd say this statue is about opulence, but this photo is all about Leinie.  

This is the facade of the Secession Art Gallery near the Naschmarkt.  The building itself was beautiful with its golden dome, and the Medusa-esque faces above the entryway were cool.

For lunch, we visited the famous Naschmarkt.  Amy and Johannes shopped for a few groceries first, and we had the opportunity to browse stands selling flowers, produce, wine, meat, fish, and other goods. 

Next, we walked down a pedestrian shopping street, but not before Leinie made friends with another Cocker Spaniel puppy.  

This is St. Stephan's Cathedral and these are some people being told not to give free hugs in public.

I told Ben that he looked like the one Winklevoss twin in The Social Network.

Vienna, I feel like we barely scratched the surface.  We may have to visit you again in the spring.