Vienna
Today is our first full day in Vienna. We’ve been here before- maybe it was ten years ago now? We visited my dad while he was living here by the MuseumsQuartier, and while we didn’t feel we had much time then, we still did find lots here to love. The city is truly beautiful, with amazing opulent architecture from its very wealthy aristocratic days, and the arts found in every corner you look. There are fountains and statues everywhere, impressive buildings at every turn, and a huge pedestrian only section. We couldn’t wait to get out and explore!
We decided to start out by going straight down to the Nachtmarkt. It was a very different scene from the one we saw last night, as the market was now buzzing with vendors and crowds navigating the stalls. We stopped at Stella on the market and got breakfast. I love continental breakfast as I’ve said before, but sometimes some nice hot eggs are what you need! I chose the Oriental früshtuck- sunny side eggs and a side of cucumber, pepper, and tomato salad with feta and olives. Beth chose the Viennese früshtuck – soft boiled egg with sliced meats and cheeses. All were served with rolls and o.j. We also got our café mélange to go along, and I think there will be a lot more mélange drunk on this trip!
Along with breakfast, they had a few sides. We chose hummus, but got caught in a mix-up. The server brought us fries… which in German are pommes. We seem to say those two words so much alike, and I’m not sure if we are messing up one of the pronunciations. Maybe we need to heavily annunciate, like how many people we know from the Middle East pronounce it more like huuu-moouuus. Anyway, she brought us out some hummus instead and we apologized for the confusion. She was just lovely; too bad she couldn’t join us for breakfast and a stroll through the city... and maybe a bit of a language lesson too!
After breakfast we went through the market with a closer eye since we were no longer hungry. It was full of amazing stuff from one end to the other! Lots of fresh made Turkish salads, these amazing looking stuffed dates, cheeses (could smell those from a good bit away!), breads, falafel and hummus (huuu-moooouuuus!), varieties of olive oils, lots of fresh seafood, nuts, and of course a ton of fresh fruits and veggies. Years ago, we dropped through a corner of the market quickly on our way elsewhere and we got a couple figs. That was Beth’s first fresh fig ever, so to celebrate that moment we got fresh figs today as well.
Just across from one end of the Nachtmarkt is an Art Nouveau style building that Beth really loves. It is a contemporary art museum called Secession, which holds temporary exhibits for famous artists. It is the building itself that she really loves though. The very cubical white design is contrasted by the brilliant golden laurel leaf dome over the roof, with Nouveau details scattered all across the building. We’ve never seen any of the exhibits, but the building itself is a nice piece of architecture to stop and enjoy. Sure, in the full sun it’s so bright it hurts your eyes and fights your camera, but it is still beautiful.
We were walking up towards the Museumplatz, but I decided cut down a side street to take us to the Rahlgasse. This is where my dad’s apartment was when he lived here, and it’s where we stayed when we first visited. The familiar staircase went up in front of us from the small side street to the Mariahilfer Straße and the cluster of Museums along the platz. That brought back amazing memories for us, as it was the very first stop on our first trip together all those years ago. You could say this is the spot where our adventures in travel first began; those steps up the staircase were the very first steps in a long and continuing journey. We’ve come so far together from that day all those years ago, and it feels a bit special to be standing back again at the beginning.
Vienna is well noted for a large amount of quality art museums. We didn’t actually go in any last time we were here, so we made it a point to go now. We picked the Leopold Museum, which has the largest collection of Egon Schiele and detailed displays of his life, along with works of other artists such as Gustav Klimt. Beth was excited for the Klimt works, though there were only a couple showing in the Leopold. Her art and art history knowledge is far greater than mine (FAR greater), and I’ll admit that I wasn’t as familiar with many of the artists or works discussed. I was fascinated with the Schiele works though! Some were bizarre portraits, some were highly erotic, some were pretty confusing… but all were very unique and quite strange. In other words – my cup of tea! I think my favorite was the large painting simply titled “Woman”, which depicts a reclining nude in a very, well… inviting pose. Very erotic with an impactful perspective, and just enough realism to not be abstract yet still have a bit of strangeness involved. Again, my cup of tea!
Next to the MuseumsQuartier was the Maria-Theresien-Platz. This large square is home to both the National History Museum (Naturhistorisches) and the Art History Museum (Kunsthistorisches) of Vienna, both in huge stately buildings that sit at either side of the square. In the center is a large sculpture fountain as a monument to the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. For this week the square is also home to the Vienna New Year’s Market, which is basically an extension of the Christmas Market for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. There was a projection on the Naturhistorisches building that made it look like the building was wrapped up in Christmas paper. It was so beautiful!
Seeking out a café, we cut through the Burggarten park, passing another Mozart. At the end of the park we went by one of my favorite statues, the Albrechsbrunnen. It is a beautiful representation of Vienna and the Danube River. Luckily we got good pictures of this our last time here, because it was all boarded up when we went by today!
The Kärntner Straße is one of the long walking streets in Vienna, and at the beginning is the famous Sacher Hotel. It’s a beautiful hotel for sure, but what makes it so famous is the café where they make the Sacher Torte. We thought of dropping into the café for our mélange fix, even though it can be a bit of a tourist spot. The line was out the door, and all the way down the Kärtner Straße, and then around the front of the building, and then halfway down the block!! It was craziness! Around the back of Sacher is another café, Café Mozart. Not affiliated with the one in Salzburg I don’t think, but this line was also out the door and halfway down the street! I guess that is what we get for coming over a busy holiday. I’m not sure there is a café that is worth a couple hour wait, and in Vienna there should be plenty more to try, so we decided to move along...
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