When we got to the train station in Milan and looked at our options we decided to take a train to Basel, Switzerland since it was the furthest point and then make arrangements to the Netherlands from there. The lady at the Milan station asked if we wanted to reserve our seats for Amsterdam from Milan.. but foolishly we declined.. The ride from Milan to Basel was nearly 8 hours long and we were beat yet decided to continue our marathon to Amsterdam. The ticket gods were not on our side this time.. and there were no seats left for the [View Full Entry]

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Milan.. Why Milan you ask? Well.... It’s all about Fashion..Lots of wine and pizza.. Italians....should be a great place to visit... hmm... high expectations set for Milan... We managed to get fairly inexpensive train tickets from Zurich and off we were on a 7am train ride The ride from Zurich to Milan was arguably the most beautiful train ride..The Swiss Alps were breathtaking and the small villages covered with Snow were postcard worthy. Talar and I did take turns dosing off for about an hour or so but David was a diligent photographer through the entire 6 hours. We got to [View Full Entry]

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Throughly excited, Suzy and I headed off today to meet Talar and tour around Europe. But, first it would take a bit of traveling to meet up in Zurich. The night train seemed to be the prefect option. Needless to say we were very ambitious of the romantic evening, on the night train, riding through the Alps. As we arrived at Vienna’s main train station, as always, we easily found our train and couchette. The numbers had been changed around a bit, by the conductor, so we decided to ask the question... are you sure were in the right place? Hmm, [View Full Entry]

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The plan was to hang out at home for the first part of the night.. have some drinks, then head out to Stephensplatz where the annual Wien SilvesterStadt festivities take place. After getting hold of a program schedule the day before and seeing how elaborate the plans were, 11 different stages of all kinds of music and dances scattered in a 2 mile radius of the city, we decided to head over there in the afternoon check the stages out.. then come back at night to welcome the new year. I am so glad we went! The second stage we walked [View Full Entry]

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Over two years ago Suzy and I where looking for adventurous places to go snowboarding. We found a place in the Alps named St. Anton am Arlberg. This little town was a two hour train ride from Zurich in the Austrian Alps. We did the math and decided to go to Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada. At the time I made Suzy a promise that we would some day visit and board in St. Anton. I had even sent her a ecard from the site inviting her with me in the future to make the journey. Well, as luck has it, [View Full Entry]

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Christmas time in Vienna is amazing. Aside from the beautifully lighted streets and various Christmas markets with the mouth watering scents of Brutwursts, roasted chestnuts and warm spiced wine, the hustle and bustle of the city on Christmas eve is extremely charming. On the 24th we walked to the Nasch market (about a 10 minute walk from the apartment), to do our Christmas dinner shopping and pick us a Christmas tree. The Nasch market is a huge permanant farmer's market. The vendors are mostly Turkish and there are Shawerma and falafel stands every few feet. It's a good place to buy [View Full Entry]

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Day 1 Suzy and I headed out for Prague the morning of the 15th. We decided to take the OBB, the Austria train, across the border on the 5.5 hour trek to the Czech Capitol. About an hour into our trip we had our first Behind the Iron Curtain experience. Although it has been over fifteen years since the borders were opened to outsiders we still felt a bit intimidated by the heavily armed customs rep who was wearing and full on swat suit, beret, and carrying multiple firearms who was just there to check our passports. It should be noted [View Full Entry]

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We are leaving for Prague tomorrow and had a free day.. We visited Hechem and his wife Samar at their salon.. as always they were being very generous and asked if I wanted to get my hair done.. I gave in (twist my arm..right?).. It was such a treat! specially since the hot water at the apt lasts all of 6 mins and it's always quiet the challenge to wash my hair. Samar washed and massaged my head for 15 mins!!!! I was in heaven.. She then cut layers and blow dried it.. It really was a wonderful treat! Hashim had [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday Dec 12th It was a relatively nice day in Vienna.. still freezing cold..but it looked like the sun was making a genuine attempt at gracing us with her presence..so we decided to take a stroll towards the Schonbrunn Castle. We had heard that there was a garden maze, a zoo, and the old faithful- a Christmas market within the castle... Armed with the GPS we hit the streets of Vienna. The walk was supposed to be an easy 15-20 min walk..after about an hour and 15 mins we saw the grand doors of the castle :) Although the walk took [View Full Entry]

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The Italians are coming! The Italians are coming! Yes, yes... this is a joke. We just arrived back from an amazing (yet wet) trip to Salzburg, Austria. In which we traveled by train on the OOB. The total trip took 3 hours with about 5 stops. Upon arrival at Salzburg main station, we grabbed the local Bus 3 to Old Town (aka New Italy). I say this because as soon as we stepped off the bus in Old Town there was no longer German anywhere being spoken. Apparently the first two weekends in December the town is besieged by tourists, which [View Full Entry]

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