Vienna, Austria

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Vienna waits for me! For my big 61!  The journey continues…

Let’s get the Google history lesson over with. 

Vienna’s history spans over 2,000 years, evolving from a Celtic settlement to a prominent European center. Founded by the Romans in the 1st century AD, it grew into a crucial trading and cultural hub, particularly under the Habsburg dynasty. Vienna served as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later the capital of Austria, enduring various historical periods, including World War I and II, and the subsequent Allied occupation. 

Key Periods in Vienna’s History: 

  • Roman Era:
    Vienna began as the Roman frontier town of Vindobona, a strategic military camp along the Danube River. 



  • Medieval Period:
    Vienna became a significant trading center and the capital of the Babenberg dynasty. It was also an important site for the Crusader wars. 



  • Habsburg Era:
    Vienna served as the seat of the Habsburg monarchy, flourishing as a cultural and political center. 



  • Austro-Hungarian Empire:
    Vienna was the capital of the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire until its dissolution after World War I. 



  • Modern Austria:
    Vienna became the capital of a truncated republic after World War I, later experiencing Nazi occupation during World War II and Allied occupation afterward. It regained independence in 1955.

Vienna, often hailed as the world capital of music, has been the home to some of the most influential composers in classical music history, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, and Strauss.

The classics of Viennese cuisine

  • The Wiener Schnitzel. The Wiener Schnitzel – a breaded and fried veal escalope. …  check, had it for lunch
  • Sachertorte (Sacher Cake) In 1832, Prince Metternich asked his court kitchen to create a special … check, had it for lunch
  • Tafelspitz (boiled beef) … check, had it for dinner 
  • Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel) …tomorrow
  • Kaiserschmarren. Check, had it for dinner. 

Vienna is considered among the most beautiful cities in the world to visit,

End of history lesson. 

When we left Budapest this morning, we decided not to walk the 2 miles to the main train station bc it’s so hot and we didn’t want to be all sweaty. 

First attempt at the Hungarian subway system was a success but not easy for us. I downloaded the app and paid for 2 tickets twice so I had four total. Luckily they were only 500 Ft but we aren’t sure how much that it but it is not a lot. We walked in, validated our tickets like pros, got to the track and none of it looked like the stops that were on our route. We asked a fellow passenger and she said oh no no and pointed to where we needed to go. Success!  We arrived at the huge and beautiful Keleti Palyaudvar station with a little over an hour to spare. 

The only train drama was that our paid for reserved seats were also assigned to another couple lol. They got sent to first class!  The same actually happened to four others in our section. I suppose their booking system went down? 

We arrived 2 minutes early @ 12:38 and had about a 35 min walk to our hotel. We were able to check in early. Off we went to check out Vienna. 

I’m sure you can guess that we were hungry. We went to the origins of schnitzel, Figlmuller and we shared one and shared a mixed salad and delish potato salad. The mixed salad has a carrot and cucumber salad and some of the potato salad. So good. 

We walked into enormous St Stephen’s cathedral, but decided not to tour but it does have a tower to climb. Maybe tomorrow? 

“Stephansdom, one of Vienna’s most recognisable symbols, standards on the ruins of an earlier ancient Roman church, built and dedicated to St. Stephen in 1147.”

Next up some Sachertorte. We walked by the original Sacher cafe. When I googled it, it had a low rating and ppl say it is overpriced and not that great. 

This is a great history of the cake: 

https://www.viennadirect.com/food/sacher.php

We opted try it at a Google recommended one called Kurkonditorei Oberlaa and it was so delish. We also had cafe Viennese and it reminds me of cappuccino lol. 

We strolled around the high end shops that take up space in the historical buildings and went to the sky top restaurant on the 7th floor of the Steffl department store but they had no seats so we walked to the Burggarten (Imperial Garden) and had a drink at Palmenhaus. We passed by the Cafe Central which is a very old meeting place where the intellectuals went and played chess.  We walked in and it was beautiful. 

We walked into St. Peter’s cathedral and also into St Michel cathedral, both beautiful. Vienna just goes on and on with palaces and museums and music and concerts and fountains and statues and castles and churches. 

It started to sprinkle so we headed  back to our hotel and we had a late dinner at Beer and Bierli, just across the street since it was raining good. We shared  the traditional tafelspitz and Kaiserschmarren for dessert. 

It was a great 61st bday for sure. 

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