Autumn Afternoon at the Zoo

One of the fairly major gaps in my Vienna checklist has always been the Schönbrunn Zoo, which I had actually planned to visit at various times, but either the weather wasn't being cooperative or something else came up instead.  So I was super excited for a spontaneous trip out to the Zoo this past Sunday afternoon.  The leaves are now in their full autumn splendor, and the weather was gorgeous.  

This zoo has won all sorts of awards and is currently voted the best European Zoo, and they really aren't kidding, not that I would expect anything less from Vienna.  

This zoo is part of the palace grounds at Schönbrunn, and while looking up the history of the zoo, we were rather surprised to find out that the first zoo on this site was started in 1570.

They have several bird enclosures you can walk inside, trying not to get hit by a bird...or any of its droppings...

And of all the random things...David Hasselhoff was there feeding the lemurs!  I was too distracted by his girlfriend's impractical footwear choice to notice him at first, but sure enough, he was in Vienna for another event and stopped by the zoo to hang out with the animals.  So completely random, but of course adds something special to the afternoon. 

There are also tons of baby animals at the zoo right now, including this adorable elephant born in September. 

Just to give some sense of just how Viennese this all is...this is the inside of the monkey house...I hope they truly appreciate the architecture.

And of course, a trip towards the South Pole...penguins both outside, and inside where they can have conditions slightly closer to the arctic climate they enjoy

And then from the icy chill to the humid rainforest.  There is a multi-level rainforest house there as well, with warning signs at the entrance about the flying dragons...uhhhh.  We wandered around in here for a bit, while I was trying not to get too freaked out by the bats and spiders and snakes around...

The zoo is partially on a hillside, which allows for pretty great views once you've walked up to the top

The reindeer getting ready for their upcoming season to shine

And some lions peeking through the leaves

The gate closest to the palace and the gardens

Seriously...the leaves this year are not disappointing.

And walking back out through the gardens and the shadow of the grand palace that is Schönbrunn.

With the way this semester has been going, probably the next time I'll be out here is for the Christmas market that's there.  Still a bit hard to believe we're rapidly approaching that! But first we have to deal with Halloween and Thanksgiving, and I have high hopes for whatever importing I'm able to do for both those holidays this year.

So the zoo is now officially checked off the list, although I hope that isn't the last time I make it over there.  It is open 365 days a year, so perhaps seasonal trips are in order.  Now just to figure out what the next thing to cross off the list will be...

Halfway Through October

I cannot believe we're already more than halfway done with October.  I think I had somehow kidded myself into thinking that fewer classes this semester would equal being less busy, and I was terribly mistaken.  Not that I don't love all the activities I have going on, but it is amazing how quickly time fills up and passes on by.  Classes have now started back up, and for me they will all be finished by mid-December, which makes all the school work for this semester that much more concentrated. 

It hasn't all been just school work though, my Godparents came to visit from Connecticut on their travels through Europe at the beginning of the month.  The night they arrived also happened to be Lange Nacht der Museen (yet another "Long Night") so we were able to run around to several different museums and see some things we probably wouldn't have ordinarily.  The next 4 days they were here were filled with touristy things and vineyards and coffee houses, a wonderful chance to spend quality time with them and show them around this beautiful city.

The long night map...130 museums in Vienna participated!

And I'm finally now having time to just enjoy being back in Vienna after the summer, taking long walks around the city at all times of day

Now is also one of the rare times that the Rathausplatz is bare, before we're back around to Christmas markets and skating rinks.

And of course being back up at school on a regular basis isn't too bad either.  Watching the leaves change not only on the trees but on the grape vines as well.  This view always helps to really illuminate the changing of the seasons.

I pretty much just love anything remotely autumnal (including that word) so when restaurants and bars around here also decorate appropriately I get really excited.

Of course the start to the new semester also means everyone is back in town! And we have new additions to our masters programs, so we held our bi-annual get to know you evening over some delicious Austrian wine.

And somehow I guess that's about it for now, a bit disjointed perhaps but at least now I have some vague record of the past couple weeks.  There's plenty coming up on the calendar, lots to get done and look forward to in the next few weeks!

Weinwandertag

We're definitely now getting into Autumn mode here in Vienna, restaurants all over town are now posting signs for various "kürbis woche" dishes and things (my favorite).  For me a treat of the season is always a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and I had been sort of frantically stalking Starbucks to see if they were going to carry them this year (last year was the first year they were introduced in Austria).  I don't usually frequent Starbucks here, as we have excellent coffee served as part of a proper service that is much less expensive elsewhere, but yesterday the magical signs appeared on the street that the Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, and I walked right into the first Starbucks and got one, so now I feel like fall has officially begun.  

Last weekend was the official Vienna Wine Hiking Days all through the vineyards around town.  Private vineyards that may not always be open to the public are open on these two days, serving both bottled wine from last year, and various fresh grape juices and sturm (mashed grapes with the yeast added, just starting to ferment) from this year's harvest.

And of course a bit of tasting of the grapes fresh off the vines

Dancing through the vineyards

Getting some last rays of warm early fall sun

One of the things I love so much about these activities here is that they really do draw a completely mixed crowd.  You can easily share a table with strangers 30 years your senior, or 20 years your junior and everyone has a wonderful time together. 

Some vineyards even had live music...adds a bit of special ambiance 

Views towards Leopoldsberg

Watching the sky turn beautiful shades of pink over the city.  Still one of my most favorite views, the vineyards and the city of Vienna sprawled out behind them.

A glass of Sturm

And finally it was starting to get dark, so we got directions from our last stand owner of how to cut through their vineyards and make it back to the tram to get home.  A wonderful Saturday of good friends and delicious wine. 

Now it's getting rather cold here, we're expected to hit the freezing mark tonight, but a few of these vineyards said they would be open the next two weekends through the grape harvest, so I'm hoping for another afternoon trip up there before it gets too cold.  Classes start for me on Monday, so I'm trying my best to be disciplined and get back into reading mode.  Still a bit hard to believe it's October, but I'm also ready to get back into my school life a bit.

As I'm writing this though, we had a small earthquake...4.2 apparently...enough for me to feel the floor roll a bit and my blinds to shake...nobody told me there are earthquakes here...