Vienna, Austria

Last week I went on a trip to Austria for an international commercial arbitration competition. The moot was held at the University of Vienna, which is right in the heart of the capital city. This was my first trip to Vienna, and I very much enjoyed myself.

Ol' Wolfgang hangin' out

The first night we arrived, the moot held its opening ceremonies at the Konzerthaus (concert house... I quickly realized that if you just try to pronounce German words, they are often the same as their English equivalents. Except for "rathaus"... which apparently means a town hall, not a rodent's dwelling). The concert house was beautiful, and we were served open-faced sandwiches for dinner, an Austrian tradition.

The Konzerthaus (the picture does not do it justice)

Little did I know that night would begin the most unhealthy week and a half of eating I would experience in quite a while. I stuffed myself with schnitzel, streudels, good beer, sausages, goulash, wine, and coffee. I think I took the old "when in Rome" idea too far in my culinary pursuits. And I discovered that when schnitzel is made with chicken, it's just fried chicken made with chicken cutlets. YUM.

Sacher cake and a delicious coffee

I also found a new favorite mixed drink in Austria, called the Aperol Spritzer. It is essentially a combination of white wine, spritzer, and Aperol (an orange liquor) with a slice of orange for garnish. It's awesomely addictive.

The elusive Aperol Spritzer

We competed at the university's Juridicum, where we argued over a fake squid dispute with teams from literally all over the world. There were around 5,000 law students, professors, and attorneys involved with the competition walking around Vienna wearing suits and our official name badges.

On our down time, my teammates, friends and I saw some of Vienna's sights. I now very much appreciate Viennese architecture and decorative style. We saw art museums, palaces, markets (lots of Ostermarkts, Easter markets), and churches. Here are the best pictures from Vienna (Wien):

Really, Austria? How ya gonna get juice from a banana?

An illegal Klimt painting shot at the contemporary art museum, the MAK

lips couch at the MAK

Horse drawn carriage

Cafe Central

A booth at one of the Ostermarkts. The Viennese love Easter decorations.

St. Stephansdom

Apparently Santa Claus rides the u bahn in Vienna. See his picture on the far left.

Sausaaaage.

Hofburg Palace

Schnitzel and beer

In front of the Schönbrunn Palace (where Mozart gave a concert at age 6)

The Labyrinth behind Schöbrunn Palace

The Belvedere (where Klimt's The Kiss is found)