The One Where I go to Vienna

Tobi gave me an early birthday present - a weekend to Vienna! I went to meet my friend Natalie there for the weekend. Natalie recently moved from Charleston, South Carolina to Hungary. She and her family will only be here through February so she is trying to fit in as much travel as she can, much like me. She lives less than two hours from Vienna, so she has been a couple of times. When I found out we were definitely moving to Zurich, the guidebook for Vienna was the first guidebook I bought. I've always wanted to visit and I always thought it would be most magical at Christmas, so it was pure luck that it worked out to go around Christmastime.

Natalie and her husband and adorable kids picked me up on Saturday morning at the Vienna airport. The flight from Zurich to Vienna is about an hour, so it's a very easy trip. Her husband dropped us off at our hotel, the Kaiserin Elisabeth, in the heart of the historic district. We stowed our bags at the hotel and set off for the sights. It turns out Natalie and I are travel soulmates who both geek out over European cathedrals. We decided to tour St. Stephen's Cathedral first because it was literally around the corner from our hotel. There were masses of tourists trying to get into the church, but once inside it wasn't too crowded. We decided to do the audio tour (a bargain at €4.50) and that was amazing because you learn so much more by doing the guided tours. I wish all European churches offered it.

The entrance to St. Stephen's Cathedral

View of the church from the altar; notice the pipe organ at the end

St. Stephen's is a very dark, very gothic looking church. There isn't too much that is cheerful about the place, but it is held in very high honor in Austria, as the Archdiocese of Vienna. The first structure was built in the 1100s, but construction continued up through the 1500s. Repair and reconstruction happen even today. There was scaffolding around much of the exterior and it looks like the church is getting a good scrubbing, as you can see by the picture below.

You can see scaffolding on the left; notice the difference in color at the top.

The beautiful altar

The details and symbolic carvings on the pulpit are amazing.

The audio tour gave vague information about what happened to the church in 1945, referring to World War II as "the castastrophe of 1945" a few times. After reading online, it turns out the retreating Nazis ordered for the church to be destroyed as they left Vienna, but those orders were disregarded. However, as the Russian troops entered the city, fires set to nearby buildings carried over to St. Stephen's, and the roof collapsed. Much of the valuable artwork and sculptures were protected by brick shells, and the church reopened in 1952 after reconstruction of the roof.

Judenplatz

After our tour of St. Stephen's, we went on a walk through Judenplatz, the site of the Jewish ghetto from the middle ages. There is a Jewish museum there and a memorial to the Austrian Jews who were murdered by the Nazis during World War II. The memorial is moving and somber, a sort of library turned inside out. The memorial is supposed to resemble a library with the books turned with the spines in, symbolizing the untold stories of the victims. Along the bottom are inscribed the names of the camps where Austrian Jews were killed. There is a symbolic, inaccessible, entrance. During the excavation process of building the memorial, remains of a medieval synagogue were found.

Names of the camps are inscribed below the inward-turning books of the memorial.

The inscription: "In commemoration of more than 65,000 Austrian Jews who were

killed by the Nazis between 1938 and 1945."

Around the corner from Judenplatz was a lovely little Christmas market and we began our hunt for Christmas gifts, decorations and interesting Christmas market food. I had never been to a Christmas market in my whole life until about a month ago. Now I've been to a few in Switzerland and several in Vienna. There were several small ones around the city and the major market at the Rathaus. We stopped for a late lunch of baked potatoes. They were enormous and you could get them with various toppings like ham, bacon, cheese, onions, and sour cream sauces with herbs or garlic. Natalie and I both thought it was very cool that they serve the potatoes on real dishes. You pay €2 for the bowl and you get your money back when you return the plate. No paper plate waste! We also had mugs of glühwein and instead of returning the mugs for our money, we decided to keep them as souvenirs.

Small market . . .

. . . giant baked potatoes

We stopped at the famous Viennese coffee house and food emporium, Julius Meinl. If you're from the Chicago area, you've no doubt stopped in at the coffee shops on the north side. I have no idea how a Viennese coffee house decided to expand and open coffee shops in Chicago, Illinois, but I'm so glad they did. It's one of my favorite places in Chicago, so I wasn't going to miss seeing the original in Vienna. Natalie and I toured the 3 floors of amazing food halls that is Meinl in Vienna. Everything from meats and cheeses, to pastas, sushi, international packaged foods, teas, coffees, pastries, etc. You name it, they sell it. Just seeing the logo made me feel a little less homesick.

(Almost) just like being in Chicago

Christmas lights were hung on many streets . . . so beautiful.

Natalie and I liked the chandelier street the best.

In front of the Hofburg Palace, which serves as the President of Austria's house today.

Later in the evening, we walked through the city to the Rathaus Christkindlmarkt. The spectacle that was that market cannot be overstated. The Christmas light displays were nearly blinding and the sheer number of people fighting for space was mindblowing. We had glühwein,Langos (basically an amazing fried bread with ham & cheese in it), and chocolate-covered strawberries. After fighting the crowds and being dazzled by the sights, we walked back to the hotel for rest.

Unbelievable light displays at the Rathaus Christkindlmarkt

On Sunday after breakfast, we decided to tour the Mozarthaus. Mozart and his family lived in an apartment in the building for three years, from 1784 to 1787. The guided audio tour was interesting and tells of his time as an in-demand composer and performer in 18th century Vienna. There are copies of his original sheet music and some period furnishings of his time. Looking at the sheet music with his markings and notes, I had a similar feeling as I did when I saw Michaelangelo's David in Florence. A feeling that something otherworldly was at work there. A special talent that seems almost impossible to understand.

Where Mozart lived when he wrote The Marriage of Figaro

From the Mozarthaus, we walked to the State Opera house and stopped at the Cafe Sacher, world-renowned for its famous Sacher Torte. Apparently we weren't the only tourists wanting cake that day because we had to wait in a line that led out onto the sidewalk. However, our wait was short and we were able to taste the amazingness of the torte for ourselves. After that, we walked around the opera house and back up through the city before we got a taxi from the hotel to the airport.

The famous Sacher Torte

The massive State Opera House

My visit to Vienna was short but very, very sweet. Vienna is a beautiful city and I'm so glad I got to see it in all its glory at Christmas. I'm also thankful I had such a fun touring partner in Natalie. Traveling is amazing. Traveling with friends makes it unforgettable.

Cheers!

Tiffany

The One Where it Rains in Venice

The view outside our hotel window

We left Florence and continued on our road trip to Venice. Venice is a city that received mixed reviews from friends and family before we went. Some said, "You'll love it - it's magical! It's amazing!" Others said, "One night should be enough. It isn't that great." Unfortunately for us, we didn't have great weather. So I will resolve to return someday and hope for better weather. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and made our way to our hotel, Palazzo Schiavoni. We rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment with a kitchen. We unpacked a little and got settled and then headed out to explore. Venice is great for exploring. There are so many little streets and alleys that you could just get lost wandering for hours. With three small children, our first task was to find a place to eat at 4:00 in the afternoon. We found a little trattoria and had sandwiches and pastas and pizzas (and lemon soda - always lemon soda in Italy).

Cin cin!

The bridge right by our hotel

One of my favorite memories of Venice is Charlie chasing the pigeons

Shops all over Venice sell masquerade masks & clothing

After that, we meandered along the streets and over bridges to Piazza San Marco. It was starting to get dark and it was a little misty, but do you think that stopped us from getting gelato? The Laczkowskis will always find a way to get gelato! We walked around and stopped into shops (Mom and I went a little nuts at the amazing pharmacy we found) and eventually made our way back to the hotel.

always gelato

Grandma & the kids in Piazza San Marco

On Thursday morning we woke up to rain. Lots and lots of rain. But we had already arranged with the hotel for a boat trip to the island of Murano to see a glass-blowing factory tour. So we decided to go forth in the rain. That was an interesting boat ride and one I'm not eager to repeat. But the kids enjoyed it and Charlie especially enjoyed watching the glass-blower make a vase and various glass animals. It wasn't really the fun outing I'd hoped for so we didn't tour much of the island in the torrential downpour. This did, however, afford us an opportunity to go to a cafe for espresso and . . . wait for it . . . gelato!

The rainiest boat ride ever. Thank goodness we were covered.

Gorgeous view of the canal, eh?

Glass blower in Murano

We decided to head back to the hotel and wait for the rain to quit. The kids really just enjoyed playing in the apartment. When the rain finally ceased, Mom and I took a little walk and found the best lasagna I've ever eaten. Later, Mom stayed in the hotel with the kids so Tobi and I could venture out on our own. After Tobi also tried the amazing lasagna, he and I wandered around and made our way to the Realto bridge and the Grand Canal. It's very touristy there, with lots of cruise ship passengers taking advantage of Italian specialty stores like the Disney store and Esprit (insert eyeroll here). I was really glad we picked a hotel that wasn't in that area.

Self portrait on the Rialto bridge, Grand Canal behind us

The hotel let us know about an opera performance we could attend at the Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista on Thursday night. My mother is an opera buff and has season tickets to the opera in Chicago, so I knew this would be a highlight for her. I am not an opera buff, but I love my mom so I definitely wanted to go with her. Tobi stayed in with the kids (after I made him pumpkin ravioli and the kids buttered noodles from a shop in our neighborhood) and Mom and I took the ferry to the other side of Venice to the school. That was a nice boat ride because the rain had stopped and we could see the city all lit up at night. We had a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant and made it to the school in time to hear a compilation of highlights from many famous operas. I am in no way knowledgeable about opera and I recognized nearly every aria. The performers were terrific and the venue was amazingly beautiful. Saint John's Hall, where the performance was held, was built between 1727 and 1762 and contained amazing works of art and a beautiful altar, which served as the backdrop to the performance. I hope it was a highlight for my mother because it certainly was for me.

Beautiful hall at the opera school

On Friday we decided to leave Venice after breakfast so we could make our way back to Zurich. The ferry boat ride back to our parking garage was the best view of the city during our stay because the sun was shining. Hopefully Venice will have nicer weather for us next time!

The city in the sun as we were leaving

The kids at the 2,000 year old arena in Verona

We stopped in Verona on our way to have lunch and see the arena there. The arena is one of the best-preserved Roman structures, built in 30 AD. I personally enjoyed it more than seeing Rome's Colliseum because it was easy to walk onto the floor of it and get a sense of its scale. Tobi, Grant, and Charlie walked around the entire thing. The boys really enjoyed that. After seeing the arena, having our last Italian meal (pizzas and pasta, of course!) and having one last gelato, we got back into the car and didn't stop again until we got to Switzerland.

Piazza in Verona

Grandma & Caroline enjoying a break in the arena

This was my third trip to Italy and I have to say that I love it more each and every time. The food is delicious, the scenery is amazing, but the people of Italy are the best. They genuinely enjoy life. They always make us feel so welcome and dote on our children. There is something about Italy that gets into your soul, I think. It's the only place I've traveled where I sorta feel homesick for it once we've left. Homesick for a place that has never been home. That's how I know we'll always go back.

Ciao!

Tiffany

Up Next: Christmastime in Vienna

The One Where We Go to Florence

It's been a while since I've blogged. School started, we had visitors in September and then our fall break came upon us. It's been a busy time. My mother came to visit us for two weeks in October, during the boys' fall break. Mom has been to Switzerland before, back in the '80s for skiing. So I thought she might enjoy something a little different. We planned to drive to Florence and Venice, and what could be more different from Switzerland than a road trip to Italy?

Amazing Tuscan view from our patio

After numerous tips from fellow expats, we decided to get up early (like ear-ly!) to start our drive. Google maps had said it would take about 6 hours to get to Florence but many expats warned us of the Gotthard tunnel and how backed up it gets. I was impressed with how quickly we got up and out the door. We pulled out of our garage at 6:30am and we made it to the tunnel by 8:15 with virtually no other traffic. I think it helped that it was a Sunday morning. After a few stops along the way (but not enough for Grandma Nancy) for fuel, espresso, and snacks we made it to our hotel before 2:00 p.m. (I think Google maps is optimistic most of the time, and Google maps also doesn't have three children).

Cheeky looks on the faces of the statues in the garden

First impressions? The villa we stayed in was amazing. My friend Beth recommended it as they stayed there last year with their three children. It was beautiful and spacious. We rented two adjoining apartments and it was perfect. We had two bathrooms, two kitchens, and one beautiful patio with an amazing view. The kids very much enjoyed the garden and played out in the hedges much of the time during our stay.

One of my favorite pictures because they had so much fun in those hedges

On the Ponte Vecchio

After we got settled in and unpacked, we decided to walk into town. Our concierge said it was about a 30 minute walk. Again, with 3 kids it may have taken us a little longer, but luckily we found a gelateria right away to reward us for the walk. We walked along the Ponte Vecchio (the only bridge in Florence not destroyed during World War II) and enjoyed the many works of public art. The kids enjoyed running around after spending so many hours in the car, and we all enjoyed the sights of the city.

We decided it was best to taxi home, so we got back to the villa in time for dinner. The villa doesn't have a restaurant, but it has a kitchen and if you tell the concierge you'd like dinner, they provide it (at an additional cost, which was very reasonable). So on the first night we had a wonderful dinner in their dining room and we were the only ones there (which may be because we asked for a 7:00 p.m. dinner time, which is early in Italy). They brought us an amazing pasta dish in a tomato sauce (that Charlie actually ate!!), a wonderful chicken dish and a beautiful salad. We also had a bottle of their house wine, which they produce on the estate from their own vines. The only thing that wasn't a hit with our carbaholic children was the bread. Traditional Tuscan bread is made without salt (it's like their version of the tea party - not using salt due to salt taxes during the middle ages). However, the villa also makes its own olive oil from its olive trees, so that helped a little with the bread (at least for the grownups!).

Many, many rounds of "cin, cin" were done on this trip

The Siena Duomo

The next day we decided that since most of the museums in Florence were closed, we would take a drive for the day to Siena and Monteriggioni, about an hour south of Florence. We left in the morning, found parking & walked around the beautiful medieval town of Siena, toward theduomo. I bought tickets for my mom and I and the boys to tour the duomo. Tobi and Caroline opted to walk around outside. It's a very interesting, very old church (circa 12oos). I'm not sure I could say I loved the aesthetics - the stripes are a bit jarring - but it certainly was interesting to view.

The ceiling was beautiful; notice the striped marble

Striped columns

The marble mosaic floor covers the entire floor. Unfortunately, because the floor dates from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, it is quite fragile and is only viewable a few weeks out of the year. Fortunately for us they were available for view when we visited. We even got to watch a man restoring a portion of the floor. This was particularly fascinating to Charlie. I found it a good lesson: history isn't just some old stuff that never changes. It's something that people have to endeavor to preserve and restore. There is a great deal of effort on the part of many who work tirelessly to make sure it lasts for the future.

Restoring the centuries old floor

Siena's Piazza del Campo

After we toured the duomo we walked to the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main piazza, and one of Europe's most treasured medieval squares. We found a trattoria for lunch and did some people watching over pizza and pasta. After a gelato stop after lunch, we headed to our car and drove about 20 minutes to Monteriggioni.

Charlie was happy in Italy because he could always get pasta with butter

Grandma Nancy & kids in Siena

The Fountain of Joy, built in 1419

Gelato makes everyone happy

Monteriggioni is a small medieval walled town near Siena, built in the early 1200s as a Sienese fortification against Florence. Today it's definitely a tourist destination and our kids loved it. The boys visited the Armory museum with Tobi. We all toured the tiny chapel. Mom and I toured the wine and olive oil shops, and of course, we had gelato. There weren't a lot of tourists there that day and the kids loved running up and down the cobble-stoned piazzas. It was a beautiful sunny day and a really lovely afternoon.

Vines outside Monteriggioni

Just outside the city walls of Monteriggioni

Basta gelato!

The kids love anything to do with knights

Caroline just wanted to sit down

We left Monteriggioni in the late afternoon and started back for Florence. We had a little bit of down time before another fantastic dinner at the villa.

Lining up to see some art!

Since you can't take pictures with the real deal, we had to do this here!

On Tuesday we made our way into the city (via taxi this time - and let's just say I think the taxi driver was telling a pedestrian to have a really, really nice day. Complete with hand gestures) and started our touring at Piazza della Signoria. The public art in Florence is amazing, and nowhere more so than this piazza. It's the piazza where the original David used to stand (now there's a replica so you can take pictures with him). The boys especially loved the statue of Perseus with the head of Medusa. Charlie took numerous photos (some a bit blurry) from numerous angles of Medusa's head.

Art's cool when someone gets their head cut off!

Florence's duomo

We walked from the piazza to the duomo but decided against going in because the crowds were large and we had timed tickets to see the David. We walked on to the Galleria dell'Accademia and got in line for our timed tickets (if you go, do yourself a favor and get your tickets online in advance). It is a rather small museum with one obvious attraction. But one of my favorite memories of the trip will always be when we first got into the museum, we stood in a room with massive paintings and I watched as the boys leaned in and pointed and discussed things. They had interesting ideas of what they were seeing and it was fun to watch. The room with the David was interesting because there were so many people and so many lively discussions going on, but it also felt very tranquil. Like you cannot help but stand in awe of something so incredible. That a human being could craft something so sublime out of marble is almost too hard to believe. The room is lined by some of Michelangelo's later works that were not finished and the stark contrast between them and David gives you an even greater appreciation of the journey it must have taken to craft such a work of art.

Playing in the olive grove

After we visited David, the kids had had enough of art-schmart. So I bought them gelato (again!) and took them in a taxi back to the villa for some R&R while Mom and Tobi went to the Uffizi. After Caroline's nap, I took the kids out into the olive grove of the villa. It was so beautiful there and so peaceful. The kids loved running up and down the hills and through the trees. I always wanted to go to Tuscany but the likelihood was small that we would get to Tuscany in the short time we're living in Europe. I'm so glad we stayed outside the city for this reason. We were three kilometers outside the city but it felt a million miles from the bustle of a city and the kids responded in such a wonderful way that I actually wished we could have stayed a few more days.

I had made reservations at Acqua al 2 for my mother and I for the last night in Florence, at her request. But she was so worn out by the massive Uffizi, that she volunteered for Tobi and me to enjoy a night out while she ate in the apartment with the kids. We had a really lovely night out and enjoyed seeing how beautiful Florence looked at night.

On Wednesday we said ciao, bella to Villa le Piazzole and I cannot lie; I was a little sad to leave.

Cheers!

Tiffany

Up next: Venice and Verona