Wiener Riesenrad

Praterstetn station where you exit

 I decided I would see this giant ferris wheel ( Wiener Risenrad) for myself. The night before enroute back in the taxi I saw it all lit up. I consulted the internet re tube stations to get off and this was it.

It looks small from a distance

 Was a little bit disappointed with the sheer size until I realised (duh) that it was further away than what I thought. Quite a bit of traffic mostly folks heading to work. I chose to take pictures from a distance and re-think my possible night visit for a better experience. ( I finally ended up attending the opera instead so no Riesenrad ride for me )

Clear signs!

 What I love about travelling on the tube in Vienna, the signs are so clear that you almost feel you're local and know where to go without hesitation. (Smug look) I stayed along linie U1 which conveniently leads you directly to Stephansdom:)

Caught this outside Praterstern station

Here's a lovely sight. Caught when I forgot to switch the zoom mode off my G10. The kid looks nice and snug in his seat. And mummy is making sure the helmet is fixed.

Schönbrunn Palace

The tube station where I got off

 As a tourist, you feel compelled ( at least I did ) to go down the list of tourisy things to do. And this was on my list. " Visit palace". It rained and rained at a steady flow. So that over-priced umbrella ( if you convert to RM ...40 ringgit for a normal plain blue brolly ) was put to good use. There was a bit of wind. So some of the pictures were tilted at an angle, as I tried to take a picture AND hold onto my umbrella to prevent it from being blown away.

You are meant to validate your ticket here

The tube station ticket validation puts a lot of faith in human nature. You can easily cheat the system and travel free. That'll be wrong of course but you will agree it is possible and I'm sure many have been tempted and succumbed. We had a free pass throughout the duration of the congress. Very generous and very handy.

Adverstisement for concert at Schonbrunn Palace

 I now wish I had gone for a concert here. But the thought of it being late at night and having to walk all the way to the tube station and get wet wasn't very appealing to me. Still, a good reason to return to Austria for a proper holiday.

The gardens ( part of it )

 The gardens were lovely. This was the first of my attempted panoramic view from my camera. I've chosen only one shot to post. The flowers were so red and unreal. Imagine looking out of your window and seeing this as your back garden. These royals....they had it good. No wonder the french aristocrats were beheaded. Imagine living in such opulence whilst your people struggle for their next meal. Their apartments really do look out to this. ( When we toured inside I peeked outside and saw this very view)

The front of the palace as you enter

 It was wet and I was cold. And dying to head to some dry place to be warmed up. The castle's history and audio tour was nice. There was a room where the bed was. So small, he either liked a cosy feeling or people back then were shorter. I'm still trying to figure out why. They were also big on designs on the wall right up to the ceiling and on the ceiling as well. A mix of diferent motifs and colours. I think some of the interior designers would disagree with their colour schemes. Tsk tsk!

Traditional costume of Austria

This was taken on a wet Friday morning

 I came across this lovely shop selling traditional Austrian costumes. If I were 30 years younger I'ld jump at this opportunity to wear an authentic gear. But if I were 30 years younger I would be unemployed and penniless so that's not going to work. The ones in this shop were made of thicker cloth and were significantly priced.

So cute

 These were sold at a souvenir shop. You can see the various fridge magnets to the left of the picture.

An adult wearing just such a costume

This was taken at the Kaisermuhlen station. The closest station to the hotel I stayed in. And look what I found...a real life adult wearing just such a costume to work.

Statsoper Wien

I watched Don Carlo. ( Programme booklet )

 The opera house in Vienna has lovely architecture. My pictures don't do it justice so I've selected only one of the indoot shot for this post. It is every bit as amazing as you can imagine.

The view from where I sat.

 It looks like a scene from a movie, the crowds of people like little ants seated in their own boxes. Almost like a James Bond movie? Or would you say Phantom of the opera scene? Pick your choice.

Very steep very interesting and very scary

 THIS is what I had to walk down to where my seat was. If you have some diplopia you'll be sure to end up in a heap at the bottom all twisted and mangled. Thankfully everyone's eyes were well behaved and nobody else appeared to have suffered from a irrational fear of heights except me.

Intermission. To your right is where you head for some drinks

 We had a break. Very important for weak bladders, and a great chance to stretch your legs and walk down about 4 flights of stairs to where the drinks were being sold. I had a bottle of bubbled water and absorbed the atmosphere to the maximum.

Ticketing officer. Picture taken earlier in the day

I very nearly DIDN't make this opera. Sold out!!! But just around the corner were some folks selling tickets and I got mine. I had to crane my neck throughout the performance but I am sure you'ld agree with me....it WAS worth the creak in the neck and the 49 euros I paid. I want MORE!!!

Stephansdom and Mozarthaus

Mozart chocolates with pistachio marzipan inside.

 There were a lot of shops with Mozart's chocolates being displayed. But I think this was the nicest. This was on the older side of Stephansdom where Mozart's house is.

Mozart's house. ( dark drown door)

 There is the house. He lived here for 2 and a half years. No pictures once inside so I'll just have to rely on memory and describe some stuff. Once inside, ( and after paying) you get inside a very small lift and go up to the top floor. The tour starts there. You also get ( if you pay extra) a tiny gadget like a phone which you can enter certain combination of numbers and listen to the commentary of things you see. It can get a little tiring so they thoughtfully provided some seats at the window for us tired legs. You get to listen to Mozart's rise and how he possibly lost his fortune through the love of gambling. Apparently he didn't have much luck there.

The view from Mozart's apartment.

 When he first arrived from Salzburg he stayed in a small room which is in the building to your right. The building which is jutting out a bit. See how he progressed in riches and fame. Only to die a pauper.

Stephansdom

The famous cathedral which I went for Sunday mass. I think it was featured in some movies before but I forget now. Didn't go for the tour of this because I got distracted with the lovely shops to the left and right of the cathedral and also the many ice cream parlous and coffee places surrounding the vicinity. You understand surely. More to follow....

Vienna Austria

The most exciting reason for staying away was my lovely visit to Vienna for the European Respiratory Congress. So you will bear with me as the next few post shall feature pictures from Vienna and the exciting ( for me at least) things I saw and did and experience.
Here's what I've learnt:
1. Please bring an umbrella foldable preferably when you visit around Sept. It rains and you'll get wet and cold easily. Don't bring a big umbrella cos you will have to leave it outside when you visit musuems and palaces. ( Unless you don't have a major problem with doing that and are not forgetful in the least.)

2. Getting about in Vienna is easy. The tube trains are very efficient and maps labelled clearly. Nobody rushes for the tube mainly because they're eifficient and if you miss one, just wait and another will arrive shortly. The doors do not open automatically when you reach a station, you will ( depending on how new the tube is ) either have to press a little button or pull a lever to open the doors.

3. Unlike Ireland and London, they're not big on black tights. Now I'm not sure what it'll be like in winter but in Sept, everybody should they choose to wear tights prefer flesh coloured stockings. Not many people wear jeans and unless you're an American tourist try and avoid wearing a cap..and sneakers. Nobody is shoddily dressed in town.

4. Austrians are quiet and polite folks. They do not raise their voices nor talk loudly to each other or shout across the road to get the attention of someone.

5. If you're intending to catch an opera at the very famous opera house, and there are no tickets left in the official office, do not be disheartened. Just outside the building, there will be some people selling tickets available for the night's performance. For a good experience of how old opera houses are, you may want to get tickets on the floors above. Best to avoid if you REALLY want to watch the opera and you are scared of heights. The path leading to your seats ( should you choose the higher floors) are narrow and super steep and you have to crane your neck throughout the performance to catch the people singing. The do have a digital board in front of you with translation of the opera to English which is nice and handy.

6.The main part of town centers around Stephansdom which is Vienna's cathedral. Mozart's house is a few minutes walk from the cathedral. If you remember he used to work at the cathedral then you can imagine how lucky he was to have lived so close to his place of work. Shops around Mozart's house sell older things and there are a few nice cafes. This part reminded me of Galway Ireland and Dublin as well where the shops are tiny but well stocked and everything smells of old architecture.

7. The other part of town Graben and Kärntner Straße are interesting streets where you will want to take pictures of everything that moves.You will find Zara, Loccitane, Humanic, Espirit, Accessorize, Monsoon and other bigger shops there. Interspersed with ice cream parlours. ( Very handy that!) The Longchamps are a faction of the price we pay for it in Malaysia. I was tempted to get 5-6 but restrained myself. Desigual appeared cheaper too which shows how much things are taxed in Malaysia.

8. Aida which is the name of a coffee place is pretty big in Vienna. They serve very nice coffee and cakes. I managed to grab one such cake and a cup of coffee on my last day there.

9. All souvenir shops sell Mozart themed chocolates. They're pretty proud of him. There are the usual 'I love Vienna" T shirts but the colours are limited.  You can get Vienna umbrellas as well so if you're thinking of buying one then don't pack one of your own when you travel there.

10. The musuem quarter is surreal. Once you get out of the tube station and walk about the place you'll be in awe of the architecture and you'll have to pinch yourself just to be sure you're not in a dream. My visit there was marred by the rain and wind and I had a devil-of-a-time hanging on to my rather expensive umbrella bought on the first day there.

And now....for some pictures and anecdotes.

Hiatus has ended

I have so much to say. I've been away for many reasons. The main and most obvious reason is laziness. Second important and valid reason is work which has slowly piled up and the deadlines all come within weeks of each other forcing me into a panic ( not new this feeling) and as a result, I stayed away. Not that THAT much was done by staying away. I've only just realised this so I'm back with some ( hopefully regular) updates.

I shall blog separate posts directly after this so it'll be easier to see what I've been up to in stages.

Mess!

Every so often you need to make a trip to Ikea just so you can be inspired to de-clutter. The current apartment is filled to capacity. Despite restraining myself from buying anything bulky and major, my weekly magazine quota alone has taken over the dining table. Help!

My obsession for the month

Picture taken from Mcdonalds Jalan Pahang

Two Sundays in a row, I've been drawn by some invisible power to McDonalds for their breakfast set and particularly for their harsh brown. The lovely pipping hot crunchy bit of potential muffin-top-inducer they serve. ( No picture of that because I enjoy that first before realising I should really take a picture for the blog)  And also their coffee. Not the gourmet ones they serve these days ( at an ended price+ separate counter) but their usual cheap black coffee which comes free with their sets. Perhaps ...I will have this today as well!!I feel the best aromatic coffee ( undiluted) is from San Francisco coffee place. Do you agree?

The London 2012 Olympics...( Kate's fashion update)

Picture taken from OMG yahoo

1. The Duchess of Cambridge and her skinny jeans which I felt ( feel) were just a wee bit away from tights!. I wouldn't call these gorgeous legs. And no this is not jealousy so don't go thinking along that line. I'll tell you who has great royal legs...Charlotte Casiraghi! ( Google and you will agree)

2. Another olympic-outing for Kate. I like this because she's wearing a Longchamp long handle bag ( triple yay). The only other time we've seen her with one was during her graduation. As you may well have realise at this stage, I am a bit of a longchamp fan.

3. Kate wore this to watch a hockey match. What I like about these pictures....she's absolutely enjoying herself and we see some different facial expressions. Way to go Kate...we always knew you had them expressions in you deep deep down.

Selamat HAri Raya!

Selamat Hari Raya to all my friends who celebrate this and to all those who're immersed in the spirit of a week-long holiday. Sadly I'm back to work this morning. A quick post before reality hits:) But I'm expecting *ahem* a quiet day ahead with some spare time to rest in between.

An experience indeed

We drove out to have WNN tyre's changed. Two of the 4 had problems. One had a nail in it and was semi-flat requiring a change to the spare tyre and the second had a little bleb signifying unhappy things to come. This being the raya week, most shops were closed. We headed to this shop...thankfully opened. It's along jalan kuching you can just see it from the main road to your left as you drive towards  Selayang. It started to rain as we arrived. And boy did it POUR continuously like someone had left the shower on in the sky at full blast. We could hardly hold a conversation properly ...this was how loud the rain was. Some thunder but that wasn't the scary part. Just look at the water in the picture above....this was the view from where I stood. The level went up up up up until the shop. I had parked the car to the left of this picture. I had to wade through water mid-calf level to the car...and my poor car was almost submerged in water. We quickly drove away from this nasty place after the tyres were done...and parked somewhere else to wait it out. I'm scared of rain now and want a 4-wheel drive please. I should ( in retrospect) have taken a picture of the water when it'd reach a higher level but we were too terrified at that point.