Hangar-7

Per yesterday's post, the past week and a half was fun-filled traveling around Europe with three friends from Chicago.

A shot from above in the 360 Lounge

During the trip we saw so many cool places including Sound of Music locales, Neuschwanstein (Disney Castle) and the Eiffel Tower, just to name a few. But one of the more unique, modern and off the beaten path places we visited was the personal playground of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz in Salzburg. Red Bull has grown from a niche energy drink to a multi billion dollar behemoth, making Mr. Mateschitz the richest man in Austria and one of the richest men in the world.  

 Catwalk to 360 Lounge literally on the ceiling above the museum

Hangar-7 is situated in an actual airport hangar in Salzburg. The museum/ gallery/ restaurant/ lounge/ dance club is adjacent to Hangar-8, the personal hanger of Mateschitz (who took 10 years to get his degree) with all of his expensive toys proudly displayed. From a Formula One race car, to a jet pack, to a helicopter, to a bomber, Red Bull seems to have it covered.  

Some of the flying objects Red Bull has sponsored

Hangar-8, storing all the flying objects!

Boasting three restaurants with countless customized cocktails, "smart" food and staff who hail from around the world, this place is very unique. The shell of the hangar appears to have been designed leveraging the endless possibilities of bent steel, with curved patterns of silver suspending the 360 Lounge above all of the mechanical treasures below. Even Gehry would be impressed. I highly recommend checking this place out if you are in Salzburg. You may need some extra energy to explore it all...don't worry, Red Bull will "Give You Wings!" 

Check out all of our pictures here and here.

Girls Trip!

Living half way across the world from family and friends proves to be a bit lonely at times, so I was so excited for friends to fly over from Chicago last week! Our adventure started almost immediately after they stepped off the plane in Frankfurt (of course I brought them pretzels to the airport to kick off the journey!).

The first weekend we road-tripped to Salzburg, and Dornbirn, Austria, Munich, Germany, Zurich, Switzerland, and Strasbourg, France. It was a whirlwind tour that added about 1,000 miles to our rental car. Come Monday, our chauffeur had to get back to work and allow Girls Week to start.

Monday was spent in the thermal baths of Baden Baden, one of my favorite German cities. After a little relaxation and pampering there, we were ready to hit the road for Paris! Despite the massive country-wide strike, train cancellations and serious terrorist threats, we weren't going to let anything come between us and Louis Vuitton and the Eiffel Tower. Once we arrived in Paris we all felt safe due to the extreme amount of security surrounding the city's precious sites. We had such a great time sight seeing, shopping, dancing and of course, eating! The trip was a success despite the alleged chaos in the city!

Nussloch is a little quieter now that the girls have gone back to Chicago.  They definitely left their mark and I miss them already....Here are some of my favorite pictures from our vacation:

The Crew at Hangar 7 in Salzburg

Ashley, Colleen and Kelly with the "founder" of the champagne shower

With Ashley at the Eiffel Tower 

J and E with Colleen on the way up to Neuschwanstein Castle via horse drawn carriage

In Strasbourg- think it's a wine barrel 

Colleen teaching the Germans how we do it in Chicago. He later picked her up and paraded her around the restaurant.

Everyone make an X for Mexx!

Doing our own Sound of Music dance in Maribel Garden where scenes were filmed in Salzburg

I Wanna be Dutch

Canal and cafes at night

Amsterdam is a very hip town where I wish I could watch the world go by from a row house along a canal. You know, I always thought I was really 100% Italian, but now I am certain there is at least 30% Dutch in me. This could help explain my mysterious blond hair and pale complexion. If I was over 5'5" I would think I was really on to something...

Amsterdam has a genius public transport operation which allowed us to park outside the city and hop on the train for a mere €6 a day. Sure beats the €40 a day our hotel charged! Upon arrival we were eager to explore the city, so we dumped our bags at Hotel Pulitzer and went about exploring. The hotel was located in a great neighborhood with the cutest boutiques, restaurants and real coffee shops. The other "coffee shops" for which Amsterdam is famous are mainly located in the Red Light District. Of course no trip to the city would be complete without a "peep" over there. Trust me, it could be an entire post on its own. Oy.

Everyone and their mom has a bike in Amsterdam!

The weather was magnificent and the locals displayed their finest side while taking full advantage of the sun. It made me slightly envious of their lifestyle. Boats lined canals with riders sipping wine as they floated by, and street cafes were packed with coffee and Heineken drinkers. Bikers were out in full force and we were forced to dodge them at every turn.

Besides soaking in the scene and scoping out real estate, we managed to squeeze in some culture. The highlight was the incredible Van Gogh Museum. Here, some of his finest art from his short career is on display. One of my new favorite paintings is this one:

Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms 

Van Gogh painted Almond Blossoms for his nephew, Vincent.

Another must-do in Amsterdam is to pay a visit to the Anne Frank house. After reading her diary as a girl and learning about her story, it was fascinating to see from where she wrote. The attic was quite small for 8 people, and it was hard to believe her father covertly ran his business downstairs without most of his staff knowing about the hiding spot. Sadly her father was the only surviver of the 8 in hiding, and Anne died just one month before the liberation.

One of the sadder, but moving themes of our trips was dying before acknowledgement. Both Van Gogh and Frank did not live to see their work as it is perceived today. Van Gogh did not attempt to become a painter until he was in his mid twenties and he still never believed he would succeed. He was plagued by mental illnesses and took his own life just ten years into his career. It was right after his death that his art starting making waves in Paris. Frank, sadly, did not know her story would touch so many people. Her father promised his daughter he would not read her diary and it was not until years after her passing he discovered what she had captured. Today her story is known around the world.  

To end on a high note, Amsterdam has a lot to offer beyond what it is notorious for. It is a wonderful city to visit with world class museums and exhibits as well as shopping and cuisine. The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Amsterdam is a must see when traveling to Europe. 

Another canal shot at night. Breathtaking! 

All of our photos can be seen here. 

One Great Synagogue

The Great Pilsen Synagogue

On our drive back from Prague (see this post), we stopped off in the industrial town of Pilsen. It was there we visited the Great Pilsen Synagogue, which is the second largest Synagogue in Europe, and the third largest in the world.

The Great Synagogue was finished in 1892 and survived WWII, even though most of Pilsen's Jewish community of around 5,000, did not. Because the Temple is tightly housed in between other buildings, the Nazi's were unable to destroy it. Fortunately the interior went undamaged as well, despite them taking it over. It remains in it's original state.

The sanctuary of the Great Pilsen Synagogue 

Post war the Synagogue was closed for years and during the communist period it fell into disrepair. From 1995-98 restoration took place and it was finally reopened for services on Feb. 11, 1998. Today, the Synagogue is used for services as well as concerts and art exhibits - though the same photo exhibit has been on display since the re-opening. 

After visiting the crowded and well-funded Jewish Quarter in Prague, and the Pilsen Synagogue in one day, there were vast differences. Justin and I were the only visitors of the Pilsen Synagogue. We were only asked to pay the equivalent of about $2.50 each to tour, significantly less than the Quarter. We were amazed at the size- the sanctuary holds 3,000 people, and sadly less than 200 Jews live in Pilsen today. 

The new congregation of 70 or so, staged a letter writing campaign to the U.S. in 1989 in an attempt to raise money for it's restoration. They did not receive a single donation. A $1.5 million grant from the Czech government was given, but it was not nearly enough to restore the beautiful interior. Without a trained eye, to me it looked like simple cosmetic fixes and restoration could get the amazing building back to it's original grandeur.

One of several lists of original members 

It is a mystery to me why the Great Pilsen Synagogue has been virtually abandoned by the world. There is little information on the web regarding its recent history and state. This a true treasure and poignant symbol. Having survived WWII, it would be a shame to allow the Great Pilsen Synagogue to succumb to further neglect and disrepair.

Praha

Group photo at Lennon Wall 

Prague is a fantastic city with deep rooted history and stunning architecture. I was fortunate enough to spend a few days there with my friends who came over for Oktoberfest on the last leg of their European vacation before Justin drove down for the weekend. It was so fun joining their crew and touring with them! We stayed at the Maximilian hotel, which was a cute, boutique hotel in the Old Town. Justin and I then stayed at the Sheraton, which was nice but not centrally located.

Old Town Square

During WWII Prague avoided bombings and today the structures are in excellent condition. The city itself is quite breathtaking and is situated on the Vltava River. Over the course of my trip I saw the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter, the Astronomical  Clock, Lennon Wall, Mucha Museum- I had my share of Prague history covered. I'd have to say that the Jewish Quarter, Lennon Wall and Mucha Museum were my favorites.

Interior of the Old-New Synagogue 

The Jewish Quarter was tiny and was much smaller than I imagined. The Old-New Synagogue dates back to the 13th century and is the oldest existing synagogue in Europe.  I found it very cool to be able to visit such an old, original synagogue. It is also here where the legend of Golem originated and is it said that he still lives in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue to protect the quarter.

J and E at Lennon Wall 

The Lennon Wall is literally a wall with graffiti dedicated to the late John Lennon. In 1988 the wall was used as an outlet for students to lash against the regime and that ultimately lead to a clash between authorities and students near the Charles Bridge. At that time it was painted over daily, but people continuously defaced the wall. So finally the owners of the wall gave up and at let it be (haha!). It was really cool, even not being the biggest Beatles fan, to see people pay tribute to the band that changed music forever and provided a platform for youth to voice protest... Multiple times. 

I also really enjoyed the Mucha Museum. Alphonse Mucha created several of the vintage posters that are so popular. And he captured the spirit of his era with his advertisements, works of art of Sarah Bernhardt and his 20 piece mural "The Slav Epic" depicting the history of the Czech and Slavic people.

Mucha Art 

I admit I was leery of the cuisine in Prague as was the rest of the group. But the food was pretty good. Our first dinner at Fragola Project was a cross between a lounge and an fancy restaurant. It had excellent food and beats jamming as we ate our international cuisine (they literally had everything from tomato soup, to risotto, to sushi). We also ate at Radost FX, where Rhianna filmed her "Please Don't Stop the Music" video years before. This enticingly decorated vegetarian restaurant also serves as a night club in the basement, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are under 18.

Other good restaurants we hit included Bohemia Bagel, Bakeshop (chocolate chip cookies!!), Jama- American cuisine, Cafe de Paris and Justin and I ate at Pivovarski Dum, a traditional Czech brewery. The food was okay; We sampled the goulash, fried bread, and my favorite, garlic soup. It was a fun experience, but the cuisine was a little bland. However, they redeemed themselves with the 12 layer honey cake!

Prague is a beautiful city with tons of excellent sight seeing. I recommend it! You can see all my pics here.