I was tired and needing a break. Dad suggested a special place called Cafe Central. Cafe Central has been a part of Vienna’s culture forever. This cafe is one of the most magnificent places I’ve ever had the privilege of eating at. As we walked through the narrow streets of the city, dad pointed out the Hofburg Imperial Palace. The palace was just standing there, right beside you as you walked the street. What shocked me was the quiet. The city was so quiet and the only smell was from horses, the imperial horses, that is. A little bit about the palace: “The Hofburg Imperial Palace has played an integral part of the Austrian government scene since it was built in the 13th century. It has been home to some of Europe’s most powerful royalty over the centuries, including the Hapsburgs and rulers of the Holy Roman and Austro-Hungarian empires. Today it is a museum and home to the president of Austria.”
The Lippizan Stalions are also from Vienna, as we walked, we did pass where they were kept. It was dark in the arena, but I pushed my nose up against it to get a glance at some of the horse’s feet. The inside of the performance space for the horses looked like a palace itself. The Spanish Riding School is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses that offers public performances in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg. “The Riding School calls these performances classical dressage, but most viewers would call it magic. The school has been training horses like this for more than four centuries. The 68 stallions – their ancestors came from Spain – have trained and performed at the Winter Riding School since about 1735. Horses and riders both undergo special training that lasts for many years.”
Finally, we came upon a unique lit up building. It looked like a picture from a travel magazine. Once we walked in my jaw dropped. The architecture! The royal red material! The paintings on the wall! Oh and the desserts! Cafe Central was so special we ended up eating there again later in the week on our way home. “The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Key regulars included: Peter Altenberg, Theodor Herzl, Alfred Adler, Egon Friedell, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Anton Kuh, Adolf Loos, Leo Perutz, Alfred Polgar and Leon Trotsky. In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, and Trotsky (the latter two being regulars) were patrons of the establishment.” It was so weird to think I was in a building where Freud had coffee or Hitler met with imperials!
Well, the desserts and coffee were delicious. I tried some mini desserts that were the cutest thing in the world. We also had an apple danish with homemade ice cream. Each time you ordered a cup of coffee in Europe, it came with a glass of water “with gas” meaning carbonated. I would ask for it without gas because I liked still water best. The coffee would also come with a small mint. I liked this place so much that I purchased a book with recipes and the history. It was truly magical, even though we had to wait a bit for a seat.
January 30th: We landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The airport was epic. We were so surprised at the beautiful colors and …LIFE! There were people from all walks of life, speaking all different languages. A space in the airport had vertical gardens and sculptures to look like trees. While on the plane, I could see all the different waterways and greenery. It was beautiful. What really surprised us was a phone charging station where you could “bike” to charge your phone. Later, I learned this airport had won awards for it’s design and eco-friendly aspirations. Although we were tired, we buzzed around the airport, looking at things and made sure to eat. There was a food court with beautifully fresh sandwiches and Dustin bought Indian food. I had fun paying for a quick 5 minute massage in the waiting area. It was relaxing…even though there were hundreds of people around. The bathrooms were also interesting. The doors went up all the way and there was no space to see others.
WebEcoist – Momtastic Not My Photorisnaananda.wordpress.comDad and Jutka treating us to coffee at the Vienna airport
Our hotel had a nespresso machine! Heaven!International chargers and lots of snacks!
Before we knew it, we were boarding another plane for Vienna, Austria. Dad had told us this plane company was super nice…and it was. I believe it was a Netherlands flight. The stewardess all looked stunning and the food was even better than before. We were offered warm cloths to refresh our faces. The flight took a few hours. We hadn’t slept since leaving the night before. It’s safe to say we were exhausted and dealing with jetlag. Dad called and met us with Jutka at Vienna, Airport. It was so nice to see their faces. We immediately went to the hotel right across the street. It was called NH Hotel. It reminded me a lot of a Hilton. I took a hot bath and we drank some in-room espresso. After, we all went back to the airport for dinner and coffee. It was the best macchiato I’d ever had! We talked about their wedding plans, our flight, and just caught up. We went to bed early and were awoken early to explore Vienna, which was a quick train ride away.
You can’t have a good road trip without gas, right? Well, I thought this would be a great photo-op! A few years ago we got this fun silicone bean-stuffed dinosaur. We have no idea where we got it. Dustin says we may* have found him on the beach somewhere. We’re not sure. BUT we like to take him on trips as out travel mascot. I know it sounds funny and some people don’t get it, but it’s kind of a fun way to document our travels.
Meet Dino, the Awesome Travel Dude!
Above is Dustin getting gas for our trip. I had some writing to do so we left around 11am on Friday, June 3rd and headed from Mansfield to Caryville, Tennesee. Our first stop was Jungle Jims in Cincinnati, Ohio. Other stops included Lexington, Kentucky and Cumberland Falls, Kentucky.
Jungle Jims, 1st Stop, Cincinnati, Ohio
Oh, hey, there’s me! I had a writing interview this day with Neutrogena. I thought it was going to be a video call but ended up just being a phone conference. In this picture I was trying to mimic Hayden Panettiere’s makeup since she’s one of the faces of the brand. A lot of their products are simple and not over-pronounced. I really like the blue eyeliner I had on. The lip pencil was OK. I forget the shade but it was one of their brighter ones. Can you tell my skin is clearing up? Ever since I’ve started eating a plant-based whole food diet it’s gotten a lot better. Oh, and I’ve lost 25lbs.
It took us about 2 1/2 hrs to get to Jungle Jims from our house. This place is ah-mazing. If you love food and love traveling this is the place to shop. I would drive there just to spend the day. It’s a MASSIVE grocery store with foods from all over the world. My mum first told us about it and said they had $5,000+ bottles of wine. I didn’t get it…until I went for the first time. It’s seriously almost like an amusement park. They also give out free samples. It’s hard for me since I’m vegan, but they had some I could try.
Outside there are animal noises and a really cool looking elevated train. You can’t ride it, it’s just for looks. Once you walk inside you’re overwhelmed with the size. The store even gives tours. We came at a random time but there were still lots of samples out. We had to limit our time or else we wouldn’t make it anywhere else this day.
There’s a fun hippie theme in one section of the store. I told Dustin to stand for a picture. I think this was in the all natural section. The air steam painted trailer, picture of John Lennon, and tie dye clothes were perfect. We didn’t buy a lot since we were watching our money and brought out own meals. Things aren’t much more expensive than regular stores here. We bought some wafers (Manner) that we liked from Austria, some vinegar flavored edible crickets, a weird drink for Dustin, and some Italian pasta and sauce that we tried. The pasta sauce was from Bon Jovi’s dad. It was a garden marinara and it was excellent. The free sample got us hooked and we bought the $7 sauce and $2 pasta. Later, we made it at my grandparent’s cabin. It was so good! I later realized it had butter in it. A no no on my diet (and my stomach). Bummer.
PS- Go into the bathrooms. They look like porta pots on the outside but are really nice modern bathrooms on the inside. Mind = Blown!
Dustin and I also found Dr McDougall foods! This is the brand that started me on my whole foods plant-based diet. I love the food and now I’m vegan and feeling the best I’ve felt in years. I wanted a picture by the wall of the food to send to my family. Also, to keep track of my progress. One of my goals is to send my testimony to Dr. McDougall once I hit my goal weight!
There aren’t any words for this picture. Later, we sat in the car and tried a weird drink Dustin picked out. I took a video but forget where I put it. I hated it. The texture was weird. The basil seeds were slimy. I don’t think Dustin liked it because we dumped it out in Lexington, KY.
Last thing we did in Cinci was eat at Jimmy Johns. I only had eaten there once in Chicago and didn’t remember loving it. Well, we liked it a lot better this time. Maybe because we appreciate fresh food better. They had a vegan option for me too. I had a veggie sub with avocado and some kettle chips. The kettle chips were a splurge, but good!
Mary Todd Lincoln’s House, 2nd Stop Lexington, Kentucky
I had plans for us to stop at a neat little place called the Rabbit Hash General Store. This store is in Burlington, Kentucky and is one of the oldest general stores around. The town is known because they have dogs as their mayors whom the residents vote for each term. I wanted to stop by and catch a glimpse pet of the furry mayor. Unfortunately, as I read up on it and after we put in into the GPS we realized it burned down recently. So, we skipped it and kept heading to Lexington. Another stop we considered was The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. This looked really cool but was $15pp and we wanted to hike more than look at signs so we saved it for another day since it’s closer to us.
Silly Dino selfie! Once we hit Lexington we were so excited to see all the cool rock “fences.” There were rocks stacked along the road and it looked so sophisticated. There were lots of horse stables (as to be expected) and charm. Mary Todd Lincoln’s home was located right downtown. We parked beside the conference center and walked to it. It was closed, but we read all the information outside and got to see some of the other historic homes.
At this time, we were both needing to go to the restroom and needing some caffeine. Somehow I always notice when there’s a local coffee shop nearby. There was one near our car. Daily Offerings Coffee Roastery was across the street from the Hilton and smelled wonderful. I have been without coffee for close to two months but Dustin got an iced coffee and I got some of their orange black tea. It was delicious.
It was also a great time for an “Instagram” model shot.
“Don’t look, you look artsy and mysterious.”
While walking we walked by a cool interior design store. I had to capture this horse that was encrusted with jewels.
Cumberland Falls, 3rd Stop, Corbin, Tennessee
After Lexington, we kept driving to Cumberland Falls. We went here last year with out families. My dad took me there before as well. It’s on the way and is a cool stop. It’s also known for its moonbeam.
Traffic was rough and that was frustrating because the clock was ticking. I didn’t want to get there when it was dark. We crept up to the lodge and put on our tennis shoes. After a quick bathroom break we hiked down to the falls. It was a two mile hike from Du Pointe Lodge there and back. It was pretty steep. I remembered last year doing it and hating it. This year it was hard, but not as difficult since I’ve been working out. Before, I didn’t dare climb the rocks at the bottom since I was so out of shape. This time we climbed up them at the base and had a snack.
It was really special. Sitting there watching the falls as the darkness fell. We were the only ones there other than those fishing. I snacked on a banana and some granola. On our way back up the sun went down. It was darker but we made it up fine. I kept running into spider webs though. That part sucked. I’d like to go back and hike even further. Our hotel was in Caryville, Tennessee. We pulled in pretty late. Close to 9pm, maybe later. We took turns showering off from the hike and had some McDougall meals. We watched TV and went to bed right away!
Dustin’s tired! We drove about six hours and hiked. I’d call that a good first day!
Love & Laughter,
Tiffany
PS- I used the Roadtrippers Ap which is free on my Iphone to find stops along the way. I planned it out ahead of time!
