heuriger

yeah, i'm not sure drinking white wine spritzer through a straw is the idea! haha.

we had a lovely afternoon up on the vienna hills on saturday. the weather was beautiful. just perfect for being outside. it's so amazing that you can get out into the fields/vineyards so easily and still be in vienna. i've said it before but it really is one of my favourite things to do here when the weather is good.

we visited two heuriger that we hadn't been to before. mayer am nussberg, which was a great discovery. they were playing random music (in what was basically a field!) and they even had a sofa to sit on looking out over the view. we also went to sirbu which is a much more traditional heuriger. it actually looks like someones house from the front. both were good but completely different. in mayer you go up and order your own drinks and food. in sirbu it's table service (like everywhere in vienna) but the service was pretty bad. apparently they have an award winning wine though!

pictures from our weekend

AWESOME steak

cooked to perfection at wild. we took our friends the shanabaileys (who are staying with us for easter) there on friday night. really yummy meal again. i really must learn how to cook a steak properly... or i could just go to wild every time i crave one (a much better idea!).

vienna marathon

on sunday it was the vienna marathon (the same day as the london marathon). it was a lovely day and so i went out to watch and cheer people on. i'm not sure the people running would have been so thrilled about the sunny blue sky though!

i spotted a lady in union jack shorts!

running the last straight towards the finish line. it must be such an amazing feeling.

the atmosphere was fantastic (and i got a little emotional!). they were playing classical music on loud speakers around part of the course i walked which seemed so right for vienna. there was also a steel drum band set up in front of the opera house. everybody was enjoying the sunshine and drinking beer at the finish (where lots of food and beer stalls were set up).

i still find it a little incomprehensible that it is possible for a person to run 26 miles! but it did inspire me to stop being so lazy and i actually went for a run tonight. i'm never going to be running a marathon (that is for sure!) but i can at least try and get fitter again. i've just got to keep it up now!

lately

my blog turned one year old on 6th april without me really realising. how time has flown. i still can't believe that i live in austria sometimes.

it is not a good idea to shop when you're hungover. you come back with frozen pizza, sausages, frozen chips, cheese and bread... and nothing else (although the chip butty i had for a late night snack last night was pretty awesome). not sure i'm so excited about the sausages and frozen chips for dinner today though.

kev went home to brighton without me this week. it was a very strange feeling. i had a real longing to be there too... wandering the north laines, sitting on the beach looking out to sea, drinking a (good) pint of strongbow in the pub, gazing at all the amazing food in waitrose (ha).

btw, i'm still going to my german class every tuesday evening after work. i think i'm learning... i'm still struggling with the actual speaking though.

i had a great night out on friday with jenny. we spent most of the evening in a great little place called wunder-bar. i loved it there (apart from the smoke) but i'm getting more used to that again. we then went to a cocktail bar called first floor where i experienced one of the best cocktails EVER. a coriander mojito. AMAZING.

i've been a terrible reader lately. i haven't really picked up a book since i started full time work again. i really must do something about that. i miss it.

i've been listening to the jezabels a lot recently. their ep dark storm is fantastic. in fact i'm listening to it now! here is a link to one of their songs on youtube. have a listen.

the glastonbury lineup was announced this week! i'm getting pretty damn excited!

don't laugh too loudly

on friday evening kev took me to a local thai place (sri thai imbiss) as he had read good things about it. however, it turned out to be a rather random experience!

we arrived at around 8.30pm but was told the chef was closing the kitchen at 9pm so we could only stay if we ordered what somebody else had ordered as she was cooking nothing else (luckily for us we like red thai chicken curry!).

anyway, we sat down (without having seen a menu) and ordered a thai beer each. the place is small (only about 6 tables) but an interesting space full of thai memorabilia and pictures of the thai royal family. the kitchen area is in the corner of the room (so in view of the diners).

kev and i were just happily chatting when the chef suddenly came over to our table and told us (in half german, half english) to be quiet and stop laughing so loudly as there is a baby sleeping upstairs. seriously, i was flabbergasted! we were making no more noise than anyone else (i mean, it was just the two of us having a normal level conversation) and there was actually a fan in the restaurant (i guess because they cook in the same room) that was SO loud. oh, and she was hitting her wok pans pretty hard with her metal utensils too.

i've never felt so uncomfortable in such an environment. it's a shame because when the red thai curry arrived it was absolutely delicious (and very hot!) but we won't be going back!

lazy sunday

it will probably come as no surprise to you that my sunday was mostly spent eating! i can't think of many better ways to start a sunday than with a bacon sandwich in bed (although a bacon sandwich in bed made by kev would have been better!). i forgot to mention we also stopped by bobby's foodstore on saturday because i was having a major craving for british bacon. its a great place for your bacon, mature cheddar cheese, and crisp fix. and oh my, did i enjoy that sandwich!

i went to the museums quartier in the afternoon to meet sarah for coffee, although i will admit i did actually have a beer. my excuse, i don't like coffee ;-). it was lovely chatting although we did nearly get blown away by the wind.

in the evening kev and i cooked melanzane alla parmigiana. it was a first attempt and unfortunately didn't turn out quite right (it was a bit wet and watery) but it still tasted good. the recipe needed dried breadcrumbs for the topping but after searching every aisle in merkur i gave up and bought croutons instead. we tried to bash them up with a rolling pin but i think the chunks were still a little on the big side. ah well.

oh and i ended the day by having a little cry to harry potter and the deathly hallows part 1 (poor dobby!).

i love tulips

sunny saturday

these photographs of vienna yesterday are deceptive as they don't show how crazily windy it was! but the sun was shining and we enjoyed a lovely afternoon.

yesterday we...
* got up late and ate €1 pizza from the local stand for brunch (oohps)
* walked to naschmarkt where we bought lots of fresh vegetables, herbs and salad... and some lovely tulips
* went to the italian delicatessen piccini (there is also a restaurant) where we bought freshly sliced besaola and salami (YUM)
* took a long walk home stopping for a beer at café rudigerhof and buying freshly baked bread on the way
* passed film casino (for where kev has a voucher to spend... a birthday gift from the lovely jenny & thomas). we must go there very soon!
* cooked pasta peperonata for dinner and ate it with a few glasses of white wine. was really really delicious and so simple.

i hope for more days like these.