Salzburg’s Top 10

I recently returned to Salzburg for a good friend’s wedding. It had been nearly 20 years since I’d last been there; way too long for someone who typically doesn’t remember what they ate for breakfast to recall what a great place it is without again setting foot on Austrian soil.  Definitely doable over a long weekend, although you’ll want to spend a few days in the surrounding countryside if for no other reason than to marvel at the manicured “lawns” that seem to make up the entire country (who mows the lawn?!). So Letterman-style, here’s my list of “10 Things I Loved About Salzburg” (in no particular order of importance). Drum roll, please!!:

1.     Devouring hot, crispy fried chicken accompanied by a cold local Steig beer while standing at a makeshift table of a plank/milk crates. Now that’s a food truck!

 2.     Gruner Veltliner on EVERY wine list!

 3.     Enjoying a traditional Viennese breakfast with Lulu (she passed on the coffee; was partial to the ham and soft boiled egg) inside the Café Tomaselli.

4.     Learning that pretty much everything I thought I knew about the von Trapp family from The Sound of Music is a straight out Hollywood fabrication. But according to the tour guide (don’t judge—the wedding couple coordinated it!), MVT got a cool $900K (we’re talking 1960’s so not a bad sell out) to keep her “trapp” (get it?) shut.

5.     Traditional Austrian dress as legit daily clothing.

6.     Produce at the outdoor market that is more “still-life” than “Stop and Shop”.

7.     The garage level at the hotel:  -1.

8.     Watching the opening night performance of the Salzburg Festival en plein air on a big screen (thanks Siemens. Sponsor call out!) with the Cathedral of Salzburg to my left and the Mönchsberg to my right.

9.     Seeing the back of the Schloss Leopoldskron from a “public-only” distance across the lake as the site where the boat scene in TSOM was filmed; having private access to the other side as a guest at a wedding held there later that night.

10.   Hotel bathroom soap called “Tricky Ricky”.  Visiting the website to write this post and learning that the names for the rest of the line’s products are even better.

Now keep an eye out for cheap flights—here’s to hoping you’re convinced it’s worth the trip!  Prost!

Posted by Marlo

Destination: Barcelona

My sister doing an MBA program in Barcelona has given me some great perks—fabulous clothes for my birthday, the role of favorite daughter because I’m closest to home…but visiting her for a week over Thanksgiving was definitely the best treat of all!

For those planning a European getaway this spring, Barcelona is a must-see destination. Tapas, sangria, Gaudi architecture AND it’s on the Mediterranean? What could beat that?

Below I include some of my personal favorite spots should you be headed to Barca anytime soon. Disfrute!

Los Restaurantes y Las Barras:
We wanted to be sure to get our fill of tapas while in Spain. My favorite tapas were from Lolita—a casual restaurant where you sit at the bar and are served your food as soon as the plates are ready. Its very reasonably priced with authentic Catalan tapas—don’t miss the croquettas and patatas bravas!

Another must-eat-at restaurant has a bit of Barcelona history mixed into its amazing menu and décor. Els Quatre Gats was frequented by Spanish master Pablo Picasso and has continued to be a hot spot for visiting artists and celebrities.

Barcelona is also known for their delicious seafood. La Paradeta is a fun restaurant where you pick the seafood you want and it is cooked on the spot. Typically there are long lines, but it’s definitely worth the wait! Check out the Born location—a great area of town with lots of nightlife and shops open late.

The nightlife in Barca doesn’t typically start until after midnight and goes until 6am. A fun, interactive bar was La Bolsa (meaning “Stock Exchange”) where the prices of drinks change as the number of people who are ordering them fluctuates. Clearly it was a big hit with the MBA students…

Los Museos y Los Atracciones:
As an art lover, I dragged my brother along to every museum he could stand. My favorite art museum was by far the Picasso Museum. With an extensive collection of Picasso’s works located in a beautifully constructed brick building, this was a must-see for anyone visiting the city. Two interesting exhibits: Picasso’s reworkings of Velasquez’s Las Meninas and Picasso Looks at Degas—a thoughtful exploration of the similarities between these two remarkably different aesthetics.

You can’t go to Barcelona without seeing the Gaudi architecture. A turn of the century architect with an almost impossible to categorize style, Gaudi’s works are astounding. Two apartment buildings located on Passeig de Gracia are a must see—a tour of La Pedrera explains his construction methods and inspiration, and a trip to the roof which is covered in tiled spires with a view of the city. La Sagrada Familia, a massive church that is STILL being constructed (work on the church began in 1882), is an incredible structure that looks like a sand castle with organic motifs. For an afternoon walk, a trip to Park Güell gives you an unbelievable view of the whole city and was designed and lived in by Gaudi (and where ANTM’s runway in Season 7 was filmed!).

We had great weather for late November (mid 50’s and sunny), but if you’re traveling in the spring, make use of the beautiful beaches along the coast in the Barceloneta area of the city. Renting bikes is a great option for enjoying the beach scenery.

Although my Spanish is terrible (even after taking it for five years in middle school and high school…) and I don’t know any Catalan, Barcelona was easy to navigate because of the friendly people, cheap cabs, and idiot-proof Metro system.

If you’re looking for a fun trip with incredible food, culture and art, Barcelona is definitely la mejor cuidad!

Posted by Sarah

Bay State to Bay Area: A San Francisco Treat

I live in Boston and love Boston, but if push came to shove, I’d set down in the land of Google, Gays, and Golden Gates faster than you can say Sausalito. I planned a long, Columbus Day Weekend out there to visit family and friends and get my fix of my favorite domestic destination. Four days packed full of fantastic food, wine country, and warm weather, I’ve included some of my personal favorites below as recommendations if you’re headed out any time soon. Enjoy!

Where to Eat:
The rustic Italian fever has been fired up in the city, and we dined at two local spots. Flour & Water, located a few blocks from the center of the Mission, boasts simple, authentic, delicious Italian fare from chef Thomas McNaughton, featuring hand-rolled pastas and house-made cured meats. Rated 2010 Best New Restaurant by San Francisco Weekly and receiving raves from the New York Times, reservations are scarce, but luckily the restaurant’s policy is to book only half their tables allowing plenty of opportunity for walk-ins.

Farina, also in the Mission, focuses more exclusively on Ligurian cuisine, though there is a fair amount of cross-over with Flour & Water’s offerings. Fabulous fire-grilled pizzas and homemade pastas, fresh organic ingredients, and refreshingly human-sized portions allow for leisurely multi-coursed dinners. Farina is more upscale and more established, having opened in 2007, though the restaurant is still a very bustling neighborhood favorite. Also, a full bar doesn’t hurt, especially one constructed of reclaimed soapstone baths.

Where to Wine:
A day trip to Napa Valley was pieced together by a good friend whose son, Ehren Jordan, has garnered much acclaim for his Turley Zinfandels (most notably, SF Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year). Ehren has also started a new winery, Failla,where he and his wife, who the winery is named after, are developing incredible Pinot Noirs. After a lovely tasting, followed by day-drunk wine buying,  we were off to a light lunch at Sol Bar. The restaurant is located within the Solage Calistoga resort and features bright fresh menus from the light and healthy realm to more comfort-y foods. Think chilled corn soups, local tomatoes, gremolata, braised peaches, house made ricotta, fries with lime infused aiolis, and so on — this was the most colorful and summery of all the meals we enjoyed — 5 stars in my book, 1 in Michelin’s!

Two retail stops along the way…We first visited Ca’Toga, the awe-inspiring studio and gallery created by Venetian muralist and artist Carlo Marchiori. From magnificent ceiling-scapes, tile work and paintings, to bronze sculpture, ceramics and furnishings, Marchiori is a true creative genius. On return visit, I’ll be booking a tour to Villa Ca’Toga, Carlo’s dreamlike fantasy-world home (take a look at the website — wacky!) Next, we stopped at Ma(i)sonry, art gallery cum wine shop — apparently trippy sculpture gardens are the thing in Napa. After a lovely tasting in their gardens and two expensive Cabernets sold by the non-discriminatory flirtatious and hot-as-shit salesman, we trotted over to our last stop, French Laundry. It goes without saying this was one of the most unforgettable meals of my life. It absolutely lives up to its reputation and 20 courses later we were floating on home, our veins coursing with Krug, caviar, foie gras, white truffles, Riesling, Nuits St-Georges…and so on and so on and so on.

Where to Bloom:
Following our fat fest in Napa, it was imperative we eat as little as possible and walk as much as possible. We first visited the Conservatory of Flowers. The steamy Victorian glass house is home to a lush indoor landscape of hallucinogenic-ally colorful flora and fauna from a lovely lily pond to carnivorous plant exhibition (cobra plants = weird!)  We then made our way to the Academy of Sciences, situated across from Golden Gate Park.  Designed by Renzo Piano, the incredible museum features a closed, 4-story rainforest a flight with tropical birds, butterflies, and tree frogs. Visitors snake upwards through the different levels of the rainforest eventually taking the elevator beneath the ‘forest depths’, aka  ground-floor aquarium.  The highlight without question: their albino alligator named Claude. The academy also has a ‘living rooftop’ which is a site to see (though a little Teletubby-esque if you ask me). And finally, after spending the majority of the day at indoor gardens, we changed it up by heading outside to continue our garden—themed day at the beautiful San Francisco Botanical Gardens.

That’s all we had time for this time around, but lucky for me I’ve got plenty of free accommodations to take advantage of, so see you later Bay State, the Bay Area is callin’ my name.

Posted by Sam