Ever since my childhood obsession with The Sound of Music, I knew I would adore Austria. I just had a feeling that I would feel at home there, and I was right. Although we didn’t get to visit the rolling hills (“alive with the sound of music…”) in the town of Salzburg, where the film is set, I must say that Vienna captured my heart as I knew it would, and I am simply in love with Austria! The city of classical music is a must-visit for music lovers and sightseers alike. After a fun-filled few days of revelry and drinking lots of cava in Barcelona, the calmer, sophisticated city of Vienna was definitely a welcome part of our trip.
Upon arrival late Thursday night, we checked into the beautiful Ambassador Hotel, a luxurious old hotel that once hosted the likes of Mark Twain and Marlene Dietrich. The hotel looks much the same as it must’ve then (see picture above), with sapphire-blue carpets, old mahogany wardrobes, and crystal chandeliers hanging from the historic rooms. The actress in me could easily picture myself as a guest there 100 years ago, dressed in Victorian clothes, sipping tea, and reading a book out on one of the balconies overlooking the old Viennese streets.
The theme of our trip has been “culinary tourism,” and it certainly carried through to our time in Vienna. From lightly fried and not-even-a-little greasy wiener schnitzel (apparently the olden day test of a great wiener schnitzel was that one could sit on it without getting grease on the trousers) to Vienna street sausages to other Austrian classics, the food was excellent. Our last night we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Zum Finsteren Stern on a meal of buckwheat crepes, chilled prawns and melon, bronzino cooked to perfection, and pork roasted with miso, lime, and tomato (apparently this restaurant is known for being an Austrian-Asian fusion place, which may sound strange but definitely worked well).
Of course, a trip to Vienna would not be complete without attending a classical concert or two in honor of the city’s history of breeding musical genius, and we took in a beautiful Mozart and Strauss concert performed by the Vienna Residence Orchestra at the Auersberg Palace, another treat of the trip. I am now on my eight hour flight back to the States, and thanks to you readers for giving me an excuse to reflect back on the magical last week in Europe. I feel quite fortunate to have added a few more great cities to my travel list and definitely recommend all of them to you!
Until my next post, auf wiedersehen!
Stephanie
