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Denmark AustriaZemmbach47°10’1” N 11°51’46” E
September 26, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
What we did:
- Arrived in Mayrhofen later in the afternoon after our Seiser Alm hike. Trent had a rough driving experience as most of the highway we were on for 2 hours were under construction, limited lanes, with lots of trucks. We had discovered a new podcast to listen to which allowed the road trip to go pretty fast (for those interested: Strike Force Five podcast with the five late night hosts who are currently not working due to the writers strike in LA). We arrived in a sleepy ski town and found a nice place to eat dinner. We then went to bed early in order to get up for our hike the next day.
- Drove 40 minutes to the Olpererhutte hike. We decided to go the shorter but more strenuous route so we could capitalize on our time in Garmisch the next few days. The hike was all up hill for about 1.5 - 2 hours to reach the final destination, the Olpererhutte rifugio. The hike was very scenic, although semi populated. Had views of the beautiful blue reservoir while we hiked through forests and boulders. We reached the rifugio and grabbed some food while we enjoyed the view and nice weather. Also had some of our first German food - a sausage plate, some potatoes, cheese, and fish! We hiked 10 minutes in the other direction to get to the famous suspension bridge where we planned to take a couple of pictures. Unfortunately, many other people had the same idea which resulted in a ton of people waiting in line to get on the bridge and take one of several posed pictures before switching with the next person in line. We opted out of this and hiked a semi precarious route through the river to get around the people. Turned back at some point and headed back down the mountain! On to Garmisch!
What we ate:
- Dinner at BrasserieQ. We were both feening for a hearty meal so we got a couple of steaks with some veggies, mashed potatoes, and a side salad.
- Breakfast at the hotel. Yogurt, fruit, hard boiled eggs, toast.
- Lunch at Olpererhutte: German sausage plate, variety of German cheese, fish, and two baked potatoes.
Fun facts:
- Due to our Croatian license plate, we’ve now had at least three people come up to us and start talking to us in Croatian. We also have a lot of people staring at our rental car. It’s unclear whether the stares are from the Croatian plates or the fact that we’re driving a nicer car (a Jaguar).Read more
GermanyPartnach47°29’33” N 11°5’10” E
September 27, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
What we did:
- Arrived in Garmisch late in the day after our Olpererhutte hike in Mayrhofen. This is our BEST lodging of the trip! Massive space, two balconies with views of the mountains, and a big jacuzzi tub for soaking our worn out hiking muscles! Knowing that we were about to have 5 straight days of schnitzel and sausages, coupled with the fact that we were definitely over Italian food again, we opted for Asian fusion takeout. Picked up our food and enjoyed our favorite Airbnb with a relaxing night in. Slept in and got about 10 hours of sleep that night. We also decided we were going straight sober the next few days in preparation of Oktoberfest, suffice to say we were well rested and feeling good!
- Trent found his best option for a haircut (one that didn’t look like they give “Hitler Youth” haircuts) in town. Although he came back pretty shook up, as the cut happened very quickly and there was some combination of baby powder and flame used to make him smell good and get rid of his ear hair and unibrow. After several reassurances from Steph, Trent has decided he is “OK” with his haircut. Trent went for a run and Steph continued to catalog previous trip pictures and look at wedding venues (yes, Helen and Sally we are thinking about having an actual wedding)!
- Drove to Lake Eibsee and took a walk around the lake. Had a conversation about whether or not we are desensitized to beautiful lakes now that we have visited at least 7 during our time here.
- Headed to the main strip to check out the downtown area. Given the previous point on cuisines that we are tired of and have available to us, we decided on a burger joint. Great burgers and great place for dinner! Headed home early to get some sleep before heading to Munich the next day!
- Woke up a bit earlier to go to a very promising Wafflhaus in town. Showed up along with 9 other Americans to discover that the restaurant was closed. Yet again validating that Americans are the only ones looking for breakfast in Europe.
- Headed to Ludwigstraße to look at the painted buildings and grab coffees and a pastry. Found a cute little bakery and hung out with the old German women as they gossiped and we ate some great German baked goods!
- Headed over to Partnachklamm gorge for a quick hike. We preferred this gorge over the one we visited in Slovenia because the rock faces were far more impressive and there were cool caves to walk through. We said goodbye to our favorite Airbnb and headed out to Munich!
What we ate:
- May Man asian fusion: Pho, pad Thai, fried rice, edamame, and gyoza
- Coffee, breakfast bars, and leftover Asian food for brunch
- Shaka Burgerhouse: Avocado burger for Steph and Kramer Slamer burger for Trent. Ice Tea and water for drinks 😁
- Bakery: Pretzel, sandwich, apple filled donut, and coffee cake
- McDonalds on the road to Munich…shame
Fun facts:
- The 1936 Olympics were held in Garmisch. Trent claims to have never seen a ski jump in real life (Pohlman’s will have to fact check this).Read more
GermanyMary's Square48°8’17” N 11°34’31” E
September 28, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
What we did:
- PROST! It’s Oktoberfest 2023 baby. BEERS! Big pretzels! International Debauchery!
- Going to lead off that you are reading the heavily censored and redacted version of events so we’ll just leave that asterisk here and let our parents sweat out what could have actually happened….by the way what’s a red notice?
- Thursday: The gang all coalesces in Munich! We drive in from Garmish and get in around 3:30 - Nick/Ang in from Rome and Tom/Brandon/Joe in from Berlin and Prague. Steph had Brandon bring in decorations to celebrate Nick/Ang’s engagement in Florence! We pop some champagne and beers and all catch up. Great to see the crew again! We grabbed Bavarian dinner at a local hotspot, with our first round of big German beers. As is always the case with the first day of a weekend trip it really escalates from there, why do we always insist on burning all our energy night 1? Made stops at a cool outdoor Biergarten (Viktualienmarkt Biergarten) before finishing in the basement at Killians Irish Pub. In bed by 1:30 so could have been worse! Great first night
- Friday: Had our reservation at Marstall tent from 12-5 so got to sleep in! Some last minute panic for Trent after the Amazon lederhosen he had Tom bring him might have been the kiddy version and couldn’t get past his thighs. After getting fleeced for a cool $120 at the vendor next door to the hotel he was up and running, looking like a true local with his german haircut and traditional lederhosen. Steph looking the part in Jenna’s dirndl! Oktoberfest is a wild place. We enjoyed a relatively calm time at the super cool Marstall tent, enjoying the beers, music, and watching the Germans slowly getting drunk and dancing on the tables. After our res ended at 5 we went to the Hofbrau tent and man did it ramp up there - this place was one of the wildest scenes we’ve ever seen. This time we were the ones dancing on tables and singing with a weird combination of strangers (French, Puerto Rican, Dutch, Indian and Macaedonian). The night finished up when the tents closed around 11 with big hotdogs and doner kebabs and then into bed!
- Saturday: All of the locals insisted we were insane to do back to back days in the tents and when the 7am alarm went off you wouldn’t find any of us disagreeing there. But hey, years of homecomings and Little 5’s trained us for this (Hoosiers are just built different, right Mitch and Sara?) so we quickly dressed in our garb and got ready for Day 2. We really enjoyed our 9am - 2pm reservation in the Armbrustschützen tent. Not as nice as Marstall but a lot more traditional. All of the night tent reservations are always reserved for German locals and you have to just get lucky and get in (like we did the night before). Saturday of closing weekend the grounds were insane! We struggled for an hour or two to get into any tents before slinking our way into a roped off side beer garden balcony. The security guards wouldn’t take bribes or any of the usual tricks to get into the actual tents so we settled for the balcony. Steph and Trent got the BEST rotisserie chicken they’ve ever had in their lives!! Whether it be from all of the beer, or starvation, no one knows but the Germans sure know how to roast a chicken! By 10pm after the marathon weekend the crew was ready to call it and had no more luck getting into any other tents so we headed back! Doner kebabs and bed hit the spot.
- Sunday: Not sure if we slept or were in a coma, but the whole group woke up around 12. Time to soberly see Munich. We wandered around Old Town and the parks all afternoon, with stops for Bavarian lunch and pretzels along the way. We were obsessed with this natural lazy river that ran through the park where all the locals would dive into the river and float the mile or so through the park, as well as some surfing right at the beginning of the river. Such a botch not to join. We tried to go back to Killians pub to watch the Bears as this is the only place in Munich with the games and quickly aborted as it was easily 90 degrees in there and wall to wall with obnoxious American douchebags. Grabbed some dinner in a biergarten, reliving the funnies from the weekend and called it around 9/10pm.
- Absolute blast of a weekend and so good to see the crew! Oktoberfest 2023 you were good to us.
What we ate:
- Augustine Klosterwit night 1 of delicious sausages in mustard and apple streudel
- Food in the tents for lunch both days and street Doner kebabs for late night dinners
- Last day Bavarian biergarten of meets for lunch and burgers at Killians pub biergarten
Fun facts:
- Each tent, despite different branding, actually serves the same “Oktoberfest brew” so that its all equal everywhere
- Each year the massive multi-level structures (“tents”) are actually taken down and rebuilt
- 150,000 kegs of beer get drank every year in the two week fest
- Take Me Home, Country Roads was played every 15ish songs all weekend no matter the tent. So weird
- We lost Tom at least three times. Don’t fret, he always found his way back 😊Read more
Austriacastle Mirabell47°48’16” N 13°2’38” E
October 2, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
What we did:
- Woke up at 6 to catch our train at the same time as the crew headed to their flight…. We decided to just say goodbye and go back to bed until 10. What’s vacation for if you don’t get to do what you want?!
- Caught the 10-12pm train. Left our luggage at the train station locker and then set out to tour the city. We grabbed Viennese lunch at a super cool hillside biergarten overlooking the city and knocked back some Austrian Stiegl beers to cut the post-Oktoberfest malaise
- We toured the hilltop Salzburg Palace, enjoying the expansive views of the city, river and surrounding mountains. So cool to see a city closely nestled into the mountains and farm country.
- Wandered around the city some more, with Steph popping in to Foot Locker get some fresh new kicks! Oktoberfest wreaked havoc on the old ones. Got some icy all-white On Clouds to look like a true European🔥🔥🔥
- Checked into our BnB and then headed out to a delicious Vietnamese restaurant! Great palate cleanser after all the German/Austrian food. On the way, we walked through the beautiful Mirabell gardens with cool views of the palace! Loved the riverfront walk as well.
- To make Doug proud we capped the night by watching Sound of Music! (Dougs favorite movie). The opening credits were essentially a Salzburg highlight tape so fun to see all the places we hit that day! Only got a 1/3rd through before sleep took us in.
What we ate:
- Munich Train station croissants and coffee
- Lunch at Restaurant Stiegl-Keller. Trent got official Viennese Schnitzel, Steph got beer cheese soup and we split a potato salad. Great vibes!
- We both got absolutely delicious (and spicy) pho and split spring rolls and spicy noodles for dinner at “Uncle Van Steingasse”. Very traditional despite the name.
Fun facts:
- Sunday night in Munich Trent was in the bar bathroom when 6 absolutely hammered douchebag Americans in their late 30’s/early 40’s came in. One of them proceeded to break the porcelain toilet in half… an absolute feat. Anyway we ended up in the same train car as the douchebags to Salzburg. They started making fun of an old German man who couldn't lift his suitcase and then got in a fight with another, before harassing the train ticket lady to give them 1st class tickets so they could drink beers. We then stumbled into them again at our quaint Salzburg lunch. They were causing a ruckus again, screaming, and chugging beers. Why do our countrymates insist on hitting our stereotypes so hard?
- Uncle Doc told us that Salzburg was his favorite city he went to in Europe
- Trent claims he had never seen Sound of Music before. Parents confirmed that it turns out he has multiple times, but was just a punk teenager and sat on his phone the whole time. Kid had a street cred to live up to and couldn’t be caught dead watching a musical…. such a brat.
- The Salzburg palace is nicknamed “unconquerable”. Not surprising as both Steph and Trent were huffing and puffing after the walk up to the palace perched on the hill.Read more
AustriaWaldbach47°33’21” N 13°38’47” E
October 3, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
What we did:
- Caught an 8-10:30 train to Halstatt. From the train station you take a picturesque boat/ferry across the lake into town. With lush mountains surrounding the lake and a 75 and sunny day we were sold! Halstatt is tiiiight.
- We wandered around the quaint town - Switzerland-esque with all log cabins and endless flowers/greenery throughout. Fortunately tourist levels were low when we were there so it was a nice experience! Can’t imagine it in high season
- We took a furnicular up to the top of the mountain to really get the expansive views across the lake and mountains. Grabbed a beer and apple strudels at the mountain top restaurant and hungout! As the restaurant got busy, a Chinese lady asked to join us at our picnic table so we said sure… then her family of 5 comes in and all wedges in. 7 of us in a 3-4 person picnic table was nooot the move. Our shocked face at the large family must have made them realize they needed to find another table so fortunately they didn't stay long.
- Took the furnicular down and enjoyed a great meal in a garden along the lake. Walked around some more and then took the boat and train back to Salzburg. Great day trip!!
- It was 8 by the time we got back so grabbed some to-go food in old town. We ate in the Airbnb while watching some more Sound of Music before calling it early.
- On to Budapest to meet up with Sally/Doug!! So excited for the upcoming week
What we ate:
- Salzburg Train station croissants and coffees
- Coffee, beers, and Apple strudel at the top of the Hallstatt funicular restaurant. Voted best Apple strudel of the trip thus far.
- Lunch in Halstatt at Braugastoff where we split bacon-wrapped chicken and a turkey salad
-Quick take home dinner of poke and salads in Salsburg at Dean & David’s. We need to franchise this place in the US!! So good and lots of selection - need more fast casual healthy spots back home
Fun facts -
- In late August the residents of Halstatt made worldwide news with massive protests and became the new poster for rebelling against overtourism. A town of only 700 residents, it gets 10,000 visitors a day in the summer! Residents recognize the value of tourists, but want a ban on tour buses after 3pm. All throughout the city there were signs in Chinese, English and German telling tourists to be respectful. First time we saw the Chinese language on signs anywhere in Europe so we’ll let you draw the connection to the tour bus ban.
- There was on 06’ chinese romantic comedy filmed in Hallstatt that boosted its popularity and actually led China to literally build a replica Hallstatt back home..Read more
HungaryVörösmarty tér47°29’43” N 19°3’15” E
October 4, 2023 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
What we did:
- Woke up EARLY at 4am to grab a 5am train to Budapest. We had one change through Vienna and both trains were 2 hours long, so
we were able to get an extra four hours of sleep. We knew this would be an early morning so we booked first class seats. After discovering that business class offers semi-private cabins and seats that can recline…we forked over some cash to make our journey that much more comfortable. This was a fantastic move on our end and further validation that we might like the finer things…cue Brian’s “bougie”.
- After arriving in Budapest we took a cab to meet Sally and Doug. Accidentally gave the driver the wrong address and ended up in a weird part of town before arriving at the right location. We needed to drop our bags off at Sally and Doug’s room since ours wasn’t ready. HI SALLY AND DOUG! Our last visitors of the trip!
- Hit THE TOWN! Steph was very excited as this was where she studied abroad and had caught the travel bug…the start of many travels! Although she studied there for a semester, it appeared that she did not remember much of anything historically enlightening about the city and just ended up confidentially assuming/guessing any facts that she communicated to the rest of the group. Props to Steph for such a “studious” semester!
- Picked up some coffees and traversed the Chain Bridge to the Buda side of the city. Walked around the palace district and admired the views of the city and the Danube river from the top.
- Walked through the Jewish quarter to get to Street Food Karavan. An outdoor food truck spot selling Hungarian local dishes in addition to some international cuisine. Split some food and got some beers before heading into Budapests most renowned ruin pub - Szimple Kert. Walked around the massive pub admiring the old eclectic decor and Steph reminiscing on hazy memories from other times she’d been there. Steph bought everyone their first palinka shots (Hungarian liquor) and we got some beers to chase down the lingering taste.
- Walked to a ruin pub type restaurant in the Jewish quarter called Mazel Tov. Got some light Mediterranean spreads since we were still full from the street food. Enjoyed some drinks and then headed to the river for our night time boat ride down the Danube!
- It was a little chilly so we grabbed a spot inside near the window to start. Little did we know that we sat right next to a large family who decided to order “pizza” during this 1.5 hour cruise. They were upset that they could not see this pizza (microwave Home Run pizza maybe?) and insisted that the boat turn the inside lights on. Of course that made seeing the sights outside difficult to see so we headed upstairs to brave the cold. Not too chilly, especially 3-4 cocktails in. Enjoyed the rest of the boat ride and headed home to get some sleep!
What we ate:
- Coffees at California Coffee Co.
- Traditional langos, spicy langos, fried chicken sandwich, and beers at the Street Food Karavan
- Apricot flavored Palinka shots and beers at Szimple Kert
- Mixed Mediterranean spreads, hummus, fried cauliflower at Mazel Tov
Fun facts:
- Contrary to popular belief, having the lights on, serving microwaved frozen pizza, and blasting early 2000s club hits does not provide the most optimal setting for a twilight boat cruise down the Danube. Thanks Silverline Cruises…Although, you were very generous with your cocktail pours.
- Slight miscommunication with dropping our bags at Sally/Doug’s room while our room was being cleaned. It seemed like Doug and Sally had gone to brunch without us and were telling us to suck it up and meet them at the end of their brunch with all of our luggage. However, they were just being nice and giving us an easier location to find the hotel (a nearby brunch place) than the harder to find address of the hotel. Some funnies resulted in this miscommunicated text chain.
- We’ve been so happy and thankful to have friends and family visit during our time here! It really made our trip so much more memorable and allowed us to build in actual “vacation” time during our 3 months of traveling.
- The Hungarian language proved to be difficult for Trent, Sally, and Doug. The hardest being the word for cheers: “egészségedre”. Say it with me now EGG-EH-SHEG-EH-DRAY!!!! 🍻Read more
HungaryVörösmarty tér47°29’43” N 19°3’15” E
October 5, 2023 in Hungary ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
What we did:
- Grabbed breakfast at Blueberry cafe and called a Bolt to take us across the river to the Gellert Hotel for some thermal bathing. This is a must-do while you’re in Hungary, just to experience it once! Trent forgot his swim trunks and had to run back to the hotel to grab them and find us within the baths.
- Relaxed in a series of pools, both inside and outside, ranging in multiple different temperatures. Had to figure out our way through the labyrinth of pools, saunas, and rooms as is a typical feature of Hungarian bath houses.
- After relaxing for a few hours we changed and walked across the street to start one of Steph’s favorite walks/hikes of the city! The walk is all uphill to the Freedom statue, and is the highest point in the city to provide great views! Unfortunately, we realized once we got to the top that there is a lot of construction being done at the lookout point. So, couldn’t see too much but it was nice to get the legs moving!
- We then walked back over the river across the Freedom bridge to the Pest side of the city. We explored a massive indoor market and tried some Hungarian delicacies - a Chimney cake and goulash!
- We then walked around the district closest to where Steph had studied and she showed us some of the hot spots. Stopped for a drink at a local ruin pub and enjoyed the sunshine and nice weather!
- We then headed back to the hotel and stopped at Steph’s favorite fast-casual spot (this was a non-negotiable stop for Steph) - Pad Thai Wok Bar! After ordering various forms of wok dishes to go, the rest of the group realized why Steph often dreams about this restaurant. Another restaurant that we need to franchise in the states.
- Walked through other districts in the city before stopping at a local shop to buy a mug for Sally (she’s trying to collect different mugs for the lake house). We regrouped at the hotel and then hit the town!
- Stopped at a local bar where Doug got his best Gin & Tonic of the trip! All other G&Ts ordered thus far this trip usually came with some weird berry/syrup and was not what you would typically get in the states. Had a few drinks and then hit a local wine bar for some drinks and charcuterie!
- Stopped at an Irish bar near the hotel for a night cap. Doug convinced everyone to get one last round of palinka shots…we regretted this the next day. Went to bed to gear up for the train ride the next day.
What we ate:
- Blueberry Brunch: coffees, eggs Benedict for Sally, a Mexican (VERY cheesy) eggs dish for trent and Steph, and a ham omelet for Doug
- Central Market Hall of Budapest: Cinnamon and whipped cream chimney cake for Doug and Sally, and cinnamon and Nutella chimney cake for Trent and Steph. Traditional Hungarian goulash soup for Trent and Steph. Trent loved this which made steph very happy and further determined to find a similar recipe to make at home.
- Pad Thai Wok Bar: Pad Thai for Trent and Stir fry for Sally, Doug, and Steph with the best Indonesian Satay sauce!
- ShowRum Spirit Bar: Gin & Tonics and Old Fashions
- Marilou Win Bar - French red wine and charcuterie
- Captain Cook Pub - beers and palinka shots for a night cap while watching some European football
Fun facts:
- There are over 270 natural thermal springs in Budapest. These springs are filtered to old bath houses all of the city. Although there is no science to back it, the Hungarians believe it has a medicinal/therapeutic impact on the body. The Hungarian government subsidizes the use of the baths for Hungarians by making it a part of the healthcare system.
- Everyone was shocked by the number of bars and restaurants in Budapest. All looking very fun, good vibes, and well taken care of. We have no idea how they could all stay in business, but good news was that there was always plenty of excellent options for us!Read more
AustriaSpitz48°21’52” N 15°26’3” E
October 6, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
What we did:
- Woke up to catch an 8:15 train from Budapest to Vienna. Got to the train station with plenty of time to spare but Sally and Trent got separated from Steph and Doug and got lost somehow? Those two…SMH (shake my head). Got on the train with two minutes to spare after finding them again. First train that Steph and Trent took with seat troubles. Likely because this is such a popular route, people pay extra for seat reservations. As a result, all four of us got kicked out of seats multiple times before we decided to upgrade to first class and ride out the remaining three hours in peace.
- Arrived at the Vienna train station, threw our stuff in temporary storage lockers, and boarded a train to Wachau Valley! We had been communicating with a guy named Erwin who would drop off e-bikes for us at the train station and then pick them up at another train station later in the day. However, Erwin decided to stop responding to us the day leading up to the bike activity, and we were unsure if we were even going to be able to do the biking up until 20 minutes before when he sent us an “all good - enjoy your ride!” message.
- Doug and Sally walked Trent and Steph through the basics of an e-bike and we were off. WOW! Trent and Steph are completely sold on e-bikes and don’t know why people bother with normal bikes anymore. Boring. The e-bikes make it so much more relaxing and really allow you to enjoy the scenery! And, my goodness, the scenery! So pretty! Perfect crisp fall day, following along the Danube river, through rolling hills with vineyards. Such a perfect day - shoutout Sally and Doug for pitching and planning this activity!
- Steph was dying of starvation and caffeine deprivation (and not being quiet about it) so we stopped at a little hotdog stand on the river. Such a nice group of Austrians who ran it, and great vibes! Split some hot dogs, pastries, and got some coffees while we enjoyed the view. Got back on the bikes and took a (ferry?) across the river. More like a floating barge utilizing a pulley system to get it back and forth across 100 feet of water.
- Grabbed lunch at a beer garden in Spitz and then went on our way. The second half of the bike trip was definitely the most scenic as this is where the vineyards and small towns really started. We ended up stopping at a winery for a quick glass of wine. Lots of people in an outdoor garden and very picturesque! Steph is still unconvinced that we didn’t crash some sort of neighborhood gathering, but hey everyone was very nice when they tried to talk to us in German.
- Hopped back on the bikes and cycled through the valley during golden hour and sunset. Lost the men for a bit when they decided to stop and admire a local soccer stadium. Found Erwin back at the train station, dropped of the bikes, and hopped on a couple of trains back to Vienna.
- Train ride allowed Doug to get some shut eye while the rest of us people watched. A group of young Austrian boys hopped on the train and one let out a giant burp, and unable to stop her natural instinct, Sally proceeded to say “EW!” loudly enough for everyone to hear which made the whole train car chuckle (including the boys)😂. Sally then thought the way the boys were talking sounded like Arnold Schwarzenegger so she took a video to send to Jenna and Joe (J&J have been into Arnold after watching his documentary on Netflix).
- After getting semi-lost in the very large Vienna train station, we made our way to the hotel and stopped at an Italian restaurant nearby for dinner. After a long day, we called it a night to get some rest for exploring the city of Vienna the next day!
What we ate:
- Train breakfast and coffees
- Imbiss Aggsbach Dorf: hot dogs, some sort of cinnamon twist pastry, coffees, and beers
- Gasthaus Spitzerl: Radler beers for the women, Austrian beers for the men, sausages, skillets, and a burger
- Weingut Famile Hermenegild Mang: Wine at a vineyard! A couple of reds and a couple of whites.
- SOTH.kitchen: pizzas and a salad for trent and Steph, pistachio pasta for Sally, and lasagna for Doug
Fun facts:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in a suburb about 20 minutes outside of Vienna.
- Wachau Valley is one of the biggest wine producing regions in Austria.Read more
AustriaSt. Leopold48°13’10” N 16°22’43” E
October 7, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
What we did:
- Met in the hotel lobby around 9:30 when Trent/Steph finally woke up. Headed over to hit one of the famous Viennese coffee shops from the 1800’s "Cafe Sperl” - Hallmarks of the town, they all have large wooden booths and are littered with worldwide newspapers. Each tout all the famous intellectuals that have holed up there over the years. This one even had old pool tables!
- Sufficiently caffeinated, we headed out to walk the town. Vienna is sprawling without a truly central old town so it was more daunting to figure out where to go. Started off wandering into a super cool open-air market with shops peddling a variety of local and international foods and knick knacks. Lots of little beer gardens that of course sucked us in for beer/wine!
- Walked over to the famous Hofburg palace for a self-guided tour of the grounds that was the Habsburg empire’s winter residence. Incredibly impressive buildings, churches, and gardens right in the heart of town.
- Walked through the shopping district, stopping for Sally’s 1st gelato of the trip! Saw the famous St. Stephens church and walked the intricate interior for a bit. Not a group to be too touristy for too long, we then headed to find a rooftop bar!
- Walked the river trying to find one, but none opened before 3pm on a Saturday. Not sure if we have to question American’s excessive drinking habits or the lack of drinking across Europe? We vote the latter.
- Found a spot at the trendy rooftop bar “Sky @ Steffl” overlooking St. Stephen's cathedral. Enjoyed our drinks and played the game “pigs”. Steph was pumped to have finally used them after we’ve dragged the two little piggies to bars across Europe and never played. Sally with the runaway victory!
- Headed back to the hotel to change for the night. We then walked over to the beautiful grounds of the Schönbrunn palace, where the Habsburg’s summered. These people truly had a dynasty, this place was MASSIVE! We had some regrets at not having enough time to walk through the elaborate gardens. Super impressive!
- Enjoyed a good old fashioned Austrian dinner on the grounds and then headed over to the palace orangery for a Mozart concert! Vienna is super proud of it’s Mozart heritage so only fitting that we do it right with a concert sprinkled with opera. Good time and well done!
- Exhausted, we didn’t even have a night cap in us so we headed back around 11ish to sleep! On to Prague.
What we ate:
- Late breakfast at the historical “Cafe Sperl” Viennese coffee shop. Cappuccinos for all. Steph/Trent had egg scrambles, Doug an Austrian apple strudel and Sally the Austrian layered cake.
- Dinner at “Das Schloss - Restaurant Schönbrunnen”. Doug got the Schnitzel! Steph and Sally the Austrian goulash and Trent a plate of meat. Local wines and then split a strudel and Kaiserschmarrn (cross between pancake and funnel cake).
Fun facts -
- After Mozart died at age 35 (under mysterious circumstances) he was buried in Vienna in a mass grave as was common at the time. Years later once it was realized what a legend he was, they unearthed the grave to try and find him. They somehow found what they thought was his jawbone and then using a piece of hair from a wig he wore in Prague were able to conclude they actually did find him. His jaw is not in one of the museums 🧐
- Schonbrunn palace was built to attempt and compete with Versailles but came in 1000 rooms smaller (compared to 1400 rooms). It did however have a bigger orangery which they were super proud of (where we did the Mozart concert)
- Mozart performed a concert at age 6 for the royal family at that palace. Little prodigy early on.
- The famous Marie Antoinette, archduchess of Vienna, killed in the French Revolution was born in Schonbrunn palaceRead more
Czech RepublicPedagogická fakulta UK50°4’57” N 14°25’9” E
October 8, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
What we did -
- Woke up early to take the four hour train into Prague! After the seat issues from Budapest to Vienna we tried to just upgrade to 1st and were faced with a hard and somewhat shockingly rude no. Fortunately this was a blessing that allowed us to save our sheckles as we found standard coach seats that nobody kicked us out of. Can’t always be bougee, I guess
- Dropped our bags at the hotel and set off for an Austrian beer hall! Had a great assorted lunch and many tall steins of Czech beer! Na Zdraví! Great vibes and conversation! Again so fortunate to have this quality time with our visitors.
- We checked into our room and then set off to burn off the beer/food with a tour of the fairytail/Disney city that is Prague. Shoutout to Sally for leading a really cool walk up to the hillside park with many lookouts across the river and city. Prague is beautiful! From the park we headed over to the “Prague Castle” for a self-guided tour of the largest castle in Europe! Wandered through the gardens, church steeples and ornate buildings before heading back towards Old town. Wandered the streets some more and enjoyed the sights from the notorious Charles Bridge, before returning back to what we do best - bars!
- The Irish bar “Caffreys” caught our attention earlier in the day for advertising a slate of soccer, rugby, and the F1 race. Steph has been steadfast determined to find a bar to watch soccer and/or F1 in so this was a big find! Good vibes as the international crowd cheered on Arsenal vs. Man City. After watching Netflix Drive to survive we are obsessed with F1 (although Steph may just be in it for LeClercs dashing good looks) so it was pretty fun to finally watch a race live. Doug and Sally were good sports as we went back and forth on driver discussions that made no sense to them. After Arsenal won they even put on NFL football so Trent was thriving.
- Lindsay was also asking for Sally/Steph drinking photos so we said hey over FT for a bit!
- After an hour or two we headed out to get some pizza! Relatively full from the lunch earlier we didn’t need anything substantial. When in doubt this trip, pizza it is.
- Tired from a long eventful day we called it at 10 for a good night's sleep.
Where we ate -
- Breakfast of coffees and croissants on the train
- Lunch at “Lokál Dlouhááá” where we split assorted appetizers including local cheeses, sausages and Doug/Trent had roast duck.
- Dinner at “Sasy” where Sally/Doug split a pizza and Trent/Steph split two pizzas (can’t leave Trent hungry).
Fun facts -
- Doug’s family is Bohemian so he was enjoying getting back to his roots for the first time and seeing all the food his family grew up on. Sally was on a quest to find Bohemian Doug look alikes! Much to Doug’s chagrin
- Something was messed up with our reservations as the front desk processed our passports 3x and they kept apologizing. Alas Trent/Steph got a massive/spacious room while Doug/Sally got stuck in a closet..
- The Czech Republic produces the most beer per capita in the world and also drinks the most beer per capita in the world. A fact of much national pride! As it should beRead more
