Fireshots and Aussies - Oh My!!!

Saturday, July 24, 2010
We decided to go check out Vienna today. So, we got up early and headed into the old town on the metro. It was a pretty overcast day and it had been spitting all morning so we weren’t expecting it to be a good weather day. It was also quite cold out so we grabbed a Starbs and walked around the shops on the pedestrian road. It was a neat little street with lots of culture and street performers etc. So without much luck finding dresses we continued on to the palace. It was quite large and had a lot of different sections to it. The gardens were the prettiest part by far but at this point I was strangely feeling quite dizzy and lightheaded so we decided to head back. Nurse Heather being the great friend that she is, was quite concerned and followed behind me so as to catch me if I passed out. Haha! I’m sure that would have ended well!!! Once we got back to the room, I had a Gatorade, Advil and water and a little chill out time. After a shower and a little rest I was on my A game ready to hit up the town. We headed to a little restaurant that was recommended to us that served traditional Austrian food. Meaning schnitzel and sauerkraut!!! MMM!!! We saw what the schnitzel looked like and only one word can describe, ENORMOUS!! So we shared a schnitzel and a side of sauerkraut with some local beer to wash it all down. It was a really great meal; the potato salad that came with it was great too. Then we decided to check out Vienna nightlife. We had a map with a few spots on it so we decided to check them out. The first stop was an Irish pub, not a lot going on but we enjoyed a pint there anyhow. Then we decided to go to the Aussie pub since they always guarantee a good time. It was called the travel shack and immediately we were welcomed to shots and a loud roar of people having a good time. We grabbed some pints and decided to check out what was happening. The first table we saw, they had a contraption where you take a shot (not sure what it was, other than strong!)Then you snuff minty powder and then there is this “fan” like device that has like twine spinning that you put your nose near. It was quite an experience. There was an Aussie girl who bought us each a shot so we partook in the experience. It was definitely interesting. There was also a nail game, where you hammer the nails into a huge tree trunk...much like what we have played at K-W Oktoberfest. Then the Irish girls that we met suggested that we all do a Sambuca fire shot. So I was volunteered to go first! First you wet your mouth and lips, take the shot, go down on one knee and open your mouth wide. Then the bartender lights the shot in your mouth and shakes cinnamon in to make the flames grow high, then finishes by shutting your mouth and you swallow it. WOW! It was really cool to watch but the fire actually burned the inside of your mouth and my lips were really sore. We were all taking pictures of each other and the only one that actually had a good picture of them was Heather so for the photo, we all did another one. Wow did our mouths really hurt the next day. Oh well!! So we finished the night well and went to go to a club called Pandora’s Box. It was dead so we went and got a bratwurst and hit the hay.