Greg W's Collected Writings

Vienna is ridiculously beautiful. Spent 3 days there, and did a fair share or wandering around on foot. On the Saturday a bit of an undirected wander, and on the Sunday following a self-guided walking tour.

Followed the route detailed by the Visiting Vienna website. It is in multiple parts, and covers some of what I did yesterday. Covers the Opera House and surrounds, Hofburg Palace, the museums and part of the ring road along the path of the old city walls and the old town.

Vienna Opera House

Joseph Habsburg statue


Lipizzaner horses, Spanish Riding School


Interior of Augustinerkirche


Statue of Hercules and Ceberus


St. Stephen's Cathedral


St. Stephen's Cathedral

The website has great detail on everything, including click through links for more detail. It took me much longer than the suggested 90 minutes as I was reading a lot of the website.

Protest against the current Iranian regime meant police shut off the ring road around Parliament, for a unique view of the empty streets. Also didn't see much of the park in front of Rathaus, as it was shut for a massive ice skating complex.

Empty ring road


Protesters

Big ice skating complex

Also did a run through the Prater Park. It is a large park with wooded trails, paths for strolling or cycling and the Prater Amusement Park, including the giant Ferris Wheel famously featured in The Third Man.

Paths through Prater Park


Ferris Wheel, as featured in The Third Man

Sunday night was to Charlie P's, an Irish pub that was open late for the Super Bowl. Super Bowl LX from Santa Clara, California. The game featured the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots. The New England team had been completely revamped this year, and unfortunately never really got their rhythm until late in the game, but it was not enough.

The other big feature of the game was the half time show by Bad Bunny. The first time we had a fully Spanish half time show. There were some upset conservatives, who put on an alternative half time show with Kid Rock. The Bad Bunny show was watched much more widely.

Super Bowl from Santa Clara, California


Super Bowl LX underway


Special Super Bowl menu


Chicken wings and beer, traditional Super Bowl grub


Bad Bunny's half time show


Dejected New England fan - was ordering a shot with every beer to chase away his sorrows

The first half of the game saw both defenses put on a show, with only 3 field goals by Seattle. The second half opened with another field goal by Seattle for them to take a 12-0 lead. Seattle then scored the first touchdown of the game in fourth quarter. New England answered with their own touchdown, making the game 19-7. Seattle scored a field goal, and then ran back an interception for another touch down.

New England tried to rally and got another touchdown, but that was all they could manage in the end. The game ended 29-13 in favour of Seattle.

Seattle wins

The next morning, after a long sleep, I took a wander down to see the Danube River, and then headed back to my hotel and off to the airport. Another Super Bowl around the world complete.

Check out more of my Super Bowls Around the World here.

Here is the list of all entries associated with my Superbowl Mission.

2026: Super Bowl LX in Vienna, Austria, at Charlie P's Irish Pub
2025: Super Bowl LIX in Porto at an absolutely ace sports bar
2024: Superbowl LVIII in Paris, France at the Hard Rock Cafe.
2022/2023: 2022 was back again in Boxpark in Croydon, and repeated again in 2023.
2021: Superbowl LV in London, in my home, because... you know... Covid. Welcome to Super Bowls in Lockdown. Hopefully this is the only one.
2020: Superbowl LIV party at Boxpark, Croydon, England, United Kingdom - Twitter & Insta
2019: Was asleep because I was tired from running a 10K earlier in the day.
2018: On a lovely ski trip in Chamonix, France
2017: Berlin, Germany and Belushi's Bar
2016: Superbowl 50 in Borough, London, England at Roxy's Bar and Screen.
2015: Superbowl 49 in Hammersmith, London, England at Belushi's. Pics, pics, pics and silly twitter statuses abound.
2014: Superbowl 48 in Etobicoke, Canada at Wingporium with good friends, cold beer and hot chicken wings.
2013: Superbowl 47 in Battersea, South West, London, United Kingdom at home
2012: Superbowl 46 in Rome, Italy at Scholar's Lounge, an Irish pub filled with American students
2011: Superbowl 45 in Munich, Germany at the Kultfabrik, in a party hosted by the GFL's Munich Cowboys.
2010: Superbowl 44 in Amsterdam, Netherlands at the Satellite Sports Cafe on The Leidseplein
2009: Superbowl 43 in London, England at an American expat event in Islington on the snowiest day in 18 years.
2008: Superbowl 42 in Toronto, which I didn't bother to write a separate entry about, but rather included in an entry on watching a hockey game in Montreal, Quebec, where I declared the concept dead.
2007: Superbowl 41 at Fox Sport's Grill, Seattle, Washington, USA
2006: Superbowl 40 at Scruffy Duffy's, New York City, New York, USA
2005: Superbowl 39 at Hotel in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
2004: Superbowl 38 at Nashville South, San Jose, Costa Rica
2003: Superbowl 37 at hotel, Puerto Montt, Chile
2002: Superbowl 36 at Shoeless Joes, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2001: Superbowl 35 at the Sports Column, Denver, Colorado, USA

From the San Jose paper - they spelt my name incorrectly, but that's me cheering along.

I shall keep this entry update with the latest, as my mission progresses.

I know I am Canadian, and proudly so now that Trump is suggesting that Canada should roll-over and be the 51st state of the USA. For many reasons, that is ridiculous. Whatever he says, we beat them at the ice hockey. That's all that matters to Canadians.

But also I've researched my ancestry and I am mostly 75% English and 25% German with a few bits and bobs of Scottish, Irish, Swiss and Austrian thrown in. Sadly none of it recent enough to get me an EU passport.

I flew down to Porto for a long weekend to (1) enjoy fortified wine and (2) watch the Super Bowl in my every increasingly stupid "Super Bowls Around the World" gag.

Why mention my English heritage regards this trip? Only to point out that the Treaty of Windsor, signed in 1386 was the world's oldest known military alliance. Port Wine itself is a fortified wine, that is wine with Brandy added, so more alcohol content than an average wine, but less than drinking brandy itself. It became popular in England in the 1700s while England was at war with France (and thus no French wines being imported).

Port is something I love. It is a drink that one would only have one glass. It is sweet, and heavy, and makes a great end to a meal.

And so I loved the above 40 year old Kopke Tawny. It was brilliant. I had it at their tasting rooms, and they brought it with a few chocolate covers cherries. Sublime.

Eventually one has to leave the joy of Port wines and wander around the lovely city of Porto.

Porto is a lovely place, split by the Douro River. I had a nice bike ride on an awful rental bike, a few lovely walks and a rubbishy run.

Had some decent food. Unsurprisingly, a port city has some really good seafood.

For Super Bowl itself, LIX was played in Louisiana, in what back when I was a kid was known only as the "Superdome," but is now known as the "Caesars Superdome" because branding.

I wound up at the Eleven Sports Bar, which is also known as Adega sports bar. I'd popped in before to watch a bit of the Six Nations Rugby, and it is a proper sports bar.

In Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs. Based on the crowd in Porto, there were fans for both, but there were more Philly fans than KC.

The game itself was not that close. Philly ran away with it from the start. So much so that some of the American fans of both the Chiefs and and the Eagles left before half-time.

The die hard Philly fans stuck around, and were rewarded with a win.

Overall, a great bar to watch the game. The game itself was crap. Kendrick Lamar was very good. Pints of Super Bock were only €3.50 so overall a cheap night to watch a silly American game.

It's silly, but I love it.

The next morning, sleep deprived and hung over I went to McDonald's. McDonald's on Praça da Liberdade took over the Imperial Cafe, with it's gorgeous interiors of stained glass and art deco design. And they kept it. It is the most beautiful McDonald's I have ever had an egg McMuffin in.

Anyways, till next year, eh.

Check out more of my Super Bowls Around the World here.

After a ski trip in February 2020 to Kitzbuhel, I didn't travel at all internationally for the rest of 2020 and through 2021. Only once we hit 2022 did I manage to get out and get travelling again. I travelled to Europe via plane, train and car (using a train for the watery bits). Here's links to my write up of those.

January 2022, Cervinia, Italy Ski Trip

February 2022 Mini-Report on overnight in Croydon

Les Houches Ski Trip Report, March 2022

April In Paris: Eurostar (London St. Pancras – Paris Gare Du Nord) and Renaissance Paris Vendome

And a little historic look at the one time I flew first class - what was the menu like? Thai Airways First Class menu from October 2015 for Bangkok - London

Super Bowl LVIII (the 58th of these games) took place on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Kansas City Chiefs faced the San Francisco 49ers.

Surprisingly, interest in the game was high in the run up, and not just among sports fans. One of the Kansas City players, Travis Kelce is dating mega-superstar signer Taylor Swift. This generated interest amongst the Swifties (as her fans are called), but also a surprising amount of interest from certain right wing commentators, blogs and Tweeters. A conspiracy theory started up suggesting that Taylor Swift's mega-stardom was actually a deep state CIA plot to re-elect Joe Biden, and that the relationship between Kelce and Swift was fabricated to further advance this plot.

Right. Anyway.

I took the Eurostar down to Paris on the 9th (Friday) after finishing up work for the day and settled into a hotel on a quiet square in the 2nd Arrondissement. The square was quiet, but the area was bustling with many lively streets and pedestrian areas with lots of options for food, drinks and shopping.

A night cap on the first night

Captain Haddock and Tintin kissing. On my!

Lunar New Year when I was there, so celebrated with some dumplings

Steak Frites

The weather was changeable all weekend, and managed a somewhat soggy walk in the rain up to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur.

Saint Vincent Cemetery nearby.

The Big Game

I watched the game at the Hard Rock Cafe, securing tickets before hand which included a bucket of 5 bottles of beer and a buffet with typical game day snacks (sliders, chicken wings, nachos) and various sweet items.

Hard Rock Cafe, Paris

Sliders and wings (this wasn't my only plate, I got a decent feeding)

My bucket of beer for the game

I had a seat at the bar, which had a good view of the TV and also was impressively close to the buffet. Perfect set up.

The game itself kicked off with some sloppy and boring play highlighted only by an impressive 55-yard field goal by 49ers kicker Jake Moody at the start of the 2nd quarter, the longest ever field goal made in a Super Bowl. With four and a half minutes left in the 1st half, the 49ers got a touch down and led KC 10-0, but KC was able to get some points on the board with a 3 point field goal ending the first half 10-3 in favour of San Francisco.

After a half-time performance by Usher which featured lots of dancing, including an impressive bit on roller skates, the second half action picked up. The Chiefs scored a field goal and then a touch down to take a 13-10 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. In the fourth quarter, San Francisco scored a 3 point field goal, which was answered by 3 points by The Chiefs. With KC still leading by 3 points, the 49ers scored a field goal with 3 seconds left. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at 19 points each.

The game went into overtime. Each team is allowed a possession of the ball, and the game continues until at the end of both teams possessions, one team has more points. The 49ers got the first crack, and scored 3 points with a field goal to take a 22-19 lead. The Chiefs responded by scoring a touch down, sealing their victory over San Francisco with a 25-22 win.

Watching the OT

I wandered back to my hotel close to five in the morning, on a luckily dry Paris night and got a few hours sleep before I had to check out of the hotel and head back to London.

Another Super Bowl around the world done. For more entries in this series, check out the my Super Bowls Around the World table of contents.