food – Page 2 – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

01-28-2014 Day 3 Cozumel, Mexico

Currently we are in Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Belle Chasse, LA Temperature: 45 F, cloudy and windy This is third in a series of posts about our NCL cruise on the Norwegian Jewel to the Western Mediterranean. Read about our first day at sea here, and about our evening here.

Mo and I have cruised the Eastern Caribbean, and I did the Southern Caribbean with daughter Deb in 2011. For some reason we had no burning desire to cruise the Western Caribbean, but when searching for something to do from a port on our RV route this winter, this NCL cruise was our best choice. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back again, especially to Cozumel. The water was gorgeous breathtaking turquoise and crystal clear on the northern somewhat rocky side of the island where we docked, and I have seen photos of the quieter south side beaches.

Having never been in this part of Mexico, we decided to simply walk the town, and see what we could see on our own. We heard later that some folks actually snorkeled near the port, but we will save that adventure for another time. In fact, after spending a day on the island, we decided that a nice little funky hotel on the south side beaches would be a great place to spend a couple of weeks in winter, minus the cruise ship.

We have a Rocky Point friend who does that for a few weeks every winter, and now we get it. Of course, Roatan is also a possibility for a winter getaway for us, but more about that later. There are three cruise docks on Cozumel, and we weren’t sure of our specific landing site. When it was announced that the landing was to be at the Punta Langosta Terminal, right in the center of San Miguel, we were delighted. The International Pier is more than 6 miles from town and would have required a taxi ride to get away from the cruise shops that are always crowded around the docking site.

It seems that walking is the best way to get a feeling for a location, and we set off early toward the central town Plaza and the artisan shops that are just south of the main square. The square was quiet in the early morning, and there seemed to be extensive refurbishing in process. With a bit of searching, we found the upstairs visitor center for a local map and information.

Especially enjoyable was the long walk along the beach promenade. In the process of being refurbished, the views of the sea were gorgeous. On the land side of the main road, the walkways were thronged with cruisers shopping and walking, but where we walked, we nearly had the walkway to ourselves. Crossing the street requires vigilance, however, since scooters and mopeds are in abundance and come up fast.

By 11 the plaza and restaurants were getting even more crowded, so we located the Palmeras Restaurant on the square and settled in for the recommended margueritas. Well, margueritas for me and wine for Mo. Only after she tasted her wine did Mo remember that when in Mexico, drink beer, not wine! I later read that I should have checked for purified ice, but I neglected to do that and it didn’t even occur to me to worry about it. Many years ago I did the same thing in Puerto Vallarta and was incredibly sick for a few days. How could I forget?! No problem here at all, however. Lunch was excellent, with a shared plate of chicken tacos that were perfect for the two of us.

After our leisurely lunch, we wandered into some of the back streets and bought a few little trinkets for folks back home. The shopkeepers are quite aggressive, entreating you to come into their stores, with the most common phrase being, “Almost free!”

Funny how you can ignore most of them, but then for some reason a particular person will strike you just the right way and in you go. We found that shop and that person for our simple purchases and it was a pleasant experience. In fact, too pleasant! After my marguerita I was feeling pretty happy, and after my purchase the shopkeeper offered me a taste of some kind of tequila. I had a shot, with no idea what kind it was and it went down as smooth as butter. Oh my. It was yummy…no salt or lemon required…and I got a lot happier.

The weather was absolutely perfect, gorgeous blue skies, crystal clear water, fresh air, it couldn’t be better. As often is the case, the little taste of a place that a cruise ship offers is only the beginning. However it does give enough of a taste that it is easier to determine if the area might be a place to return. Lahaina, Maui comes to mind. Until we dropped in one day on a cruise last year, we had no idea it might be someplace we would choose to experience in more depth.

We returned to the ship in late afternoon, with some time to enjoy a poolside lounge and great reggae music from the band that sings mostly in Spanish. Love the sound of that language in music.

Sailaway was beautiful and I took way too many photos of the sunset before we ambled back to the Garden Café for a delicious dinner from the buffet.

Again, all the salads are fresh and tasty, with the choices from the Indian menu and the fresh made stir fry always excellent. Many times there are Thai choices as well, with a tasty Thai roasted chicken and Thai noodles high on my list of favorites.

MBZ said something to me recently about cruising Norwegian that sums up the experience perfectly. It isn’t Celebrity and doesn’t try to be. There were so many positives that outweighed the very few negatives, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go on this cruise again for a simple getaway.

POSITIVES:

The food was great, with plenty of choices and kinds of dining available
The crew was friendly and pleasant, and we especially enjoyed the diversity of the staff, from 60 different countries.
The ship was easy to navigate, big enough to be entertaining, but not so big we got lost all the time.
The entertainment was excellent and most of the time something was going on somewhere that was interesting.
There was enough time in the ports to actually enjoy them and we only had to be tendered to shore once during the cruise.
Embarkation and Disembarkation was slick and quick.
The ship wasn’t glitzy but it was clean and in good repair. Launched in 2005 as one of the older ships, it was refurbished in 2009.
The bed was great.
We weren’t constantly harassed to buy alcohol
“washy washy” I guess you had to be there to appreciate the singing, dancing staff dispensing antiseptic hand wash
Freestyle cruising a positive for us since we are often spontaneous with our decisions and can’t get back in time for a formal scheduled dinner
We enjoyed the lack of formality in the regular dining rooms
Our steward made great animals!

NEGATIVES:

We missed the navigation channel on the TV which was out of order for the entire cruise
The daily activities sheet was very limited, had no port history, and very little information about the area we were visiting
There were no informational kinds of lectures on board during the cruise
The ship décor was kind of kitschy.
The patio and deck service was often very limited.
The food wasn’t high end gourmet cruise food (not necessarily a negative thing).
Regular dining room service was a bit sketchy and rushed at times.
Freestyle cruising – a negative if you enjoy the formal dining room meals and service of a regular dinner seating
Our steward was adequate, not great, he didn’t always refill our ice bucket and the mirrors were sometimes streaky

01-27 2014 Evening on the Norwegian Jewel

This is the second in a series of catch-up posts about our Western Caribbean Cruise. If you missed the first one, find it here.

We decided that after a full day at sea, a special dinner might be in order.

We chose the Moderna Churrascaria, a traditional Brazilian Steakhouse complete with the extensive vegetable and salad bar that characterizes Brazilian style steakhouses. These restaurants seem to be all the rage, but they are not inexpensive in the “real” world. What better way to give it a try than a $20 cover charge, per person, complete with gorgeous ocean view and no waiting lines.

There is no such thing as “formal night” on this kind of Freestyle cruising for which Norwegian Cruise Lines is famous. I think they were one of the first lines to promote this less formal style.

There are many venues to choose from, and if you don’t wish to wait, it is a good idea to make a reservation for dinner at your chosen venue. Throughout the ship, and on your stateroom television, are electronic reader boards, much like those seen in an airport, which lists seating times for each restaurant and how quickly those seating times are filling.

With our reservation at Moderna early in the evening, we had time to catch a quick shot of the setting sun before we were seated at our window table. Our waiter explained the process to us, encouraging us to help ourselves to the extensive salad bar, and then showing us the “green” and “red” side of our little table cards. These are used to say “Stop” or “Go” for the serving of the spit grilled carved meats that will continue to arrive until you are filled.

This salad bar is nothing like an everyday salad bar, and even makes the extensive choices at some of the best salad buffets seem limited. My favorite was a succulent celery and pear salad with candied walnuts, a lovely hearts of palm salad, a piquant tomato, fresh feta, cucumber and onion salad, the fresh and delightful cheviche…oh….I said my favorite?? No way could I decide.

We had a nice glass of Zen of Zin Old Vine Zinfandel, a favorite from Lodi, California, and robust enough to handle the ten varieties of carved meats that were to follow. In addition to the meats carved at the table by the passadores (meat waiters), we were served little Brazilian cheese breads, excellent red beans and onions with peppers, mashed potatoes, rice, and deep fried plantains. After dinner, instead of a palate cleansing sorbet, we were served grilled fresh pineapple. Our dessert, served with excellent coffee, was a traditional flan, a silky papaya crème, and a coconut bread pudding.

It was a delightful meal, and we enjoyed every minute of it . Although there is no formal night, this first night at sea was designated, “Norwegian’s Night Out” and passengers were encouraged to dress up as much as they wanted. I like to dress in something flowing, but it was great to wear sandals and a sweater with my silky sundress without feeling the least bit underdressed. Some of our dining neighbors were in typical cruise sparkles, and others were wearing shorts. I thought the idea of shorts in the nice restaurant was a bit tacky, but they were treated every bit as nicely as we were.

After dinner we wandered toward the casino, spending a bit of change at a couple of the flashy, noisy machines and ended up with the same amount with which we started. Too bad that little bit of luck didn’t last through the next couple of nights, but for twenty bucks, it was cheap entertainment.

The evening show was a comedian who actually made both of us laugh out loud. My cheeks hurt from laughing when it was over. His humor was the best kind, based on simple observations of the humans around us. It is the kind of humor that strikes a chord in most everyone. It seems as though the older I get, the more it takes to get me to laugh like that. Sure does feel good!

When we returned to our room, our steward had it all turned down and ready, complete with towel animals. I think the towel animals are fading from cruise memory, so it was surprising to find them here on the Jewel. Maybe a silly thing, but it does remind us that we are actually on a cruise. The seas have been so calm and beautiful that there has been very little movement at all. After my last experience crossing the incredibly rough Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, I was afraid I might not be able to cruise ever again. A bit like getting back on the horse after a fall, and so far the horse has been just fine.

1-14 to 1-19-2014 Coastal Corpus Christi

We discovered almost as soon as we parked in the NAS at Corpus Christi, that our short time here would only be enough to barely get a taste of all this area has to offer. Especially in winter, the south Texas coast draws many snowbirds from all over the country ready to experience the delights of a warm seacoast location for an extended stay.

For years, Mo had read about the draw to the South Texas Coast for retirees and wanted to see the area. Port Isabel, South Padre Island, and Brownsville destinations were originally on the list of places for us to go on this trip. Initially we actually planned to drive south for a long day trip to explore from our NAS location, but discovered that the trip to South Padre Island required a 400 mile round trip inland and back out to the southern end of the island which is no longer connected in any way to the northern end.

Visiting the National Seashore was much higher on our list than checking out giant high rise condos on South Padre Island, and it didn’t take many internet searches for us to make that decision. Instead, we stayed fairly close to our campground, taking each day to explore a different part of greater Corpus Christi.

The NAS is at point A on the google map, and other sites often required a bit of backtracking. We actually got pretty good at figuring out how to get in and out of the base and onto the network of one way roads that parallel the main freeway that crosses from Corpus Christi Bay to Padre Island.

On our first full day here, we decided to just try to get our bearings, do some driving, and attempt to understand a part of the world that was completely new to us. Driving….west? east?? (this place is still a directional challenge for me) oh yes…It was east and then north….we crossed the Laguna Madre, a large brackish water lagoon that extends the full length of Padre Island, the longest natural barrier island in the world, and lies between the island and the mainland.

These barrier islands are incredibly important on coastlines that are susceptible to hurricanes, stopping the major surge of water before it inundates the mainland with its full force. Mustang Island is north of Padre Island, an additional island in the chain of many such barrier islands. Mustang Island is home to a state park, some official paddling trails on the bay side, and a long, level open beach for strolling. The beach is also for driving, a new concept to me except for a moment in Daytona Beach.

Here the beach drive makes sense. The Gulf water is the mother of all, and tire tracks along the beach are obliterated with each movement of the water. There are access roads from the main island highway that enter the beach between the dunes at several intervals. 4 wheel drive isn’t required, but there are warnings about getting stuck in the sand, and we did see a few stuck cars.

What was surprising, though, was how open and empty the beach seemed, even with the option of driving. Cars and people were few and far between, punctuated rarely by a motorhome, and pickups with huge fishing poles mounted on their bumpers. I think fishing is the big draw in this part of this area. I had no idea what a sheepshead was but daughter Deborah caught one on this very beach. That is one scary looking ugly fish! those teeth!!

We drove the beach slowly, enjoying the gentle surf and birds, and then continued into Port Aransas to find the free ferry that crosses the bay in just a few minutes to Aransas Pass. It is amazing how efficiently the workers manage the load, and when we left town on Monday morning, they managed our motorhome and toad with as much ease as they had managed our previous trips with just the baby car.

I had heard from Erin that there were “whoopers” just outside Goose Island State Park, and armed with well written directions, we drove north through Fulton Beach, across the bridge and out beyond the state park to try to find the birds. At the time, I kept getting comments saying, “don’t miss the whoopers!”, so I figured I had better make the effort. After we found the pair, resting in a small draw on a large field of private land, I did some searching and discovered that I had a very fuzzy image of 2 of only 457 birds that are known to exist. Well. Alright then!. Being on private land, we were not able to walk close, and my lens just couldn’t quite get there. But with the rarity of these birds, I feel pretty lucky to have any photo at all.

We were just a short distance from the famous “Big Tree”, a live oak that is more than 1,000 years old. Folks have spent a huge amount of time and energy taking care of this tree. I can imagine Sherry trying to hug it, but she couldn’t get close enough with the protective fences. The stories of the hurricanes and development that this beautiful old tree has survived are uncountable.

Ambling back through Fulton Beach, we found a moderately recommended restaurant on the water for lunch. Alice Faye’s had not a sign of “fish and chips” on the menu, the main reason Mo and I were searching for a restaurant. Coastal locations set the mouth to watering for some real fish and chips. Instead, once again, we found lots of shrimp and oysters, and the catch of the day, fried or naked, was pollack, and was a bit pricey for a spontaneous lunch. Instead, I had some shrimp which was OK and Mo had a French dip which was actually pretty fantastic.

We were home early enough in the afternoon on that day that I could take full advantage of the free washers and dryers at the campground to once again freshen up all the rugs and blankets and anything else that might have a trace of kitty hair on it. Loved that most of all about that campground, I can tell you!

On another day we opted to go downtown to check out the city of Corpus Christi. There are some quirkie things about this city that are a bit hard to figure out. Some areas are truly gorgeous, and the seawall and beautiful kiosks provide wonderful photo ops with all the reflections.

The Art Museum and Science Museum are at the end of the Ocean Drive, and the area seems a bit deserted, especially on a Saturday.

It is worth seeking out the beautiful Watergarden falls on the grounds of the museum. The approach to the waterfall is a rippling stream with stone square blocks that create a small rapid. The sound is gentle and lovely. There is nothing quite like the roar of the falls down the steps within the circle of the cascading water. It is as wild and loud as many waterfalls I have experienced. The artist understood sound as a work of art as well as vision.

In that same area were large expanses that appeared to be devastated by a hurricane and nothing had been rebuilt. Felt a bit strange. The large bridge in the photo above is the Harbor Bridge that crosses Corpus Christi Bay northeast to Portland, Texas.

Looking up the history, the only really big hurricane was in 1919 and the areas we were seeing were all warehouse districts at that time. In the same vicinity is Heritage Park, a delightful project of 9 beautiful huge homes, relocated from various parts of the city to this little neighborhood. The craziest thing we saw was the old Nueces County Courthouse, built in 1914, with some pretty amazing historical moments in its past. Abandoned in 1977, the huge and beautiful building sits empty and rotting behind a chain link fence right near the downtown part of the city.

Best part of the day for us was a visit to the Railroad Seafood Station and Brewery downtown on Chaparral. The atmosphere was typical brewery, once an old warehouse, with lots of open industrial stuff on the ceiling, dark colors and wooden tables and booths. I tried one of their current brews, a blond something that was pretty hoppy, but just as our wonderful waiter told me, after three sips it was perfect. The menu was fabulous, but of course, no fish and chips. Mo opted instead for some kind of specialty onion rings, with a bit of sweetness and homemade tartar sauce with very finely chopped veggies.

I opted for the the specialty coconut shrimp and the two sides of veggies and potatoes I chose with a homemade sweet chili sauce were what Sean, our waiter, called the Holy Trinity of food in that restaurant. He wasn’t exaggerating. Those little red potatoes were buttery smooth, with edges crisped and roasted with perfectly caramelized onions. The fresh veggies were tender crisp and only lightly seasoned with herbs and lemon. The home made chili sauce was the perfect hotness for the best coconut shrimp ever to pass my lips. Remember, I ate coconut shrimp a few years ago in Key West!. I ended the meal with Sean’s own homemade key lime pie. Sean and I exchanged email addresses and he wants me to write to him when I get to Key West to let him know if their pie is any better than his.

Yes, it was perfect. Soft yellow as key lime should be, with a crust thin enough that it didn’t overpower the pie, and without that fake cheesecake taste and texture you now get in some key lime pie recipes from various locations. Yes, it was a meal to remember, and it was a good thing I didn’t completely wear out my swooning abilities because our meal with Erin and Mui was the very next day!

If you click on my google photos link on the left side of the blog, there are a ton of photos there if you are interested.

Next up: Padre Island National Seashore and a morning kayak at Shamrock Cove

Internet Magic

Currently in Lake Charles, LA sunny and 53 F with a very light breeze

Our time at the NAS Shields Campground between Corpus Christi and North Padre Island was idyllic, and yet it seemed to fly by much more quickly than I ever imagined it would. Except for the winds, our weather was perfect for exploring in a light jacket, and sadly for the drought-stricken Texas coast, we had no rain. Sometimes a cloud cover would pop up, just enough for making photos interesting, but never a drop did fall. At other times, we were shrouded in foggy mornings, but while we were there, the fog always seemed to lift just in time to give us views of whatever vista we had chosen for the day.

When I planned this trip, I had no clue what the weather might be, because as all Coastal Texans know, it is wildly unpredictable. I also didn’t know whether we would even like the area enough to want to spend more time here, or if we would be disappointed that our reservation didn’t run out sooner. I guess that is one of the delights of travel to new places. Wait and See.

None of it mattered, however, because I would have come to this area no matter what on my trip east for other reasons. Daughter Deborah lived near enough when she was in Texas that she fished for sheephead and even caught a Manta Ray on the beach at Port Aransas. She wanted me to see it. But the biggest draw for me was a meeting with a friend that I had looked forward to ever since I knew that we would be in the same area at the same time.

I archive email messages that I receive from fellow bloggers, and gmail just informed me this morning that I have 269 messages from EE. The first one was back in November of 2011, when I had been reading her blog and admiring her wonderful static maps that always work. Erin wrote back to me with detailed information about how to do it, and that began an online friendship that included comments of each other’s blogs, and private emails over the years.

Since Erin and Mui travel so much of the world, I treasure her writing and photography. She goes places I dream of and may never manage. Erin’s info guided Mo and I during several legs of our trip to Alaska and through some of Alberta, and I pay attention to the parks where they have stayed since full-timing. I won’t repeat the stories, but they are a great example of a couple who planned to go full time, planned it carefully and carried out the plans.

Yes, we clicked. Somehow that just happens. But it wasn’t just Erin that I clicked with, it was Erin and Mui as a couple that I so respected. Erin is the blogger and photographer, and Mui is the video king, fixit king, and cooking king superb. In their blog I saw that the two of them are a couple, not linked totally at the hip, but in a solid union of like-minded best friends. Through emails and comments, I learned that they were bright people, without being the least bit pretentious, and that they had a great sense of humor and an artistic eye.

Mo and I spent time both on Mustang Island, on the Padre Island National Seashore, and in downtown Corpus Christi while we were here, but before I write about those adventures, I wanted to share a bit about our visits with this truly delightful couple I was lucky enough to find through the magic of the internet.

We gave ourselves a day to get our bearings around the area before our planned lunch get together on Thursday the 16th. Thinking originally that we might kayak before lunch, the wind completely nixed those plans and I actually had enough time to write and catch up on bills and such before we drove the short distance back toward the city to an area along Highway 358 that has several big restaurants and box stores. Even though there are good chain restaurants nearby that we enjoy, we decided instead to go for the true Texas thing and met at Rudy’s BBQ.

Yes, it was the real Texas BBQ experience, the one my daughter talks about with nostalgia. We got there a bit early and had a few moments to try to get our bearings and figure out just how to manage a meal in this big barn like place with lots of people running around and no one paying a bit of attention to a couple of Yankees with wide eyes.

Erin and Mui showed up almost right away and the four of us negotiated the ordering counter and the big iced bin of adult beverages. We paid for our BBQ by the pound, with individual side dishes, and carried it all back to the table in what looked like a square laundry basket. Plates were large torn off sheets of butcher paper.

The bbq was fall off the bone fabulous, but the meeting with new friends was even more so. It is just so wonderful to have a real conversation with people who talk enough to be entertaining, who bring in fascinating subjects, and then ask real questions and actually wait for you to answer those questions with interest. My kind of conversation! I just hope I can do it as well as Mui and Erin.

Even before we met for lunch, the two of them had already invited Mo and I to their home the following Sunday for hamburgers. I guess Erin was optimistic that our meeting would go well and there would be no surprises. We parted after a reasonable time for a first visit, looking forward to the next time. Erin and Mui are great friends for us in many ways, especially since we have similar styles in the “togetherness” thing. We love a good time together, and then we each appreciate time to do our own thing. That works perfectly for people like us.

On Sunday, after our morning kayak on the bayside of Mustang Island, we were very excited to go to Gulf Waters Resort where Erin and Mui are staying. By then, I knew that “hamburgers” had morphed into a full fledged Turkish meal, with all the fixin’s and yes…all those great little bowls of veggies that go with any good Turkish meal.

Their home is as beautiful as they are, and Mui’s cooking skills were beyond description. Mui started our afternoon meal with homemade hummus, drizzled with a couple of kinds of olive oil and pita crackers. I think he mentioned that his Turkish mother said something about, “Did you peel the garbanzos”? You have to be kidding me! and no, he didn’t peel the garbanzos, but the hummus was the best I ever tasted.

It was coolish and breezy outside, so we were invited indoors to a beautifully set table and Mui poured a great bottle of red something or other that was perfect. While we ate, Mui talked about meals in Turkey, where eating goes on for hours, with many courses offered one at a time and often lasting until midnight. Erin told stories of their life and we talked about so many interesting subjects, not one of which had to do with politics, religion, other bloggers, or grandchildren. Such wonderful conversation. And yet I didn’t feel as though I had to be “smart” or “witty” or say the right things. How many times do you really get real conversations like that in your life from new friends?!

The meal was just so incredible, and I spent as much time swooning and ooh-ing and aah-ing as I did actually eating, but still managed to have seconds of everything except dessert. Mui bbq’d perfect little Turkish meatballs, flattened a bit, that tasted rich and just a tiny bit like falafel. We had köfte (meatballs) and domatesli pilav (rice made with tomatoes), cacık (cold cucumber soup with yogurt, piyaz (white bean salad), and zeytinyağlı taze fasulye (green beans cooked in olive oil). All but the soup was served at room temperature in the traditional Turkish style. Mui explained that this tradition accounts for the very long time spent actually eating the meal. Keeping food hot would be impossible.

After our extended afternoon meal, Erin, Mo and I opted for a long walk on the beach, just across the dunes from their beautiful site in the park. The sand was the perfect texture for long easy walking, and waves were gentle and musical, the skies were clear with just that little bit of mistiness that seems to hang around these beaches. Have I mentioned the conversation? I noticed the sun beginning to descend to the horizon before I realized just how far we had walked and we all decided to turn back.

We had a wonderful time during our stay in this lovely part of Texas, but this meeting and yes, this meal, were the highlight. Somehow Erin was exactly the person as I knew her to be. Isn’t it amazing how that can happen? Yes, the internet can be incredibly magical. In another life and another time I would have certainly missed out on these delightful friends.

Next: Visiting Padre Island National Seashore and Aransas Pass

Free Day in Vienna October 10

We woke to another lovely sunrise out the south facing window of our room. The NH Danube City Hotel in this part of Vienna is quite nice in an Austrian sort of way. It is very slick, with the lobby all black and white and the amenities are very nice. The wait staff is impeccable, but as we have discovered in Vienna, bringing the bill is something that just doesn’t happen until they are dang good and ready. We decided to skip the downstairs buffet this morning, after experiencing the crowded lines yesterday. We both knew that our day in town would likely bring pastries and coffee.

After yesterday, we were old hands at using the Metro, and Lorena’s description of how to get to the Royal Stables seemed straightforward. We thought there would be transfers, and decided to buy a 24 hour pass so that we didn’t have to worry about buying more tickets for transfers.

The Metro station at the Vienna International Center is just a five minute walk from the hotel and is easy to use. At 9am it was quite busy. From the way things looked, the Viennese must all go to work at 9am. We arrived at St Stephens Square easily and then looked high and low for the transfer to Josef. We couldn’t find anything on the map that showed a line in that direction, and the city map had such tiny print that we were having some difficulty figuring it all out. I finally called Lorena, who was already off on the Danube Cruise with the rest of the group, and in her darling but sometimes difficult accent, she said, “No no, not a transfer, you just walk!” Oh. Then, as usual, I couldn’t begin to figure out where I actually was in relation to where I had to walk, even with the map. For a map maker, in these cities I am pretty sad at navigating. Out came the phone again and I turned on google maps one more time. Ahhh. The blue dot began blinking and I put in Stephansplatz and there we were. Quickly turn off the cellular data roaming and head for the square.

Stuff I learned; It is worth every single penny to pay for at least some mb of data for you smartphone mapping application. I only used it a few times, but those times really helped us a lot when we were turned around. These cities have very narrow streets and very tall buildings, and it is quite easy to get turned around, or to not know exactly where you are. Even as a map maker and reader, I still had some difficult moments. I was sooooo happy that I could turn on the phone and get that little blue dot to tell me exactly where I was.

I paid for 100 mb of data but since I have Verizon on the iPad and ATT on the phone, I can’t really remember if I actually paid for data on the phone as well. The internet is so bad at the hotel I can’t seem to get to my account pages to actually check. Guess I’ll find out when I get home. I have kept the phone either turned off entirely or in airplane mode for most of the duration of the trip unless I am hooked up to WiFi.

Once in the proper square, we found the line for the practice showing of the Spanish Riding School. Somehow we thought Lorena said that viewing practice was free, but of course that wasn’t right. It cost 10 E urofor me and 14 for Melody to enter the royal stables to watch the Lippanzaners do their drills. They are beautiful horses, and watching them work was wonderful. I was glad we did it, and actually seeing the luxury of the royal stable interior was impressive. The stable tours were sold out for the next week, and of course the actual performances were sold out long ago. They are also expensive.

In front of the riding school is a preserved Roman ruin, visible below the street and protected from vandalism by clear covers. Melody was enthralled again by this part of history. I would so love to take her to Turkey where she could see many many ruins both from the Roman era and the prior Hellenistic era as well.

There is a lot to do in Vienna that is wonderful. The city is filled with art and history and culture. The tour of the Opera House would have been amazing, and I wish we had managed to do that tour. No matter where you turn, there is opulent architecture and interesting tours and classical performances. There are so many museums to choose from that we chose none and instead just spent our day walking and watching people. Vienna is nothing if not opulent, beautiful, expensive, and somewhat overwhelming. In my dreams of this trip, I imagined listening to Mozart in Vienna, but somehow with our short stay, the concert was more than we could manage. I also love Gustav Klimt, not particularly “The Kiss”, but some of his more esoteric art really intrigues me. Klimt was from Vienna, and in addition to Klimt collectibles on every corner, there was the art museum featuring his art that we also didn’t manage to get to. More days in Vienna were needed, a bit more time, and a commitment to spending the money for these extra tours.

I think it would be a great destination to visit with a lot of time and plenty of money. There is no place better for seeing a different opera every night or hearing classical music at its finest. Culture for a price. As I experienced the city, I was even more appreciative of our guide’s comments from the previous day regarding the combination of capitalism and a social state that insists that there be 60 completely different opera performances a year, all paid for by the state of course.

He said, “The Viennese really love children, just not their own. They have one of the lowest birth rates in the world. The don’t like paying taxes, and they don’t like tourists. That doesn’t work very well in a closed system like we have. Where is the money to come from?” I wish I actually had his commentary on tape because he was one of the funniest, most informative guides ever.

When we asked Lorena what was the most important thing to do in Vienna in one day she said one word, “Coffee”. Coffee in Vienna is basically the long slow accompaniment to people watching in the square. You walk for a bit and then sit at a cafe where the elegant waiters will come and serve you before disappearing forever. The idea is that they don’t want to disturb you, and you can sit with one small cup of espresso or Melange (the Viennese version of cappuccino) for as many hours as you wish. The only problem comes when you decide that you might actually like to leave. It is nearly impossible to get the waiter’s attention until he is good and ready, and even then he will wave to you and say, “in a minute, in a minute”. Do NOT have coffee in Vienna if you have anywhere to go. If you need to make a visit to the WC (water closet, bathroom, toilet) then be sure to have a supply of coin euros and a coffee partner who can be left at the table waiting for the waiter while you go.

Melody loves fashion, is an avid reader of Vogue, and she was so excited to actually be in a place where she could go to all the big name shops, especially Louis Vuitton. I had no desire to go in the store just to look at expensive stuff. Window shopping is fine for me, so I stayed outside while Melody went in all her famous designer name shops. Sadly in some of the shops, she was treated very shabbily by the snotty staff, and I don’t think she expected that. I am sure this isn’t something just endemic to Vienna, as there are snotty staff in snotty stores all over the planet. Once we migrated from the very highest end shops to the mid level shops, though, I loved it. Some of the goodies were delightful, including a cashmere coat for only 4000 E urothat I almost bought. Well, in my dreams anyway. I laughed that I could go on a couple of trips for what that coat cost.

Then as we slipped down to the true mid level shops, we were both delighted to find a two story hat store. Now I have to say that was fun and the shopkeepers were all charming and helpful and the walls and walls of hats were fabulous. There were lots of women exclaiming and trying on hats of all kinds and having fun. I did buy a couple of hats for us, including a cute little boiled wool “Made in Austria” winter hat that looks like something out of the 20’s. Finally, something other than breakable crystal or porcelain as a keepsake of this country!

Vienna is actually quite walkable, and the tall spire of St Stephens is in the center of town with the Ringstrasse circling the city center. If you just keep walking, whatever direction, you will either reach the cathedral square or the Ringstrasse. On the previous day, we saw the Market and the guide encouraged us to go there repeatedly. After all that opulence and being hounded by salesmen in period dress to buy expensive tickets to a Mozart concert, we decided that a free market would be a good alternative.

We found it easily, and were delighted to see that it was much like the familiar Pike Street Market in Seattle, with row after row of food stalls filled with gorgeous food. No one was throwing fish, but the quality and variety was amazing. Of course there were eateries and tables everywhere and of course we sat and had another coffee while watching people stroll past. In this place, though, our waiter was a lovely young girl from Istanbul who had thighs about the size of my forearm. (Actually most of the women here are incredibly slim and chic!)

She served us and left us alone, but then came right to us when we needed to pay, and then was talkative and friendly. She has been in Vienna for several years but misses her own country where the people are friendly and like to TALK. She said that learning German was hard for her, and her mixture of English with a German Turkish accent was so charming.

As we strolled to the far end of the market, the food stalls gave way to the trinket shops with a bazillion pashiminas and cheap junk and the shopkeepers became more aggressive. Men came entirely too close to me for comfort, and I was glad that my camera was firmly attached to my Cotton Carrier, and my bag was well hidden and strapped under my clothes. It was the first time on this trip that I have felt uncomfortable and unsafe. Within a very few minutes we were once again on the Ringstrasse walking back toward the U (the underground metro station) and everything felt just fine.

The metro was easy to find and easy to use, and even though it was late afternoon, we still found seats. It was nice to be able to sit down. Again, within minutes, we were home to our hotel and settled into the room for a bit of rest before we decided what in the world to do for dinner. There were fewer options in the district where we were located, and we decided that maybe a dinner in the hotel would be a good idea. It was an especially good idea for Melody because with her lovely red boiled wool coat she went to dinner in her pajamas. No one had a clue!

The dinner was nice, with excellent service, and the thing I loved most was this very small green salad that was served European style after our main dish was brought to us. That salad was the sweetest, most tender, tastiest, lovely thing I have eaten in a long time. We also got a complimentary “taste” for an appetizer which was a tuna mousse on a small cracker. Looks quite tiny on the plate, but oh my! it was tasty. The tuna mousse was fresh and mild and the cracker needed something to keep it from levitating it was so light and fresh.

After a considerable wait for our bill, Melody finally said, “Mom, you just go on up to the room and I’ll hang around here to pay.” We were both much too tired to even care what the meal cost, much less figure it out from Euros to USDollars, but I finally did discover when I got my credit card bill it came to a bit more than $80. A deal at any price since it didn’t require going out when we were just plain worn out.

We both loved a lot about Vienna, but both of us were ready for the next stage of our trip. Tomorrow we travel to Prague!

I am still processing photos for this day and will put in links this evening if you are interested. Come back and check later.