No Coffee, No Americans, And No Chrysanthemums
The European Vol.1. Issue no. 40
September 14, 2007
Courtemer, France 
| Getting away from it all in the azure waters of the Med, on the Spanish coast.
Photo courtesy of Mike DeSimone.
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Dear Europhile,
This week I'm in Normandy with the rest of my International Living colleagues who flew in for a week of tale telling, secret sharing, and catching up…all on the subject of, well, "international living." We'll be discussing Europe, among other topics, and I'll be picking their brains for more ideas, tips, and stories for you from their extensive travels. I'm hoping for a little time to explore the villages nearby, but I can't promise I'll be able to sneak away. My parents used to live in this neck of the woods, however, so I'll be prepared for chilly mornings and misty photo opportunities. To escape this dampness for bluer skies, read on. You'll learn what to drink in Vienna, what to do in Nerja, and how to eat in Paris.
Enjoy! Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European
What to drink in Vienna by Therese A. Schoen 
| Photo courtesy of Österreich Werbung. |
Vienna is famous for its creamy coffees and beer, but don't miss out on the world-class wines here as well. The gentle slopes that surround the Austrian capital are laced with vineyards-the Viennese claim more within their city limits than in any other European City-and dotted with Heurigen, the traditional wine taverns that serve new wine (heuer meaning "this year.")
In the warm months, the Viennese flock to the Wienerwald-the Vienna Woods-to sip the local nectar. Sitting under ancient chestnut trees in a garden filled with long wooden tables, you'll join the regulars in enjoying the Gemütlichkeit, that particularly Austrian or Bavarian joie-de-vivre with a touch of melancholy. At a Heuriger, the waiters' frenzied choreography is as much to be admired as the wine. Fragrant Rieslings, apple-crisp Grüner Veltliner (a golden Muscatel), or hearty red Blauer Zweigelt are consumed by the Viertel (quarter liter) or Achtel (eighth of a liter). Come hungry and enjoy the hearty tavern fare of chicken, Schnitzel (breaded veal or pork cutlets), Schweinsbraten (roasted pork), salads, and breads layered with cheese or Liptauer-a rich spread made of cream cheese, paprika, and onion. Apfelstrudel is always offered, but don't expect to finish your meal with coffee: most Heurigen don't serve it.
Not all Heurigen are alike. Mayer-am-Pfarrplatz, in the popular village of Grinzing, was where Beethoven composed his 6th Symphony (Pastoral) and worked on his greatest opus, the 9th Symphony (Choral). Today it is one of Vienna's leading Heurigen.
The taverns in Stammersdorf or nearby Jedlersdorf are in a picturesque area at the foot of Bisamberg Hill. The Winzerhof Leopold in Stammersdorf serves prize-winning white and red wines in a friendly, modern setting. The Weingut-Heuriger Schilling offers a view over the vineyards from the bright, airy conservatory, and from the orchard where you can savor proprietary wines with a specialty buffet and homemade sausages. Wine and song The Heurigen offer not only wine but music, usually by strolling musicians who serenade with the traditional, sentimental Viennese melodies known as Schrammelmusik. The Schrammel Brothers, 19th-century Viennese musicians who helped to formalize what was already an Austrian folk tradition, left an indelible mark on the musical culture of this former imperial city. No less an authority than the Waltz King himself, Johann Strauss, said, "If you want to hear true Viennese music, then you have to go to the Schrammeln." |
Beethoven must have enjoyed a glass or two as he worked here in Mayer-am-Pfarrplatz, Grinzing, now one of the most popular Viennese wine taverns. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, visit the smaller genuine Heuriger taverns that offer buffet-style food. You'll find many places to relax in Ottakring and Mauer, to the southwest of Vienna, and in Oberlaa at the foot of the Laaer hill. For a list of Heurigen throughout Vienna and its suburbs, check the official website: www.wien-info.at. Finding the wine
The following directions are from downtown Vienna:
Grinzing: Take the 38 tram from the Schottentor station on the Ring or take the U4 (underground) to the last stop, Heiligenstadt, and from there walk to the buses and take the 38A to Grinzing. It's a small village and everything is within walking distance.
Stammersdorf: Take the U6 to Floridsdorf and then the 30 or 31 tram to Stammersdorf. You could also take the 31 tram from the Schottenring station (1st District) to Stammersdorf (last station). The Heurigen are within walking distance.
Ottakring: Take the U3 to the last stop.
Travel in Vienna Vienna has an excellent public transportation system: clean, safe, and usually punctual. If your stay in town is short, the best pre-paid transportation ticket is the Vienna Card (18.50 euros) available at most hotels, the Tourist Information Center on Albertinaplatz (catty-corner from the Albertina Museum), at the Vienna Transportation System outlets, and at major U-Bahn stations. The Card allows visitors to discover the city for 72 hours by underground, bus, or tram with discounts at 210 venues. The accompanying brochure (in English, German, French, and Italian) lists all the special offers throughout the city, including discounts at concerts, museums, shops, cafés, Heurigen, and restaurants. |
P.S. Vienna gets its name from the Latin word for wine, vinum. Originally a Celtic settlement, Vienna later became an important military and commercial center under the Romans, who loved their wine. The third-century Emperor Probus promoted grape growing in the Roman provinces. In Vienna, the grapes thrived and the Romans called the place "Vindobona": good wine!
Paddling in Paradise by Jeff Jenssen We can now check out local sailing conditions online, and if they are good-as they usually are this time of year-we wheel our 20-foot-long, two-man kayak down the hill on its little trailer to Burriana beach, and off we paddle into the calm blue Mediterranean. The open water is smooth as glass once you get more than 100 feet away from the shoreline. We start out toward the east, where only small, half-moon-shaped cove beaches interrupt the craggy cliffs that drop right down to the aquamarine sea. Nerja is blessed with underground rivers and springs, and natural waterfalls cascade down over ancient caves carved into the walls of the cliffs. Hundreds of gulls and terns make their homes in smaller caves etched into the rock face, and you paddle around giant upturned boulders whose guano-covered surfaces glisten white as snow under the sun. To cool off, guide your bow toward a break in the rock wall and take impromptu showers on the way into and out of a series of small caverns. Mussels cling to the rocks just above and below the waterline. We have yet to join the local kayaking club that organizes daily and weekly excursions around Nerja's seven cove beaches, but we've talked to many of the club's officers while gearing up and have been extended a few kind invitations. We're told that we would be the first English-speaking members and certainly the first Americans. One of the benefits of membership is a storage locker right on the beach, which would mean no more pulling the kayak back up the hill--a definite advantage. We're also told that there are moonlight excursions that often evolve into full-blown beach parties-this is the clincher. Nobody knows how to have a good time like the Spanish. The late Andalusian poet, Federico Garcia Lorca wrote, "The dead in Spain are more alive than the dead anywhere else." You can imagine how alive the living are! We purchased our two-man Bic kayak (yes, the plastic pen manufacturer) from Decathlon, a large French-owned sporting goods store in Malaga, for around 700 euro-much less than it would have cost in the States. They also happily delivered it, at no additional cost, and within 15 minutes of the promised time. The best thing about kayaking in this area is that once the fishing fleet comes in with their morning catch, there is hardly any boat traffic-no motorboats or Jet Skis to terrorize you. P.S. If you're interested in learning to kayak, Rob Dawson at Adventura Sports on Burriana Beach takes beginners out for a three-hour cruise for only 20 euro. Once you have demonstrated some proficiency he'll rent you one from his fleet for a longer journey. He also organizes scuba-diving trips, horseback trail rides, and mountain treks. Adventura: Playa Burriana, Nerja; tel. +34 952520471; website: www.adventuranerja.com.
Don't say it with these flowers 
| Delicate as these blooms may be, they'll feel like a slap in the face if offered to your host or hostess in France. Photo courtesy of www.istockphoto.com |
by Leigh Fergus Knowing a country's language is one way of getting an inside view of that culture and its people. But once you've grasped when to use the subjunctive and how to pronounce un verre de vin rouge, other non-linguistic hurdles lie in wait. It's not as simple as just translating. One of the things that struck me on first arriving in France, as a polite Brit, was the lack of "pleases" and "thank yous." In a café, it's enough to simply tilt your head up as you catch the waiter's eye and trill un express. With friends, even close ones, there's no need for the s'il te plaît before or after asking for the salt or water-a kind tone being sufficient. Repelling haughtiness or cultural cross-purposes?]
As Gilles Asselin & Ruth Mastron note in their invaluable book Au contraire! Figuring out the French (Intercultural Press Inc. 2001), the well-to-do French are not brought up to smile unnecessarily or seek harmony. Visitors from the States or the UK, urged since childhood to beam at strangers and friends and be pleasant, are often repelled by what they see as the haughtiness of the French, particularly the Parisians-the pressure to smile playing little part in the upbringing of French children. One of the biggest minefields is table manners. Food has a more central role in French lives than in the Anglo-Saxon world, and is considered a pleasure and a refinement, to be taken leisurely as well as seriously. When eating with French friends, be prepared to sit through several courses for a meal lasting anything from two to four hours (covering at least a starter, main, salad, cheese, and dessert). Just so you know: elbows are rarely on the table, but hands are visible at all times; the fork is not used to the exclusion of the knife. Food is important, but conversation equally s small mouthfuls are best. And don't be surprised if an argument erupts at the table: for friends, couples, and families, it's not considered the end of the world if disagreements occur-these are not taken personally but just add spice to what might otherwise be mundane conversations. Say it with flowers
When invited to someone's home for dinner-a rare occasion to be treasured-it is polite to bring flowers. But whatever you do, avoid chrysanthemums, especially at the end of October-they are placed on graves of loved ones in the All Saints' trip to the cemetery. Carnations are not ideal either: from a man they indicate that he has strong feelings for the hostess, and, traditionally, they were also sent to actresses as consolation for a role they had been refused.
It's safer to wait until seconds are offered before helping yourself. And, despite what you've heard, it's not necessary to wish everyone bon appétit before tucking in. If you want to use bread to mop up the sauce, that's fine, just as long as you don't eat more bread than sauce. And be warned: smoking between courses remains an inconvenience for non-smokers, although it is becoming less common. The French have water, wine, or beer with their meals-coffee is usually drunk after a meal as an espresso, although an herbal infusion, such as chamomile or linden flower (tilleul), may also be offered to aid digestion. IL |
