Farewell in Vienna

Everything eventually has to come to an end, both the good and the bad. In the beautiful summer of 2011, the time had come to bid farewell to my friend, my cooking teacher, and my travel buddy - Tina. She had to go back to her hubby who had been awaiting her for almost 2 years while she was in Copenhagen.

When she broke the news to me, I was saddened by the fact that we had to part (finally) but at the same time, happy for her, for she would embark into a new chapter of life with her loved one.

I was glad that we had planned a trip together to Vienna way ahead. We parted with good memories of how our friendship started. It was unfortunate that I fell ill during the last half of our trip. Thank God Tina didn't catch the bug from me!

Right after work, we both set off to the airport to catch our flight to the City of Music. What a shame. We both were extremely tired from work and on top of that, Tina had been busy with her relocation as well. Poor girl. But she still exhibited her usual cheerfulness and excitement when we traveled.

We arrived at Vienna in the evening and we started to locate our hotel. It was supposed to be near the train station. We had walked a few rounds and still no sight of the hotel. There were some kind souls who tried to help us clueless girls and yet it was to no avail.

I couldn't quite recall how we finally ended up checking into the hotel but we made it! Yay!

As the room door flung opened...tadaa! We were greeted by a cozy looking bed. I loved the room. It was like a studio apartment except it was smaller.
No wonder we couldn't locate the hotel, it was situated in one of the smaller alleys. Honestly, it could be rather intimidating to walk into those alleys in the dark although it seemed generally safe to do so.

Each hotel room was like a house or apartment unit. What a unique design. It didn't feel like walking into a hotel at all!

Small and simple kitchen. 

A rather big toilet in comparison with the size of the room. It was equipped with heaters. Not that we needed it anyway.

After a good night sleep, we went to the reception/management office the following morning to pay for the room. The reception area was surprisingly welcoming and clean.
In addition to that, the man who attended to us was very friendly and helpful too.

The bill came up to EUR180 for 3 nights, for 2 person.

If you are interested, here are the details of the hotel:

Name : La Scala Apartments
Address : Schützengaße 19 1030 - Wien
E-mail : appartementpensionlascala.267387@venere.com
Fax no. : +43-1-2422250
Telephone : +43-664-5098122

The room price did not include breakfast but wireless Internet was included.

Some random shots on the street view. We were very blessed with beautiful weather in those 3 days!

As we started to wander around the city, we soon came to the St. Charles Church (Karlskirche).

It may be less popular compared to the grand St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, its beauty is irrevocable. The surrounding of the church was serene, with only a few street musicians by the lake or around the church.

What could have been done better was the cleanliness of the lake. It could have put the handsome facade before it to shame.

Dubbed as the City of Music, it is no surprise to see many music theatres as you roam around Vienna.

Often, there are many booths being setup in the city selling tickets for music performances.

Tina and I bought a pair of tickets for that night's show right away when we passed by a booth. Impulsive? Maybe...

It was scheduled to be performed in the renowned Schonbrunn Palace!

The sky was still bright even though it was approaching evening. Ah, one of the wonders of summer! You feel like you have all day!
Boy, the palace was huge! It was quite a long walk before we entered into the building. Security within the building was tight. Bags will have to be deposited at the counter and not to mention the queue was overwhelming!

It is brilliant how they turned a palace into a performance theatre. The experience of listening to soulful music in a grand architecture brings art into a different level. I am not a classic music lover but I totally enjoyed the night.

I was definitely under-dressed. Jeans and sport shoes in a palace, for a classical music performance? Hell, no way! Well, I didn't expect we would go for an impromptu performance that night. Most probably, I had to shop for a proper dress and a pair of decent shoes as I never packed anything close to that for the trip. Anyway, I think I wasn't the only one :p

We were given a short break half way through the performance. Some took the opportunity to fetch a glass of champagne and plenty others, like us, camwhored. The palace was even more beautiful during the night.

As the performance slowly winded down to the end, so was our night. It was a day filled with kilometres of walk. A soothing bath and probably a massage would send us both to a heavenly sleep.

But we didn't need any of that to turn into snoring pigs as soon as we hit the bed :p

A battle with cakes and pastries in Vienna

No doubt Vienna is a city of music. But what I discovered during my 2011 trip was that, it is a city for the sweet-tooth. As I passed by the stalls in the train stations, cafes and bakeries along the streets, delicious and tempting cakes or pastries were on the display.

I could practically hear them screaming "Ain't I look sweet!" or "Do you want a bite of me?" - to which I tried very hard to resist. Generally, I am a person that enjoy savoury delicacies than sweet ones but the sinful seduction of those pretty looking cakes made it a tough battle.

With just one turn. Just one. And I knew I was trapped. There was no turning back. I had to have them.

I was glad that I wasn't alone. My travel buddy Tina, was too hypnotised by the sweet spell.

Cafe Sacher is one of the quaint (and perhaps luxurious, if I may add) cafes in the city that offer authentic sacher-torte. In fact, they claimed to be the cafe that serves the legendary original sacher-torte. The branch which we visited were coincidentally linked to Hotel Sacher.
You could see that the facade is handsomely designed in a traditional Viennese taste.

Its interior is as tastefully designed as its exterior. For a moment, I felt like I was drawn back to the 16th or 17th century of Europe. The yellow lighting gave a nostalgic and romantic touch to the whole atmosphere.

 The famous Sacher-Torte, waiting elegantly on the saucer.

 We also ordered another cake....which by now I couldn't recall what flavour it was! -.- All I remember is that the cakes are yummy!

I ordered a pot of team to go with the cakes while Tina ordered a cup of cappuccino. Apart from cakes, Cafe Sacher is also popular for its signature coffees - Einspänner, Kaffee verkehrt, Fiaker, Sacher Kaffee, Anna Sacher Kaffee, Sacher Melange. 

The Sacher-Torte isn't exactly the best cake I had eaten but indisputably good. It is a very rich, dense and moist chocolate cake - satiable those who are hungry for chocolate. You can have other cakes in the menu, if you are not a fan of chocolate.

Some other traditional cafes which offered a wide selection of delicious cakes were Cafe Schwarzenberg and Cafe Central. Both are located in Vienna city and also served main meals.

We had lunch in Cafe Central and the place was very crowded. We almost couldn't get a table for two! The food (typically Viennese) was up to the expectation of its reputation and the service was relatively good too.

Lunch at Cafe Central. On my way to the ladies, I couldn't help but stared at the dessert counter. Perhaps, some people just have cakes, cakes, and cakes as main meal. I, however, still prefer my main meal savoury rather than sweet.

Cafe Schwarzenberg. I had trouble picking which cake I wanted! Note that this is only one side of the display! If only my tummy could allow it, I would have each of every flavour!

So, I have a sweet-tooth after all. Or maybe, the cakes are just too seductively good looking.....?

How about.....Say You Love Me.

Remember the days you would be glued to the TV, watching a TV serial that got you so hooked up?

I have yet another confession to make. Recently, I am deeply addicted to the sequel of Triumph To The Skies ((衝上雲霄). The prequel was a big hit way back in 2003. I still recalled following each and every episode of it without fail in those college days.

Ten years later, the serial is relived with a sequel and some slight changes of casts. Heart-throb Julian Cheung is added into the starring cast, which steals more viewership for the already famed serial.

Which is better? The prequel or the sequel? I have no idea yet as I haven't finished with it. However, I certainly recommend it. The serial does not only talk about the passion of being a pilot or an air crew, but also invokes many meaningful thoughts and principles of life - friendship, relationship, marriage, dreams, etc.

I absolutely love the choice of scenic locations and the songs that were used throughout the filming.
The latter are very tastefully selected and goes very well with the story line or the scenes. One of them which got me addicted recently is Patti Austin's "Say You Love Me". I love her vocal. It is simply flawless.

Giggly Halloween

How did your Halloween go?

Going round the neighbourhood doing "trick or treat"?

Scared anyone out of their wits?

Mine was nothing spectacular. But I discovered a very cool (and cute) application which is gaining popularity among mobile users. Yeah, it is the Mo Man Xiang Ji (魔漫相机) application, available in IPhone and Android based mobiles. However, you may not be able to open the saved image as the file extension was .bshn.

That was a spoiler, wasn't it?

Fret not. Here is the workaround. For Android users, download the ES File Explorer application, which basically manages and allows you to share files (of any kind) between Android and Windows. It serves as a cloud storage client that is compatible with Dropbox, Skydrive, Google Drive, etc. In short, it is cool.

You can use this application to view the saved .bshn file as Image or you may copy it to another folder and rename it with .jpg extension. Voila! You get your picture file that is readable by your phone or computer.

Ooops, another spoiler is that the application is in Chinese! Anyway, it isn't too difficult to play around with it.

I was giggling the whole night while placing my hubby's facial photo into the comical characters :p

And here is a rendition of my own facial photo, that screams "Happy Halloween!".......not in a horrifying way but well, in a cute way(?)

The Day I Grew Mad For Garlic

That's right.

I would rather admit blatantly that I have a sudden strange obsession instead of acknowledging I am now officially a year older.

Last week marked the final year of my twenties. Boohooo.
On a brighter note, I had some really good years in my twenties when I looked back. That is a consolation I could hold on to.

My sister was rocking off her birthday in Seoul with some friends and it was a pity I couldn't join them. She, however, shared photos of her trip LIVE, from time to time via Whatsapp. It was cool that South Korea has WIFI practically every where.

Since I didn't get to go to Seoul, hubby said I could have a Korean meal as a birthday celebration. Yippie! Off we went to the famous Han Gang Korean restaurant in Grand Indonesia mall.

Perhaps it wasn't my lucky day. They were closed for renovation!! -.-
We checked with the Information Service counter if there were any other Korean restaurants in the mall. The answer "Mad For Garlic" came up. Twice. We asked 2 different counters twice and we got the same reply.

We decided to check it out, although I was quite sure it wasn't Korean.

It turned out to be an Italian bistro, which is originated from Korea.
Aha! That, apparently made it Korean to those two Information Service representatives! -.-""

Anyway, to save us from hunting for the real Korean restaurant, I told hubby that we shall give this a try.

The place was rather comfortably decorated. Cosy, in fact. There were huge couches that you could probably lay down for a nap while waiting for your orders to be served.
And of course, garlics were practically everywhere!

Up in the ceiling.

On the lights.

On the walls.

And surely, on your plate of food.

From left, clock wise : Lobster Cream Pasta (topped with fish roe), Garlic Snowing Pizza, and Assorted Seafood Salad.

The food portion was surprisingly generous.

I like the vinaigrette flavour in the salad. It matched very well with the sauteed shrimps, squids and aromatic garlics (of course!). While the squids were fairly fresh, I find the shrimps were either over cooked or it was a frozen product. They didn't have the bouncy texture of fresh, perfectly cooked shrimps.

Garlic Snowing Pizza is such a cheesy name - remember how Korean romance dramas always have a snowy scene :p
When it was served, the waiter sprinkled a generous portion of grated Parmesan cheese as the pizza topping. Besides, slices of fried garlics were also visible on the pizza.
Beneath all those toppings were some peeled shrimps and absolutely sweet pineapples! The pizza was a pleasant surprise to me. I enjoyed it as it had all the ingredients I like in one serving - pineapples, garlic and cheese.

We started to feel the food were slowing expanding in our tummies when we were reaching for the Lobster Cream Pasta. We only had the salad and half of the pizza. The food were filling.

Hubby wasn't a huge fan of creamy based food but he decided to order the Lobster Cream Pasta because it sounded promising. The verdict? It was all right. The pasta was cooked al dente and the cream sauce wasn't lumpy.

As hubby paid the bill, the waitress brought him a dine in voucher with the validity till December 2013. Mmmm...will we come back here again?

Maybe.

Just maybe, if I grew mad for garlic again.

And if Han Gang is closed, again ;p

The 17th century old Leiden

The fond memories of The Netherlands are always associated with the Amsterdam city, the cheese market, the "candies" and the alluring night life of the Red Light District.

Truth is, the Dutch land has more to offer.

About 40 km from Amsterdam, lies a quaint town of Leiden. It is probably the second largest 17th-century town centre in The Netherlands after Amsterdam. 

As we walked into the Dutch province of South Holland in an early morning of November 2011, our sights were only limited to 40 metres ahead due to the heavy fog enveloping the quiet town. We took the opportunity to explore the historical and cultural place before the town was fully awake.

Enriched in historical fortifications, Leiden is also a university city since 1575. It is a home to Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Centre and has twinned with the England oldest university location, Oxford since 1946.

 

Despite having a mere 22 square kilometres of land, Leiden has numerous small canals and that made it excellent for offering canal tour packages as well as setting up cafes or bistros along the waters.

One thing that you will most probably not missed, albeit the mist and fog is the windmill! It certainly is the landmark of the country and it is massive. If you are absolutely fond of windmills, do visit De Valk, the windmill museum.

A 16th-century building, the Town Hall (Stadhuis Leiden)

I imagine the town will be much more charming during summer or perhaps even spring, when flowers are blooming and butterflies are round and about.

It seemed we had missed one important building during our exploration amidst the fog (we had to be careful not to walk into waters as the visibility was pretty bad in some parts of the town, especially near the canals) - the castle De Burcht. You may check out more information here, if you are interested.

You will probably not enjoy Leiden as much if you like hippie and vibrant city life. However, you might consider celebrating the annual 3 Oktober Festival (not to be confused with Oktoberfest) with the locals. The festival commemorates the anniversary of the 1573–1574 Siege of Leiden, during the Eighty Years' War, when the Spanish Army attempted to capture the city.

There will be parades, traditional food hutspot and Dutch herring, partying and of course, drinking all day.

Stylishly Miss Ann

Being your own boss may sound glamourous and glorious. You can work at your own pace. Come and leave work as you wish and most importantly, you are the one bossing people around instead of being bossed around!

Truth is, it is not as rosy as it may appear. A lot of hard work and effort is needed to start up and subsequently maintain it.

Kudos to those who boldly embarked into such a challenging journey and may your hard work pays off.

A friend recently jumped into the same wagon wheel. She started up her own fashion lable Miss Ann, which is based in Melbourne. Since she is not an Aussie, I could imagine how tough things can get when trying to start up a decent business abroad. Nevertheless, she made it.

The brand, the logo

And all she needs is a kind and generous support from friends, families and you, who respects her determination and her courage to build a dream. Since we were in high school, we could see her distinct taste for fashion and I am glad she is able to indulge in what she loves and adores.

Please like her in Facebook here. Your support counts and much appreciated! :)

A sneak preview of her banner ;)

P/S: All pictures taken from Miss Ann.