VIENNA

PRE-FLIGHT

Vienna is a city where everything is exquisite. It might be the place where this word was first used. It is that exquisite. It is visited a lot and if you get lost and ask for directions, you might be asking the directions to a foreigner as yourself. Don't think of it as a bad thing! The tourists in Vienna are often ''regulars'', they are visiting the city for a second time or third or even seventh! The city and its values are an addiction and you will love being a part of it.

POST-FLIGHT

There is an express train from the airport which will lead to a main subway line of the city. However, the express train is a little pricey so if you are not travelling alone, especially if you are a group of four or more you might want to take a cab. The airport cabs are basically minivans and they are a great choice after a long trip. Normally the way to get a cab is to buy the cab ticket from the counters but if you look interested some drivers in the airport are looking for customers and they occasionally bargain with the tourists. Usually I am skeptic and I hesitate in these kinds of situations but at some point I figured that the best way was to go with the ''local flow''. We were a group of five so after a short bargain we agrred with a gentleman and he took us to our hotel safe and sound. All cab drivers in Vienna use GPS so as long as you have the address, the street name and its number etc there is nothing you should worry about. Just like Germany, Austria has great cabs. The vehicles are new, safe and if you miss the last train you can find cabs in front of some night clubs. Any information about the trains, hours and stations can be found in the subway stations. The people in tourism offices are really helpful, they give you a map and show where will you go and how will you get there. That is of course the main purpose of tourism offices but these offices in Europe are slightly more helpful.

SIGHTSEEING

First of all, Vienna is all plains. No hills, no hurting feet. You may stroll in the parks all day long and you won't even feel a bit tired. During spring and summer these parks are magical. You can grab a bite on the grass or just relax and enjoy the sun shining above you. At some point, I lost count of the parks I've been and loved in Vienna. The flora of the city is equally beautiful. While wandering around especially in the evening, you might come across a street event just like we did. We found ourselves in the middle of a wine and cheese tasting festival. There was a stage and a band playing sophisticated music. Probably these sort of festivals usually take place during the spring. During winter, it snows and if it's not ''the most beautiful time of the year'', the streets are really empty at night. People take shelter in restaurants and pubs so the parks and streets are like almost abandoned.

CUISINE

Austrian cuisine is kind of close to German cuisine in some ways but it also has its own specialties and they are worth trying. The restaurants serve more elite dishes such as salmon with lentils or pork ribs. The buffets on streets have delicious sausages, kebabs and noodles. They are all equally tasty and safe. The buffets in Vienna are so clean that if we were in a cartoon world they would shine and sparkle. Vienna is also called ''Wien'' and things that are special to Vienna are called ''Wiener''. Vienna's Schnitzel, the Wiener Schnitzel is pretty famous and the best in town is served at Figlmüller. The pork schnitzels are bigger than the plates, served with potato salad as side dish. Chicken schnitzel is also an equally delicious option. It is really difficult to get a table at this place especially in the evening (in fact it is difficult at most of the restaurants in Austria so if reservation is available it is always good to guarantee yourself a table) The restaurant is well prepared for large groups since they usually get invaded by hungry authentic schnitzel lover tourists. Weissbeer, literally means white beer is a light beer. It's like the very opposite of Guinness. It goes very well with dinner.

Crossfields Australian Pub is my personal favorite. It is more fun in the evening especially the downstairs. Well it's a place based off of the land down under after all. I recommend the alligator meat. I justt loved it. The kangaroo burgers are the most popular though the taste is not as good as alligator meat in my honest opinion. There is also a combo option for curious meat devourers.

ATTRACTIONS

There is a huge cathedral at the centerof this square (Shocker right!). The streets with boutiques and internationally known brands, a great Opera house and a city square with a cathedral. These are the average any Euro-city could offer so Vienna covers that part too. But what makes Vienna different than the others is what more it could offer and it has a lot to entertain its beloved tourist.

There are two palace/museums that are deemed as the hallmarks of Vienna. These are Belvedere and Schönnbrunn. They both have pretty palace courtyards and enlightening museums. 
There is a weird torture museum which is kind of weak. Not a lot to see and even sort of depressing, it is not a place to spend a lot of time and money. If you are really into the history of penalization and/or you have free access to the museum you could then consider seeing it.

If the weather is good and you like amusement parks there is one at Prater. You can get there from Prater station or Prater Park station. It's nothing like Disneyland or Busch Gardens but if you are willing to feel some adrenaline in your bones it is alright I guess. Again it is a bit pricey, a single ride costs 4-5 euros and if you are a roller coaster freak like me, it would cost you A LOT. Even if you don't get on those rides there is the World's Highest Chained Carousel, it even has a Guinness record. It was fun to see all the green and the people from that height. The ride is not fast like Mach tower etc so you can really enjoy the view. 

There are lots of great pubs to drink Stiegl Radler- grapefruit beer and chat with your buds. Vienna is the center of classical music and the first thing that comes to mind is Mozart! I know that Japanese folks are usually big fans of classical music. There were a lot of Japanese classical music adorers in the hall especially on the stage (You can watch the symphony on the stage, right behind the instruments but still I prefer and recommend the front of the stage).  
Due to Easter all performers were in costumes and the symphony took place in the Golden hall. Everything was golden and the room was literally shining. The performers looked like they came right out of the history book with their colorful dresses, white curly wigs and all. the music they played was spectacular. the show started with classical music, then some lamentation due to easter and then some opera pieces sang by 2 strong voices. The lady who was singing the opera was so much fun to watch and listen to. I'm pretty sure she receives all the good reviews because we all felt like giving a standing ovation after she sang. Also at the end of the symphony, the orchestra chef entertains you by making you clap to the rhythm of the music and leads the spectators for a while. That was also a lot of fun, being a part of the orchestra and using your hands as an instrument.

GOODBYE

I spent almost a month in Vienna in two years. Still there is a lot for me to do there and a lot I would love to do again. The culture, the music, the food is always amazing. The parks are the best if you are a nature lover or if you like the palace courts. Got to admit it's much better if the weather is sunny and the season is summer or spring but even when it snows it's beautiful. Everyone who enjoys history, classical music, parks and well organized cities would adore Vienna. There is something for everyone and having long walks in the city makes you feel alive.

STRASBOURG (MARCHE DE NOEL)

PRE-FLIGHT

Strasbourg is a French city and it's the capital city of the Alsace Region. Even though it is a French city, it does have a strong German influence due to the complicated history of the region. Also, the city is only half an hour away from a cozy little German city called Kehl. Strasbourg is also known as the ''Capitole de Noel''. It's Christmas markets and decorations are wonderful. The European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights. are also located in Strasbourg. 

POST-FLIGHT

Our connecting flight to Strasbourg was from Amsterdam so first we arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. It was incredibly crowded, and I mean lines everywhere crowded. We left our KLM plane and headed to our Air France plane. The passport lines were seriously long. During the passport control a lot of questions were asked to every single visitor. Now add up these questions with all the crowd. We almost missed our connecting flight and had a really hard time running through the halls of Schiphol. Finally we got on our plane to Strasbourg. It was a much smaller plance and most of the seats were empty. The flight was smooth on our way to Strasbourg but due to the smaller sized plane and the weather on our way back, the plane shaked and drifted around by the wind like a snowflake.  The aerial adventures on the way to Strasbourg were stressful but the moment we landed everything went silky smooth. We took the train from the station in the airport. We bought the tickets from the machines at the same station and the process was very easy. The train took us directly to the city center, Gare SNCF. Let's say it took roughly 30 minutes but it might take even less since it's only one station from the airport. The airport is the first stop on a long distance-multi country-Euro railroad. Once we got the the center we bought tram tickets from the machines right outside of the station. We validated them. (You have to validate the tickets you bought before getting on a train, a tram, or  a bus. This system is the same in pretty much every city in Europe, i.e Vienna, Lyon etc. By validation I mean you insert your ticket in the much smaller machines. They stamp the ticket and return it to you in a second. The machines might have a sign saying ''Validez'' on them). The tram of Strasbourg is perfect. It is wide. It is punctual. It is clean. It goes everywhere! So all you have to do is to find where your destination is and look for the correct tram line. The distances are really short so after a couple of stations you would arrive. You might also be able to walk to your hotel since a lot of hotels are located around Gare SNCF. 

SIGHTSEEING

Strasbourg is a really small city. The time we went to Strasbourg it was Christmas time so the city was full of tourists. To be honest, tourist crowds can be really annoying as we all know but this is not the case in Strasbourg. People walk in the streets and take a lot of photos. The streets are narrow and there are decorations and lights all over the place. Still we never had a problem with the crowd. In fact I  guess nobody evet had a probem. It's like a museum. People take pictures and gaze at the magnificent decorations but still the crowd moves, somehow and since nobody is in a hurry the wait is bearable. Market places and street musicians are very interesting. On each and every corner there are musicians, and home made food, honey, biscuits, candy, wine, cinnamon, dolls, lanterns, ornaments and so much more! The station where all tram lines have in common, Homme de Fer is a wide square and you can easily walk to a lot of places from there. If you are not in the mood for walking you can of course take the tram. Bicycles and pets are allowed in these amazing sort of panoramic trains and they are very very helpful.So I suggest you to buy a ticket that is valid for a day or more rather than buying  a ticket for a single fare each time. 

CUISINE

Strasbourg is known for its Tarte Flambée and its Choucroute Alsacienne. You can eat your tarte flambée in a restaurant or on the streets like a piece of pizza. It is delicious and I highly recommend it. Also the Mulled wine is the best I have ever tasted. It is spicy, sour, sweet. It's very good and its unique scent is in the air. You might as well give in to the scent and drink a cup of mulled wine every time you smell that mesmerizing drink. For those of you who are really into sweets, there are Chocolatiers close to the Cathedral. They serve hot chocolate in different flavors and densities. Some of them are basically pudding. You'll have to use a spoon to drink(?) eat(?) let's just say enjoy your hot chocolate. People who have a sweet tooth would love Christmas time at Strasbourg because it's like the house in Hansel and Gretel. Everything is made out of candy (and chocolate. and cookies. and biscuits. and...)

ATTRACTIONS

Strasbourg has a gigantic cathedral at its center, Cathedrale de Notre Dame. It's reaching the skies big. It's owning the whole place big. It's amazing and it's also one of the best Christmas market places in the city. For nature lovers there is a huge park in the city. It's close to the ECHR and there is a small European palace and a zoo in the park. No admission for the zoo. There are stork nests on trees. FYI storks are the symbol of the Alsace region. The markets all over the city sells all kinds of merchandise with cute storks on them. Magnets, mittens, oven mittens,   hats...


Little France, La Petite France is my second favorite place in Strasbourg. Without all the Christmas markets in Broglie or around the Cathedral, it might have been my favorite. If you visit during the day you can see the windmills and the old houses. You might recognize the houses from somewhere, maybe from history books, movies or from cartoons like the Beauty and the Beast. These houses are really interesting. They are classical Alsacienne houses. At night, there are pretty fancy restaurants like pizza places. Though they are a little pricey the atmosphere and food is pretty great. 

If you are looking for a mall to shop or dine, you can check Galeries LaFayette or Printemps which are on the both sides of Homme de Fer. Also there is another mall called rivetoile. This place has an adjacent movie theater with around 20-32 movies from all over Europe and the world. There is a supermarket in the mall and you can find all kinds of brands in the mall. It's a very useful place for buying gifts or chocolate, alcohol etc. You can get to this mall via tram. It's a 15 minutes ride from the center. If you are in urgent need for internet connection, all McDonald's restaurants in France offer free Wi-Fi. In Strasbourg you can find a McDonald's in rivetoile, Esplanade or Homme de Fer. Strasbourg also has a pretty decent nightlife. There are many bars and pubs around the tram station called Gallia. We spent one night at the Jimmy's bar and we had a lot of fun. The music was good, both English and French songs were played. The waiters (les garçons!) were dressed as Joker, that was an interesting detail. During Christmas time, sometimes different street shows are performed especially at Homme de Fer. Chores singing carols or Christmas dancers dressed as Alsaciennes playing drums and many more. The Christmas tree at the center of Homme de Fer is an actual tree and it's 107 ft long. Higher than the buildings surrounding the tree.

GOODBYE

Strasbourg during Christmas time is so much fun. I highly recommend it to everyone. If you are looking for street markets and a Christmas atmosphere, Strasbourg is perfect. On the other hand if you are looking for a white Christmas forget it because it hardly ever snows in Strasbourg. The city is small and cozy. The kids might get bored but it's pretty fun for every other age groups. Transportation is easy and doesn't cost much but during Christmas time , tourists hardly ever use the tram since wandering the streets and enjoying the atmosphere is a better choice if you have the energy to walk.

LYON

PRE-FLIGHT

Hello everyone. This time we will fly to the second largest metropolitan area in France, Lyon. Lyon is a well established city with a lot of options. It is the capital of the Rhone-Alpes Region. Lyon is well known for two things. These are the famous light festival; Fete de Lumiere and Auguste and Louis Lumiere who invented the cinematographe in Lyon. Lyon has a decent airport, Lyon-St. Exupéry Airport aka Aéroports de Lyon. There are also flights to St. Etienne Airport though this one is pretty far from the city so you might want to prefer the first one.  

POST-FLIGHT

After our landing we quickly left the plane. The weather was fine and they did not make us wait in the plane .The airport was pretty good and it was very clean. It was almost noon when we landed so the place was not very crowded. The passport control was easy and bearable compared to other cities in Europe like Amsterdam. There were 2 main lines. As usual one for EU passport holders and one for the others. It did not take more than 10 minutes to get in and once again compared to other European cities the people who controlled the passports were rather friendly. 

After collecting the luggages you might want to eat something since there are pretty great cafés even in the airport or you might want to head directly to the city. Transportation from St. Exupéry to Lyon is a piece of cake. You follow the ''Rhonexpress'' signs and take the tram to the city. It takes only 3 stations to arrive and the terminal destination (terminus) is called Part Dieu.  The official site for this tram is www.rhonexpress.fr. Following the signs in the airport you will see two escalators. They will take you downwards to huge and I mean really huge black ticket machines for the tram. If you can not figure the machines out then you can buy tickets from the train personnel who will ask for your ticket after the train departs. The machines on the other hand are pretty simple. They have various language options such as French, English, Spanish, German... The problematic thing about these machines are that they do not easily accept your cash. The euros we had were in good shape still the machine gave us a hard time accepting them. If you are short on time or do not want to deal with these messy robotics anymore you might want to buy your tickets from the train personnel. You can check all the fares (tarifs) from the official website but note that a round trip costs less than a one way trip and the return ticket of the round trip can be used in a decent amount of time (around 7 days, you can ask for the specific information inside the train). The three stops of this tram are not long and it takes roughly 30 minutes to arrive Part-Dieu (and vice versa).  From Part Dieu, you can take a bus just like we did to your destination. It costs 2 euros per adult and the ticket can be bought inside of the bus.

SIGHTSEEING

Lyon is a beautiful French city and looks a lot like a less crowded more organised and smaller Paris. The rivers are incredible. All kinds of birds flying in the sky. Fountains and statues on every corner. Huge squares like Place Bellecour and Place des Terreaux. Sound of accordeon in the streets. People transporting on foot or on bicycles everywhere. It's almost too French! It feels amazing to be in such an atmosphere. For those of you who enjoy the rain, fall is the season to go. During our time in Lyon, the rain was relentless. It rained, rained and it rained again. The weather was chilly but it was OK. As usual, the shops close early and you will most definitely need reservations for restaurants if you are not planning to have a dinner at McDo's. There are a couple of McDonald's around the city and they are life savers for some lunch times. But I strongly encourage you to try new things on every corner because you will most likely enjoy the new experiences in French Cuisine (which is also our next topic).

CUISINE

French cuisine is always interesting to try. Sometimes you might hesitate since the look or the smell might not be very welcoming at first. Yet if you take a leap and actually try the food you might find yourself ordering the same thing the next evening. The first specialité I will suggest is once again the famous escargots. I will admit it, it's not for everyone. Dragging the snail from its shell with a fork is not necessarily appealing but the sauce they use is pretty good and it's definitely worth a try since it's not that expensive and I promise you it's not worse than you imagine. The next dish is a fish called Rouget. It is served with mashed potato. Another seafood to enjoy is moule, clams. They are really really tiny but they come in a big pot so don't worry, there is enough for everyone!

  

If you are not a big fan of seafood or say, snails, but you love to feed your inner caveman, then Lyon still has a lot to offer you. This dish, is the specialty for meat lovers. It consists of 2 pieces of medium rare alongside a hallmark of French Cuisine, Tartare de Boeuf. Tartare de Boeuf is basically raw meat with raw onions and raw eggs. I know it sounds raw-ful but it actually tastes raw-some. Sorry..erhm..Moving on to the last specialty. Made with a pretty expensive French cheese called Reblochon, this dish is Tartiflette. It is made with this specific cheese, potato, onions and bacon. It does not have a crazy detail like the other ones but it's an enjoyable one and the cheese is really something. It's part crunchy part melted. Its taste is also pretty unique. Also I would like to mention a restaurant called EDO right next to the Place des Terreaux. This Japanese cuisine restaurant is perfect for the fans of Asian food. You can enjoy the duck, the beef sauced cheese, the sweet soy sauce and especially the exquisite sushi. 

ATTRACTIONS

There is no doubt that Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere is the main attraction in all Lyon. You can see it from pretty much everywhere and it looks so magnificent doesn't matter where you look from. It's like a fairy tale castle on the outside, and on the inside it's a spiritual journey. The pillars in the Church are amazing.I really enjoyed the various artifacts inside. Also there is an excellent view of the whole city.

Lyon's symbol is Lion, obviously. So you can take a picture in front of the ONLY LYON (with a red lion). It's located at the end of the Place Bellecour, right beneath an artistic clock tower. Also there you can find the Tourist Information Center and inside there are Lyon branded souvenirs. Just so you know (if you are obssessed with collections as I am).

So I can almost hear the voices. If this is a European city, there must be an old town right? Yes, there is and it's a pretty good one, too. There is a James Joyce Irish Pub, a Medieval Shop, a miniature and Movie costumes Museum and more. It's pretty easy to walk to the old town and you can spend a whole evening there. If you are looking for a crazier night with bars and loud music and of course dancing, you should probably get to Place des Terreaux. All the bars and clubs are located in one place and they are accompanied by many fast food restaurants and buffets such as Turkish food and Indian food. There is also an option for those who'd want to carry their night adventure to the next level. Ayers Rock Lyon has a bateau (a ship) that sails during the night event. You can enjoy the party on a river or in the club, old school. For those of you who would prefer to go to goodnights sleep after a magical opera, the Opera House in Lyon is also available and ready to perform for you. 

GOODBYE

To be honest, Lyon may not have as many tourist attractions as Paris or Barcelona but still it has a lot to offer. I really enjoyed my time in Lyon and I hope you guys enjoy it as well as I did. 

Until next time...

PS. Yes, there is 30 mins of free Wi-Fi at the airport :)