Vienna IV

The last day in Vienna started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Then we had to gather our stuff together to be ready to move in a bigger room. This time, we had a very spacious and bright room looking right on a calm backstreet. We had a free standing bathtube with view on the flatscreen on the wall. Unfortunately, it was only for the last night. So in the morning we went into the St. Stephans cathedral right around the corner. We even payed the 3.50 Euro entrance fee to get to the top of the tower, nota bene by feet. It was pretty narrow on the stairs, and as I was carrying my Bree bag on the back and Valentinas bag in the hand, it was difficult to pass by for those who were coming down. But on the top we had a stunning view on the roofs of Vienna.

Then we strolled around the Kohlmark and went to the Palmenhaus near the Hofburg. This is a very beautiful café and we had something to drink, as it was sunny and pretty hot. After this stop, we walked to the museum and had an insight to the magnificient chambers of the former emperors. Afterwards we were pretty tired and went back to the hotel. But as it was our last day, we soon pulled us together and went to the Café Leopold at the Museumsquartier. There we enjoyed a chicken wrap whilst the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon.

Vienna III

Yesterday the weather was not that good as it was the day before, but as long as it doesn't rain sightseeing is still amusing. We took the metro to the Vienna International Center which is lying north of the Danube River. It houses several tall buildings and towers with heights up to 120m. Then we went to the Hundertwasser house built from 1983 to 1986 by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (I already saw a public toilet built in Kawakawa in New Zealand, which was built by this architect). Within the house there are 52 apartments, four offices, 16 private terraces and a total of 250 trees and bushes, growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows.

After that we had a short coffee break and wrote some postcards in a nearby Café. Then we headed to the metro station Kettenbrückengasse where the famous Naschmark is located. There, you can find local vegetables and exotic fruits, seafood and everything you can imagine. From there we walked to the Museumsquartier and then passed by the Maria-Theresien Place on the way to the Rathaus. From far away it looks like a huge church, but then you see that the towers do not form a cross. In the early evening we went to the Prater, where the Riesenrad is located. I guess it was in High School, when we read "The Third Man" by Graham Greene. In the novel Harry Lime and Holly Martins meet in the Riesenrad. Actually my imagination which I had then was quite different. The Riesenrad stops every now and then because the cabins are pretty large and visitors need some time to get on and off.

After the Riesenrad we were getting hungry, and so we decided to have dinner at ON at Wehrgasse 8. Unfortunately, we didn't have a reserved table and therefore had to sit next to the kitchen and in the smoking area. Nevertheless, the meals were delicious!

Vienna II

Yesterday we had our first individual breakfast at the hotel. The staff was very friendly and attentively and the breakfast was rich and delicious. Soon after we left the hotel as it was sunny and the temperature was over 20°C. Firstly, we went to the Schloss Schönbrunn with its enormous and impressive gardens! I guess you could spend hours strolling through the gardens. After that we walked to the next beautiful palace, the Schloss Belvedere. We sat down on the lawn and enjoyed the sun and the view over the old town of Vienna. After that rest we went shopping at Graben and Kärtnerstrasse.

For dinner we decided to go to "Dai Fratelli", but that was a mistake. It's an italian restaurant just around the corner of Stephanplatz and our hotel, and the crowd sitting on the terrace looked pretty sophisticated and well-to-do. First, since it was already late, we had no table, but after a minute or two, we got a seat inside. Now, the waiters didn't care about anything. We got the drinks, the salad came a minute after that, and the pizza after two minutes. We had no time to eat, and they were talking in italian and in the next moment in english and than in german. They didn't care about us, and as the service was bad, we decided to give no tip. So Valentina rounded the bill up and said that to the waiter in italian. However, he didn't care and gave us less change! What an impudence!

After that, we strolled along the wide nocturnal streets in Vienna. Impressing how much folk is out on the streets at that time of the night!

Vienna I

Valentina and I will stay the next 4 days at the Hollmann Beletage in Vienna. We got up at 8 today, had breakfast in the lovely spring sun, took our luggage and left for the Airport in Zurich. After a short flight with a fabulous view down on the ground we landed in Vienna. We didn't have any difficulty finding the hotel, which is situated in the heart of old central Vienna. The spacious and bright bedrooms impress with neat, modern design. All rooms bear a certain surprising effect like in-closet-hidden bathrooms or completely open-in-room-integrated bathrooms. As patron Robert Hollmann knows his business (he is both an actor and a chef) every guest starts his day with an individual breakfast. Sounds good, right?

After a short rest, we left the hotel and popped up right onto the lively streets of Vienna. We walked passed the Stephansdom, had a coffee at Starbucks (I know, I know) on Kärntnerstrasse and walked to the Hofburg, where we enjoyed the last sunrays.

For dinner, we went to ra'mien at Gumpendorferstr. 9. The minimal designs make you feel like dining in a school cafeteria, but that makes it friendly. And yes, the food was good, very good indeed!

MSc in Food Science III

Last saturday Valentina and I went to Winterthur as there was a information day at the Zurich University for Applied Sciences. Valentina intends to do her Bachelor's in Physiotherapy there, so this was a good opportunity to get an insight into the studies. After the presentations we walked to the main shopping street and had lunch at Wagamama. I had some delicious Udon Noodles with chicken and ginger and as starter some edamames, which are green soy beans. Valentina had some japanese rice with chicken in a dough. Maybe we will find some time to go to the Zurich branch once, as it is really mouth-watering! Some days before we also had dinner at Lemongras in Schaffhausen. The curry there is always worth trying! And this thursday I had my first BBQ this year. It was a wonderful day and so I went to Chällis apartment in Zurich where he and his girlfriend were already waiting! We didn't have a wide selection, but the carrot salad, the meat and some bread were just enough!

As it was so warm and sunny, I went running quite often and I also took my bike out to have ride outside. This is what I'm going to do right now!

Besides, I went to a presentation about job opportunities at the Boston Consulting Group, which is located in Zurich. The presentation was for free and at ETH, so I just wondered what non business people are doing there. As I was working for a consulting agency for quite long, I certainly know what consulting is, but at the agency nobody had graduated from natural sciences.

And I went to see another presentation with the title "Decreasing Iron Deficiency without increasing Infection" held by Dr. Gary Brittenham from Columbia University in New York. It was interesting to see the connection between iron and infections, which was quite new to me, even though I worked with iron for my bachelor thesis.