Enchanting Europe!
Dignity Dialogue|December 2017

Taking off on a tour of Eastern Europe, Shama Vijayan describes her wonderful experiences.

Shama Vijayan
Enchanting Europe!

Very seldom one conceives a trip to Eastern Europe and had it not been for our friend’s pressing invitation to visit him in Bratislava, Slovakia, we would never have considered visiting this amazingly beautiful part of the world. Eventually, eight of us embarked upon this memorable trip in June 2017. In Vienna, Austria, our first stopover, we stayed at the ‘Levante Parliament’, a very artfully designed hotel located in the heart of the city. The garden lounge courtyard, where we had our first evening meal, was enchanting. We chose the dish recommended by the waiter, an Austrian specialty called the chicken or veal ‘Schnitzel’, served with parsley, potato mash, cranberry sauce, olive oil and bread rolls and fresh raw salad with soft mozzarella cheese balls. It was delicious!

The meal over, we went exploring the city as it was still bright. Vienna unfolds its beauty as you walk along the famous Ring Road, the Ringstraβe, or the Grand Boulevard. Lining the Boulevard is the Parliament House, designed in Baroque architecture, straddling majestically across the city and culminating adjacent to the City Hall. A beautiful sculpture of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, several metres high, adorns the centre of the parliament building. A fountain springs at the foot of Athena, representing the four important rivers, the Danube and the Inn in front, the Elbe and the Vlatava at the back.

This story is from the December 2017 edition of Dignity Dialogue.

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This story is from the December 2017 edition of Dignity Dialogue.

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