Europe to me is all about good food, wine and friends all mixed in a fantastically scenic setting. We arrived late in the afternoon and my first goal was to introduce Jon to all those things I love about Europe. We headed straight to one of Vienna’s unique Hueriger (wine garden). The wine gardens date back to the 1780’s when Emperor Joseph II decided that vintners needed no special license to serve their own wines and a tradition was born. We chose Heuriger Kierlinger in the un-touristy neighborhood of Nussdorf. The interior was smoky and filled with locals. After ordering a pitcher (love these!) of a crisp wine Jon and I dug in to sampling some of the local specialties.
Wine bar Kierlinger.
The next day we were up early for a self-guided historic walking tour of Vienna’s City center courtesy of Rick Steve’s. Since Vienna is the world capital of classical music our tour rightly started at the Opera House. The structure was built in 1869 and almost all of the master musicians have performed here. Jon and I waited until the evening to step inside. We were able to snag standing room only tickets for that evening for the bargain price of $3 each. In the summer they have live performances projected onto a screen outside. We these types of benefits for the people the city makes it affordable for everyone to attend.
Me inside the Opera House before the performance.
It is still early in the morning but that did not stop Jon and I from eating some famous chocolate cake from Café Sacher. The Sacher-Torte is two layers of cake separated by apricot jam and covered in dark chocolate icing with a dab of whipped cream which was invented in 1832 by Fraz Sacher. This cake, which is still being served was invented 40 years before electricity!
Famous Sacher-Torte.
We wondered through the Albertinaplatz, past the Monument Against War and Facism, down the grand traffic-free Karntner Strasse and into Stephansplatz. The Gothic St. Steven’s cathedral and its 450-foot tower looms over the square. The church took 150 years to build (1300-1450) and at the time was massive for the then tiny Vienna. Jon and I climbed the 343 tightly wound stairs to the top of the south town for magnificent views over the city.
Jon outside of St. Steven’s
View from the top
An interesting relic in the main square is the Holy Trinity plague column. The 60-foot pillar was built in 1679 when 75,000 people died from an epidemic of bubonic plague. The Emperor dropped to his knees and begged God to save the city and built this column as thanks. You can see the Emperor a quarter of the way up above the banner and the plague, which is represented by an old women, being thrown off the bottom.
Me standing Holy Trinity plague column
As we wondered the quaint streets the Hofburg Palace was always in site almost to remind us of how powerful the Habsburg empire once was. Jon and I toured the opulent interior and treasury. There was enough dinner wear to eat off a different plate every day for an entire year.
Hofburg Palace
The food in Vienna is warm and hearty, perfect for cold days. For lunch we stopped at a typical Wurstelstand and enjoyed our spicy sausage with some pickles and peppers with all the locals. I could not resist Trzesniewski’s little finger sandwiches and a cold beer for a snack. And for dinner with dove right in with the local specialty of thin crispy Wiener schnitzel served with an oil based potato salad.
Finger sandwiches at Trzwsniewski
Wiener schnitzel with the locals and tourists at the Schnitzelwirt.
The next morning I had just enough time to explore the impressive Kunsthistorisches Museum. The grand building was built in 1888 to house the Habsburgs’ massive collection of art.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Where we stayed, Hotel Geblergasse, we had a room with twin beds pushed together (standard in Europe) with a bathroom for approximately $36 a night (goodbye South East Asia prices). For the price the hotel had a good location just outside the city center but only a few minutes walk to the tram. The room was really clean and staff spoke English and were really helpful. We thought it was a fantastic value for Vienna.
Journey with Christina 