All it took was a 3:30 a.m. bedtime, a 7:00 a.m. alarm, and exactly three pushes of the snooze button.
Believe it or not, even Florence can get a little monotonous. Time for a weekend vacation to Vienna with two of my girlfriends.
Thursday
4:16 p.m. — In the Zurich airport, the alarm goes off as I walk through the metal detector. This is certainly not the first time I have set off the alarm. It is, however, the first time I was not allowed to walk back through, take off whatever set off the alarm, and walk through the metal detector again. Instead, I was ushered into a four-foot by four-foot box with a curtain. My first pat down. Arms and legs spread wide, I assume the position. A “securitywoman” who speaks sing-songy, albeit broken, English, slides her hands all over my body and verbally identifies everything she touches. “Zees es your braaa.” “Zees es your paaants.” I tried to think of the last time a woman had touched me like that — erm — the gyno?
8:12 p.m. — The second after we finish getting settled in our hostel, we ask the helpful young Austrian woman behind the check-in desk where we can find good schnitzel and even better beer.
9:08 p.m. — Sitting in front of me at 7 Stern Bräu is a liter of one of the best beers I have ever tasted (split among three people, of course. A liter is big time.)
Approx. 11:30 p.m. — Crash. After waking up at 7 a.m., packing, going to class, and traveling, I’m done.
Friday
10:36 a.m. — My long lost Austrian friend Katharina (who was a foreign exchange student during my sophomore year of high school) runs down the sidewalk to give me a hug. Best reunion in a long, long time.
12:18 p.m. — In Haas & Haas Wien, a famous tea shop in Vienna. The smell of the place alone makes it worth the trip. After much contemplation and lots of smelling, I finally settle on an African Chai Rooibos Tea for myself and a Lychee tea for my parents when they come to visit in three weeks.
2:05 p.m. — Lunch at MUMOK Café, a funky, modern, art-infused fusion restaurant attached to the Leopold Museum. I wish I were hungrier because everything on the menu looks delectable. It takes a decent amount of willpower to convince myself I don’t want to order another schnitzel, but in the end I settle for a creamy mushroom soup…and a beer. (Another new favorite found! Radler.)
5:43 p.m. — The sky was overcast all day, but it finally begins to rain. We’re dying for a coffee break, and Katharina promises she knows just the place. Central Café, with its high vaulted ceilings and a pianist playing “Clair de Lune,” is perfection on a rainy Friday evening. (But the strong Melange coffee leaves me jittery for the rest of the night.)
Saturday
11:02 a.m. — Naschmarkt in Vienna. This is it. I have arrived. Food market Mecca. If I ate here for every meal for the rest of my life I think I would be content. From traditional Austrian cuisine, to Mediterranean cuisine, to every dried fruit under the sun, to dried wasabi peas, to — oh my God, I want to eat everything. And past all the wondrous food carts are even more wondrous small little restaurants. Each restaurant has no more than eighteen tables, open kitchens smack dab in the middle of the joint, and glass windows for walls — a people watcher’s dream. My friends and I settle into a cozy little table in a back corner and order breakfast. My Greek breakfast with fresh sheep’s cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, toast and a fried egg with peppers was easily the best meal of the trip.
1:32 p.m. — At the Schönbrunn Palace. Imagining I am a princess (Marie Antoinette once lived here) traipsing around in a floor length gown and a corset.
7:02 p.m. — Free drinks in the hostel bar? Okay! Free shots of Jager in the hostel bar? Okay…
8:41 p.m. — Arrive at Katharina’s adorable apartment. She introduces us to her sister, her boyfriend and her roommate. After more Radler (and homemade strudel!) the discussion turns to healthcare, education and, of course, sorority and fraternity life?
1:05 a.m. — As Alien vs. Predator rolls in the background at an Irish pub, Katharina’s roommate and I begin discussing movies. I am shocked to learn that not all Austrians have seen The Sound of Music. It should definitely be required viewing.
2:18 a.m. — Goodbyes are exchanged. I had not seen Katharina for 5 years. Who knows when or where we’ll see each other again?
Sunday
(a.k.a. relatively uneventful travel day)
4:03 p.m. — Spotted! The Asian equivalent of the Jonas Brothers in the Zurich airport. Haircuts and all.
8:12 p.m. — Land back “home.” Calling Florence, Italy home? Now that’s something I never thought I would say.
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