down to the last hours.

Is this even real? Especially writing this blog, I started it just about exactly 6 months ago.. to the day! And already it is coming to a close. Just thinking back to all the things I have managed to see and do over the last 6 months is overwhelming. There's so much, but in the same thought I can't believe how fast it all passed by. From eating mango's on a hostel floor in Madrid to losing my luggage for a week in Malta, to sleeping in the airport tonight, I have experienced a lot.

And of course, I have eaten a lot! As I am still not quite done my adventure, I can't go reminiscing about food just yet. As tempting as it is because I don't have much news for good OR bad food adventures here. I am still working through leftovers. (YUCK) Nothing like boiled eggs for every other meal.


So, you might ask how I am spending my last moments in Vienna? I wish I could say something exciting like.. photographing as many pigeons as I can, or hiking to the Gloriette at Schonbrunn just one more time.. but no, soon I will go print my boarding pass and then come back to finish packing. I will take my last U-bahn ride to the train stations where I will then start the journey to the airport.

Unfortunately my flight is leaving at 6:20am from Vienna, and it being a Tuesday, the trains do not run all night. Sooo lucky me gets to sleep in the airport for a few hours before I can check-in and board. From Vienna I fly to Frankfurt, and from Frankfurt to Montreal where I will land at approximately 12:10pm local time. LONG trip, but I couldn't be more excited. I am certainly ready to return to Canadian soil and have a Large Regular with milk on my way home. AND if Mom is reading, a BBQ with hot dogs and hamburgers.. please? with Hienz ketchup. :)


Well, goodbye Vienna, I have thoroughly enjoyed your wiener schnitzel and Almdudler, and I will one day see you again!! 

happy birthday canada!

Celebrating the birth of a country in well, another country isn't exactly the same as being in the country with the birthday.

First off, well.. there are only so many Canadians here, so it's really a gathering of bodies to celebrate that commonality. And its funny, because of all the exchange students, people from around the world become 'temporary Canadians' to come celebrate. Not normal that is for sure, but excellent all the same. 


If I were at home, I would most likely be spending the weekend camping with family friends, the boys would all be fishing, while the girls sit back and give moral support. We would have a big BBQ, drink a couple beer, and maybe catch some fireworks that night. Really just taking the day as it comes from a lawn chair. 


Here in Vienna, I am officially alone in my apartment. The last of them headed out the door in the wee hours of the morning. Even as a solo Canadian here now, I made myself a big pancake breakfast, and smothered it in home-made straight from Canada maple syrup, thank you Dad and Tyler. I don't know how 'Canadian' pancakes actually are, but you can't get much closer than maple syrup as I have been discovering since my arrival here. 

Now what are good, very much Canadian foods besides maple syrup? I can honestly say I still struggle when fellow exchange students ask me this. What is a Canadian dish? Maybe I should be embarrassed at this, for not having a better answer.. but really.. what is there in Canada that does not have some sort of influence from another country or origin? Living with Albertan's my answer is now beef. I know that counts, but still.. its a just a cow. 


Ah well, for now I will listen to Blue Rodeo and attempt my packing before celebrating this 144th birthday with a handful of "Canadians" here in Vienna. See you in 4 days Canada!! 

mango's on sale!

What the best thing and the worst thing about being the last to move out of an apartment? Well the same answer works for both.. leftovers. Sure, its a whole load of free food, but it not the good leftovers like pizza or shepards pie. Instead here I am stuck with enough olive oil for a year, some 6 lbs of rice and 3 heads of lettuce. Seriously!? what can I make with that?!

Thankfully I have a nice variety of food leftover myself, with some eggs to work through, some feta cheese and even some tomatoes. I have 5 days left, and I am avoiding grocery shopping, too many leftovers. Unfortunately I am onto the last few pieces of my mango's from last weeks mango sale.. they  are spectacular but now I see my food selection is getting less and less flavourful.

At least I have salt...

FIVE days until I return home, hopefully to show some of the recipes I have learned.. maybe. Also, being June 30, 2011, it is Mom and Dad's anniversary, so.. Happy 21st Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

one week.

You know how some things just remind you of a song instantly? Like how 'Livin on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi will always remind me of Brent, how any song off Great Big C's 'Play' album reminds me of Mom and Saturday cleaning days, or how 'Walking on Sunshine' by Katrina and the Waves bring me back to Sunday afternoons by the water at Grandma and Grandpa's. 
Well, when I think 'one week', like I have been all day, I hum along to the the Bare Naked Ladies hit song from a few years back. I think you can guess that I am a week away from flying home, and I am excited. 


This past weekend in Vienna there was what I recently learned, Europe's largest Open Air Music festival taking place, the Donauinselfest. I didn't catch much of it unfortunately, but they had bands like Train, Portugal The Man, Vanilla Sky, and even Europe. (I know Brent, be jealous.) Sadly I missed Europe and The Final Countdown.

Oh yea, Europe.. and allllll that hair will also ALWAYS remind me of Brent and Tyler, and the dance moves for 'Cherokee'.

Due to what I think is uncooked meat, the rest of the weekend consisted of a lot of sleeping and tea. Not so much to show for food, maybe soup tonight.. but we'll see. Won't be chicken anytime soon.

For the next week there isn't much planned, few last things I would like to see before I leave, otherwise cleaning up my half of the room, and trying to fit the last 6 months into a suitcase, and of course more goodbye get-together's than necessary. I can't say I like saying goodbye this often.


...Goodbye! :)

Hühnerparadies

Funny the places you find yourself in sometimes here in Vienna. For example, today I had lunch at a place called 'Hühnerparadies', or Chicken Paradise... and I have to say, it was the best schnitzel sandwich I have had yet. I am adding schnitzel sandwiches to my list of things I will miss back home.

I would also like to add Almdudler, a strange soda comparable to gingerale. I will mostly miss this because of the Austrian couple in traditional Austrian clothes on the front. 

After a little chicken paradise (he he) for lunch today, I ventured on to meet up with Lauren and Julie to check out the Salvador Dali exhibit that moved into Vienna for the summer. Unfortunately we didn't find many works from the guy himself, just some sketches and then a lot from similar artists. Dali was a surrealist painter, and if you don't recognize his name.. you may just be familiar with him from his famous painting,  The Persistence of Memory, with all the drippy clocks...

The Persistence of Memory, 1931, Salvador Dali

The only reason I still recognize it is because of its appearance in an episode of Arthur way back in the day.. I think Buster was having bad dreams or something along those lines. If no one else remember I am sure Brent will. Ah well, excellent way to spend an afternoon. 

cheese stuffed things.

As much as I miss some grocery things from home, like 1% milk in a bag, Doritos, and Mommy's surprise, I have definitely grown to some uniquely European things that I will definitely crave once back in North America. What is the solution? Eat as many as you can before you leave.

Unfortunately I need to clean out the cupboards and eat the food I have been storing for the past 4 months, which means a lot of soup and pasta. Even so, I am going to enjoy these few new favourites from the grocery store until the day I leave.

Number 1 - Kasekrainer. Believe me, I am no fan of sausages.. but oh man when it come to one of these baby's, I will have two (not really my heart would stop). I wouldn't really classify it as a sausage, more of a glorified hot dog with cheese in it. And as they don't have Schneider's or Maple Leaf here, fancy hot dogs is what we do. AND the best part, they are already cooked, all you have to do it heat it up in a frying pan. Sizzly cheese stuffed meat sticks.. I know you wish you had some.

2 - Feta stuffed Olives. I should have split these two up, but seriously.. I like cheese and anything stuffed with it is a winner in my books. These are purchased from the Naschmarkt here in Vienna, along with vine leaves, falafels and the best pita bread and hummus around. As a new fan of olives, I am unsure of the availability of freshly stuffed cheesy olives in Canada.. I will be looking further into this. 


3 - A large variety of dark beers. Canada requires more selection, and so does Long Sault. 


4 - Bakeries, on every. single. corner. I will always choose the Schokocroissant. Always.


5 - Manner cookies. These are something I can bring home, and I will.

I am sure there will be more when I find that want it and can't get it. Isn't that the way it always is? 

A Kasekrainer and salad is pretty near my favourite meal these days.

after 4 months in a city...

After four months in this city, I am still experiencing what is truly 'Viennese'. This fine Father's Day morning (also the 40th anniversary of my grandparents, Wiepo and Audrey, Congratulations!), I ventured out to experience something that is uniquely Viennese. Not specifically food, but one of those things you just have to taste before I leave here in approximately 16 days.


The Vienna Boys Choir, or Wiener Sängerknaben has been around since its debut in 1498. The Choir was formed to accompany the church mass. Typically the boys are selected form Austria, but nowadays they come from all over. Franz Schubert was even a choir boy way back when! The group became an official, and professional musical group in 1924, and today travel the world performing. Lucky enough for me, I am living in the city in which they originate, and got a free-standing spot for this morning's mass. 


Let me tell you, these boys can sing! And they are all in the ages between 10 and 14.

I didn't get to record it myself, but here is a YouTube link of some of the performances on tour. One more.. 'Austrian' song.. and one, well.. less-so Austrian.

Wiener Sängerknaben - In The Jungle
Wiener Sängerknaben - Edelweiss

Happy Father's Day all you amazing father's!!
shannon xx

define vienna.

What is Vienna? You'd hope I would have figured it out by now... and I can assume I have a pretty good sense of my surroundings. Before I came here I knew nothing about the city except for the classical music and wiener schnitzel. I can now say I have added a few more things to the list Vienna is known for; Bach, Lederhausen, white wine, apfel strudel, potato salad, the royal family, opera, and of course its 'coffee shop' lifestyle. 


I see now that it really is a lifestyle, sitting in really old cafe's reading newspapers on wooden holders and nibbling a slice of apfel strudel, all washed down with a hot Melange. 


This traditional Cafe culture has been going on since about the mid 1700's. And yes, the same cafe's that were opened here in Vienna in those mid 1700's are still open, serving tourists and locals alike. The idea of a 'Kaffehaus' or coffee house, was invented here in Vienna, and now there are thousands of places to choose from within the city where you can grab your cup-a joe. (Not necessarily to-go). 


Being a temporary Viennese citizen and all, of course I have gone out of my way to test out these Kaffehaus's.. and off a tourist Top 10 Cafe list, I have hit up 4 of them. Seeing as a piece of cake at one of these places is pushing 10 Canadian dollars, that may be the extent of old cafe's I go to, come on, I am a student. 


Inside they are decorated what I imagine to be pretty much the same as they were some few hundred years ago, but I guess that is they idea. The first Cafe test conducted was on my first week here in Vienna, with Meghan and Michelle, at Cafe Museum. Originally designed in 1899, we had a delicious traditional Viennese breakfast consisting of some sort of boiled egg, buns and a pot of coffee- of course. It was delicious! and the red velvet benches and chandeliers really framed the whole experience, even though it was a little awkward being the only people under the age of 50 in there. 

Kind of turned into a tourist attraction, note the 'Franz Shubert' apricot jelly.

As instructed by our program counsellor back in Guelph, Cafe experience take 2 was carried out at Cafe Central. Famous for being the official meeting place of Vienna's intellectuals, Cafe Central is known for serving coffee to Leon Trotsky prior to World War 1, the poet Peter Altenberg (who even had his mail delivered there), Adolf Hitler and Sigmund Freud. This place was a pretty spectacular site, HUGE inside, and massive columns holding the enormous arched ceiling. The coffee itself, in my opinion, wasn't anything special, and our lunch lacked flavour.. BUT you really are just paying to sit where Leon Trotsky did some hundred years ago. 

Painfully overpriced lunch at Cafe Central, stick to just a coffee.

Take 3! Cafe Sperl with my fellow Guelph-Vienna exchange ladies, Cara and Michelle. Established in 1880, Cafe Sperl's regulars consists of artists, singers and musicians from the nearby theatre. Now, this place was again magnificent. A little dark, more red velvet and newspapers on wooden handle things, and ceilings to the sky.. quite impressive. I have a bit of a tainted image of this Cafe unfortunately, due to my own food-texture issues and a soggy cream-cheese strudel. I still shudder thinking about it. You may have read in a past blog post how horrifying this experience was. Even so, beautiful building. 

YUCK.

And finally, while the family was here we had a coffee break at the Mozart Cafe before heading into the royal families crypts just up the way. Formerly known as the Katzmayr Cafe, opened in 1794, it was transformed into Cafe Mozart in 1929, after his death, and the city became so fond of him, clearly. I just had a Coke here, but Dad enjoyed his second piece of apfel strudel that day, and Oma had a pot of coffee. Once again the atmosphere is what you go for. If you have ever seen the movie, "The Third Man", you will recognized Cafe Mozart as the place where Holly Martin waited to hear the news of his presumed dead friend. (Also, I recently found out you can take a tour of the cities sewers and underground or something, the tour is called "The Third Man Tour".. if you're a fan and all. )

Mozart Torte, very delicious.

Now I'd say this is a pretty well-preserved tradition. For how old these places are they are definitely in good condition, it's kind of like stepping back in time. And if I could read German I would grab one of these sweet newspaper holder things and take that coffee time a little more seriously. Coffee time is no joke here, you take your sweet time. Besides Starbucks here, it actually is pretty hard to find a coffee-to-go. And when you do, it's kind of funny because they advertise it as "American Coffee-To-Go!", like running getting your coffee on the run is the coffee break they want. I think it's a good thing they take this coffee break time so seriously, everyone deserves a breather now and then. 

Not going to lie though, even though the coffee, when it comes down to it, is pretty crappy.. I kind of miss a Tim Hortons here and there. (JUST on those days when you're in a rush, or just want a plain, big, black coffee). 

Who knows, I will probably miss having a little silver tray holding a coffee, little silver dish of milk, glass of water, a mint and sugar cubes when I get home. 

19 days! shannon xx

24 days until my return to Canada!!

How fast has 5 months past, eh?
It's funny, when I think back at all that I've done, it seems like I have been gone forever, but at the same time it feels as though it has gone too fast. When I think about being in Paris, the first day I arrived... whew its like decades ago. As soon as I think about saying goodbye to all the fantastic people I have met here, it has gone too fast.


I can say that I have now been to some 30-50 cities and towns, and 9 countries, and tried everything from moussaka to paella. Some food journey this has been. BUT I am not done yet, so I will not go around talking like I am. 


See you in 24-ish days Canada.

In the grapevines by the Kahlenburg 'mountain'.

seriously, someone is crossing the line.

China gets human milk from cows

Yeaaa.. just found this article today. Just for interests sake, thought I would share. 

pack your picnic basket!

I think I will have to go ahead and say that it is summer here in Vienna. The days are long, the sun is out, the humidity is making my hair frizz and the thunder storms are frequent. They weren't kidding when they said pack a raincoat for travel to Vienna. Between the thunderstorms though, it is the perfect weather for picnicking.

This past week in Vienna, I joined Julie and Lauren for a journey up to the Kahlenburg and to the Leopoldsburg mountains just on the outskirts of Vienna. They are described as mountains, but they are more like large hills, we took public transportation right to the top. Even though they aren't quite the Alps,  both offer excellent views over some Viennese vineyards and the entire city. We took the bus up to the top, and found ourselves wandering our way down tiny roads through fields of grapevines. Halfway down the 'mountain', we stopped for our picnic within the vines. After this I am seriously considering purchasing one of those wicker baskets they sell at the Naschmarkt here in Vienna. 

Cheers! To picnic's in the grapevines. 

By the time we reached the bottom, in a small town called Nussdorf, we stopped in at a small family owned Heurigen  sampling white wines and sampling apple strudel and eggplant lasagna. 


Our intentions at the beginning of the day were to catch the sunset on top of the Kahelnburg, but after hiking down, hiking back up was unlikely... especially after the heurigen. Settling in a small green space at the river's edge, we had a good view of the sunset for about 15 minutes when a storm started brewin' and we made our way back into the city. 


Even though it feels like the thunderstorms pop out at any second here, the weather is finally perfect for exploring those tiny towns outside of the city, surrounded by vineyards and 'mountains'. And, with Vienna's public transportation system being as amazing as it is, it is easy. I hope to get out there again soon!

Until then, I am participating in a week-long sketching class. From 8:45 to about 5 everyday this week I explore through the city and sketch. Even though I really have no idea what I am getting into, and no erasers are allowed, I am extremely excited and ready to get going. Lets just say its been a while since I have had class at all, and thats even counting the random un-related ones I somehow signed up for. Wish me luck! I will probably need it :P

thoughts?

Do we just eat things like crackers and bread-like things because its not socially acceptable to just eat a block of cheese, a slab of salami or a spoon of cream cheese?

make believe meat? food of the future?

I recently found this article online, "PETA subsidised meat?", where I discovered that for the past 10 years, people at PETA have been trying to make meat via in vitro. GROSS. 


Well, that's my first impression. Now I throw this in here because it kind of goes into a topic I read about a couple months ago about factory farming in the US. In my blog about it, Nom nom nom, I decided we need to change or find or solution or some junk like that, of course.. something always needs to be changed right?
SO, looks like other people feel the need to make changes in regards to the way we all eat meat, and they are, in a strange way I might add, making a change. 


I like to think that making meat out of a test tube is the way of the future, once people get past the fact that it is made in a test tube. I like to think how it will reduce greenhouse gases and pollution and all that jazz. But still, I can't help to think that it's going to cause more problems, it is so unnatural and fake that there has GOT to be something wrong with it. 
Just like years ago when someone decided factory farming would be great, mass produce meat to make tons of money and feed the world! I mean they make the money but there are so many bad side effects its just not worth it. 
If this catches on, and it really is "the food of the future!", there is going to be some form of repercussion, nothing works that easy. 

And would you be able to adjust to eating meat from a test tube anyways? I think it would fail just because people would be too grossed out by it. 


The best part about this article, is that they compare it to beer and bread.
 "There are many products that we've eaten for centuries, such as beer and bread, and these are accepted, traditional products of biotechnology and this is taking this to the next step,"
Just taking it to the next step, awesome. 


I don't know, maybe it is the "way of the future!"


still grossed out,
shannon xx


p.s A shout out to Tyler, the youngest of my two brothers who is FIFTEEN today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER! :D


further reading! (just in case, some have convincing arguments)


8 Ways In-Vitro Meat Will Change Our Lives

The In-Vitro Meat Consortium

Burgers From A Lab: The World Of In Vitro Meat

perfect eggs.

Has anyone ever mastered boiling eggs? or frying them? 


There is no way someone makes the perfect soft boiled egg every single time, with absolutely no snotty white parts, but still a gooshy yellow yolk. It is IMPOSSIBLE. Yes, it is possible to do this, but it always happens by accident! That's when you have to savor those delicious boiled eggs, cause you never know when you will have such a fantastic turn out again. 


Now this is where I need help. I live in some form of Austrian student housing, where dishes and furniture are provided just like in residence back home in Uni. Now, after many students living in this apartment year after year, lets just say the frying pan isn't exactly up to par. We all know what happens when that nice Teflon coated frying pan loses its Teflon.. well at least at the Harbers house it gets chucked because no one wants to deal with the mess. Understandable, because trying to fry an egg on a less than decent frying pan is like trying to fry an egg on asphalt, and flip it with a spatula that doesn't fit in the narrow sides of the pan, or.. road.  


Can anyone give me a solution to the perfect fried egg without getting a new pan? It doesn't even have to be perfect, just in one piece. More Pam? higher heat? lower heat? flip with a knife? If anyone reading this has a trick up their sleeve please lend this hungry student a hand. 

the 'taste' of home.

A few weeks ago the family made their way out to visit here in Europe. With them, they brought me a few comforts of home that I had missed. What does this include? Well, don't laugh.. peanut butter, pancake mix, headphones, my black scarf, a few key summer clothing items, and of course a box of hagelslag (refer to Day 1, pre-EU departure).


To start, part of the idea of me taking on the topic of this blog, was to open my eyes and broaden my horizons when it came to looking at, and eating food. As of 4 and a half, almost 5 months into my 6 month adventure, I can honestly say that my attitude has changed drastically. 


Since my arrival in the EU this past January, I now love olives, most types of sushi, plain yogurt, and even white wine is growing on me. I have learned a few new recipes, and even simple tricks to makes my simple spaghetti amazing. I now regularly purchase lemons and zucchini, olive oil, and feta cheese. Things are changing for the better! But I must say, I have not forgotten my previous eating habits (ie toast, cheese and wildberry yogurt), because they are just so darn good now and then. Presented with an opportunity for a good 'ol living on my own in Guelph meal, I sure grabbed it. Is there anything wrong with a piece of toast and hagelslag if it reminds you of home?

peanut butter and candied hagelslag

what I eat everyday for breakfast, replacing that toast.. 

Funny how little things like hagelsgal and peanut butter have so many associations with home at this point in the game. Or how a song can remind you of your best friend or a road trip last summer. 


I guess the success of this blog will be determined after my arrival back in Canada, to see if I picked up my old eating habits again. Some would say they were bad, but I would like to say they were just... lazy. With some new knowledge, new techniques, and pretty much a whole new train of thought when it comes to food, and the culture it's associated with, I do not feel a return to pop-tarts for dinner coming back. 


With a nearly full jar of peanut butter and box of hagelslag staring me in the face every time I open the cupboard, temptation to have toast for dinner will loom, but trust that I will have self-control! A little taste of home is good now and then, but I will not lose sight of all I have learned thus far.


times are changing! shannon xx

adesso noi mangiamo! now we eat!

No, I didn't go back to Italy, but I do have a fantastic Italian roommate. 

Here in Vienna I share a 'flat' with 4 other girls. 2 from Calgary, Canada, and 2 from Russia. A good combination I must say.

Let me describe some of the many benefits of flatmate's. 

1 - they let you throw in your whites with theirs, to save time and money on laundry.

2 - there is a wide variety of music, playing at any given time.

3 - you can share things like salt and coffee filters.

4 - there is often someone to accompany you to a party across town, and take the ride home with you.

5 - you have a huge variety of teas.

6 - travel buddies.

7 - some like to cook.. :D

When Jackie and  hang out, it almost ALWAYS involves food.

For me, someone who strongly dislikes cooking, and is quite bad at it, a flatmate that shares her natural talents and joy of cooking is like hitting the jackpot. I have had so many new, strange and delicious foods just within the four walls of this flat. Everything from fried cheese to Russian bagel bites, you name it. 


Just this week, a fellow flatmate from Calgary took it upon herself to test out a new recipe for Risotto. Now, before this encounter, I have only ever had Risotto in restaurants, and from Uncle Ben's line of 'Fast and Fancy' side dishes. Of course I wanted to try some homemade!! Acquiring this recipe, and a box of rice earlier this semester, Jacqueline easily mastered the technique, and I was lucky enough to be home when she offered it to me. 
Obviously the result blew Uncle Ben out of the water.


After stuffing my face, Jackie herself gave me the idea to include the experience in this blog. (Thank you Ms. Jacqueline!) She jotted down some names, dug out the recipe, and gave me a run down of how she did it (and how easy it was for her.. I haven't tried myself yet.) SO, for all you chef's out there who have never made Risotto- I have included the epic recipe from this week. One day back in Canada I will certainly experiment with this again.  


Risotto! (with additional ingredients of your choosing).


Ingredients:


2 handfuls of Arborio Rice per person (rice with a high starch content)
leak (as much as you want)
garlic (as much as you want)
olive oil (as much as you want)
white wine (about 1 glass, or, as much as you want)
salt and pepper to taste
finish with Parmesan


PLUS: anything you need to clean out of your fridge. (ie: zucchini, mushrooms, peas etc.) 

1 - Boil one pot of hot water and put the green part of the leek in the water, with salt.
2 - Heat olive oil and put the white part of the leek in, chopped. As it goes transparent, put 2 handfuls of rice in per person. (so, 4 handfuls for 2 people, and so on :P)
3 - Add a little bit of white wine (a glass or so)
4 - Keep stirring until water absorbs and add hot water from first pot, pour in little by little.
5 - Taste until you like it (supposed to be be cooked and tender).
6 - Finish with Parmesan, salt and pepper

Ok, I forgot to take a picture. But here is one from Google that looks quite similar.

So, if you are not naturally gifted in just knowing what to do here, I would practice maybe once with someone who does know... I am not the kind of cook that can just whip something together and improvise- that doesn't EVER work for me. However, its the kind of recipe that you can play and experiment with. Jackie added everything from zucchini's to mushrooms in hers, and it was fantastic. I consider it a bit like stir fry, you throw in what you have and what's going bad.. a real fridge cleaner-upper.
So, if you're feeling ambitious, test it out! Let me know if it worked out just as amazingly as it did for Jackie.


I must now find a talent of my own to share with these girls.. because officially, cooking is NOT it. Thanks again to Jacqueline, I eat well when you're around.


until next time, shannon xx

Ich liebe Griechenland

I love Greece.


Ok.. who knows anything about Greek food? Clearly I did not. It is more amazing than I could have ever imagined. And this is why Greece is officially my favourite of all the places I have been. (Not just because of the food I guess.. but yea thats mostly why.)

Moussaka!

Unfortunately, I did not always have my camera on me at meal time due to its massiveness. So my photos of this fabulousness that is Greek food are limited. But, take my word for it.. I have never eaten so much delicious food in such a short period of time in my life. After being back for a week, I still feel full, and find myself eating crackers for dinner.


So what does Greek food consist of, you might ask? Well to start, there's a LOT more to it than just souvlaki, yogurt and feta cheese. With a culinary tradition of over 4000 years, I have learned the the Greeks don't fool around when it comes to food. Although I wish I could (in my opinion) say the same for the wine, beer and coffee.. eww. NOT high on the list of priorities, clearly. 

A frappe (cold coffee with sugar, not horrible) and insanely thick yogurt.

Olives, a variety of cheese, tomatoes, fresh fish and thyme honey are only a few of the historically significant foods we tried in Greece. In the islands, where we spent most of our holiday, fish is whats most available. I had the opportunity to sample an AWESOME plate of salmon, in a white wine and dill cream sauce, served with a side of cooked carrots and zucchini. Can't say this is a famous Greek dish by any means, but at least it was seafood!


You can also tell that some dishes are from deeper origins, or influences, like Turkish or Arabic, just from the names. Things like tzatziki, gyros and moussaka and so on and so forth.. I had to google this, clearly.


So if you haven't caught on yet, I love Greece and its food. We should all just be a little more Greek when it comes to food, starting with yogurt and honey.

Other than eating here, we didn't do much else. As we were told upon our arrival in Mykonos, there is nothing cultural to do, so go to the beach. We did just that! In both Mykonos and Santorini, we rented ATV's for a day and adventured through the rural side of the islands, ending up at great beaches and incredible views. 


In Santorini, we also had the opportunity of taking an all-day tour around the islands that make up what is now Santorini. 
A huge sailboat, The Albatross, was our ride for the day, a volcano was our exercise, the hot springs were our lunch break, a deserted island was our nap-time, and the sunset numbed our butts. 

Explanation: A wonderfully huge sailboat took us from one island to the other, stopping at each for a different sight to see. The first being a volcano, where we hiked 30 min to the top to get a handful of information about volcano's, and how they work.. cool. From here we took our descent back to the boat, where we hitched a ride to the 'hot springs'... which really means warm springs. It was then I put on my sweater and took pictures of the suckers swimming in the freezing cold sea. (Good job girls! :P)

Next on the itinerary was a small island, which I am sure would be hoppin' in the summer, but as of now was pretty quiet. All 6 of us took a nap on a concrete dock, and got a bit burned. Serves us right. 
To end the day, we were dropped of at the bottom of a cliff looking up at the town of Oia, where the famous sunset is seen every evening by a ridiculous number of tourists. To get up the cliff? Ride a donkey!! Yeaaa, won't do that again. 

Sunset was beautiful, but took too long to be brutally honest. We were WAY to early, resulting in a numb butt and jelly legs from sitting on a slab of concrete. 

The remainder of the trip consisted of us laying on a black beach, building black sandcastles, and taking old school all night ferries back to Athens. It was truly a memorable vacation, and there are SO many more things that I could talk about in here. But to keep it short with facts, so I don't lose you.. I will keep it here :)
What should you take from this post, if no other? Greek food, think about it. 


Back to Mozart balls and schnitzel, shannon xx

time for a recap? ja.

Back in Vienna! And I can officially say that Vienna has become my home away from home. After an extended Easter break and a solid 8 days in Greece, I was anxious for my arrival back in Austria. The comforts of a familiar pillow and sweat pants really goes a long way. 


After a few random postings trying to keep you informed of my whereabouts, I feel I should probably give you a recap as to where I have been for the last month, and why I once again have a permanent food baby. Holidays! They do that to you. 


Starting after my weekend trip to Salzburg with Michelle, Brad and Kyle, I officially started a 3 week vacation from studying here at BOKU. A combination holiday for Easter as well as spring break or reading week. 

During this break, I spent some time with some great friends also touring Europe, my family, and then a relaxing trip down south with some roommates and a few other girls. 


April 21st - My parents, brothers and Oma arrived here in Vienna, where they would spend the next 5-6 days exploring this city, while I led them through the sites. After Vienna we then headed north through the Czech Republic to Prague! 

After 4 days in Prague, I said my goodbyes to everyone, who then caught their flights back to Eastern Ontario. 
May 1st - I fly with 5 other girls to Greece! Spending one night in Athens, then setting sail to Mykonos and Santorini, we spent our days riding ATV's and donkeys between laying on beaches and stuffing our faces with spectacular Greek food. 

And after all this, I returned to Vienna this past Monday evening where I flew face first back into school, already completing two exams and a project proposal. So much fun!! :P


Now, another mission of mine is to get this blog's rhythm back in order. Let's see how that goes. 

3 house white and 3 house red please.

Planes, trains, busses, donkeys, sailboats, ferries, and ATV's.
Souvlaki, yoghurt, honey, alfa, brandy with tea, calamari, tzatsiki, bread, tropical margarita, stuffed peppers, vine leaves, salmon, sea bass, greek salad, ouzo, tomatoes, olive oil, crepes, saganaki, little shoes, mousaka, don Fernando, and cheesy eggs.
Acropolis, Olympic stadium, pantheon, super paradise, opa, Argo, backgammon, down under, holt renfrew, volcano hot springs, oia, fira, sunset, and BBrB.

Greece anyone?
Currently rockin my way back to Vienna.

So sleep deprived, Shannon.

czech - what they really eat.

So I wasn't completely wrong, traditional Czech dishes really are all about meat. Pork, duck, rabbit, veal, turkey, beef and chicken are some of the most common.. haha wha. Often paired with dumplings or potatoes.. this was not a diet for me!! (except the friend Camembert.. I can handle that now and then for sure.)


No wonder the boys in my family loved the food here! 

Brent's platter of various meats.

Cheers! The 'dunkel' beer was a favourite.

Even so, I did find a huge Austrian and German influence here when it came to the food. I could get a big slab of schnitzel pretty much anywhere we went. And I guess these influences are a lot of the reason for such a high protein diet, just a little more extreme in my eyes. Viennese cakes and desserts were also readily available, but by the time we got to Prague I think everyone had their fill of apple strudel. 


We were blessed with fantastic weather in Prague. We spent our days taking in the sights of this dark (and somewhat creepy), but incredibly beautiful city. Often by the time the late afternoon rolled around, we seemed to end up at the Easter Market listening to young accordion players, Czech 'Cotton-Eyed Joe', and sipping grog and dark beer. 

My favourite thing about Prague would have to be the John Lennon wall. I could spent an entire afternoon just sitting and staring at it. The John Lennon wall is a colourful collection of Lennon and Beatles inspired graffiti and lyrics all over this chunk of wall hidden in the city.The wall started around 1980 when western pop songs were banned by Communist authorities, and the Beatles lyrics praising freedom and love were clearly not allowed. Even with control to try and keep the wall clean, people were constantly covering it through the night. The wall seems to change every day, but is still covered in lyrics and messages of free speech and love, and the colours are incredible.

I loved Prague! and I think the rest of the family did too. It was definitely a change from Vienna (minus the schnitzel)! I cannot believe how fast the family vacation went.