The Calm before the Sturm

Happy New Year everyone!

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful, happy, healthy 2016 full of love, laughter, and unforgettable moments!

 Speaking of which, I would like to share with you some unforgettable moments from the trip I took to Austria last September for a conference. You may be wondering what in the world this post is about based on the title, but bear with me…all will be revealed!

I was super excited for this trip for numerous reasons:

1. It was my first trip back to Austria since I finished my summer internship there in 2007.

2. My good friend Adventure Amalia also attended the conference and joined me for a slight detour back to my old Graz stomping grounds about 2 hours south of Vienna.

3. My German (not that it ever really existed) was getting rusty and needed some refreshing.

Vienna

I spent a week in Vienna for a conference focused on the fate of nanomaterials in the environment. As always, I was happy to catch up with old friends and also make a few new ones.

Time for some Wiener Schnitzel and beer!

Before my trip, I was told I had to try one of the traditional Austrian soups. Voilà, The Frittantensuppe: a beef broth base topped with sliced pancake, chives, and parsley. I think I still prefer my pancakes with maple syrup, but I was happy to discover another side of Austrian cuisine. 

Frittatensuppe: Sliced pancake soup.

During the weekend we had time for a walking tour of the Viennese sights. One of our first stops was at the Leopold Museum, a museum housing hundreds of works that once belonged to a dedicated lover of Austrian modern art. The collection included several works by Austria's own Gustav Klimt, probably most famous for his painting "The Kiss". An interesting anecdote; Klimt won first prize for his painting, "Death and Life", in 1911, but 4 years later decided to change it to the version seen below. 

"Death and Life" painting by Gustav Klimt.

Besides art, most people also associate Vienna with the opera. Although I wasn't able to see an opera this time, I did eat a Döner kebab near the steps. That counts right?

Vienna Opera House.

Despite being stuffed to the brim, we knew that our trip would not be complete without trying the "Sacher Torte"…the most famous cake in the world since 1832. We made our way over to the Hotel Sacher to give it a try. This torte runs 40 euros (almost equal in dollars at the moment) for a whole, so you're probably not surprised we chose to share just one slice. After all the hype, I can say that we were not overly excited with the famed chocolate cake coated with a thin layer of apricot jam and topped with chocolate ganache.  

The infamous Sacher torte. What will the verdict be?

And of course after the cake, when we really had no room to spare, we headed to dinner with another colleague and her husband to finish off the night. Vienna was a great city, and I feel like I just scratched the surface in my time there, but I was happy that I made the time to visit Graz as well.  

Vienna goodbye dinner at Bieheuriger Gangl.

Graz

After the conference finished, Amalia and I took a train from Vienna to Graz. I really couldn't believe that it had been 8 years since I was last there. It felt like both a lifetime ago and just the other day all at the same time. 

When we arrived at the train station, I knew that the trams to take us to the hotel would be right outside, but when we looked out front I couldn't see any. Come to find out they had moved the trams…underground. Just when I think I have European public transportation finally figured out, it throws me for another loop.

We took the tram to my favorite stop, Jakominiplatz, and much to my pleasure (and Amalia's dismay), I discovered that the sound announcing the next tram stop had not changed! Let's just say I spent the next two days walking around humming "Do-do-Do-do-Do". 

Another blocks walk and I squealed in delight again. I had found my Spar! Spar is a grocery store that I discovered for the first time in Graz. I did all my shopping there and would also go on special missions to find the tiniest, most expensive Skippy peanut butter you've ever seen…all the while avoiding the advances of the man selling magazines out front. Furthermore, I bought a reusable "Spar" bag that just recently met it's demise, making it one of the sturdiest reusable bags I have ever found. 

The original Spar and sacred provider of peanut butter. 

We checked into the hotel, got wifi (quite the struggle when you hear the code as "sandglass" and not "sunglass"), and then headed out to walk around the city. Our first stop was one of my favorite places, and as a hill in the very center of the city, you can't miss it: The Schlossberg (Castle Hill). Eight years ago I passed many a summer evening up there with a picnic and some wine. 

View of the Schlossberg from the Kunsthaus.

The clock tower, pictured below, stands proudly atop the Schlossberg and has been doing so since the 13th century. Much of the hill was destroyed by Napoleon in the early 1800s, but the people of Graz paid a huge ransom to save the clock tower from the same fate. 

The Uhrturm on top of the Schlossberg.

After a nice afternoon reacquainting myself with Graz and its charms, I met up with my old supervisor, Sergey, for dinner. Even though I spent just a short summer working for him, he made my experience in Austria truly memorable, always suggesting places to visit and foods to try. Danke schoen!

Catching up with my old supervisor, Sergey.

Our second day in Graz, Amalia and I put our "Use-it" map to the test. The map and guide is "no-nonsense tourist information for young people"…and the best part is it's written by the locals. They make these maps for many European cities, so for my Europe-traveling friends, check it out here!

So…that's how we ended up at Bürsten-Und Korbwaren, a store selling what I'm pretty sure is Austria's largest supply of brushes and baskets (since 1852). The store is currently run by a 94 year-old grandma and her grandson. You should have seen the look on the grandson's face when Amalia asked if they had any fingernail brushes. He didn't just have a few…he had an entire drawer full to choose from! I picked up a lovely vegetable brush for myself. You just never know when you're going to need a good Gemüsebürste. 

Brushes and baskets oh my!

We also paid a visit to one of my favorite architectural wonders: the Double Staircase. I still can't believe that this staircase that separates, joins for a few steps, separates, joins again, and so on, was constructed using 16th century tools. 

Hello from Graz's "Doppelwendeltreppe".

Another souvenir I was dying to pick up was a bottle of kürbiskernöl (pumpkin seed oil) from the local market. This dark green oil is a specialty of the Styrian region in Austria (requiring ~35,000 seeds for each bottle) and with its nutty taste is delicious on salads, cheese, ice cream…you name it. Seriously, this is liquid gold in my book. 

Market in Kaiser-Josef Platz.

A trip to Graz would not be complete without a stop at my favorite bar, Stern. This is the place where I used to suck down grasshoppers (the drink!) after a long day in the lab. I was happy to find that Stern is still alive and well and still serves amazing cocktails. Prost! 

Happy hour drinks at Stern.

Cheers to a successful trip!

The aftermath

So…I promised you that the title of this post would eventually make sense. Since we visited Austria in September, we learned that it was the season for drinking "Sturm", a slightly fermented and unfiltered "grape juice". The Sturm is bottled while it is still undergoing fermentation, so when you buy it in the store the bottles are only capped loosely with a warning not to "invert". I of course didn't understand this German warning and agitated the bottle to see if the yeast would resuspend. Sure enough they did…and the bottle ended up overflowing with sticky Sturm. 

Time for the degustation!

Intrigued by this bubbly drink, Amalia and I bought two bottles, one white and one red. Our last night in Graz (after dinner of course) we split the white bottle.  

And…that's when I learned that "Sturm" in German means storm. After a couple of hours I started to feel..well you can imagine from the picture below.

Bring on the Sturm...

It turns out that Sturm stomach is actually quite common. Apparently since the drink continues to ferment in your stomach (active yeast my friends) you should only drink one glass at a time. We had 3 each. Nothing a little Imodium and Pedialyte can't cure, but after 5 days of storm I don't think Sturm and I will be making acquaintances again any time soon.

Austria gave me (and Amalia) another gift which we discovered upon our arrival back in France…bed bugs. I remembered seeing what I thought was a cockroach in my Vienna hotel, but thought "Eh, I'm not going to complain about one little bug." Turns out bed bugs can be bigger than I thought. For you fellow travelers, a few tips, that you may never have to endure this nightmare or if you do, that you may get it taken care of quickly:

Bed bugs were mostly eradicated, but have made a resurgence since the 1990s (and no one really knows why). They usually feed on their hosts at night, then go into hiding during the day. When Amalia and I both woke up with bites 3 days after coming back from Austria, we knew something was wrong. First sign you have bed bugs…your bites occur in a line of three. 

Left alone, a few bugs can become a terrible infestation, so Amalia convinced me to call a bed bug hotline (yes, such a thing exists), and we were given some practical steps on how to eradicate them and prevent them from returning. They are more difficult to kill than many bugs, usually requiring extreme heat or cold. So, if you ever find yourself in this situation, here are a few steps you can take:

1. Get educated. Learn what the bed bugs and their eggs look like.

Photo courtesy of Bed Bug Foundation:http://bedbugfoundation.org/bedbug-biology/life-cycle/.

2. Learn the signs that confirm their presence.

I confirmed we had bed bugs by finding one during the night, but after they feed they don't stick around so I was lucky to find one. Instead, if you see blood spots or fecal matter (looks like ink spots) in or around your bed, you know you have a problem.

My friendly little roommate.

Amalia searching for additional confirmation of bed bugs.

3. Act quickly.

We put everything in plastic trash bags to contain the bugs, then began running everything we could through the dryer on high heat (bedding, pillows, clothes, shoes, etc). All of this was then put into a new bag until we finished the process. Also, we regularly vacuumed every surface in the apartment.

For those things that couldn't go through the dryer (e.g., the mattress and our suitcases), I purchased an industrial steamer. The high heat of the steam kills both the bed bugs and their eggs. And just to ensure that any remaining bed bugs in the mattress couldn't get out, I bought a bed bug-proof mattress protector.

After these measures I am happy to report that the bugs have not made a return (knock on wood)!

Take that bed bugs! 

I never thought that one little week in Austria could result in such an adventure. It was a treat to go back to a place that I hold dear to my heart, not only because it gave me my first "travel bug", but also because it blessed me with an amazing friendship (yes, that's you Lauren), and a love for learning about other cultures. The "sturm" may have ended, but my love of Austria has not.

Tschüss,
Danielle