It was the home of Mozart, Strauss, Haydn, and Beethoven. Vienna is a city of marvelous palaces, Gothic cathedrals, a synergy of both baroque and contemporary architecture, and historic coffeehouses frequented by writers, academics, and artists - both past & present. True exploration of any city requires that you get lost at least once and Vienna is a great city to get lost in and enjoy the exploration...
I was originally in Vienna over 15 years ago, however, this past visit felt like I was seeing the city again for the first time. One of the best memories that I had of Vienna was of the KunstHausWien and the Hundertwasser House, created by the contemporary painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
His work encapsulates environmentalism, philosophy, and design through his boldly-coloured paintings and irregular formed architecture projects. Today's reality was as good as my memory remembered it to be!
Cafe Hawelka is a gem! It exemplifies a warm and peaceful coffee retreat practically untouched since the mid-sixties. As a phd student, I find myself spending many hours in coffee shops working away and the historic vibe of this place just felt like a little slice of academic familiarity. 
It has often been said that coffee is the Viennese drink of choice, and with the many types to choose from you soon realize that the coffee ritual in Vienna is much more than coffee with a bit of milk or sugar.
The Stephansdom is a stunning Gothic cathedral in the heart of the city centre. During my travels I have been to many places of worship, and the interior of this church was truly breathtaking with its intricate interior structure and artistry.
Vienna is such a walkable city and as you explore on foot you stroll past the Karlskirche church, many museums and can easily imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago.
If I had to summarize my Morocco trip in a few words, it would have to be medina's, mint tea, organized chaos, camels and bread! Of course that is not all, this country is a rarity. How many countries can you go to where in a span of a day, you can go from sunny ocean side beaches, to snow-capped mountains, to a sea of sand dunes in the desert? Not many I would think....
Two weeks is definitely not enough time to try to cover this vast country, so the itinerary was tight going from city to city in an attempt to see as much as we could. If I could do it all over again, that would not be the case.
For me, Morocco was a bit of a surprise in the food department. I expected a bit more variety, however, there are definitely a couple of food experiences that stick out in my mind. First, was in Essaouira. As a seafood lover I was in heaven. Not only was the food exceptional, but the entire process was an adventure - from purchase to last savory bite. Step one - purchase your fresh fish of choice from market. Step two - take to local tajine cookery (for lack of a better word). Step three - enjoy!
For the ultimate sidewalk grilling experience, Marrakesh's Djemaa el fna is the place to go. Almost overwhelming actually. They have perfected the art of cooked street food!
This is only a first glimpse of my Moroccan adventure. Definitely more to come, but 25 GB's of photos to cull through and process is quite time consuming when I should be diving back into school work after a 3 week vacation.
