We celebrated a lovely Valentine’s weekend in sunny Vienna, checking another country off our list!
We took our usual evening flight on Friday and were warmly welcomed at our hotel with live music, free drinks, and balloons! It wasn’t all for us, but we did join in the fun!
We woke early on Saturday, enjoying a full breakfast before heading off to Schönbrunn Palace to meet up with our friends who were also randomly in Vienna for the weekend.
We wandered through the palace, learning about the modest Franz Joseph and the not as modest Elisabeth. We admired the beautiful white walls accented with gold paneling and, of course, elegant furniture. We gazed at the countless porcelain vases from China and Japan, remarkable multi-colored wood flooring, and incredible hand-painted “wallpaper” including garlands and flowers in one room, blue and white “porcelain” scenes in another, and silk wall hangings in a third. It was quite stunning yet tasteful!
Following the tour, we took advantage of the beautiful blue skies and shining sun and strolled about the palace gardens. Unfortunately, there were no flowers yet, but we still enjoyed the walk.
We made one last stop at the palace café before heading back to Vienna’s main square. We were hoping to catch the Strudel Show at the café, but were disappointed to learn that the next show wasn’t until Monday… so, we settled for a seat out on the patio with our own apfelstrudel and a plate of Franz Joseph’s favorite, kaiserschmarrn (fluffy, shredded pancakes topped with powdered sugar and a side of plum sauce and apple sauce for dipping). Yum!
We caught the U-Bahn back to the city center, hopping off near the opera house. We stopped for a local Vienna sausage (we had to since we were in Vienna!) and were amused by the buns. They were like a cozy little sleeping bag for the brat (more practical than the tiny bun with the brat hanging over both ends like you get in Düsseldorf).
We moseyed through one of the many shopping districts and eventually popped out at the stunning, St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The glazed mosaic tiles covering the roof were beautiful! And the inside wasn’t too bad either.
Following our mini-tour of the cathedral, we found a fantastic local pub where we stopped in for a drink. The stone walls, barrel tables, and hip oldies playing in the background made for the perfect stop in our casual afternoon.
We enjoyed the last bit of sun as we meandered through city park and around the Hofburg Palace. This palace complex is massive and the architecture is wonderful! Most of the buildings within the complex are now museums, but it’s still fun to wander about the palace grounds imagining what it was like in its prime.
We ended the evening at another local joint, with a jovial atmosphere. We spent the evening snacking on appetizers, tasting the local beer, and chatting the night away.
We kicked Sunday off with a visit to the Spanish Riding School, where we admired the striking Lipizzaner stallions during their morning practice. These horses are so elegant! Neither of us know much about horses, but it was still neat to see their fancy footwork and the picture-perfect Levade pose (squatting on the hindquarters). Too bad there wasn’t an actual performance this weekend!
We followed the performance with a stop at St. Charles church, followed by a visit to Austria’s Nationalbibliothek (such a fun word!). The old library was just what we imagined! Countless books sitting on towering bookshelves with tall ladders strategically placed so you could reach the books on the top shelf. How fun! As a bonus, we also got to see a temporary exhibit on Beethoven.
We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling about the city, taking a peek at Mozart's house, checking out the Danube river, and stopping for one last meal before heading off to the airport. It was a quick trip, but so fun to meet up with our friends in a different country!
Comments
Post a Comment