Vienna (Wien) this year was rated as a best city in the world to live based on many characteristics. This made me decide to check out what the report was all about. So we headed to Vienna to spend a month among locals and see what the city had to offer. So we hopped on Austrian Airlines from Cairo and got into Vienna on May 3rd.  Rented an apartment in the 4th district about a block from St. Charles's Church (German: Karlskirche).

Mercer ranks Vienna No. 1 for having the world's highest quality of life, and particularly notes the city's harmonious political and social environment. In just 10 years Vienna has turned its fortune with decisive leadership and an eye on the future.

Vienna is alive with its architecture from the past, harmony between old and new, a contrast of styles and materials and so varied from its magnificent Baroque buildings to Art Nouveau to the latest architecture. It has over 100 museums, over 27 castles and more than 150 palaces. Utmost attention has been paid to preserve its past by blending the new. The city is extremely well connected with its public transportation with underground metro, trams, buses, taxi and bicycle network.

Urban planner in Vienna decided to create an environmentally friendly (no exhaust fumes, no noise and green) and health conscious mode of transportation to keep its public fit by providing a vast bicycle network of 1,200 kilometers. The "City Bikes Wien” (www.citybikewien.at) is among the most modern free city bike systems worldwide. There are more than 60 bike stations, open 24 hours day, seven days a week. Once you register you can use any bike for up to one hour free of charge and drop them off to any bike stations. All this has made the City of Vienna decide to raise the share of bicycles in overall traffic to eight percent. Coming from America, with our utter dependence on automobiles, this was a total surprise, during our entire stay we did not rely on driving.

Vienna is the world’s capital of music with every type of music imaginable form classical, opera, musicals, dance, pop, rock, electronica, jazz & more. City is brimming with its outdoor festivals, free events for its public, and these are happening almost weekly. The city has a very art centric policies which encourages its youth to stay away from the crime.

All across the city we encountered musical, recreational and sports activities. On almost all public squares young and the old people alike were out with their picnic baskets, wines and beers. But there was no police presence. They allowed their public to enjoy outdoor activities at day and night without being threatened by law enforcement.

During our entire stay we hardly saw any police or law enforcement officers, unlike in the United States. 

We walked a lot around Vienna, and were surprised to see access to grocery markets. Every block there was at least one grocery market which in turn takes our reliability on driving. Also we did not come across too many super/hyper markets, instead many local pop and mom stores. I believe this is a great way to spread the wealth and keep it within the community instead of sending it all to the big fat cats and corporations.

During our stay we had to use their health care system (without insurance) and were pleasantly surprised to find the accessibility and cost of care.

By talking to the locals we learned that they love this moment in their history and they are very satisfied where there are compared to the global problems. They do not give a pass to their politicians, by being educated they demand better from their politicians.

Currently Austria boasts one the best economies in the world with unemployment at just 3.8%. Our politicians instead of just providing lip-service could learn something from their political leaders and create an “America-first agenda” and help its faltering economy. For this our public needs to demand better results from our leaders and from our government.

Goa is truly a paradise for me! I have spent the last 2 months here relaxing among swaying palms, coconut groves and basking in the soft sandy beaches. Having travelled to many beaches around the world, Goa still holds a special place in my heart.

I know I am home at Goa with its familiar coconut trees lined narrow roads, the  quaint Portuguese villas  and churches that dot the pristine landscape, the rustic beach shacks, the bustling  flea markets and village fish mongers  and the unhurried pace that add to its irresistible charm.

Yesterday, we spent the entire afternoon at Sarnabatim, a secluded beach not populated by many tourists. The endearing quality of Goan beaches are its makeshift shacks that line the white stretches of amazing beaches, found nowhere else in the world. The shacks utilize recyclable local materials like coconut fronds, ropes and tree trunks. The temperature of the sea with its splashing waves was ideal for an afternoon frolicking in the azure waters.  After a lovely swim, we relaxed with a book and beer on the cane lounge chairs at Anthy’s beach shack to watch the sun go down. I cherish this moment every time, watching the sun set against this gorgeous backdrop of glistening waters, as it transforms me to a different world away from all the humdrum of the daily grind.

Sarnabatim, Goa

I was invited to a Communion by a friend of mine near the town of El Jardin. Four (Girlzy, Paula, Mary and me) of us took a taxi early morning of December 11, 2010 and headed to El Jardin. The taxi driver, Felipe, was a very interesting fun loving character. Felipe and Girlzy kept us entertained all the way to El Jardin. The road to El Jardin was treacherous, because of all the rain and derrumbe (slides). We stopped by at a restaurant for breakfast on a nearby mountain town. The breakfast was a usual Colombian fare with arepas, choritzo, queso and coffee. After 3.5 hours we arrived at El Jardin.

December 11-13, 2010

Jardin is a typical Antioquian Paisa Pueblo nestled in a valley of the Western Andes. The town has only around 20,000 inhabitants, a central plaza with a beautiful church, and narrow streets with colorful houses surrounding beautiful courtyards. The church dominated the square with its neogothic style and blends in perfectly with the materials used to build it with hard rocks from a nearby river. Plaza area contains trendy cafes, bars, restaurants, small hotels and many vendors. We went to Paula’s relatives’ house and all of us stayed there. The house had a great courtyard with lots of flowers and herbal garden with an amazing view of the surrounding mountains. Her aunt and their family were great hosts, and for lunch they had prepared a traditional Colombian dish named Sancocho which contains plantains, yucca, potatoes, and meatballs (in many areas meatballs are substituted for chicken, pork or beef). After lunch we decided to walk around the town and also went to some of her other relative’s houses. At 3pm we had to attend the Communion, so we took a rickshaw (these were Indian auto rickshaws with "Made In India" sticker and instructions in Hindi) and went to the church, it was a very simple celebration which lasted for about an hour.

After the communion, we decided to walk outside the town, with Paula’s mom. She showed where she grew up and the surrounding areas were awesome with coffee, plantains, beans and sugarcane plantations on the mountains. Just few minutes’ walk from Jardin we saw peacocks, beautiful flowers, and amazing mountains.

Later they had the fiesta (party) for the entire family and friends in a bar and restaurant close to the house. This was a fun experience with a Colombian family, and I was the first foreigner they ever had. We just sat around the table drinking beers, rum and aqurdiente (traditional Colombian liquor) and listening to great music. Earlier part of the evening the party was mainly for the kids, and later for the adults. After the kids were gone, dinner was served, and dancing started. This was really fun, and the party lasted till 2 am in the morning. After that I decided to go back to bed but all others went to a bar near the plaza.

Next day got up early and went to the plaza with Girly and Paula looking for an internet café to call India. After about 2 hours finally got connection and called India to wish Shammi. In the meantime sat around the plaza and had bunuelos and coffee. Later took a cable car and went up the mountain, Alto de las Flores. From here the vista was simply breathtaking with the view of the complete town and surrounding mountains. Sat here and had a cup of coffee overlooking the coffee plantations and took lots of pictures. Later while walking around the town few Paula’s cousins stopped me and offered aquardiente and of course I could not say no and had few shots with all of them. Later on the other side of the town took another cable car and went to see the vista from another mountain. This side had a river with the views on the other side of the town. When we reached the top, we sat in a restaurant listening and dancing to the Colombian music. This was an un-forgetful experience. There are many things to see and do around the town like caves, waterfalls, and hiking but we did not have enough time.

Later we took a bus and headed back to Medellin.