Vienna night life … street performers

One of the things that we like most about most European cities is that they are walking friendly … not necessarily pedestrian friendly.  Some drivers are totally nuts, i.e., crazy!

Typically after dinner, we like to walk around.  Vienna was perfect for this … I still wonder how European women are able to walk on those cobblestone streets, especially in high heel shoes.

Not only is Vienna ideal for walking, but like many other European cities, the street performers come out at night to perform.  Lets just say that not all street performers are created equal.  Some are good and some are really bad … too bad for street and free performing.

What’s funny, while we were in Vienna this past July 2008, there was a Canadian performer from Montreal … he was in the not so good category.  Even when the street performers are not even good, it is still entertaining to watch.

I don’t mind to tip, if you are working to try to entertain me.

Dining in Montreal … I love French food

Despite the bad attitudes that I encountered on my last visit to Montreal, the food was excellent.

My first night in Montreal, I stayed in Downtown, I visited Chez Alexandre, a French Bistro on 1454 Peel St. and the food was incredible.  The foie gras is among the best that I ever have had.  Sorry PETA.  Along with the excellent food, the atmosphere is familiar like an upscale neighborhood restaurant without the pretense.  The house wine is good and pairs well with the duck.  Like many restaurants in Europe and Montreal, Chez Alexandre offers inside and outside dining and sometimes blends the two by opening it’s large sliding French doors to the outside.  Highly recommended for good food and atmosphere; service, however, is only average.

Le Grill Bistro is located in Old Montreal at 183 Saint-Paul St, near Jacques-Cartier Square.  This restaurant offers inside and patio dining, as well as live music … the musicians want a tip.  The inside seating is small and unimpressive, but the food more than compensate for this shortcoming and the live music minimizes the stodgy fill of the inside dining.  The menu is quite extensive and the chef is not afraid to experiment and jazz up traditional dishes.  Unlike other dining experiences in Montreal, Le Grill seems to understand the importance of service.  Highly recommended for the food and the service.  Just remember, this restaurant is in Old Montreal and there’s a premium for eating in this area.

Bistro L’Arqmate is another excellent French restaurant in downtown Montreal.  In fact, it is at 1410 Peel St, a few block from Chez Alexandre.  While the food here is good, not as good as Chez Alexandre, the dining experience is somewhat eclectic and modern.  There are three levels at this bistro and I believe the best seating is on the third level where you can look down onto the bar and other patrons.  Here too, the house wine is a fine selection.  The French know their wines.  Good food, but better atmosphere.  Service needs a lot of work.

In spite of bad attitudes, rudeness, sarcasm, and perhaps some French nationalism, the food and wine was a treat!

Eastern Europe 2008 … History comes to life!

We just recently returned from Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary and if you like history and you haven’t been to these countries, they are must visit destinations.

As much as I would like to take credit for planning such a historic-rich trip … it was happenstance.  As one who loves history, and is aware of the close relationships among the Austrians, Czechs, and Hungarians, I completely was not thinking of this when I made the arrangements.  Visiting these three countries really pulled all that history together … the Austrian-Hungarian Empire!

These three countries, despite being part of the Austrian-Hungarian, are quite culturally different.  Vienna is quite different from Prague, which is not like Budapest.  Of course, prior to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, these countries and their territories were distinct and the Empire did little to change that.

In summary, Vienna is probably culturally west.  Prague is very old and the western edge of Eastern Europe.  Hungary, a culturally rich eastern European country, is proud of its historical role in stopping the advance of the Turks.

A visit to one or two of these destinations would be incomplete.

Montreal, Quebec … why the attitude?

We visited Montreal almost 10 years ago and must say that we had a wonderful time.  We visited the Old Port and many of the old churches.  Learned about the history of the city and visited the old world’s fair site.  As I said, we had a wonderful time.

Fast forward 10 years, the city is still a beautiful blend of old and new.  The Botanical Gardens are still worth a visit.  The food is as delicious as ever.  What’s different this time?  Bad attitude!

I understand that Montreal is in Quebec and that Quebec is in Canada and that this part of Canada is supposed to be bilingual, i.e., French and English.  Someone forgot to tell the residents of Montreal that they are supposed to be bilingual.  My French is minimal at best.  I can communicate uni-directionally.  It’s much harder for me to understand what others are saying.

So, as I always try to do when I travel to a non-English speaking country, which Canada is not, I try to speak the local language, at least some.  But, this was not good enough for Montreal.  And, when I spoke English, that was not good enough either.  Overall, there was a very unfriendly and unwelcoming feel to the city.  Much different than my previous visit, and I am not hypersensitive.

Service was typically not good, despite eating in nice places.  No one seemed to want to speak English even though the city is supposed to bilingual.  Public transportation workers, restaurant servers, and hotel staff were quite matter-of-fact about my business and often seemed bothered … not just with me, but with everyone. 

Why the attitude?  Is this the result of the effort to succede from Canada?

Learning about your host country’s culture

You hear a lot about some Europeans perceiving people from the United States as “Ugly American.”  Well, that has not been our experience and we have visited many European countries … in fact, we are visiting Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary this summer.

When we travel outside the US, we always remember that the most compelling reason we are visiting is because the country is different from ours, at least that is my philosophy for traveling.  Traveling is an experience.  So, before we go, we do a little research on the local beliefs, values, and practices of our host country.  Remember, not all people think and behave the same, so don’t stereotype.  But, you can learn what to expect and how to behave.

The following suggestions may help you avoid the “Ugly American” label:

• Don’t expect your host country to adapt to you.  That’s arrogant.
• Learn key phrases.  Some people really appreciate this, even when they speak your language perfectly.
• Tip the way locals do.  Leaving a tip on the table is not universal.
• Watch your hand signals, you may inadvertently insult someone or think they are insulting you.
• Don’t get upset with your host country when they don’t have 24 hour services that you want.  Some business close for lunch, because they consider things other than money important.
• Accept gifts like drinks and sweets from locals … drink and eat it too!  This is a very kind gesture on the part of your host.
• Be polite!  Being overly demanding probably won’t help … just as it usually does not help in your country.

Remember, when in Rome, do as the Romans do … to some extent.

Doomed to success? Visiting the Galapagos …

When is a good thing too good?  Each year the Galapagos Islands seem to get more and more popular.  At one time, there were only 60,000 visitors to the islands, but it has grown by tens of thousands.  Recently, a five star hotel opened, appropriately $400 - 500 per night the last time I checked, which is about the cost of the Explorer II.  This is just one example of how the islands may be doomed to their success.  A five star hotel takes a lot of construction and creates more traffic and pollution … you can only be so eco-friendly.  This cannot help but change the islands.

One thing that I learned on my trip was the islands were not always protected.  In fact, they have a storied past.  After Darwin’s  discovery, there were several attempt to colonize and exploit the islands.  Mainland animals like horses and goats were imported and competed with native animals.  You would not believe how the islands got rid of the goats … they herded them and shot them!  What about taking them back to the mainland?

This time, instead of trying to colonize the islands, are we going to tour it to death?  Not to sound like a hypocrite because I have already been to the island, but I was glad to hear that Ecuador was going to reduce the number of visitors to the island.  My compliments to Ecuador.

By the way, despite earlier attempts to colonize, I was glad to see that islands appeared pristine … mostly.  There were no toilets, waste bins, or anything human that stayed on the island … other than footprints.

Jo’burg, a truly wired city

June 2007, I visited Johannesburg, South Africa to present a paper on culture and medical education at Wits University.  I was “culturally shocked” and found the lingering and persistent effect of Apartheid pulsing throughout the city and its character.

We didn’t stay exactly in Jo’burg, as the citizens call the city, we were in one of the “upscale” suburbs, Melrose, at a boutique hotel.  The hotel was nice and the staff were friendly and helpful, but it did seem to attract a somewhat pretentious crowd, especially for an event the hotel was holding; however, that is a tangent.

Since we arrived to Jo’burg late, it was not until the next morning that we realized how wired the city is … wired in the sense of barbed wired and security.  One of the things that we like to do is take a walk after dinner … not advisable here.  I don’t even know if the hotel staff would have allowed us.  So, the next day as we are out with our driver … yes, the hotel has a contract with a driver to transport guest around, because it is too unsafe to walk.  We did not see any buildings that did not have barbed wire or jagged glass atop their gates and barriers.  We passed large beautiful homes that were enclosed like prisons and secured with barbed wire.

Then, there are personal security firms that provide escorts and security officers.  Our first inkling of the security concerns was our hotel with was gated and manned with a private security officer.  I thought, “I thought I got a nice hotel in a good part of town, why do they need this type of protection.”  One night, we went out for dinner via our driver and noticed that many of the whites walking and dining had black escorts, while the blacks did not.  I thought, how interesting.

Last word, despite the vast disparity between the wealthy and the poor in the suburbs, they both are prisoners trapped in the status quo.  The whites, typically the wealthy cannot or will not leave and threaten their lifestyle, so they leave in fortresses, prisoners to safety issues.  The blacks who seem to make up the majority of the poor do not really have anywhere else to go either and many consider Jo’burg home, as do the whites.  These two cultures are like binary stars, circling each other with one feeding off the other.