Waltzing through Vienna

Well, we are back in the land of the Euro, and the mental conversion is much easier than it was with the Czech Koruna (1Kc = .042USD).  Our Airbnb apartment in Vienna is just outside the Ringstrasse, very close to the old town and its many attractions.  We bought a multi-day transit pass and signed up for CityBike

a free bike system with more than 100 pick-up/drop-off stations around Vienna.  If you use a bike for less than an hour, it’s FREE! And central Vienna is really flat.

As we sought out local food specialities, we discovered Tafelspitz, reputedly the favorite dish of Emperor Franz Joseph.

It’s basically boiled beef, served with a marrow bone, horseradish and apple sauce with sides of fried potato rosti (kind of like hash browns) and creamed spinach.  Rick ordered a special (rib) cut of beef that was much better than mine, but my favorite part of the meal was the broth.  I’ve never had such tasty beef broth!

Of course, we’re checking out the local wines.  Again, the whites are better than the reds.  We had one six-course meal with Austrian wine pairings that gave us a good overview and, with the help of our Airbnb host, we found a really good local wine shop where we could stock up for our home-cooked meals.  Interestingly, the German name for Vienna is ‘Wien,’ while the German word for wine is ‘wein.’
      So I guess a Viennese wine is a Wien Wein!

Rick arranged for us to visit Weingut Mayer, a winery located on the outskirts of the city. Paul Kiefer spent a couple of hours with us.  He drove us out to the vineyards, which are within the city limits of Vienna on the edge of the Vienna Woods, the foothills of the Alps.

He educated us about Gemischter Satz, a field blend of white grapes that is unique to Vienna, and explained the difference between a field blend (various grape varieties grown together in the same plot, harvested and fermented together) and a cuvée (various grapes grown on different plots and then blended after fermentation). He then tasted us through a generous sampling of their Mayer and Rotes Haus wines, including Reisling, Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and, of course Gemischter Satz.

Music is important to Vienna’s history and culture.  After all, many of the most familiar classical composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss) either hailed from or spent time in Vienna. We took a wonderful (though packed) tour of the Opera House, a landmark most of which had to be rebuilt after WWII.
The reconstruction kept the style of the outside (and much of the inside) the same but added in modern acoustics and elevators. The only tickets available during our stay were SROs, so we passed.

We did hear a Strauss waltz playing in the Opera Toilet in the Karlsplatz U-Bahn station, however…

The Vienna Philharmonic is back in town and played their annual free concert at the Schönbrunn Palace (the Habsburg’s summer getaway palace) on Thursday. It looked like a great program and we made plans to go. When I asked for advice about getting there and getting in, our host replied that, to get in, you should be in line by 5pm (the concert started at 8:30) and expect 100,000 people to pack the grass (chairs only for VIPs).  Sadly, we reconsidered and, again, passed.

But we did go back to Schönbrunn the next day and toured the Palace and grounds without the crowds. One of the most interesting buildings housed an incredible collection of royal carriages.  Those Habsburgs really traveled in style!

Of course, the Habsburgs had a residence in town, also.  We toured the Imperial Apartments (no pictures allowed inside…)
and the Treasury, which houses the tableware used for their dinners for thousands!  I’m certainly glad I don’t have to polish all that silver!!

One day, we took the train to Bratislava, adding one more country to our itinerary.

This capital of Slovakia is situated on the Danube and is very picturesque and walkable. We happened into a ‘wine museum’ that contained some old wine tools and vessels, and offered a tasting of some of the worst wine we’ve had so far.  But we did find a lovely Asian restaurant, Sasazu, where we had one of our best recent meals (accompanied by a New Zealand SB…)

St Stephen’s Cathedral is the heart of Vienna, located exactly in the center of the city with a tower that, by Habsburg decree, was the tallest in their entire empire. Its roof is covered with ceramic tiles and the interior is majestic.  But, I know, all these churches must be starting to run together so I’ll share a single gem from this one.  The architect added a self-portrait (actually more of a sculpture) that peers out from the wall on the left side of the nave as if he is checking up on his creation…

In our last couple of days, we visited the Naschmarkt, a multi-block affair that is filled with market stalls, and cafés; and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, a lavish building constructed by the Habsburgs to house their extensive art collection.  The walls are covered, sometimes three huge paintings high, with an impressive collection of Northern European, Italian, Spanish and French art.  But the building is a work of art in itself!

Next stop Munich!