With the recent strength of the dollar against the euro, we decided to extend this year’s ASRS meeting in Vienna into a vacation through Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It’s been 6 years since our last visit to the Austrian capital, but our memories of the tidy city were still fresh as we navigated the U-bahn with another 72-hour Vienna card to our hotel. We arrived hours before check-in was available, leaving an exhausted and dehydrated Melody slumped in the lobby while I changed in the bathroom to make the morning session at the Austria Center across the street. The jet lag reached me by lunch time, so we crashed into bed for much of the afternoon. Dinner at the 2-Michelin star Silvio Nickol was an adventure unto itself, when we realized that the Palais Colburg, in which the restaurant was located, was barricaded for the Iran nuclear talks. After negotiating our way through the police line, we were led into the chic, cavernous dining room to join my cousin for a 10-course tasting menu that lasted a mind-numbing 5 hours. By the time we settled the bill, which was after midnight, we had forgotten most of the dishes, save several highlights including a duck liver mousse with popover. I spent most of Sunday at the meeting while Melody filmed restless reptiles and amphibians at the Haus des Meeres, missed the food stands again at Naschtmacht, and settled for disappointing Wiener pho and original sachertorte from Cafe Sacher. For dinner, we ventured to a film festival at the Rathaus, where we gobbled grilled calamari, roast pork, and spatzle with the locals. On the way home, we deboarded one-stop early to walk along the Danube, stopping for ice-cream and an eiskaffee that kept Melody wide-eyed the entire night. On Monday, after playing reporter at the morning session of the meeting, we hopped onto a train for a day trip to Bratislava. The Slovakian capital was only an hour away, and for less than $20 round-trip, the opportunity was hard to pass. From the train station, a short bus ride took us to the city center, where we passed through Michael’s Gate for lunch at Prasna Basta. The local favorite served up soul-satisfying chicken soup and escargot gratinee followed by classic bryndzove halusky and a veal stew with butter spatzle. Both the Old Town Hall and Primate’s Palace were closed on Mondays, but we did enjoy a small exhibit on Hapsburg monarchs, with the curator enthusiastically describing 18th century Spanish politics and modern reenactments. From there, we took a stroll along Hviezdoslavovo namestie, passed the medieval fortifications of the city walls, then climbed vertically up to Bratislava Castle. At the top of the hill, we collapsed on the grass, then took in views of the city, the Danube, and the closed Castle. We wound our way back down, with multiple stops for rehydration, before resting our feet at the Soup Bistro and souvenir hunting in Old Town. We returned to Vienna in time for dinner reservations at Steirereck. The other 2-Michelin star restaurant in Vienna was housed in an ultra-modern building in Stadtpark, serving up a more manageable 6-course menu, each dish with its own collectible card describing the ingredients. Back at the hotel, we packed my suit and conference materials, as we prepare for the “vacation” portion of the trip.