Small Explorations, Small Transport

Here is one of the many art deco treasures of Vienna, small discoveries that make my little explorations worthwhile.

It was cold today here in Wien, a gray foggy day that chilled into the bone.  The sun that has graced us over the days of Christmas has disappeared.  Nonetheless, there were errands to run and missions to accomplish.  I was headed for Naschmarkt, the large market area along the Wienfluss and just a bit southwest of the Alt Stadt.  This is the area of Vienna that most closely resembles the Public Market in Seattle and, like Pike Place, Naschmarkt is an attraction for tourists and locals alike.  Several years before I set foot in Wien I had heard of this market but I misunderstood the name as "Noshmart" which is not far from the truth.  Food and drink stalls vie with produce and gourmet food stands for the euros of the passersby.  To walk through Naschmarkt is to be beckoned to in multiple languages with each vendor calling out for you to stop and sample the tasty tidbit they are holding out as bait.  Olives and meats, cheeses and candied fruit, nuts and sweets, all dangling before the crowd in hopes of making a sale. 

My only business here was a quick espresso at my favorite hidey-hole before heading to my cigar shop to purchase a bit of contraband for my Brothers.  Suitably buzzed and packing a few puros that are not allowed in the US of A, I headed just North of Naschmarkt for my real mission.  I was going to pick up on new kick-scooter and I was making the purchase with my new Austrian bankcard.  Exciting stuff!

Here is my new steed, glowing brightly on this foggy day.  The scooter has a sliding retractable handle and a folding foot plate and is equipped with a carrying strap.  Folded up, the thing slips under ones arm and can easily be carried onto the U-Bahn or tram car.  As a bonus feature, it sports the cutest little kick-stand ever conceived of.  Mounting up, I headed off on the maiden scooter voyage.  These things are great for Vienna!  The rear fender brake is easy to use and has a nice feel.  Having a handle is a novelty that takes some getting used to after years of riding a long-board.  I still ride goofy, but I spent the day trying to lead with both the left and right foot.  As I got a feel for the ride, I was able to ride regular as well as goofy, but I will always be stronger in the goofy position of right foot forward, left foot propelling.

More little Art Deco gems, hidden amongst the modern urban backdrop.

Riding down the bike paths of Vienna, I was thoroughly enjoying my new toy.  I rolled past our old apartment on Margaretten Gürtel and then south towards Meidling and the 12th District.  It was a long roll, but I was learning the tricks to jumping curbs and negotiating cobblestone sections.  I ended up at Wien Meidling and tried to find the bike route south to the homestead.  Crossing under the huge rail complex of the U-Bahn and Stadtbahn, I found the Meilding Freidhof instead.

There is not much that is lonelier than a Wien graveyard on a winter's day.

Before I could commit to the bike path south to Alterlaa, My Baby texted me to ask if I would meet her in the City for gelato and coffee.  This meant a roundtrip back to where I had bought my scooter, a long push-scoot back, but I quickly agreed.  I folded up my trusty little vehicle, tucked it under my arm and jumped on the U-6 back into town. 

Gelato, coffee, some window shopping along Mariahilfestrasse and then it was time to ride the U-6 back home for some warm comfort food.  Another fine winter day in Wien!  I can't wait to scoot about the 'hood on my new transport, but the night is very dark and very cold.  My little scooter is folded up in the corner waiting on new adventures, but it will have to wait until Morgen. 

Wanderwegs

They are called Stadtwanderweg and they form a network of hiking trails around the city of Wien.  Literally "City Wander Ways" the dozen or so looping trails surround the city of Wien and are accessible by public transit.   If you want to go for a hike all you have to do is throw some food and water in a pack, hop on the bus or tram that gets you to the Stadtwanderweg of your choosing, and off you go!   There are about a dozen different trails, all of them mapped and posted with signs.  There is also the Rundumadum Trail which forms a loop around the city and links up many of the smaller trails.   (I know, Rundumadum!?!?!  I did NOT make that up.)

The Wienerwald surrounds much of the city of Wien and starts abruptly at the edge of the city.  The transition is knife-like, city to steep hills and woods.  There is not much in the way of urban or suburban sprawl along the edge of the Wienerwald.  The Stadtwanderweg trails circle through the woods and meadows of the Wienerwald, climbing up and down the hills while offering views of the City or the Danube or Lower Austria.  (Parenthetical Geography Comment:  Lower Austria is not the southern portion of Austria, which is how it has stuck in my small brain.  Lower Austria is actually the Austrian state that surrounds Vienna and makes up the northern and eastern portion of Austria.  The land is lower in elevation as it slopes down to the Hungarian plain along with the Danube or Donau river, hence Lower Austria.)

It was a brilliantly sunny day offering warmth where the sun shown and chill in the shadows of the Wald.  We rode the 60A Bus to the start of Stadtwanderweg Sechs, disembarked at the Kirche, and set off up the steep hill into the Wienerwald. 

The lovely old-fashioned arrow signs mark the way.  They are almost always accurate.  It helps to take a picture of the map before setting out.  Just in case. 

It was a warm climb up the hills of the Wald.  After the chill and fog of the Wien nights, breaking a sweat was a blessing.  This would be one of those "sweater on-sweater off" hikes and we were glad to have it.  Stadtwanderweg 6 is about a twelve kilometer loop over the ridges and down into the valleys of Lower Austria to the south of the city.  The way offers some steep climbing, lovely ridge walking, and some surprisingly good views.

We broke out of the woods and into a large valley bathed in warmth.  The sun was shining directly on the fields in front of us.  Lunchtime!!  We baked like lizards in the solar glow, trying to soak up the heat at the same time we were wolfing down our sandwiches.  Glorious, glorious day! 

At the edge of the field was the Wiener Hütle, an inn for walkers and bicyclists.  There is also a small road that dead-ends here at the Hut.  Folks how don't wish to hike the loop can drive up to this meadow to wander about and enjoy the hospitality of the Hut. 

We climbed back into the woods, over another ridge, and then dropped down to the next valley with its busy roadway.  We crossed back into the Wald near the first village of Lower Austria south of Wien.  Here is where the arrow signs led us astray.  After a wrong turn towards the village and then a cross country jaunt through a field, we struck a wooded path that returned to the #6 trail.  The way was through the shaded wood and uphill, but much colder now without the sun. 

Almost without warning, we stepped out of the woods and into the wash of the late-afternoon sun in an enormous meadow.  The sweaters were back off and we frisked across the grass like puppies, picking up sticky goobers of mud on our shoes in some of the lower spots.

 
















The shadows get long early in the day at this time of year and we still had kilometers to go.  My Heart is really not four meters tall.

Kilometers to go, hills to climb, and the chill of the woods to contend with.  We completed the walk through the Wald and then the last kilometer through the lanes on the outskirts of Wien.  The walking got cold once we were back on the edge of the city.  We reached our bus stop but the schedule showed a 30 minute wait for the next ride.  It was too cold to stand still.  We continued down the Liesing Fluss towards Liesing Platz, adding another 2.5 kilometers to the walk.  Our dogs were barking a bit as we neared the big bus stand.

Crossing under the aquaduct with the last of the sun.  Liesing Platz is just a bit further.

We were hoping for an after-hike Eis (gelato) in Liesing, but had to cope with disappointment as everything was locked up tighter than a drum.  Footsore and chilled, we hopped our 62A bus and rolled along home.

What better way to recover from a vigorous walk than with slabs of herring on Brot?  Yummers!!

This is the third Stadtwanderweg that we have hiked together.  The city trail system is extensive, with lots of side trails and other regional trails branching off of the Stadtwanderweg.  A Brother could get himself good and lost trying to hike all of the possibilities.  It is also an amazing network for mountain biking.  I am seriously re-thinking my idea of buying a fixie/single-speed urban bike.  As of later this morning I will have a kick-scooter for urban transport, replacing the urban bike idea.  Given the great terrain surrounding Wien, it seems a pity not to explore as much as possible and a mountain bike would be the ideal tool for this.

Speaking of scooters, it is time for me to grab the U-6 train and head down to the 6th District to pick up my cute new transport device.  And so Friends and Neighbors, it's time to say "Ciao for Now!"

They Eat Horses Don't They?

In previous posts I have waxed poetic about how much I like Leberkäse.  Today I found myself heading into the Alt Stadt for some quality time at my cafe'.  As luck would have it, my route led me past Leberkas-Pepi, the best joint in town.  Leberkas is Wienerisch for Leberkäse and Pepi is the diminutive of Joseph.  I believe I refers to this spot as "Pipi's" in a previous post, but that was so wrong of me. 

I have tried Leberkäse , Chili-Käse, and several other of the variety.  At dinner the other day, I was discussing this with Herr Pacher.  He asked if I had tried the Pferde Leberkäse.  What?  They make a tasty meat snack from horses?   The culinary gauntlet had been thrown down!  

I know in the US of A that eating the noble steed is frowned upon, but this is not the case in lots of other places.  I mean, why is a horse noble and not a cow?  Is it because we don't ride cows?

Regardless of nobility or not, I wasn't missing the opportunity.  I sidled up to the counter at Pepi's and placed my order. Lighter be a mere 2.35 euro, I scuttled out the door with my meaty treat. 

All questions of propriety aside, I'm here to tell you that this is a fine nosh.  The flavor is excellent and the aroma satisfying.  I will be chowing the noble steed again, count on it.  By the way, that's the National Opera in the background.  How's that for pedigree?  

Mission: Liesing

I like to invent nonsensical or nonessential missions, quests for objects that are of little or no importance.  The motivation for these missions is not the purported object but an excuse to wander about without the need to admit it.  Now, Via the miracle of Blog-Time-Travel we can journey back to one of those nonsense quests.

Liesing is the name of the 23rd district here in Vienna and is the district that we live in.  It is in the Southeast of Vienna and compromises about thirty-two square kilometers.  The Liesing Fluss, or Liesing River, flows through Liesing from the hills of the Wienerwald and right on down to the Danube River.  The Liesing also runs very near our apartment and creates the greenbelt that is so often my route for exploratory missions.  Liesing "River" is a bit of hyperbole, at least most of the time.  The Liesing is more of a Strom or a Bach than a Fluss. 

We live way over on the Northwest edge of the 23rd District.   If we lived any further to the Northwest we would be in the 12th District, Meidling, home of the Wien hillbillies.  Ah, it is true, my poor mind is being influenced by the local stereotypes.  That said, Meidling is a bit on the local-yokel side of the spectrum. 

The Mission?!?!?  Oh, yes, sorry.  We needed grub and my Baby wanted some fish for dinner.  Due to the holidays the Liesing Farmer's market was open on Wednesday this week and there was usually a fish monger stall at the market  Voila!  A perfectly plausible excuse to explore the Liesing Fluss trail all the way to Liesing Platz, about 3.5 kilometers one way.  For a fish.  Sure. 

Bless High Pressure systems!  The sun was shining over the urban village of Alterlaa.  This is my regular route to almost anywhere.  The Liesing Fluss is in the foreground, past the footpath.

Heading upstream from our apartment about one kilometer, the Liesing Fluss disappears into a tunnel and thence under a busy Strasse.  I needed to find the river at the other end of the underground passage and continue on towards Liesing proper.

Going just from memory and a vague idea of the local geography, I did not find the other end of the river as quickly as I thought.  I did, however,  find the best tended graveyard I have seen in many a year. 

Aha!  The river, a path, a sunny day.  I thoroughly enjoyed the stroll along the river, alternating between the pathway and the flagstones as the way dictated.   The river ducks underground again at Liesing Platz and I walked under the Bahnhof via a pedestrian tunnel and into the bustle of Liesing Platz.  The bustle was lacking a fish monger stand, however.   New Mission, new mission!!

I walked to the Riverside, a small mall on Liesing Platz.  How about a new electric water kettle and a cuban cigar?  That's a mission, right? 

My "mission" accomplished,  I window-shopped my way back towards the homestead, stopping for a quick peruse of a bike store, an old fashioned Wurst Shop, and a toy store.   We still needed fish so I had to settle for the Merkur near the apartment.  Low and behold!  They had just gotten a nice shipment of salmon and it was on sale!  Now I could rest my weary dogs after I attended to my rumbling tum.

Lamm und Kalb, Stat!!!  My local and very good Kebap Stand.

You've got your Lamm gruppe, your Kalb gruppe, your Brot gruppe and your Gemuse gruppe all in one tasty pita.  What more does a weary walker want?

Frohe Weihnachten

It was a traditional Christmas, Wien-style.   In Austria Christmas Eve is the big night for family gathering, smuggling in the gifts under the guise of the Christkind, and decorating the Tannenbaum.  Minus the need for the Christkind, we gathered at My Heart's parents house to get festive.

The Tannenbaum was awaiting decoration, the table was groaning under the weight of holiday cookies, and there was even a dog frisking about hoping for a fumbled treat.  Rather than the smell of turkey wafting from the kitchen, the air was redolent with the aroma of Kraut und Schweinbraten.  I was in charge of the traditional untangling of the ornament hooks whilst My Baby and her Mutter filled in the blank spots on the tree.  Herr Pacher tended to the grub, monitoring the progress of the Schweinbraten and getting a mountain of Knodel ready for the last minute boil. 

Schweinbraten is the most traditional of Austrian holiday meals.  The enormous slow-cooked pork roast is accompanied by bowls of homemade Kraut and the aforementioned Knodel.  Knodel are giant dumplings that are common across central Europe.  Herr Pacher had the Semmelknodel stacked up like cannon balls, ready for the boiler.

Fashioned from bread, milk, egg yolks and other yummy stuff, the semmelknodel are boiled and served up with the rest of the Austrian comfort food.  It is good to know where your nap spot is before you tuck into a plate of these bad boys.  As big as your fist and packing the calorie content of a freight car, these are not light nosh.

Schweinbraten, an entire bowl of Kraut and two Knodel, enough food to for two days of forced march and not a light leafy green in sight.  Dinner was followed by more time around the table with Kaffee and even more baked treats.  It is a good thing that this is not my regular fare or I would be packing around another ten kilos somewhere in the middle section.

I will add but one other tidbit of information.  Here in Vienna holidays are really holidays, not excuses to shop.  Since Christmas fell on a Friday this year, pretty much every retail store is closed from early on Thursday until Monday morning.  When I say retail stores, I mean just that.  Grocery stores, shops, malls, the whole town closes up until the next workday.  It's family time, not shopping time.  There is no running off to the mall the day after Christmas and you had better stock up on enough vittles to get through the long weekend.

Wishing all of you around the world Frohe Weihnachten, Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas from Wien, its time to say "Ciao for Now"

Christkind

Here in Austria, the task of delivering the toys to all of the good little Kinder falls to the Christkind.  The Christkinder are the holiday sprites who spirit the toys into the house while the children are being distracted by parents or grandparents.  The goods won't come unless the real kids are out of the way.  Walk most around most any neighborhood on Christmas Eve and you will spot a grandparent or two herding a few kinder along the sidewalk or through the park.  They are keeping the tykes busy and out of the house whilst someone else plays the role of the Christkind on the home-front.

I was surprised to learn that the Christkind are actually an invention of Martin Luther.  During the Protestant Reformation, Luther cooked up the Christkind story to take the wind out of the sails of the Catholic Saint Nikolas.  Regardless, the Christkind are the main gift bearers in Germany, Austria, lots of what used to be called Eastern Europe and even parts of South America.  During these modern times of mass media, the Christkind are facing competition from the advertising invasion of images of the American version of Santa Claus.

Yes, Marco, and what does that have to do with anything? 

Behold, the Spittelberger Christkindlmarkt!  Named after the Christkind, as many of the Christmas Markts are, this is one of the really special holiday treats here in Wien.  The market is nestled amongst a few small lanes weaving back and forth through the 7th District of Vienna.

Enough history about the gift giving midgets, let's get on with the party.  Hot punch, lots of nosh, and shopping, that's what we are about here, not history lessons!  So, without further ado...

What says "Froh Weihnachten" louder than holiday lights, a crisp cold evening and a happy crowd?

Kaesekrainer hotdog and a baked potato in garlic sauce, that's what!  Okay, yes, AND the holiday lights.  And punch, lots of hot punch.  Right, right, the Lights and the crowd and the punch.  But I'm here to tell you, the garlic sauce doesn't take anything away from the whole scene. 

And... back to the punch drinking.  I had a lovely hot ginger and lemon concoction sans alcohol, natch, but most everyone else was imbibing a bit more in the way of a holiday spirit.  While the Schonebrunn Markt was great, the Spittelberger was the real deal, with lots more locals than tourists and an absolutely magical setting.  Up and down the small walking streets, the Markt wove through the evening on an intimate scale, seeming more like a village than a Stadt.  The stalls offered libations, big nosh, small nosh, sweet nosh and a wide assortment of crafts and gifts.  In the small world department the only coffee stall in the Markt was manned by the gent from the new coffee roaster that I had found that morning. 

It was another magical holiday evening here in Wien.  I love Christmas in this town!!  What a hoot!

Wien Essen

While not the incredible street food scene of Southeast Asia, Wien has a lively variety of food available for walking nosh.  One of my favorites is Leben Kässe, or, as pictured above, Lebenkässemmel.  The Semmel is the roll and makes the snack portable.  Pipi's is the best place in town for Leber Kässe and the locals queue up at the tiny shop in the Stadt. 

This meaty treat is really not liver cheese.  The original recipe called for lots of liver in the ground up and formed meat loaf, but these days it is usually pork and beef. There are various names and ingredients mandated by the German food laws, but here in Austria they are a bit more relaxed than our Deutsch neighbors.  My Austrian pals would chuckle at that jibe.

We do lots of cold nosh here.  A typical dinner (Abendessen) would look like this. Cheese, vege, pickles, wurst und Brot. 

Out on the streets, you are never far from a wurst or Schnitzel stand, often run by one of my Turkish Brothers.  

If you need a sit-down snack, Kebap and Turkish Pizza joints, or Imbiss, are everywhere.  The joint near my U-6 station serves a mean Lamm Kebap. 

Mmmmmm.  

Add in the holiday stands and a hot drink or a snack is always close at hand. 

Lots of calories to ward off the cold.  That's the ticket. 

If you count the chestnuts or potatoes roasting on an open fire, you're set.  Okay, it's a gas grill thingy, but it still works.  

I will concede that the food runs toward the meaty and heavy end of the spectrum, but it keeps a wandering Brother on his feet during these chilly days.  Today, however, the sun is shining. I must away up the river path to the farmers market in Liesing for some fresh fish.  A Haus Mann has his work to do.  

From a chilly and sunny Wien, Ciao for Now!