Wiesmath > Vienna 87km, Vienna and Prague

[Originally posted Aug 25, 2014]

Oh no, a couple of days behind.  Consistency in life is always the hardest part.

Quick summary, it's Monday morning right now, 9am.  We are at an airbnb host in Prague.  On Friday we rode the 87km from Wiesmath to Vienna.  Saturday was a day in Vienna.  Sunday morning we took a bus from Vienna to Prague.  Next week cycling to Budapest (pretty standard really).

Leaving Wiesmath (pronounced Vizemat) was a hard thing to do.  It would be our departure out of the mountains and rolling hills and into the flat lands for the next couple weeks.

Lukas Rehberger, Wiesmath, Austria

The flat roads are somewhat boring, if you ask me.  It's why when I'm in Ann Arbor and am asked, "So do you think you will stay here and work long term?" the answer is always the same "when the Rockies come to Michigan I think I will be able to stay".  No offense to Michigan, but the mountains speak to me.  After a delicious breakfast with Lukas (and him then offering us all of the previous two meals leftovers, we were on the road).  I told Lukas (and many of our hosts) that I hope they come to the States so we can repay the favor, I hope they take us up on it.

A quick descent out of the hills of Wiesmath and we were on the EV 9 cycle route headed north to Vienna.

The Danube

Vienna.  Now this is a city.  After it was a military camp for the Roman Empire it was later the capital of the Babenberg dynasty (976-1246), the Austrian Habsburgs, the Austrian Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and now the Republic of Austria.  It's also interesting to note (and I really wish I took a European history class before leaving on this trip) that in the year 1913 Adolf Hitler (you know him), Sigmund Freud (psychoanalysis), Joseph Stalin (USSR) and Josip Tito (Yugoslavian dictator) all lived in Vienna and likely visited the same coffehouses (interesting conversations to eavesdrop on??)  And today: it is ranked the #1 (or #2 depending on what survey you use) most livable city in the world.  (If Eli or my dad were here this statistic would likely generate a lot of sarcasm.  For example walking around town and seeing things like benches, buses, garbage cans and other normal items would surely be followed with comments of "oh wow, this place is so livable.  I could live here.  And I'm not talking about just staying alive, I'm talking about really living.  I don't know how we've managed back in Utah for so long?)

Daniel Kremmel and Lanie

Vienna at night.

And so it is with this backdrop that Katy and I hopped on the tandem after a nice dinner with Daniel and Lanie and had a ride through all of downtown Vienna.  It's truly an awesome place.  So much to see.  As we rode up the driveway of a beautiful white building, sculptures everywhere, a copper statue with water fountain, cobblestone road (the things you start to expect as normal over here) Daniel said, this is basically our White House - except you are able to ride your bike up to the front door and if you are lucky you will catch the homeless bathing in the fountain 20 m from the front door.  It was a great evening.

Saturday in Vienna.  Slept in.  Then went to Figlmüller for our traditional Austrian meal.  We try and make sure that in each country we have at least one very traditional meal.  So in Austria it was Wiener (again, W's make a V sound) Schnitzel at Figlmüller.  And a BIG SHOUT OUT AND THANK YOU to Kory Jackson for this vicarious living offer.  Wiener Schnitzel is veal that has been smashed out into a frisbee like shape and then fried (it's nice to see that golden color again, it's been too long).  It was rather tasty, better than I would have thought.   We washed it down with a nice Almdudler (my new favorite Austrian beverage, a soda with Alpine herbs).  We also had some amazing potato salad.

Wiener Schnitzel

Figlmuller

Then a walk around town.  First to the Naschmarkt.  It had a surprising blend of foods being sold - a good amount of local cuisine, but also French cheeses, Belgian chocolates, Gelato and Pizza (all of these things we are familiar with) but also lots of olives, hummus, falafel, gyros and spices, spices, spices (these things we really have yet to see).  And then across a small street from the food market was a flea market - hordes of people dug through huge piles of clothing that lay in the street, trinkets of every type were randomly strewn about in no logical manner, a small kid was shouting in his best English: shoes 50 cents, a large display of old or broken tools were carefully being examined by some 30 year old men.  The people present were almost entirely of Middle Eastern or African origin, very few Austrians or Europeans were present.  And so it appears that we have reached the "border" of Western and Eastern Europe.  Vienna is either the Far East of Western Europe or the Far West of Eastern Europe.

Flea Market

Which brings up the topic of gradual change:  When Katy and I set off on this bike trip we were reasonably comfortable with the idea of cycling through England and France etc.  But Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Turkey?  For these countries we were a little less sure (I think our parents more so).  But, an interesting thing happens - although culture and cuisine sometimes changes quickly and dramatically (like crossing the street from the Naschmarkt to the Flea Market), at the same time the change we have seen has been slow and gradual (falafel was unheard of in France or Italy, sold in one place in Ljubljana and now somewhat commonplace in Vienna).  We were talking to Daniel (our WS host) about this the other night and he said "I've been to London a couple times, but I had just flown there.  And it's so strange, I'm here in Vienna and then I get in a plane, the curtains go down so to speak and then, voila, I'm in London.  It's so different but I have no idea how that change occurred.  How did Vienna turn into London?  And then when I did my bike tour from Vienna to London (still Daniel speaking) I got to see how that change occurred, I got to see every kilometer from my house to Big Ben."  And it's the same for us.  We don't magically get thrown into Ljubljana or Vienna or Budapest or Sarajevo.  We see the slow and ever present changing of the countryside, the people, the food, the architecture, the culture and customs until when we arrive at a place it sometimes feels very normal.  Everyone we stay with always says, the best way to travel is by bike, and I think this is part of what they mean.

Then we took a bus to Prague.  Vacation from our vacation, so to speak.  Actually, Katy and I both agree that this doesn't feel like a vacation.  It just kind of feels like life has changed.  As we sat on the bus whisping north to Prague (5 hour ride, I watched the Hobbit on the English language section of free movies in the headrest in front of you) we were happy to be going on vacation, but sad to see us pass up so many kilometers we wouldn't be able to ride/experience.  As great as cities are (and they often feel like mini destinations) traveling slowly through the countryside reigns supreme.  I guess it's where we feel like we experience the "true" Europe.  Away from the mobs of tourists, the touts selling every type of sightseeing - boat rides, segway tours (the absolute worst), hop-on hop-off bus rides and the list goes on - Katy and I say to each other: you want sightseeing?  how about you rent a bike and ride around for a couple weeks, there are some sights. (If you didn't know, I'm pretty cynical of cookie-cutter travel/tourism.)

Prague

We had dinner at Smíchovský radniční sklípek.  A rather authentic Czech restaurant (recommended by our Airbnb host) complete with boneless pork knee with dumplings and kraut for Katy and I had spicy chicken wings, roasted pork ribs and garlic toast.  Our appetizer was deep fried camembert with thick slices of bacon.  It was the most meat we've eaten in a long time.  And rather tasty.

Fried Cheese and Bacon

The Czechs like their meat.

Lonely Planet describes Czech cuisine as "cardiologist not recommended".

Then an evening walk along Charles Bridge.

Charles Bridge

Expenses:

Friday:  €4.20 Ice Cream

Saturday: €15.20 Subway, €6.55 Country Patch, €8.60 Market, €6.50 Ice Cream, €16.30 Food

Sunday: €70 Bus to Prague, 60CK Spar, 100CK, Burger, 90CK Veggies, 98CK Food, 535CK Dinner, €4 Country Patch, $93 Airbnb