Viennese-Slovak Birthday August 25, 2011

Happy Birthday Kate!

I’ve spent my birthday in some great places in recent years…Disneyland (25), Martha’s Vineyard (26), Gran Canaria (27), Granada, Spain (28).  This year was no exception.  How many people can say they spent a birthday in two countries?!  Although I hate the sound of it (because it sounds so old), it’s official…I have now entered a new decade, the thirties.  I can’t complain about my birthday celebration, though, because it was jammed packed with great sites and delicious food!

We started the day in Vienna where we toured Schonbrunn Palace, the Opera House, and St. Stephen’s and indulged in various Viennese cakes.  We finished the day with a early evening trip and birthday dinner in Bratislava, Slovakia.  What a day!

Viennese (Birthday) Cake

Why get one big cake when you can order 5 different pieces of cake from 3 bakeries?  It was like wedding-cake tasting all over again! 

• Kurkonditorei Oberlaa: Tried the obligatory Sacher-Torte (Vienna’s famous chocolate cake) = a little too dry for my taste even with whipped cream not to mention the fact that I don’t want any kind of jam in my cake, especially not apricot! Overall not terrible, just not my favorite. SchokoMousse Torte topped in chocolate glaze was very tasty, and my second favorite.

• Demel: Truffeltorte= amazing and so rich!  Definitely my favorite even though it was more expensive (4 euros) than other places.

 

• Kaffe Mayer (Bratislava): least expensive of the bakeries we visited, but the truffle cake here was good, and my third favorite.  Kaffe cake took fourth place…it had some kind of jam inside and crushed walnuts sprinkled on the outside that took away from the good coffee flavor

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Joe's Note:  Before this trip, this was all he knew about Bratislava, and had visions of this happening...it did not

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Bratislava

After trekking across the city yesterday, and searching for the train to Bratislava for an hour at the wrong station, we were determined to get there today.  We made it in plenty of time to roast on the on the one hour trip.

We were pleasantly surprised with Slovakia’s capital city.  A Communist nation until 1989, and one with Czech Republic until the early 90’s,Slovakia has spent the last 18 years trying to find its way as an independent country, and now a member of the European Union (2009).  Although much of Slovakia is rural and very poor, Bratislava is an up-and-coming place with a lot of potential.  Hopefully the wealth it brings in will be distributed throughout the country.  Time will tell.

Highlights:

• Grassalkovich Palace: Slovakia’s version of the White House (it’s white, too) stands out with its a nicely landscaped park on the back side, and black and gold gates in the front guarded my two uniformed men. 

• Old Town Tour: Enjoyed our walk through Hlavne Namestie (main square), past random street statues, and down to the Danube River to the interesting Communist-era UFO (Nowy Most) Bridge 

• Language: English seems to be spoken by most people here.  Signs are English, as well as menus.
• Food: 1, Slovak Pub was an excellent choice for my birthday dinner.  Even though it was hot out, my goulash (w/ pork, beef, and potatoes) was delicious!  Joe tried bryndzove halusky (like small gnocchi in a thick white sauce made of sheep’s milk cheese).  At the end of dinner, we were shocked to see our bill…our meals, plus bread and 3 Zlaty Bazant beers cost 13.60 euros!  We felt pretty bad that such good food was so cheap. 

   

Unfinished Business: It would be interesting to come back here several years from now to see where the country is at.