Bits & Pieces

-When growing tomatoes, I highly recommend pruning the plants throughout the summer rather than waiting until the end of the summer to do battle with monster tomato plants. Just, ya know, in case you were wondering.

-I'm testing two more products as a BzzAgent. One is Got2B's Smooth Operator hair smoothing serum. I have grown into quite a fan of this product; it is a great 30-second quick fix to smooth my frizzies. I have run out of the sample product, and I think I might have to buy some more. I'm also trying CoverGirl's LashBlast Mascara, and I have been pleasantly surprised! It doesn't run or smudge or flake off, which is saying something considering I'm an emotional pregnant woman dealing with 90-degree heat. I still prefer my Clinique Lash Power since it comes off with warm water, while the LashBlast needs makeup remover. (Disclosure: I received free products and coupons from CoverGirl and Got2B for reviewing their products. And if you want some coupons, let me know in the comments and I'll try to send them to you.)

-(Warning: kinda sad bullet point) I was reading an article about a woman's childbirth experience and came across a quote referring to a group of home birth extremists think that a baby who cannot be born at home should instead die since he or she would not be evolutionarily strong. I may be a little biased, considering my background, but that makes me unspeakably angry.

-And now that I have informed you of that dreadfulness, here is a much happier thing to brighten your day. This video is the best thing on the internet.

Amy's Bezirk

No, no, the title isn't saying that my dear sister-in-law has gone crazy. A "berzirk" is like a neighborhood or district in Vienna, and that's what the post is about -- Amy's amazing neighborhood, which was a wonderful part of our stay.

After our long plane ride, seeing Amy waiting for us at the airport was a joyous relief. She even brought two adorable stuffed elephants for Ian, which made him feel right at home. Interestingly, I think Ian recognized Amy from talking to her on Skype, as he took to her immediately.

The gorgeous floor of Amy's building.

Amy led us home to her apartment, which is absolutely amazing. Recently renovated but in a very old building, her apartment feels hip and full of history. Amy, as usual, has done an amazing job decorating with IKEA and thrift store finds. My favorite part of Amy's apartment might be the windows -- turn the handle one way to open them, and turn it another way to tilt them in. Fabulous!

There are at least two wonderful grocery stores within a few blocks of Amy's apartment. Especially since I had been used to couponing and mega-grocery runs, it was quite an adjustment to pick up our food every day as we needed it. I really enjoyed the freshness of eating that way, though. And since each store was about a 5-minute walk from Amy's place, the trips didn't feel burdensome. For toiletries and baby items, we had to hit a different type of store. I'm not sure what that category of store is called, but the name of the one we went to was Bipa. It essentially was a Walgreens or CVS without the drugs....just makeup, shampoo, diapers, etc. For the record, I had entirely too much fun buying Austrian diapers and baby food. Most of the baby food in the store was organic, which was really nice.

Ian makes a friend at the Belvedere playground.

Amy lives in the fourth district (or "bezirk"), which is a gorgeous area. Many international embassies are located in the fourth district, as well as the Belvedere and Karlskirche (oh, just looked it up -- technically Karlskirche is in the first district, and the Belvedere is in the 3rd district, but they're both really close to Amy). So yes, Amy lives within a short walk of a gorgeous 18th-century church and an amazing palace/art museum with botanical gardens. More importantly, Karlsplatz and the Belvedere both have lovely playgrounds which Ian enjoyed immensely.

Amy's neighborhood also had an assortment of bakeries and restaurants from which she procured wiener schnitzel and other yummies for us. One evening we went to this cute, little bier garten which served Italian food. We were on an early schedule due to Ian, so we were the only people in the entire outdoor area. The restaurant had its own playground, including a slide that Ian needed to try several times.

Amy's neighborhood was an amazing place to stay for a week, and the perfect base for our trip. Easy U-bahn access to the other districts, amazing architecture, and a little kitty that sat in the window of a nearby apartment provided the perfect backdrop for our stay.

For more pictures of our adventures, check out Paul's Flickr stream.