Vienna, Prague, and onwards

Last I updated, I was in Vienna having some world-famous Sacher torte:



Yes. They are really deserving of their fame. Initially, I was highly disappointed by my seemingly small slice of torte. Clearly, I would not be getting a dessert the size of my head like I would have been at TGIFs for the €4.80 ($7+) I was paying. But, by the time I finished that thing off, I really could not have taken another bite. Mmmm... torte dreams in muh head.

So when I was at the gift shop of the Schönbrunn Palace and saw a recipe book for Sacher Hotel, I naturally took photos of the cake recipe. The disclaimer in the book says, of course, that the REAL recipe is top secret but that this one would be as close as you could reasonably get. That tart flavouring? Apricot preserves apparently. I thought it was cherry when I had the torte at the hotel. I'll post up the recipe soon (or never, as I am a bad, lazy blogger).

Now I am in Prague in an empty room at the Yasmin Hotel (cute place; horrible, snooty service) that two of my other friends had sprung for (thanks Brad + Ronnie!). Empty room as they have just departed for their early flight to Amsterdam! Meanwhile, in a few hours, I will be checking out and into another hostel before leaving for Berlin the day after. Such is temporary life of the backpacker.

So, thoughts on Prague: lovin' it! In comparison to Vienna, Prague is almost as pretty but seems to be infinitely more lively. Whilst in Vienna chiIlling at a cafe/bar, a cute waiter/bartender chatted me up and gave me the lowdown:

"Vienna is beautiful, but I hate living here. Aside from buildings and museums, the people are rude, the places are tame, and it's expensive" - or some such phrasing.

And I must admit, I did get that feeling while I was there. Of course, I didn't really venture out to enjoy Viennese nightlife as I was too tired from exhaustive museum hopping during the days.