The Sharlafied Love Train Diaries 2023, Part One
Design by Mattia Coppo @calcabrina
In Part One, I visited Trieste, Ljubljana, Maribor, and Vienna. Stay tuned for Part Two!
March 2, Thursday
This is the day I take off from Bassano del Grappa to Trieste. In my bag are my two boomerangs, one from Gianluca and Marco at Palazzo delle Misture, and one from Elisa at Cucù.
When I got to Trieste, the sun was shining brightly and I headed for my hotel Savoia Excelsior Starhotel, right on the water. But, since it was lunchtime, and I was passing right in front, I decided to stop at Pepi Schiavo for a plate of baked ham, freshly grated horseradish, some pickles and peppers and a little beer, all served on a pig-shaped plate.
My hotel did not disappoint, my room had a full view of the sea and a balcony too! But no time to waste, time to visit the (unauthorized) Banksy exhibit at Salone degli Incanti. The show was very informative and gave me some new insights on what messages Banksy is trying to convey. Right in line with the Sharlafied love train.
My next stop was to Harry’s bar in Piazza dell’Unità, the most famous piazza in Trieste. Time to have an Americano with a chocolate/smoky twist and deliver my first boomerang from Palazzo delle Misture to Francesco, head bartender. The drink was A Vanvera, a polibibita from the Futurist movement, Gianluca’s fave period. Francesco was pleased to receive it and kindly prepared one for me to take to Slovenia, with a message attached. I met Martina and Camilla from the Duchi d’Aosta hotel, of which Harrys and the two- Michelin star restaurant Harry’s Piccolo are part.
Francesco accepts first boomerang at Harry’s bar
Next stop was Antico Caffè Torinese where Charlotte and Massimo took good care of me, just a simple Cocchi and soda. I clumsily broke a glass bowl and my drink was ruined, so they made me another. Massimo told me that a new bar called La Muta was having an opening party tonight, so I knew where my last stop would be. The place was packed and prosecco and cocktails were flowing like water. The bar takes its name from a well-known sex worker who plied her trade on this street (in a house) and died at the ripe old age of 90 back in 2014. In the early days, a “protected” quickie was 3000 lire and an unprotected one was 5000.
Inside, I found a spot at the bar and was immediately greeted with a big smile by Michele, originally from Vicenza. I made big points by saying I am from Bassano. Michele was with Zazzy and Alex and they were all great fun. Zazzy, a pretty architect originally from Bosnia, grabbed three hot tubes that looked toothpaste. They were labelled Patate in tecia (pan cooked potatoes). You squeeze the hot goo in your mouth—it was just like mashed potatoes!
Speaking of food, we were all getting hungry so Michele asked if I liked Greek food. Sure! So, I was invited to dinner with them, plus Angelo, at a Taverna Sapori Greci, a Greek tavern around the corner. Michele ordered everything but the kitchen sink and it was all delicious, just like the food I eat every summer in Greece. Same chairs and same vibe, too! No wonder, the owners were straight from Greece. Yamas!
After dinner, I decided I needed a couple more pictures from Harrys, so I headed back over and Francesco made me some camera-ready cocktails. A heavily imbibed man next to me was a bit over the top so I asked Francesco if he could help me escape, and he led me through the secret door out to the street.
What a lively night!
March 3, Friday
I woke up early to gray skies and a nice breakfast. Then I had a walk in the old part of town to take a few more pictures and stopped at Caffe degli Specchi for a coffee. It was absolutely jammed with locals. You have to get a receipt first, and it’s all automated. The coffee is just one euro and you throw it into a machine and it generates your receipt to take to the bar. An espresso is ordered as a nero, and it is served with a glass of water and a tiny hot chocolate chaser! All for one euro! The coffee lingo is different here: A caffè macchiato is called capo in b, (mini cappuccino in a glass).
I had a nice tour of 5-star hotel Duchi d’Aosta, then it was time to head to the station for my train to Ljubljana. The light rain was not a big problem, I just put up my hood. Umbrellas are useless in the super windy Trieste.
On the train (nearly empty) I met two girls from Dresden and we exchanged bar names. They will be in Ljubljana too. It was a 15 min walk from the station to my hotel Vander along the river in the historic center of town. Ljubljana is so pretty! When I got to the hotel, the one thing I was craving was a red wine. I already knew the owner Amanda, a Slovenian who grew up in Australia, and she was in the bar with some friends… drinking wine. Well, there goes my afternoon… in a wonderful way. We drank Slovenian wines, had local cheeses and met some winemakers too, one being the renowned Radikon, a natural wine that has a huge following. Tina makes wine at her family estate too, and the red wine totally fits my taste profile.
After a little break, we all decided to head over to Neubar where I had to take the cocktail from Harrys to Jan, the head bartender. Cocktails, conversation and laughs… that’s the Slovenian way. Jan made a cocktail that will be heading to Vienna. I wanted to get a smoked sausage and soup for dinner but the little shop was closed. There’s always tomorrow.
March 4, Saturday
This morning I got up early to visit the big market in town, and it was buzzing with people, stalls flowers and vegetables. Inside there are meat markets and deli goods. My mission was to find a dragon charm for my necklace to remind me of Ljubljana… but first back to the hotel for breakfast. And what a breakfast. Eggs and smoked sausage, and anything else my heart desired. Now, let’s see if I can find my dragon. Eureka! A little shop had a necklace with just the right sized dragon, so it will become a charm. I met Nate, his wife Sarah and 5-month-old little girl Nika. I brought her a little outfit for summer and Nate enjoyed an espresso Martini at Vander. He told me how great the museums were so I headed out to the museum of modern art. The exhibit was exceptional and I took lots of pictures. After a coffee in the cool museum bar downstairs, I headed back outside to a brilliantly sunny day. Finally, time for me to get my soup and sausage at the little shop that was closed last night. I met a couple of students from Puglia who study in Trieste and gave them some sightseeing tips.
Time to leave this beautiful town and catch my train for Maribor, less than two hours today. I will be meeting John Parson, of Parson’s gin, and enjoying a sushi dinner at his Luft 360 bar, high atop a building. Nate also gave me a list of bars to visit nearby. This will be my first time to Maribor, and I have no idea what to expect.
With Nate at Vander
Got into Maribor and it was just a short 10 min walk to my hotel. The town was rather non-descript on the walk, but will visit the center later. My room was fine and I had a nice view of a historic building. I headed out for a couple of bars before my event at Luft 360; first stop Niagara. The walk was kind of dodgy, under some bridges and near the river. Kevin Kos, a big influencer, works here, but he wasn’t in this evening. I asked Alen to make me a daiquiri. He is new to the cocktail game but the drink was well made and very good! My next stop was down the river to Piranha. It was a spooky walk with no lights but the trip paid off because the bar was stunning. Hundreds of bottles on display, all with gorgeous backlighting. The drinks list was pages and pages, and just the list of gin must have been at least 100. I ordered an Americano and Thomas was extremely gracious, as was Daniel. The bar had reopened a year ago and the owner wanted to make it special. You did! The vibe was quiet, ages 30ish and up, and the bar actually opens in the morning serving coffee. I got a taxi back to my hotel to avoid that dark walk back. A whopping €3.50 fare! Now it’s time to go to the event at Luft 360. Right next door to my hotel, could not have been more convenient. The atmosphere was buzzing, as the event had started at 6 pm. The meal was sushi and I was not expecting much… more about that later. I met John Parson of Parson gin and he gave me a prime spot at the bar, as I like it. John told me to look upstairs on the rooftop and it was decorated with a winter ski theme, complete with a little ski lift. I had a grapey Collins with Parson Gin to start, shaken by Andre, and my food came right away. What a surprise! Edamame that was perfectly seasoned, chicken panko roll and grilled gyoza. So good! After a bit, a pretty woman came up to me: she was Ana, the chef for the event. Ana lived in Japan for several years and fell in love with Japanese cooking. During Covid, she started doing YouTube videos and decided to try to sell her food, which she calls Special rolls. She doesn’t claim to call it sushi out of respect. Well, people saw her videos and she started selling a lot of her food! Now she does catering in Lucerne, Switzerland and in Maribor. Luft does events with her twice a month. We had a drink together and they were so nice to offer my evening’s dinner and drinks! Thanks John and Ana!
March 5, Sunday
I got up early so I could see the center of town, and as Ana predicted it was a ghost town. In line with Catholic tradition, everything is closed on Sundays. I did get some nice pictures, though. I boarded my train for Vienna right on time and it was a nice sunny day. Headed out to see the sights and take a few pictures; the St. Steven’s Cathedral never disappoints. My first bar stop was to Needle Vinyl bar. Not on the typical list of best bars to visit, but it intrigued me… and I wasn’t wrong. The cozy bar, as expected, had a collection of LPs and turntables and the owner Arber was spinning the tunes. The Kosovo-born owner opened Needles to combine his two passions—cocktails and music.” I would always go to bars and complain about the music that didn’t match my mood, the décor, or my cocktail. So, I decided to do it myself.” The drink lists are actual 45 records—so cool. The overhead lighting were old gramophone speakers. I decided that this would be the perfect place to give the cocktail from Jan in Ljubljana. When I presented Jan’s Notorious F.I.G., Arber offered to mix it up and let us taste it. It was delicious Good cocktail, Jan! I asked Alber that if he wanted to, he could offer a boomerang for me to take on my next leg. He decided to offer me something different: A Jethro Tull album and he requested I deliver it to Prague. I will do my research to make sure it gets to the perfect bar. My next stop was Loos Bar, the original American bar designed by the architect Adolf Loos and opened in 1908. The mahogany and onyx bar was a favorite of Sigmund Freud and Egon Schiele and I felt genuinely lucky to walk right in and find a seat at the bar. That didn’t last long, as I spoke to a talkative tall man at the table nearby. The Swedish Jan introduced me to his Thai wife Piano and Joann, Petra and Crystal, friends in their 20s. Jan invited me to sit at their table and I learned that after a Jan’s stint overseas with the UN, he met Piano and when he retired, they settled in Vienna and opened a Thai eatery called Mamamon. I told Piano I would stop by for lunch the next day. But back to Loos- Mathias made me a perfect sidecar which fit so well with this bar’s spirit. Michael was also very cordial when I sent my regards from Arber at Needles. Next stop was to Roberto III, my friend Roberto owned just one bar when I was last in Vienna, now he has three. The bar was dark, just like the original, and young Martina served up a simple vermouth highball. A three-tiered plate served nibbles like olives and salami and Spanish/Italian Martina chatty and gracious. Great vibe. The next stop was Blaue bar at the Sacher, which I almost gave a miss, thinking it would be stuffy. So glad I didn’t! Bartender Rami made me a perfect gimlet at the bar and I was soon chatting with the Israeli biologists Shi and Dekel, and the lone woman Olga, a surgeon from Greece. After a nice chat, Olga had no plans so she boarded the Sharlafied train to our next bar. Onxy bar no longer worked as a bar, so we had a quick look and headed to Truth and Dare. The colourful menu denotes the drinks as seen from the top; they served classics as well as twists. Olga was a huge Klimt fan- she even bout a NFT of The Kiss, so she wanted to see the exhibition at the Belvedere on Monday morning. I was game. I ordered the Onlyfans Martini—a twist on the Pornstar. Nice, Lukas!
Time to head back to my hotel, but wait… my album from Needle was missing! I backtracked and found it waiting for me at Blaue Bar, safe and sound, with a complimentary pen.
March 6, Monday
I checked out of my cute hotel Ruby Lissi and headed to the Belvedere museum. The structure is in two palaces, the upper and lower separated by huge gardens dotted with fountains and statues. In the upper palace the Kiss was on display. This art piece will never leave on loan, as it belongs to the Austrian government and is a Natural Heritage treasure. Unlike the Mona Lisa, this is a huge work of art and it was truly breathtaking. The rest of the upper museum is filled with classical paintings, and we were interested in Klimt, so we headed to the lower palace where the most Klimt pieces were on show. The exhibition at the Belvedere Museum was extremely interesting, showing works of Klimt’s contemporaries side by side with his own. Remarkable. After a coffee with Olga, we said bye and I was off to my next stop- Mamamon, the Thai eatery where I would find Piano. The shop was a bit out of the center but was cheerful and cozy. Piano was with a group of friends from China at the big communal table and other diners were seated on stools facing the window. I had the Nam Khao Tod as Piano suggested- crispy rice, pork, peanuts and ginger made to eat wrapped in betel leaves. They had a craft beer dedicated to Jan, with a photo of him as a boy on the label. They just opened a wine bar called Sipsong, offering natural wines to pair with Thai bites. It was closed, but next time… I love this picture of Piano as a badass boss.
Now it was time to check into my room at the Ritz Carlton where I scored a suite on the top floor! How, you ask? Well, I was supposed to check in at the brand-new Almanac Vienna but the hotel had some delays, so Almanac very kindly put me up at the Ritz Carlton across the street. Look at the view from my enormous suite! After checking in, I was greeted by the concierge with a full bottle of Vermouth. How did they know? Carmen Hackmann met me at the Ritz and walked me over to the Almanac and I had a tour of the hotel, including some bedrooms that were nearly finished. The hotel is stunning and has a contemporary look. The flagship hotel is in Barcelona, and Spanish artists were recruited to do some murals. They were done on the spot in a matter of days, and they are absolutely striking. I can’t wait to see what it will be like when it opens. I will have a chance to stay in Almanac when I get to Prague however, so my appetite is truly whetted. When I got back to my room, I was met again with a fruit basket and a special candle from Almanac. I feel like a star!
Now , bar time, and I headed to Roberto 2 where I met Davide, Patrick and Amanda. I ordered a Negroni sbagliato. Roberto had kids sick at home so he sent his assistant Julian to greet me. I presented Patrick with the drink Elisa from Cucù made and Patrick made me a drink to take to Budapest, the Mic Lemonade using the handy container from Cucù. My next stop was Roberto the original and it was just as elegant as ever. The staff of Dragana, Oresti and Marco were very sweet, and Marco made me a nice Americano. I chatted with Ian next to me, who is into music, and the beautiful Assia who looks like she is into fashion. Top points for hospitality! Since I had some time to kill, I decided I had better have an authentic wiener schnitzel, so I headed to Reinthaler’s Beisl. Call it touristy, but I was able to order a half-sized schnitzel which came with a wonderful salad. Yes! Now it was 9 pm so it was opening time for Tuer 7. I had called my friend Reinhard Pohorec, a close friend of Geri and Glenn, the partners. Reiny was out of town so I just popped by unannounced. I was warmly greeted by Geri who looked like a mix of Mr. Rogers and Fred Armisen. As is the custom, he took my coat and hung it up, and I was free to remove my shoes and put on some branded slippers. I chose Remy Martin. The bar snacks were freshly made popcorn (super mmm!) and sour gummy candies to pick up with chopsticks. I was the only person in the joint and I share some words with Geri but within a half hour the place was full. There is no menu, Geri will serve up what you like. I chose my standard (and safe) vermouth and soda, and Geri showed me two vermouths from Vienna, letting me taste each. The Sissi was quite dry and heavy on the wormwood. I really didn’t want to leave the bar; watching Geri singlehandedly create drinks for everyone with a little backup help from his nanny (multitasking) was so fascinating and relaxing. Geri told me that this was a passion project, and as he has other revenue streams, he is not in a position to make as much money as possible at all costs. So refreshing. Kind of like me. I was not going to have another drink, so I bid Geri goodbye and he offered me my drink. By the way all drinks are 18 euro, to keep things simple. This was the perfect ending to my Vienna adventure.
