February 28, 2012

• Somebody Get Me a Brown Paper Package!

  Preferably one tied up with strings. 

  Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
  Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles…

  This evening, the Fullbright folks treated us to a walking tour of Vienna and dinner. Sadly for us, it was a chilly, rainy, turn-your-umbrella-inside-out windy evening.  But we soldiered on for an hour and a half. Our tour guide (the main man from the Fullbright institute) had fascinating stuff to tell us. But it was hard to be fascinated when the wind is whipping in one’s face and feet are getting progressively soggier and colder.

  

  The main palace and all sorts of cool things are in a five or six block area. We hope to go visit these in detail tomorrow, and it was rainy, so I have few pictures. More on those things later.  We did get to see some “cream colored ponies.”

  

  The famous Lipizzaner stallions live and perform in this area. The place where they are stabled is one of the few examples of Renaissance architecture in Vienna. (Put THAT in your saddle and ride!)

  

   

  After the walking tour, we had dinner at a fancy restaurant. The schedule said, “Dame Helene (keller).”  We were vastly amused that we were eating at the Helen Keller. But it turns out that “keller” means “basement” or “downstairs,” so we ate downstairs at the Dame Helen which was much less worthy of Helen Keller jokes.

  

   

  We were sitting by ourselves until Jorgen, one of the Fullbright people, came and sat with us. He was a lot of fun, spoke perfect English, and was a wealth of information about all sorts of things. He talked German pronunciation and snowboarding with Michael, taught Rachel how to say, “You are a squirrel’s tail,” and told us stories of his time as a high school exchange student in the USA, his PhD. thesis topic on post-WW2 food in Austria, and more. Delightful!

  

   

  Since they were paying (grin), we felt free to order all the good things they suggested. Michael had a steak.

  

   

  And I had the most delicious schnitzel ever. Schnitzel is a piece of meat (mine was veal) which is boneless and pounded VERY flat (like 1/4 inch or less). It is then breaded and deep fried. 

   

  Mine was served with German potato salad (cold) and little lettuce leaf things (lamb lettuce?) which had no seasoning. I ate half of my schnitzel and potato salad and greens before I remembered to take a picture if that gives you any indication of how huge my meal was!

  

   

  We were encouraged to get dessert. Libby had the “moor in a shirt” chocolate cake with chocolate sauce. The whipped cream is unsweetened, but the cake was so dense and chocolatey that it didn’t matter. (If you want more details or the recipe, go here: http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/viennese-cuisine/recipes/mohr-im-hemd-chocolate-hazelnut-pudding)

  

   

  And I had apple strudel in vanilla cream sauce. Nommity nom nom!

   

  

  Three and a half hours after we sat down to dinner, we headed back to the hotel for hot showers and dry feet. Ahh.

  • 4:59 pm
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