10 things you didn’t expect the Viennese to make out of marzipan

by Annie Scott on


I don’t like marzipan. Even before I developed a nut allergy (marzipan is made of sugar and almond meal), I thought it tasted rather bland. It’s not really sweet, not really nutty, and well, not really good, if you ask me.

All the same, if you make a bunch of random stuff out of marzipan for absolutely no discernible reason beyond the sheer joy of making marzipan porcupines and cheeseburgers (for example), you have my full attention.

Marzipan is a well-known art in Vienna, where you’re most likely to find a Marzipan Mozart (or Schubert, Wagner, whomever you’d most like to eat). The legendary Demel cafe has a Marzipan Museum, and the windows of many of the city’s fine confectioners are decked with large marzipan sculptural goodies which look so wrong, but so right to eat.

Marzipan probably originated in the Middle East or China (nobody’s sure), but Vienna seems to have it mastered. Check out these photos from City Confiserie — and careful, the last one is NSFW:
%Gallery-87225%

My visit to Vienna was sponsored by the Vienna Tourist Board and Cool Capitals, but the opinions expressed in the article are 100% my own.

Gadlinks for Wednesday 12.2.2009

by Brenda Yun on

I hope you’re all having a good start to the final month of the decade! It’s time to look ahead — not back. So let’s look to the future by taking a peak on the world’s newest destinations, shall we?

  • How cool would it be to take a green break to start the new decade? Here are five clean holidays for those eco-friendly travelers out there. [via Green Traveller]
  • Eastern Europe must be on my mind right now. Here’s my first selection on backpacking through Austria and Slovenia. [via Peter Greenberg]
  • For my second selection, a Serbian film crew is right now traveling around to all the Belgrade towns in the U.S., creating a documentary tentatively called “Finding Belgrade” that contrasts these American cities from their namesake. [via NPR]
  • …and my third selection? There are so many cool things I’ve heard about Ukraine. This neat article about Odessa makes me want to get there pronto. [via SoSauce]
  • Would you rather be a hermit crab or a savvy backpacker? If the latter appeals to you, then try your hand at these tips to better backpacking. [via Vagabondish]

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening.

More Gadlinks here.

President Obama thinks ‘Austrian’ is a language?

by Jeffrey White on


By most accounts, President Obama had a pretty successful maiden voyage to Europe this past week. But it was not without its gaffes.

But relative to the era of George W. Bush, this one seems pretty minor.

In response to a question from an Austrian reporter about his impressions of European leaders, President Obama said that in fact the interaction between European lawmakers was really not all that different than the way in which the US Senate operates (it’s unclear whether he meant to draw the comparison between the two sides as examples of people who can’t seem to get things done).

Elaborating, President Obama said on both sides of the Atlantic “there’s a lot of — I don’t know what the term is in Austrian — wheeling and dealing — and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics.”

Of course, there is no such language as Austrian, though if you’re a speaker of high German hearing a Viennese speak can seem like you’re hearing a different language. But that’s more of an issue of dialect. Austrian German is certainly night and day more intelligible than Swiss German, which can be nearly impossible to understand even for native German speakers.

Anyway, my guess is most people missed this little misstatement, and just as well as in the scheme of things it matters not ounce.

For more fun galleries like this one, visit Urlesque. Be sure to check out their list of 100 Iconic Internet Videos!

For more fun galleries like this one, visit Urlesque. Be sure to check out their list of 100 Iconic Internet Videos!

Take the kids to Austria

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I did not know that crystal is measured in carats. I didn’t need this bit of insight for the notion of a 300,000 crystal to be impressive. Apparently, this is one of the many unique items on display at Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria. According to MSNBC, this is the second most visited tourist attraction in the country – after Vienna‘s Schonbrunn Palace. Swarovski also has the smallest, which measures a mere 0.8 millimeters.

The art workshops, sculpture garden and playground also make Swarovski Crystal Worlds a great destination for kids, proving that Europe isn’t just for adults.

Eileen Ogintz asks: “Who says kids will be bored in Europe?”

In Austria, there is plenty (even beyond Swarovski). Childrens can dress up as royals at Schonbrunn Palace and later stop by the Imperial Zoo. In Innsbruck, they can traverse a bridge that dates back to 1080 and marvel at the fact that The Goldener Adler hotel has more than six centuries of history.

Perhaps the favorite for kids is Aqua Dome in Langenfeld. It’s less than an hour from Innsbruck and boasts thermal mountain waters. For the youthful – at least at heart – there is a waterslide, climbing wall … and plenty of supervision. Let the kids go nuts while you soak in the warm mountain water in a futuristic hot tub or relax on the ice grotto.

Ten Great Unknown Treks

by Kraig Becker on

Every adventure traveler knows about the Inca Trail or the Annapurna Circuit. They’re amongst the best known hikes in the world, and the amount of traffic on those trails reflects that. While they both offer amazing scenery and a great travel experience, that experience can be tempered by the crowds.

Thankfully, Backpacker is here to offer us ten great unknown treks, a list of outstanding long distance hikes that are, for now, relatively unknown and off the radar for most travelers. Backpacker thinks they’re all destined to eventually become classics in their own right, and I would argue that some of them already are, so they recommend that we get there before everyone else does.

The treks stretch from Europe to New Zealand, with a number of stops in between. They also range from a few days in length to several weeks, with accommodations running the gamut from backpacking tents to comfortable inns. For instance, they Pyrenees Traverse in France is 500 miles in length, with the trail winding through quaint mountain villages. At night, hikers stay in rustic huts that offer great food and ample access to local wines.
Looking for something a bit more adventurous? Then check out the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. This eight day trek covers roughly 83 miles and is an interesting mix of culture, wildlife, and scenery. The trail crosses through gorges and rock canyons, and up 14,000 foot peaks, with active volcano vents dotting the landscape. Along the way you’ll pass through remote Ethiopian villages, while wild baboons wander the surrounding countryside and unique birds soar over head.

Each of the treks on the list is accompanied with great information for planning your own hike, including suggestions for a guidebook and map. You’ll also find other tips such as the best time of the year to visit and what essential gear you should take with you. Backpacker even goes so far as to recommend a top guide service to hire for each of the treks as well.

So, if you’ve already hiked most of the great trails of the world, or you’re simply looking for a trek that offers up a unique experience while still providing plenty of solitude, then this is the list for you. You’ll find outdoor adventures from around the globe, and some great ideas for your next trek that you may not have thought of before. Just make sure you get there before everyone else does.