Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna Austria

We took a our car out for a weekend road trip to Vienna, Austria. Monday was a holiday in many of the European countries.

























No kangaroos in Austria, but there are tractors in the smaller towns outside of Vienna. We took a side trip off the main freeway to stop and do some shopping at an outlet shopping center and got behind this tractor. This was in Parndorf, Austria.








































Sunday morning view from the 12th floor of our hotel in Vienna.









Our plan on Sunday was to look around Schoenbrunn Palace, no trick or treating or Halloween parties to attend. We did spend some time in the garden maze.

















Please stay off the grass while walking around the palace grounds.
































The main entrance to Schoenbrunn Palace.
























Grotto Fountain in the gardens behind the palace.

Top of the hill, behind the palace, looking down toward palace.

Praha CZ

We spent the weekend and Monday in Prague, Czech Republic. It was a nice train ride from Bratislava to Prague on Saturday morning, a little more than four hours. Travel on the rail system is really enjoyable. You can rest, read, walk around and look at the country as you pass thru it. At about the halfway point the weather cleared up from overcast to clear skies which made for some great scenary.








Prague is further north than Bratislava, so I was expecting it to be colder but it wasn't on Saturday. The city has so much history that one entry couldn't come close to covering it so I'll just put up some pictures. Prague has given the world the following items: beer, sugar cube, microwave oven and the author Kafka. It has one of the largest castle in Europe and it full of tourists. Everyday the Charles Bridge is full of people. The astronomical clock in Old Town Square rates right up there with looking at the Mona Lisa, at least something does happen every hour with the clock as it chimes the hour.



The clock after it has struck the hour, played a song, had the doors open and received an applause from all the tourists.





































Tower in Old Town.


















Statue depicting Kafka dream.












Prague Castle seen from Charles Bridge.










Looking down on the castle and Prague.













This is the giant metronome, 23 meters tall, that
was constructed on the former site of a monument to Stalin. The metronome counts away time that was lost to communism. While I was here, the metronome actually stopped running. The area behind the metronome is very popular with skateboarders and is often featured in films. During one of Michael Jackson's stays in Prague, he had a 11 meter cardboard standee put up to promote the HIStory tour.

Date night in Bratislava

I'm back in Bratislava, it has been since May when I went back to San Jose. I had a good flight over on Sunday the 17 October and arrived on Monday the 18 October. San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany switched planes and then to Vienna, Austria. Still working out the time change.

Alexandra and I went out Wednesday night to see a movie, Desert Flower, which was a very sad story about the struggles of Waris Dirie. The movie was in English and Somalian with Cech subtitles. Interseting work that out. Great place to see a movie though at the university down the street.

After the movie we went to a corner pub and watched a Champions League soccer match. Standard smokey pub in Bratislava although it was well lighted and it had a gaming room next door. The gaming room was video card games from what I saw. The best part about the pub was the Corneco Nachos machine. The machine was a heated glass container much like the popcorn machines at hardware stores in the states. Inside were chips that looked like a poor version of Doritos baking under a heat lamp. Some people did order nachos and they were served on a round dish with a built in salsa ccompartment. I can't say for sure what the salsa was like, it may have just been tomato sauce.

Warsaw for the Weekend!

Well, I can't possibly make up for all the time that's passed since my last post so I will just start fresh from today (or this month) and maybe I'll put highlights of some of my summer travels up later.

Warsaw...I actually like it here. All the locals seem confused and surprised when I say that, but I think Warsaw has a lot to offer. Yes the old town has been completely rebuilt in the past 50 years, yes there is lots of Communist-inspired architecture, yes there are plenty of "contemporary" (for now that is) tall glass buildings but I still like it.

I started my visit at the Warsaw Uprising Museum.  I was really glad I did - you can't really appreciate Warsaw without understanding it's history.  The 3D film depicting what Warsaw looked like after the war is amazing for the detailed way it shows the complete devastation and destruction brought upon the city.  I only wish I had more time, I got kicked out at closing time.

The next day I took the Adventure Warsaw tour which is off the beaten path but a nice alternative to the main touristy tours.  We rolled around in a retro Nasa bus which sometimes emitted smoke from the dashboard (nothing to worry about according to our guide).  Among the stops were the Jewish Ghetto, Constitution Square, a vodka tasting, a walk around Praga (the poorest part of Warsaw with an up-and-coming bohemian vibe) and a traditional milk bar were we lunched on pierogis and bigos (among other things).

I took a stroll down Novy Swiat into Old Town later that afternoon anyway, so I didn't miss any of the major tourist draws.  There was a festival in Old Town (or maybe it's like that every weekend) so there were many stalls selling food and local craft goods.  We had dinner at Pod Sansonem one night at the suggestion of our tour guide and it was fantastic!  I highly recommend the borsch (with the dumplings) - YUM! 

Pope John Paul II (Jan Pawel)...

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Mermaid in Old Town

Palace of Culture

Trip to Wien Austria in May

Here are a few photos from the weekend in Wien Austria. There are no kangaroos. We were there back in May on the 8 and 9th.







There are lots of statues.

















Dr. Evil has a foothold in Europe.


















Little dogs for 36 Euros.

On a tram, I'm in the wrong seat I think.

Weekend in Bratislava

This past weekend had relatively good weather (i.e. it wasn't pouring rain) so I took the opportunity to get out and about in Bratislava.

Saturday:

Apparently it was Gay Pride day in Bratislava because many people were walking around with little rainbow flags.  There was some sort of demonstration in the main square which I later learned was a conservative anti-gay rally.  Someone had thrown tear gas at the crowd which is why the police came out in force.  But when I walked by things were pretty calm, just a row of police in front of some protestors holding banners. 

I walked by St. Elizabeth's church, known for its blue color.  It really does look like Smurf Cathedral.  I wanted to take a look inside but there was a wedding going on so I just took a quick peek.  No bridesmaids or groomsmen I noticed, although it looked like a traditional Catholic wedding.

 

On to Eurovea.  It's Bratislava's newest shopping mall, completed in March 2010.  What's unique is that it is on the riverfront, with cafes and restaurants offering outdoor seating overlooking the water.  There is a great bike path that runs along the river - I imagine Eric and I will riding our bikes down here often (once our bikes arrive)!  I like that some of the restaurants/cafes offer giant beanbag chairs you can lounge on, they looked really comfy!

On the way home I got a nice view of the UFO bridge at sunset.


Sunday:
Walked up to Slavin monument, a memorial to Soviet soldiers who died "liberating" Slovakia after WWII.  It's on a hill so the view was nice.  The houses in that area, on the hill, are pretty nice as well, with floor to ceiling windows to enjoy the view.

I walked over to Horsky Park which is a forested area with hiking trails.  Not really what I had in mind so I didn't stay too long (I wasn't exactly wearing my hiking shoes).  But I did see some wildlife while I was there.

2 weeks in...

Today is Tuesday, May 18, 2 weeks since our first full day here in Bratislava.  It's actually gone by really fast!  I'm getting adjusted at work and meeting new people in the office everyday.  It's going to take some time to get to know people but everyone has been very nice so far.  When I got set-up at work, they gave me a new log-in, new password, phone id, phone pin, copy machine code, after-hours pin, Blackberry pin and password.....it goes on and on.  So needless to say, I avoid certain doors and don't use the copy machine (and rarely my phone) because I can't keep all the passwords/pins straight!

Eric and I moved into our apartment a week ago.  Since then, I've been to the grocery store 4 times!  I don't have a car yet so my trips are limited to what I can carry (or put in my backpack).  It's about a 5 block walk to the smaller market and about 10 blocks to the Tesco mega mart.  I only call it a mega mart because it's like a department store, with perfume and cosmetics on the ground floor, clothes and electronics on the upper levels, and a big grocery store in the basement.  A few observations:
1.  The cheese and yogurt selection are much more extensive, a big plus for me.  I currently have 5 kinds of cheese and 4 kinds of yogurt in my refrigerator!  Yes, that includes Bresse Bleu, my favorite!  They are big on sheep's cheese here, not that I care for it too much.
2.  Great bread selection - there are at least 10 different kinds of fresh rolls, even in the smaller market.  And they are super cheap!  I have 3 kinds of bread in my bread box...
3.  Sizes - things come in smaller sizes, i.e. 1 liter of milk, 100 grams of jam...much more convenient for me since a) I'm cooking for one right now and b) I have to carry it all home!
4.  Chocolate - they take it serious here.  Like an entire aisle dedicated to all different kinds of chocolate.  Needless to say, I'm in heaven!
So in case you're keeping track, I've stocked up the kitchen with milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, bread, wine, and chocolate! 

Otherwise, the apartment is coming together.  I've unpacked everything from our suitcases but am experiencing a serious hanger shortage.  It started raining Saturday afternoon and seriously did not stop until Tuesday afternoon.  So haven't been out and about too much.  Tried out the washing machine and the drying rack (no clothes dryer) - so far so good!  But I do miss my husband and wish he were here.  This is the best I can do until I go back to San Jose...