Further Afield: The UN Complex

Last week the IAEA hosted its annual meeting, and I took the opportunity to visit the information tables in the main rotunda (and have lunch with my favorite engineer, naturlich.)  The UN/Vienna International Center (VIC) complex is a can't miss 1970's design plunked down in the suburban part of Vienna. 

A recent iOS upgrade to my iPhone includes a panoramic setting on the camera, and the UN complex was a perfect test for the feature.

Many of the Asian and Middle Eastern member states focused on the public health and safety of irradiated food, which was of most interest to me. Always a step ahead, not only is Indonesian irradiated food sterile and ready to eat, but it's palatable & wholesome, too.

The Koreans also make irradiated food, and provide a handy guide on how to eat the food should the need be emergent.  I chatted with the representatives a bit, who told me that everything is taste tested several times because they felt it would be important to have a comforting meal in an emergency. Alas, though, they would not share the Happy Irradiated Meal with me to try at home.

The French had an interactive Boiling Water Reactor, where you could press buttons and reactor sections would light up. Over the last 20 years I've gleaned a little understanding of BWR's, but I couldn't understand the French explanations to test my knowledge. Cie la vie.

 I chatted ever so briefly with the Iranian representative about their food irradiation research. She seemed a little lonely sitting at the table.  They didn't have any "swag" to give away, which probably explains why few people stopped by.

If there had been a contest for Most Ironic Display, the Russian Federation's glowing tube would have taken the top prize.

I also took a little time to view some of the art in the main rotunda. The UN offers a formal art tour of their vast collection, which it established to encourage people to, "in the spirit of diplomacy, consider the artistic variety of the world."  Someday I'll take the formal tour, but for now I invite you to enjoy my small virtual tour.

Tucked away along the corridor to the main dining room is this pretty fountain, given to the UN by the city of Vienna in 2003 on the occasion of the International Year of Fresh Water, and provided me with a cool drink to wrap up my visit.

Wiener Weinwandertag: Sneak Preview

Once a year, in the fall, Vienna's 700 hectares of private vineyards (230 in all!) open their gates and let us roam further than we usually trespass on our morning outings.  All of the heurigen will be open, as well, offering hungry wanderers small plates of food, truly local wines, and amazing views. And the weather is forecast to be rather cooperative, too!

Fret not if you will not be in the area this weekend. Clayton Theodore and I did a little sneak previewing of our planned family outing on Sunday for you! Our first challenge this morning was to not be konk-ed on the head by falling horse chestnuts.  They are everywhere and many of them are large, like 2 inches in diameter large. I cringe when I hear the chestnuts hitting cars that are parked beneath the trees. Rather unfortunately, too, they are inedible. Oh, the jars of marron paste I had envisioned...

Signs! I'm sure the city of Vienna would not want to lose a happy wanderer. 

We got an early start.

This is a time when I wish that the Internet had Aroma-Vision.  With harvesting getting underway, there are mounds of aromatic, very aromatic, fermenting grapes and grape stems waiting to be mulched back into the Earth. On some of the warmer mornings recently I am convinced a contact buzz is a definite possibility.

A few of the celebrities awaiting those who venture high enough.

We decided to follow a path that we've never taken before (probably because we rarely take the paved paths.)  There were lots of staircases that did not seem to go anywhere.

Plus a delightful architectural feature.

Haha. For the wanderer who has had a little too much sturm.

Our two-hour Wien Weinwandertag brought us up to a heurigen with beautifully clear skies and an equally beautiful view of the snow-capped (!) western range of the Alps. Just the respite we need before heading back to the house.  Happy wandering to you, wherever you may go this weekend!

The Tram Museum

With Anna Grace in Munich for a XC tournament and Jack camping with Scouts last weekend, that gave the two of us a day to ourselves. Given that Tony had been so patient the previous weekend when tagging along on not one, but two major street Flohmarkts with me, I thought he might appreciate an afternoon without mention of a flea market. So to the Tram Museum we went.

Vienna's "Strassenbahn" (street train) system has been around for over 100 years. The first trains were horse-powered, quite literally.

The earliest powered trains appeared around 1900. 

Trams in the 1920's were a slight more updated.

Following the Anschluss Austria used Nazi-designed and engineered trams during WWII.  Not all trams were as bleak as the era, thankfully.

Many Nazi trams were destroyed in the last days of the war. In 1948, per the Marshall Plan, New York City sent Vienna trams. They came to be known as the "Amerikaner" tram. 

Vienna had its own first post-war trams in the late 1950s, many of which were comprised of salvaged parts.

Very contemporary designs for the 1960's. This is the predominant style, with occasional modifications, still in use today. However, these trams are all "High Floor," making it near impossible for persons in wheelchairs, or with strollers or shopping trolleys, to access the tram. 

Now there are "Low Floor" trams that align well with the platform.  We all like the new trams.

Back when Europe was one giant "Smoking Section," Wiener Linien had the foresight to dedicate a "Raucher " car to many of its lines, with open sides for ventilation. Note the irony of the "Smoking" car going in the direction of the Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof). 

Also on display were uniforms worn by the conductors and ticket takers throughout Wiener Linien history.  Stylish!

There were buses, too, including this vintage rambler that would wend up the switchback roads to the top of Kahlenberg. What a ride that must have been.

A good deal of attention was given to the inner workings of the trams, as well, so it can be said that my darling Enginerd had himself a super afternoon.

Die McNoodles

Well, who knew that Austria was the next Thai fast food capital?  Last week Vienna McDonald's launched a test of two new "Asian" noodle dishes, the product of an 18 month effort to cultivate the next new McDonald's food. Thai-Austrian may just be the next fusion cuisine!

After a grueling afternoon at the garden center selecting just the right MAIZE Chrysanthemums to fill the BLUE pots on my front entry...

...a friend and I pulled into the McDonald's near our houses to test the new "FantASIAisches" offerings.  We shared the "Must-Eat of the Season" Chicken Curry McNoodles and the Asia Shrimps Taschen (wontons). Cute packaging on the McNoodles.

And on the inside?  Standard lackluster presentation.

Sharf (Spicy) Chili Dipping Sauce?  Nein. Nein. Nein. Österreich versteht nicht "spicy."  I do not think a single chili was harmed making this sauce.

The verdict?  The Chicken Curry McNoodles had a familiar flavor of curry, but were lacking the comforting taste of Haandi at home, though. I would not give up McDonald's French Fries for the noodles, but they did have much more character than any Golden Arch burgers. The shrimp wontons were pretty okay; definite shrimp taste, and the wontons were crispy. As street food it could give the Doner Kabob some competition, should Austria ever embrace the chili pepper.

A Late Summer's Feast

This is what I have been doing over the last 36 hours. Eating.

Wednesday Evening. Crispy Pork Knuckle with Sauerkraut, Ham and Potato Gratin, and Apfel Strudel. And much Austrian red wine. Tony and I were at a social function where I could not exactly take photos of the food without perhaps embarrassing the US, but that's why the Internet exists.

Thursday Lunch. I was invited to Tempo di Porcini, a mushroom feast hosted by an AIS mom with whom I wander the vineyards.  Mushroom season has begun in earnest here; sadly I live with three mushroom haters. But thankfully so does this mom, so she thoughtfully gathered six friends with whom to share the earliest of the season's bounty, and her amazing Cucina Italiano skills, over a four course lunch.

The first course was a simple pan of porcinis sauteed in butter and tossed with sea salt. Again, I did not feel comfortable snapping photos, but after the first course (or the two glasses of Prosecco), I was regretting not having brought my camera. (Photos courtesy of The Internet)

No photos on the Internet could do justice to the second course, personal cast iron pans of fried eggs and truffle toast. Alas, though, I can not eat eggs. And the friend across the table from me could not eat bread (gluten allergy), so I made the sacrifice and ate her truffle toast.

The third course was porcini risotto. There is no appropriate language to describe the silky rice and mushrooms generously dressed with fresh parmesan that we all swooned over.

But our three hour meal was not over. The final course; that is, before dessert, was a simple pan of roasted potatoes and porcini, again tossed with olive oil and sea salt. We all took seconds, in spite of ourselves.  Our dessert was a refreshing bowl of fresh figs and peaches, and generous servings of espresso lest we all fall asleep on our host's dining room floor.

Thursday Evening. Not more than 3 hours had passed before it was time to head out to a biergarten chosen by our son to celebrate his 16th birthday, one serving copious plates of meat along with the steins of beer that he is now officially able to order without us!  The boys selected platters of Austrian-style meatloaf with fried onions and mashed potatoes, while I thought I would play it safe with "Kleines Zander," a small plate of fried Zander (similar to trout) and Kartoffelsalat (potato salad).

I should have known better. "Kleines" anything at a biergarten just meant that the plate was smaller, not the portion. I am convinced I was served the Guinness Book of World Records Zander.  It was very good that Anna Grace had had cross country practice earlier in the day and could bail me out from my epic dinner fail.

Friday Lunch.  I was at the UN for the IAEA General Meeting (well, mostly to collect swag and make a Commissary run) and so could have lunch with my darling husband at the UN cafeteria. Did I select a salad, perhaps?  No!  I went "local" with a dish of Artichokes Romana, perfectly steamed artichokes topped with chopped tomatoes, parsley, and parmesan cheese. Served with a garlic baguette, too.

Artichokes are not Austrian, of course but they are popular here, and since Rome is on the same continent as Vienna, that pretty much counts as local to me.  The dish was more than enough for two to share, yet not only did I eat all SIX of my artichokes, but I also ate the slice of pistachio cake that you see in the background.

While I am largely immune to gaining weight courtesy of my Eastern European high-metabolism ancestry, there are times when even I feel that a little "Wien Wanderung" might be a good idea, especially since my weekend calendar has both a dinner and a brunch on it. And so Clayton Theodore and I headed out to explore our favorite destination on this perfect fall afternoon.

The sunlight on the path up to the vineyards makes the point that autumn has arrived. (That, and the 4°C temperature we awoke to this morning.)

Definitely not summer clouds.

Their days are numbered, too. I'll likely see them as sturm next weekend when we visit our local heurigen.