So I've been back for about a week, and I gotta say - this was an amazing trip!
We flew out on Sunday the 14th. Overnight flight, as one might expect. Except that it took off at 6pm, meaning when we arrived it was about 2am EDT. So sleep really didn't happen on the plane for us. Except takeoff, where I normally check out right after the safety demo and sleep for about 30 minutes.
Regardless, the firm really took care of us. Once we got out of the baggage claim area they had a guy take us to some chartered buses (there were probably 100 people on the flight going to the AGM) and straight on to the Hilton Vienna (by the stadtpark). And even though it was 8:30am, we got to check in. Which was great, because we got into our room, got some things straightened out, and slept for about 3 hours.
After that, I discovered that I brought the wrong adapters, as I had UK plugs but no European plugs. Fortunately the mall across the way had a Best Buy-type store that had the adapters we needed. They also had a "ramen" place that did not serve ramen. Rather, it was a hand-cut northern Chinese-style noodle. Completely unexpected in Austria - but quite good as well!
After eating we decided to wander. Not really sure how we managed it but our random walking got us to St. Stephen's Cathedral and the City Centre. It was really pretty. Well, except for the fact they were seemingly sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger.
Regardless, we got back, showered, and got dressed for the reception. Which despite taking up two floors and the hotel lobby, was still super crowded. Food was ok. It was allegedly Austrian favourites, but some of the foods seemed more Scandinavian than Austrian, if that makes sense. Also, accountants can drink a LOT. Or maybe I'm just getting old and don't want to drink as much as I used to. We did get a bit fatigued, so we called it a night around 10pm.
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Tuesday saw us get our first excursion - Schonbrunn Palace. Lots of history in this place, and just going around and learning about the rooms and the aristocracy was very interesting. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the palace, but take my word for it - it’s beautiful.
After the tour we had lunch in a restaurant/dinner theatre at the edge of the property. Fairly bland 3-course meal. After lunch, we went back to city centre, where we got a quick walking tour of the Hofburg Palace grounds and city center before heading to Kursalon Wien where we got a quick 1 hour concert featuring Strauss and Mozart. Very cool - and relaxing, seeing as we had been walking pretty much the entire day.
Now because the firm is so large, they decided that 2 out of the four nights we’d have small dinner groups of 8 going to various restaurants in and around the city centre. Pretty cool idea, except for the folks that got to eat at Jamie’s Italian. No offense to Mr. Oliver, of course, but it’s kind of a letdown to go to Vienna, expect some local-style international food, and get Italian food from a British celebrity chef. Besides which, I’ve eaten at Jamie’s. (spoiler alert: it’s pretty good).
In any event, we did draw an Italian restaurant, Huth da Moritz. The menu was reasonably priced, and we got some “antipasto” platters which functioned more like sampler platters than a traditional antipasto… but it was quite good. There was arancini, a beef tartare, proscuitto and a ball of fresh mozzarella.
Dinner however, was outstanding. I had a grilled calamari, and my wife had grilled dorada. Neither item is local, of course, but it was prepared and cooked nicely. The fish especially, as it was quite simply prepared with some lemon, oil and herbs.
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Wednesday was the first half day of the actual AGM, so I had a morning to myself. Because of that I really just wandered around the city centre and looked for souvenirs.
In the afternoon my wife and I went around the Ring a bit more, since we hadn’t really explored beyond that. But she was a bit tired so we didn’t stay out too long, heading back to the hotel so she could take a nap.
Dinner was at a wine tavern on the outskirts of Vienna. It was an interesting place as it was almost like a beer hall, but in somebody’s well-maintained garden. Unfortunately that is probably the most positive thing I can say about the place. The wine was good, no question there, but the food was… very fried. They had schnitzel, of course, but I think the strain of making so much fried cutlets for so many caused it to be very dry and hard to eat.
And then there were the flies.
Enough said. Fortunately, they were not fans of the white wine.
When the first busses were offered at 9:30 we took it and got back to the hotel. Where somehow, the “hospitality area” was already in full swing. Did I mention that accountants like to drink?
Next up: Bratislava and Melk
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