Well, Austria’s all wrapped up, which means it’s time for a bunch of random photos.
One of the first things I ate when I got to Graz was a wiener schnitzel from a fairly well-regarded restaurant, and it was fine, but the meat was a little bit dry. I’ve had better back in Toronto. And it’s like, what the hell? I’m in Austria. This should be the best wiener schnitzel of my life.
So I figured, okay, I’ll try again when I get to Vienna.
I had some flat-out awful meals at McDonald’s in Spain and Italy — meals that were so bad, they made me look at my life and think “am I doing this right?” Well, here comes the land of Arnold Schwarzenegger to hold out a hand and let me know I’m doing just fine. Because McDonald’s in Austria knows how to do it.
Tasty Treat Number One: I had a pork dish called schweinsbraten at Gasthaus zur Alten Press, and if that sounds extremely Austrian: yeah. The whole restaurant was extremely Austrian.
I think everyone can agree that Austria’s greatest gift to the world is the fact that it’s the birthplace of the greatest movie star of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger. They’ve converted his childhood home into a museum; as soon as I found this out, I knew a stop in Austria was a must.
Thought Number One: After the bewildering nightmare of trying to get anywhere via bus or subway in Italy, taking public transit here is an absolute pleasure. Everything is clearly labeled, there are maps everywhere, and when you’re on the bus, all of the stops are spelled out and called out, so it’s always absolutely clear where you are. It’s pretty much the polar opposite of Italy, and it’s amazing.