Breakfast at the Point of Sale (POS)

My friend Christina showed me the place, and I liked it instantly. They serve all kinds of breakfast there until the afternoon (e.g. Mexican, Vegan, Zen, Greek breakfast a.s.o), and they offer lots of other specialities there, mainly with an oriental and mediterranian touch. (Thank you for taking me there, Chrissy!) So this Saturday morning, on a rather cool Autumn day that gives you an idea of the upcoming cold season and places a little chill into your heart, we decided to give the menue there a go!

It is very close to the Naschmarkt, but with just that little bit of a distance that makes it less crowded. The few tourists that discover it are happy to get out of the crazy masses of people, the inhabitants rejoice in the feeling that they know about this little hideaway so close to the action.

We were lucky and got a corner table with the most comfortable sofas, but that was by accident because somebody just left. I definately recommend to book a table if you want to go there on a Saturday late morning, because every body else will feel like breakfast/brunch too. (http://www.thepointofsale.at/)

Most of the tables were full or booked shortly or people just had left. But the atmosphere still was relaxed almost like in my favorite diner in NYC, when we went there on a typical Sunday early morning.

The POS is not very big, but the menue offers so many things and the staff is lovely.

And watch out, here comes the food.... The upper plate is the American breakfast (with bacon, pancakes, blueberries, etc) and the lower plate is the Italian breakfast with prosciutto crudo, eggs, rucola.... Yum! Fresh Orange juice and tea completes the feast, and let me tell you, that our tummies were filled quite well afterwards!

Then a quick hop into Bobby´s Food Store, which is right across the street and offers a wide selection of all kinds of English and American food. I am hooked on some of the stuff since I visited the UK so often that they started saying "Welcome home" at the Immigrant´s office at Heathrow to me and then more or less lived in the US businesswise. So I definately appreciate the endless supply of Reese´s Peanutbutter cups and cherry coke!

 

We discovered www.Suessi.at this time, a tiny and lovely Café de thé just around the corner, where I bet they bake everything themselves and even serve High Tea in a tiny adjacent room! So cool!

 

 

Then we strolled over the Naschmarkt, where I took the opportunity to stock up my supply of Wasabi and Red bean paste. The market stands are full of fruit, veggies and all kinds of specialities, but the crowds are nerve-wrecking, especially on a Saturday lunch time, when the weather is not so good.

 

But still there you get some of the freshest, most mouth-watering specialities of the whole town (but be careful, it is kind of a tourist-trap too, the further from a tube station you are, the more decent the price).

 



 

All kinds of little titbits, fruit and "spices from the Indies"......

 

Afterwards we went home, leaving the masses of people behind and went for a walk with the kiddos.

Fall is good.....

 

 

 

Schloß Schönbrunn

This past Summer holiday we stayed in the Vienna area for a while and went on some (for us) unusual short trips. One of them was a visit to Schloß Schönbrunn, some of the spots you never seem to go to when you live only a short distance away, even though every visitor of Vienna would call you completely mad. So many sayings to describe that phenomenon: The grass is always greener somewhere else, you never go to the pub around the corner ..... - and you almost never visit the sights of your own capital.

So okay, this time we wanted to do something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT and went to explore our own city. It was a blazing hot day when we set off, there was almost not a cloud in the sky, not a single breeze cooling us down, in other words it was one of these glorious days of Summer you can hardly bear when they have arrived, but miss terribly when they are gone.

All of you know Schönbrunn Castle or at least have heard of it, the Internet is full of information, so actually there is not a lot more I can tell you. Yes, it is very impressive, especially when you come in the Summer time with all the flowers in the gardens blooming; yes, it is still our tourist attraction number one; and yes, do come when you got the chance. It is a must-see, especially for a first time in Vienna. Oh, and in case you want to know: The Emperor is not home.....

From the palace you can walk through the palace back garden straight up to the Gloriette. I just want to give you some impression of the whole place, my plan is not to lecture you on history, so let me tell you that nowadays up inside the Gloriette building there is a great little coffeehouse, where you can enjoy the view over Vienna with some Apfelstrudel or Kaiserschmarrn and a Melange.

The Neptunbrunnen is great! We spend there quite a while and took lots of pictures. It was finished shortly before the death of Empress Maria Theresia (okay, I could not hold back, it just popped out of me, sorry about that) and now is definately one of the highlights in the gardens of Schloß Schönbrunn.

Of course some posing came with it too. I love this shot because of the background - it is a little bit vague, but you can tell that there is something great in the back, the water cascading down, the monuments as if they were alive....

Our master photographer at work! Amazing how much time and effort it takes to make really good photos even of such a beautiful place, but it is definately worth it. Thanks for doing such an excellent job, hon!

This one was shot from behind the Neptunbrunnen, a place a little bit hidden. Just walk up toward the Gloriette and make a left (or a right when you come from the other side) shortly before you completely pass the fountain. There you go....

This is my favorite photo from behind, with the horse as if it was actually in motion, bending towards the castle, frozen in the middle of the jump. It has seen the end of the monarchy, and I wonder what else it will see before it decays. Maybe the sky burning to ashes when time comes to an end...

This is the view you get from up at the Gloriette. It was absolutely boiling when we were there, and we forgot to bring a bottle of water (hey, this is just Schönbrunn, so why should we bring water??), so what a bliss to find the coffeeplace.

There are many more beautiful things to see, some of them almost hidden in the huge grounds of the palace, but we had enough and strolled through the wonderfully shady alleys back to the Hitzing entrance of Schönbrunn (which is not the main entrance of the area, step off at U4 Hietzing not Schönbrunn and walk like five minutes, you cannot miss it).

This is my favorite fountain, but unfortunately I don´t know the name of it. Maybe you know? It just seems to be there as if some emperor had said, "no big deal, it is pretty, so lets keep it, but it does not need a name". But probably it has got a name - they named everything back then!

Little rose gardens everywhere, and the roses smelled beautifully. We just were a little bit too late in the year, the buds were all open and would start wilting in a short time. (Mental note: come back earlier next year.) Still it was wonderful wandering through the blooming gardens.

This is the main alley. If you step on it after you entered the Hietzing entrance of Schönbrunn you can follow it straight up to the palace. Still it is a nice, cool walk when the sun is out and the heat is on!

This is the Palmenhaus, the glasshouse of Schönbrunn, that was built sometime around 1880. I am told that it still is the third biggest on the continent. They renovate it constantly, so it is in very good shape, and I recommend visiting it if you got the time and are at least just a little bit fond of tropical plants.

Walking back to the Hietzing entrance, not on the main alley but on one of the little side lanes, you will get this view. In front another one of the gardens, the Palmenhaus would be on the left, and straight ahead of you you can see the little steeple of the church of Hietzing. This marks the one end of the grounds of Schönbrunn. We were really hot and really tired and all we could think about was that we had had a beautiful walk and that all we wanted now was to go home and jump into the pool.

But of course one must eat, right? So this is the place where you can get the best Döner and the best Dürüm anywhere around Schönbrunn Castle, right before you hop onto the tube that will take you home. I am not so sure if Sisi would have liked it though....

Der Spechtensee

Today I want to show you one of the most beautiful places of High Summer in Styria, the Spechtensee, some (for my taste) absolutely stunning piece of nature. In this area we basically find lots of swampy places, and we also do at the left bank of the Spechtensee. If you walk on the grass you get this strange, marshy feeling as if the whole ground would be moving in little waves under your feet, and indeed there is not a lot of soil between you and the dark waters of the lake. The Spechtensee is not very deep, and there is also a little float for swimmers in the middle of it (which would not be necessary, the shouting of the occasional bathers with their kids is rather annoying), so it is not dangerous, but nature had its own way there (as it should!!) and left us with this gorgeous, peaceful (minus the occational kid throwing a tantrum) piece of land.

We love to come here especially in the Summer, where everything is in full bloom, crickets chirp and bees are humming in the flowers. You also see an occational White Shepherd, that is sighted in the area now and then.

Also strange black creatures are said to appear there, mostly on the hunt for a goody that was lost in the grass. As you can see, the little lake is beautiful, in this part I especially love the water lilies. Which I have never caught when they bloom!! I guess I have to go there more often and inspect.

Here the soil is extremely wobbly and insecure. I suggest you approach the lake as far as the little bench is positioned, I would not recommend to go any further. Dogs of course do, at least some. Little black ones check that it might not be safe, big white ones are so sure of themselves that they simply ignore it.

But it is definately hard to get out afterwards, even for the Big White! (Honestly, I don´t know if Dessa would have made it out there, but she is clever enough not to go near.) It did not stop Indy, of course, to jump right back in again afterwards. I am the king of the world! Yes, I can!

Dessa amused herself differently in the meantime, she found a branch from a tree and tested how much it would take to eat it or at least chew it into pieces.

Wow, if I did not know her I would be frightened! But she is so cute, I could smooch her all the time.

Here the chewing and swimming stopped all of a sudden, I must have done something extremely interesting. I would do it again, but I cannot remember what it was.

 

Here some more impressions of the stunning nature you find around the lake. On an warm Summers´s day full of sunshine there is nowhere better to go! Since the lake is a little remote up in the mountains there are not too many people around, but if you are hungry at the entry to the Spechtensee there is the "Spechtenseehütte" where you get nice little things to eat. So worry not, you cannot get lost, won´t be overwhelmed by too many tourists and you can also get food. It cannot get any better!

 

 

Behind you see the Spechtenseehütte, and up front you see one excited kiddo wanting to go in and grab some food. But Ma says no, boring Ma....

 

 

Instead some last glance around, where everything is like it should be: full of sun, full of flowers, full of Summer!

 

And after a gorgeous Summer´s day some relaxing rest under the endless velvet night sky with millions of stars, and only Mr Moon is travelling through the quiet Styrian night.....

 

 

 

Tschü in Mitterndorf

My friend Juliane (= Tschü) lives in three different federal countries of Austria: Upper Austria (where here Mom´s house is), Lower Austria (where her Dad´s house is) and Vienna (where she studies and works). In my blog "A Saturday at the Waldviertel" we went up North past December to see her in the rough and so well-known dark woods of the Austrian "woodquarter". So this holiday it was definately time for her to see us in our Styrian home away from home. Coming from Upper Austria en route to Vienna we picked our V.I.P. guest up from the train.

First thing was to take her to our favorite lake, the Ödensee, we had been on about for years! (Julia, since it is your favorite lake in the area too, I guess you do agree that it was an absolute must to go there, right?)

We made a quick tour around the lake, Indy took the opportunity for a refreshing bath and Dessa was close behind to watch out for a goody that could appear any time out of Mama´s pocket.

So if and when some "Leckerli" appeared she was ready! Crocodile Dessa at work. In situations like this she develops enormous speed and agility all of a sudden.

Then it was time for lunch at the "Kohlröserlhütte", which happens to be our favorite restaurant in the area (and so close to our favorite lake - what a lucky coincidence!)

Pumkin soup for a starter (yes, it is the season again, yum yum), and then Wiener Schnitzel for some of us. (I had the Pumpkin pasta - did I mention, that I like pumpkin?)

This is actually the only photo in Kohlröserlhütte, where your eyes are open, Tschü. Really, we must practice more. It goes like this, "Eyes open - click - flash - eyes still open, voila wonderful photo."

Afterwards a quick hop into one of the local bakeries to get some dessert. Yes, we can (eat all of this at once)!!!

 

Unfortunately much too soon it was "time to say goodbye" again, and our V.I.P.guest had to move on to the capital.

 

 

Bye-bye, come back soon, it was a great day! Result: one forgotten cap (in my wardrobe right now, waiting for its owner), too much food and nice memories.

 

And for the others it was time to go home just as well.....