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By lori, June 9, 2010 8:06 pm

Stephansdom in Vienna

When the summer months arrive in the northern hemisphere, my thoughts go to Vienna. It was a place that I had never thought much about visiting, but outside circumstances took me there a few years ago. Shortly after I arrived, as I slowly crept up that long escalator and the view of the majestic and ominous Stephansdom came into view, I realized it is possible to fall in love with a city.

My trip to Vienna presented a lot of firsts in travel for me. Perhaps that is why it holds such a special place in my heart. Aside from a trip to the Caribbean, it was my first international trip and my first trip to Europe. The city was also the host of my first adventure as a solo traveler. Well, sort of.

My flight to Vienna was my first international flight alone. Funny how at that moment I had no idea how many of those were ahead of me going back and forth to Brazil. I was headed there because my husband was taking part in a three week study abroad program for his MBA. We explored the city center some over that initial weekend, but the rest of the week I spent my days walking the streets, shopping and exploring museums alone, and my evenings with my husband and his classmates. It was at this point I realized that traveling alone is just as invigorating and exciting as traveling with someone you love.

Campus of the University of Vienna

While it may seem that I liked Vienna so much because it launched me onto this journey of a travel-lover, there is much more to it. Vienna is an incredible city – the food, the drink, museums, Mozart, summer festivals, outdoor markets, public transportation – there are too many wonderful things to mention them all.

My husband and I like it so much that we can hardly bear to go to Europe without a stop in Vienna. We have returned since that first trip in 2006 and will likely be there again next summer. If we have our way, it is one of two locations in this world where we would gladly take a second home.

So now, let me get to the point. Keeping with the format of the Antigua post from a few months ago, here are a few reasons why you should get yourself to Vienna and what to do once you are there.

Why is Vienna different?

I’ve tried multiple times to put this into words and this is what I have come up with. Vienna has multiple tourist attractions yet the way the city is designed I never felt overwhelmed with tourists as I visited them. You feel as though you are part of the culture when you are there. A strong contrast to cities such as Prague, which I enjoyed, but felt completely claustrophobic. Vienna is fabulously designed with bike and walking lanes and incredible public transportation.

Why summer in Vienna?

The Film Festival auf dem Wiener Rathausplatz. The Film Festival at the Vienna Town Hall Square is an event from July to early September where films are shown on a large screen mounted on the Rathaus. Throughout the square are vendors selling foods that represent a variety of international cuisines – German, Brazilian, Italian, Indian – as well as local beer and also wine. Yes, it gets crowded, but you can grab your food and go sit in the park nearby. You don’t even have to watch the film to enjoy this festival. Tip: Take a few spare euros with you for the bathrooms which are located to the left of the Rathaus. Be sure to give them to the attendant and don’t drop them in the money bowl. Yes, I was reprimanded for doing so.

Film Festival screen and viewing area

Film Festival food area

Where to hang out?

One of our all-time favorite restaurants is the Schweizerhaus. It’s not exactly a secret, but I would consider it a hidden gem, mainly because you will take an adventurous walk through Prater (an amusement park/fair) to find it. The beer garden is typically open March through October. Get there early because once the huge groups of people find their table and park it, they are there to drink for the night.

Entrance to beer garden and restaurant

Beers are poured like this all night long.

A healthy dose of Budvar.

Pork Knuckle, specialty of the house!

What to eat?

There are actually three very specific things we are sure to fit in during a trip to Vienna. The first is a Döner Kebab, the Turkish sandwich with chicken or lamb, tomato, onion, yogurt sauce and don’t forget to add hot sauce or the red pepper. We get them outside the U-bahn stations, specifically at Westbahnhof, or at the Naschmarkt.

The second is the Mozart Croissant from Anker Bakery. It’s a croissant filled with marzipan. In fact, anything you come across that is Mozart means it has marzipan. I believe this has something to do with it being one of his favorite sweets. You can find Anker everywhere in Vienna, on all major shopping streets and in most U-bahn stations.

Last Mozart Croissant of the trip, on the train to Prague.

The third is a any kind of bratwurst or sausage in general. How in the world the US came up with that crappy canned version or even the fat and short versions at cookouts, I have no idea. Real Vienna sausages are nothing like them and one of my favorite foods.

What to drink?

If you are at the Schweizerhaus, try a Radler. But be sure to order it with the strong German emphasis – RAD-LAH!! It is beer, usually Budvar with a lemon soda. Sweet and refreshing, and yes, maybe a little girly.

Otherwise go for Ottakringer which is brewed in the city. If you have the time, go take a brewery tour and enjoy plenty of free samples. One that I especially like is the Ottakringer Kirsch bier which you can get at the Ottakringer booth at the film festival. It is a tasty beer with a mild cherry flavor.

Ottakringer booth at the film festival.

What is the one must-see attraction?

This one is easy for me, Schönbrunn Palace. Gorgeous landscaping and an incredible view if you are willing to take a little hike. The zoo on the grounds is nice as well.

Gardens around the palace.

What you won’t need?

A taxi. Vienna has the best public transportation system I have encountered to date. The U-bahn and the S-bahn, although we didn’t use the S-bahn much, makes it so easy to get around. Remember that this was my very first solo travel experience. If I could handle it, you will have no problem at all.

Best unexpected experience?

Visit a heuriger, a wine-tavern. It will take a U-bahn ride and likely another trip on the bus, but it is worth it to get out of the center of the city and see more residential areas. You will be surrounded by gorgeous vineyards as you sit at picnic tables and drink local wine and wine spritzers to your heart’s content.  We went to The Wolff Buschenschank heuringer on our first trip. It was gorgeous, but there are plenty of others as well. Tip: Learn the words for German foods. We knew a handful of phrases before going, but nothing that helped us order food once we got out to the heuringer.

Streets outside the heuriger.

Outdoor eating area inside the heuriger.

After writing this I realize I probably will need a part II on Vienna. Once I finally make it there for the Christmas markets there will surely be a part III!

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By lori, May 21, 2010 4:38 pm

Bowrington Road Market in Hong Kong

The one travel tip you hear time and time again is that if you want to know what to do, what to see and where to eat, ask a local. This advice makes complete sense. A person living in the area or who grew up there will be full of helpful information. As travelers they are our link to a true, cultural experience.

I completely agree with locals being your best travel resource and put this tip into practice often. However, I also suggest taking it a step further. The specific local you ask will have strong influence on the information you receive. There is always the chance that the advice you get won’t be helpful at all.

Why do I feel this way? Well, during our time in Brazil I came across local advice that was sometimes helpful. Other times I realized that I knew more about where I was living than did the local I questioned.

This isn’t uncommon. When I think of my own country and consider some questions a visitor could ask me, there is a good chance I wouldn’t know the answer. Many times it is based on our personal interests and one certainly can’t know everything.

If I hadn’t done more digging and sought out those people who gave the best advice I would have missed out on a lot. Before you travel to a new location consider the following things before you take local advice and run with it.

Consider that the best local to ask may be an ex-pat. 

When we hear the phrase “ask a local” a person who grew up in the specific country you are visiting typically comes to mind. However, the most I learned about Brazilian history and culture came from expatriates living in the places I was visiting. Why? Well, they took an interest in their new land and learned intriguing pieces of information backward and forward. They also learned from locals, but they took it to the next level and were able to explain it to me in a way I understood. Perhaps this is because we shared the common desire of learning about a new place.  

Research the places you would like to go and use those suggestions as your ice breaker.

Morettes-PR, Brazil

Maybe it is a bar, a restaurant or an outdoor market. When you approach a local to ask him or her about the best places to go, tell the place you read about and ask his or her opinion. By doing so, you can determine if you are on the right track. She might tell you that the place you heard of is an ex-pat hangout and that isn’t what you are looking for. Next you can ask for a better suggestion.

Ask the person who isn’t expecting it.

The information desk personnel at the museum and the hotel concierge will be more likely to give you ideas for tourist spots. This isn’t always the case, but often. When you want to know where to go and what to see ask your waiter, the person behind the deli counter in the supermarket or the open market vendor. If they aren’t expecting your question, they will likely have only their own preferences to go on and you will get a true locals perspective.

Hire a local tour guide.

Roadside stand in Antigua

I loathe tours. I’m not saying there are of no benefit, some people prefer them. But it seems I always get stuck with a group consisting of individuals who disrespect the group and we have to wait on them to continue, or we are with the 21-questions-traveler. You know, the person who asks so many uninteresting questions that the tour guide never gets to talk freely and share interesting information. When we were in Ubud, Bali our small group tour turned into a personal tour because we were the only ones signed up. Then in Antigua we hired a local tour guide for a private drive around the island. Nothing compares to these experiences. You get the information you want from a very personal, local perspective. You may have to sacrifice something else to fit it in the travel budget, but I’ve learned it is worth every penny.

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By lori, April 27, 2010 3:11 pm

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

I’ve put off writing this post for a while. Looking back I think it was because I knew once I finished it, I’d be sitting at my computer, one click away from buying a plane ticket back to Singapore. For a city that had us feeling disoriented and mildly disappointed upon arrival, the transformation we underwent in four days was amazing. Our time in Singapore quickly became a visit we wished would never end.

Yes, I did say mildly disappointed. I’m not sure what I expected of Singapore. Now that I think about it I’m pretty sure it was that I wanted the food hawkers handed to me without much work on my part to find them. That was nowhere near the case. As it turns out, though, our adventures in finding them are some of the best memories we have of our time there.

I’ve eaten at busy churrascarias on a Sunday afternoon in Brazil. I’ve shuffled sideways through the tourist filled streets of Prague and a few days before this trip I drug a suitcase through a crowded street market in Hong Kong. Yet, nothing prepared me for the experience that is the hawker in Singapore.

There were bright lights, pictures of foods both familiar and unidentifiable, writing I couldn’t pronounce even if I tried, vendors asking what we were looking for and long lines snaking through the seating area as diners waited to order their food. It was unlike any dining atmosphere I’ve encountered and it was incredible.

Maxwell Food Center

Yes, I often had to take a seat just to get my bearings and soak it all in, but I would go back and wait patiently in a line the length of the building at a hawker in Singapore in a heartbeat. However, when that time comes, there are a few things I learned from this first visit that I will be sure to take into consideration when planning next.

Get yourself a guide. Our first stop was a bookstore in a mall near Boat Quay. I’m sure there are lots of guides that can help you navigate the foods of Singapore, but I wanted this one – Makansutra Singapore 2009. This guide didn’t provide maps so we did have to reference those when looking for the hawker centers, but this guide rates the best dishes from the best hawkers and tells you in what area of town to find them. In addition, there are wonderful descriptions of hundreds of dishes which is helpful when wanting to know exactly what you are eating and for writing posts and articles like, well, this one.

Don’t expect it to be easy. I have to say I’m pretty proud of us for uncovering the locations of the some of the hawkers we sought out. My most vivid memory is the night we searched for the Soup Tulang at the Golden Mile Food Center located on Beach Road. It took a long metro ride, combined with getting lost at night, asking a kind woman for directions, then walking a few blocks until we could smell the food cooking. Be prepared to spend some time traveling to the best hawkers and don’t be afraid to ask for directions.

Plan to be overwhelmed. The lights and people alone may require you to sit and gather your thoughts before decided what to eat and where to order it. You may walk into a hawker knowing exactly what you want to eat, and then once you see the lights, menus and lines, completely forget what you went there for. Take your time and enjoy every bite. 

Follow the No Reservations trail. Yes, we did, and do this quite often in our travels. If we hadn’t then we never would have known to look for the Maxwell Food Center on Maxwell Road to try the Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice or the Soup Tulang from Hajir Kadir from the Golden Mile Food Center. It doesn’t have to be a specific guide or show you follow, but the advice of others, even that from national television, can help you discover some delicious food.

Hainanese Chicken Rice from Tian Tian in Maxwell Food Center

Soup Tulang from Haji Kadir at Golden Mile Food Center

But also make your own path. If we hadn’t set off to discover some foods on our own, or simply walked up to some vendors and ordered what looked good, we would have missed out on a lot. This would have included Mee Chiang Kueh (a sweet dough with fillings such as peanut or grated coconut), Roti John (a Panini-like sandwich with eggs and onion), Wonton Mee (egg noodles with pork and filled dumplings), and Chai Tow Kueh or Carrot Cake (white radishes in a rice flour batter with egg, garlic and other veggies).

Carrot cake has no carrots. A mixture of white radish with a rice batter. One of our favorites.

Wonton Mee with pork and plenty of chili sauce and hot peppers.

Forget the numbers. I read a lot of numbers prior to our trip that were supposed to tell me the location of a vendor within a hawker. About the only place this helped was at the frequently visited Lau Pa Sat. Otherwise, I never even saw the numbers on the vendor’s booths. They are difficult to find. Use this method if you choose, but we found it much easier to follow the lines if it is a popular place you are looking for. Otherwise, know what the food looks like or the name and give a random vendor a shot.

Know the schedules. While the numbers didn’t help us, hours of operation did. This is where a book like the Makansutra guide comes in handy. Some hawkers like the Maxwell Food Center cater more to the lunch crowd while you can get some foods at other hawkers like the one in Chinatown until late at night. Vendors also have different closing days and they can be random such as Tuesdays twice a month. If you have your heart set on trying a food find out the location and schedule of the specific vendor so you don’t miss out during your visit.

Ah Boling - Glutinous rice balls with fillings such as peanut, red bean paste or yam. We passed on the Durian.

Mee Chiang Kueh. Almost sold out when we returned after lunch so we only tried to coconut and peanut.

The articles, television shows and travel blogs don’t lie. Singapore is a food paradise. We enjoyed some of the most outstanding food we’ve ever had the opportunity to try. And it’s not just the food, but the experience surrounding it. Long lines, dumplings being rolled, oil splashing out of hot woks, food slapped quickly on a plate cooked to perfection – there is simply nothing like Singapore.

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By lori, April 23, 2010 6:48 pm

Rice fields in Ubud, Bali

Every time I hear one overhead or read the latest news about the industry on the web, I think about it. I think about expertly packing my backpack, ensuring I have my earplugs and sleeping mask. I think about being so exhausted I can barely stand and so irritated that I’m ready to run people over, yet content, original, unique and adventurous all at the same time.

I’m talking about airplanes. I’m also talking about the fact that I haven’t been on one in four months.

For someone who rarely travels these thoughts and feelings may sound odd. However, after three years of hopping on an international flight every few months, navigating the ins and outs of airports and airlines in your own country and those abroad, it feels like a part of me is missing.

It’s not that I’m unhappy. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. We are now living back in the US. I’m cooking to my heart’s content in a beautiful kitchen, my husband gets home from work at 5:30 instead of 8:00, I’m growing a garden, I’m mowing a lawn – all things I enjoy, and things I missed terribly for three years. Yet, I am having a difficult time dealing with this travel drought.

I suppose most travelers come to this point during their adventures. Unless you are permanently on the road you must face this transition whether you’ve traveled around for a month or several years.

I balanced this state of being nicely before we moved abroad. I worked full-time, I traveled and explored, I enjoyed having a permanent home. However, after leaving that for an extended period, I find I’m a bit out of whack. The comforts of home sooth me, but the memories of being on the road have me worrying that I won’t feel that bliss of exploration again, even though my heart knows this isn’t true. Travel will always be a part of my life.

One of my biggest fears in all of this laying roots and staying grounded business is losing my sense of adventure. I fear getting too comfortable with the conveniences of daily life again, of being afraid to try a foreign food or eat from a roadside stand. I fear losing that toughness that allows one to take travel delays and culture shock in stride, the kind of toughness that is unique to hardcore travelers.

Instead of falling victim to these fears I’ve decided I need to figure out a way to face them and overcome them. To not let my brain tell me I’m going to turn into a local homebody when my heart knows this isn’t true. These are the ways I choose to overcome my fears and if you’ve ever been in a similar transition perhaps you can share how you face yours.

Celebrate the good in this transition. There are some good things about our transition back home, some very good things. I will focus on those things that aren’t material although I can’t hide my happiness with our washer and dryer and stove. I love growing our own food, we have our dog back with us, we see family and friends more often, and I look forward to long drives alone something I couldn’t do abroad.  

Explore my backyard. When traveling abroad it is easy to forget that the people and things in your own backyard are incredibly interesting. Local foods, festivals, restaurants, farmers and organizations have my full attention and I aim to learn much more.

Never stop researching. We may not have plans to travel anywhere until this December, but it doesn’t hurt to keep researching for the future. Trip planning thrills me. I love the challenge of finding the best deals and learning what to see and do. Although at moments it may seem like forever until I’ll get there, France, Italy and Austria will all still be going strong a year from now, I won’t miss out on much.

Keep reading and connecting. My expat life exposed me to a world of inspiring people who travel extensively and live their lives in places other than their home country. By reading the excellent content they provide and connecting with these individuals it helps me to feel like I am still a traveler.

And I AM still a traveler.

Laying down roots and exploring the world is like having your cake and eating it too. I intend to do both.