Food and Stuff: Vienna, Austria: Days 2 and 3

(Written en route to Prague from Vienna on Monday, June 1)

Guten tag from Vienna! We have had a fantastic time here so far and are headed to Prague today. Here are my impressions of the city -- Vienna is a warm, beautiful city with rich history, friendly people, and beautiful architecture. It is very canine-friendly and people often walk their dogs off-leash. There are actually pet waste baskets on almost every corner. Literally every person we have talked to here has been helpful in guiding us in the right direction or with ordering food. Most people can speak at least a little English, or at the very least, understand a few words, so it has been easy to get around and communicate with people.

The public transit system is stellar -- there is the U-Bahn (underground rail within the city), the S-Bahn (underground rail with connectivity within the city center and surrounding "suburban" areas), city buses, and the above-ground tram system. We have almost exclusively been using the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (although we may take the tram when we return to Vienna on Wednesday) and have had no problem getting around. Trains run efficiently and are generally on time (based on our experience). There is also a train which specifically goes to and from the city center from the airport (the city airport transit line, or CAT) which we took when we first arrived in Vienna. It is also remarkably inexpensive to travel by train or bus, and consumers purchase tickets on the "honor system," meaning there are no automated ticket stations at any of the metro stops. And there is definitely not an issue with funding public transit, either, so people definitely buy their tickets like they're supposed to. There might be a conductor randomly checking tickets (which happened to us on the CAT), but this isn't always the case.

Our tickets to use the U-bahn.

We have solely relied on public transit (or walking) to get around, but in terms of driving around the city, all private parking is underground. There is some on-street parking, but all of the huge lots are underground. There are also car share systems as well as a city bike share company which tourists can use in Vienna. All in all, it's very easy to get around!

The one downside of Vienna is that I'm not a huge fan of the food. I sort of knew going into this trip that I would have a limited selection of foods I could try since I don't eat beef. Austrian food seems like a mix of both German and Eastern European fare. There are very few fresh fruits and vegetables around. So far, we've seen a wide variety of pastries on every corner, both savory (generally with cheese and/or some kind of meat) and sweet (filled with sugar or fruit preserves). There are also schnitzels and wursts (sometimes with both cheese and meat!) at almost every restaurant. Other common dishes might include palatschinke (a sweet OR savory pancake), beef goulash, various types of sweet and savory strudels, and dough-like dumplings.

We have gotten to see a lot given our limited time in Vienna and my limited mobility. Fortunately, I've been recovering pretty quickly from my ankle sprain, although my foot is still somewhat swollen. I was finally able to put on my sneaker today (my foot was too swollen to fit in it the first few days after my injury), which should make walking on all of the cobblestone roads much easier.

Day 2: St. Stephen's Cathedral, Mozart museum, Schonbrunn Palace

We started out at the famous St. Stephen's cathedral in the city center (where most of the tourist attactions are located), grabbing some pastries on the way for breakfast. St. Stephen's is the most well-known cathedral in Vienna and was first consecrated in the 12th century. It was rebuilt a few times, boasting a typical haunting gothic-style architecture on the exterior with a beautiful stone pulpit at the center of the church and a large high altar at the front. The roof has a mosaic of a double-headed eagle.

St. Stephen's cathedral exterior.

View of St. Stephen's outside a flower shop.

A view of the high altar from the back of St. Stephen's.

You can't see the mosaic of the double-headed eagle
on St. Stephen's rooftop very well.

The gothic-style pulpit, side view.

One of the side altars in the church.

Following our trip to St. Stephen's, we visited the Mozart musuem, located in an 18th century building where Mozart and his family resided for three years. The museum spans three floors, with the first floor guiding tourists through the composer's apartment. Mozart was born and brought up in Salzburg, Austria and only spent a little over a decade in Vienna, so the museum only featured a snippet of his life. Mozart evidently moved to Vienna to gain fame and fortune as a musician, which he only achieved towards the end of his career (and life).

He was close friends with Joseph Haydn, who visited his home often. In fact, Mozart often had guests over who often stayed at his place for several days or months (including his father, Leopold). When he first arrived in Vienna, he taught private lessons until he became more financially established. During this time period, he taught in the afternoons and focused on composing in the mornings. He and his adored wife, Maria Constanze Weber, often held dinner parties where they served alcoholic punch (ha!). Mozart and his wife brought an eight day old son into the apartment when they first moved in and had another son during their stay in Vienna, but he died when he was two.

With regards to Mozart's many works, the museum focused on two of his most famous operas, The Magic Flute (his last opera) and The Marriage of Figaro.

Leopold (Mozart's father) and Wolfgang A. Mozart's signatures.

"The Magic Flute" board game was sold during the premiere of the opera!

A concert ticket to a Mozart concert during one of the opera premieres.

The beauty of handwritten sheet music.

There is some controversy surrounding Mozart's death. He fell ill with a respiratory infection, described as "pneumonia-like" by his doctor, just before he died. However, there are also rumors that he was poisoned by an "arch rival" and Italian composer, Antonio Salieri. Nevertheless, Mozart composed until the very end, working on a piece requested by an anonymous amateur composer (who apparently wanted to pass the piece off as his own!). There is no doubt that the music museums in Salzburg are way better than what Vienna provides, but I found this Mozart museum to be enjoyable despite its mixed reviews on TripAdvisor.

Afterwards, we grabbed a small lunch (see below).

Melted cheese and ham on rye bread. People love rye bread here.

Some sort of thin pizza-like crepe dish with some cheese,
ham, and onions. Yum!

A cute flower shop we found right next to our lunch spot.

One of many sausage stands we found along the way.

After a quick break at the hotel to ice and elevate my ankle, we headed to the Schonbrunn Palace grounds for the afternoon. Schonbrunn is a palace established by the Hapsburg royal family. At some point, it was used as a hunting lodge, but Hapsburg ruler Maria Theresa eventually turned it into a summer home (involving countless renovations and expansion) in the 1700s. This palace is filled with decadence, boasting beautiful ceiling frescos, gilded and intricately designed walls and doors, and ceramic heaters in literally every room. The three individuals featured in the tour of the Schonbrunn Palace interior included Maria Teresa, Franz Joseph, and Franz Joseph's wife, nicknamed Sisi.

Joe in front of the Schonbrunn Palace entrance.

Front of Schonbrunn Palace.

A panoramic view of the Schonbrunn Palace.

The palace grounds were HUGE. After touring numerous rooms in the interior, we took a brief walk around the intricately landscaped garden. There were a number of labyrinths within the garden, which I obstinately avoided because I didn't want to get lost. Seeing the labyrinths made me chuckle a little because when I visited Spain many years ago, one of our tour guides described palace garden labyrinths as places Spanish kings could court their mistresses discreetly. I'm almost positive that happened in the Schonbrunn Palace too.

This entire walkway was covered in roses.

There was no way we would cover the entirety of the gardens in a short amount of time (you could literally spend an entire day at the Schonbrunn -- there's even an entire zoo on-site, which happens to be the oldest zoo in the world), so we headed to a nearby viewpoint at the top of a big hill which boasted magnicifent views of the palace and the entire city of Vienna on a clear day. We somehow made it to the top of the hill (walking very slowly) even though I was feeling pretty gimpy. We were greeted by an amazing structure called the Gloriette which housed a cute restaurant and coffee shop for those who made the walk. We ended up having dinner here before heading back down.

A view of the Gloriette from the back of Schonbrunn Palace.

A view of the Gloriette.

These guys were enjoying the view, too!
One of these ducks got really pissed at me and
started flapping its wings in fury because I insisted on
taking pictures of them.

A view of the Schonbrunn Palace and much of Vienna from the top of the hill.

Yay, we made it to the top!

Another view of the Schonbrunn Palace.

Here is the view from our booth, and some food we ate at the Gloriette:

View from the restaurant.

Joe tried another Austrian beer called Edelweiss.

This is a traditional cheesy pancake with minced beef.

This was described as pasta with ham, Austrian-style. It was relatively tolerable.

We finally ended the day with a nice indoor concert performed by the Schonbrunn orchestra. The program featured parts of The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) and the Blue Danube Waltz (Strauss). We had a fantastic time!

Day 3: Boat cruise down the Danube River, tour of the Melk Monastery grounds, more of the city center

We had a group excursion planned for our third day in Vienna that did not involve a lot of walking. This was convenient because my ankle was pretty achy and swollen and we walked an awful lot the previous day (according to Joe's Samsung Health app, we broke 20,000 steps). That morning, we took a tour bus to a little dock along the Danube River in a city called Spitz. Along the way, we passed numerous vineyards (and wineries), small hotels and cottages, and old cathedrals. A paved trail lined the Danube for miles for cyclists, runners, and walkers to enjoy. This was apparently a common vacation spot for Austrians who wanted to get away from the city. From the dock, we took a boat ride down the Danube to one of the most well-renowned monasteries in Austria located in a little town called Melk. The Melk monastery grounds were enormous.

Views of the Danube and surrounding areas. These views suck. What a terrible vacation. (just kidding)

Random castle we saw while boating along the Danube.

Another random but beautiful structure we saw on the cruise.

The monastery was established in 1089 and received a number of generous donations from the Hapsburg family but the grounds have been reconstructed at various points in time. Guesthouses were available for nobility to stay in. There is a focus on knowledge and learning at the monastery too -- there is a famous scientific research program on-site as well as a monastery school (which costs only 80 euros a month per student!). Probably a dozen library rooms house shelves and shelves of books, some of which were several hundred years old (including copies of the Rules of St. Benedict, which outlined rules on how to live an honorable life). The monastery was constructed with the intention of creating a sort of Heaven on Earth, and it shows, notably in the actual abbey itself.

But before I describe the abbey, let me mention my other two favorite parts of the monastery grounds. The first was the scenic view of the Danube and surrounding areas from the back of the monastery. If that's not heavenly, I don't know what is. My second favorite part was the fresco inside one of the rooms close to the abbey. Isn't it spectacular?

View from the back of the monastery.

Amazing fresco in the monastery.

The abbey was just breathtaking. As in, it literally took my breath away once I entered. An ornate fresco lined the ceiling of the abbey, which I tried to get a panoramic view of (likely not well-executed). The patron saints of the church, Peter and Paul, are depicted at the high altar shaking hands. Just above are the words "Non coronabitur nisi legitime certaverit," translating to "Without a legitimate battle there is no victory." Reading that in the middle of such a beautiful church sent chills down my spine.

The high altar.

Front to back view of the abbey high altar and ceiling frescos.

Here are some other pictures taken in and around the monastery:

View just outside the monastery gates.

Cool spiral staircase right outside the abbey.

Spectacular view outside the abbey.

Not surprisingly, the path exiting from the abbey led us to the gift shop. Normally, Joe and I skip the gift shop, except something sort of caught my attention. They were selling a liqueur in which the alcohol was infused with plants from the abbey garden, including licorice, mint, and lavender. The recipe was developed by two fathers, one of whom was a Benedictine monk living in the Melk monastery. We decided to buy one as a souvenir, resolving to keep the empty bottle as a memento from our trip.

A liqueur made in-house which we purchased as a memento.

We took the tour bus back to Vienna, where we were dropped in front of the world-renowned Vienna Opera House. We didn't get to go in, but we'll be back in Vienna on Wednesday (after spending two days in Prague) so we're hoping to take a tour of the historic building before we fly out to Rome.

Outside the Vienna Opera House, which was constructed in 1867 by Franz Joseph.
This was the first building along the Ringstrauss (a trolley ring line that borders the city center).

Since my ankle was feeling less achy on the third day, we went for an evening walk through the Hofburg Palace grounds. This palace was also constructed by the Hapsburg family. It now serves as a tourist attraction with a few large museums but is also where the Austrian president resides and holds government meetings. Surrounding the palace grounds is a large public park, where we saw many, many people picnicking, jogging, and even salsa dancing (didn't get a photo of that).

Panoramic view of the Hofburg palace.

Statue of Mozart and a treble clef garden in the park next to the palace.

People enjoying a nice day in the park next to the palace!

We decided to enjoy a simple dinner in the park, which we bought in from a small food stand right outside the park grounds. (Unimpressed by Austrian food, I ordered a chicken kebab sandwich.)