Wien - Part 2

We visited Vienna’s amusement park Prater because the box-car ferris wheel, the Wiener Riesenrad, was recommended and recently featured on an Amazing Race episode. This amusement park is great because they don’t charge you an entrance fee and you just pay for the rides you want to go on at the actual ride; you don’t have to buy a bunch of ride tickets. The park has a large number of rides, games to try and win prizes and of course plenty of places to eat. When we got there we found a new ride, opened just over a year ago, that we thought would be much more fun and give us a better view of the city. So instead we opted for the 117 metre high Praterturm, the world’s highest chairoplane ride. This ride cost $5 Euro each and was worth every cent. The first time we went on the ride, the weather forecast was predicting rain and sure enough just as we got to the top we felt a rain drop, then another, then a few more and suddenly the sky opened up with gigantic raindrops (I’ve never seen raindrops this large before, they were like raindrops on steroids) and we were stuck at the top of the ride getting soaked. This rain shower didn’t stop for some time and we ended up getting soaked through to the skin by the time we reached the U station so we could head back to the hotel to dry off and change. Thankfully I wasn't the one wearing a white shirt that day.

On that one rainy day, the rain let up a little but stuck around until well in the evening. After drying off and changing into dry clothes and sandals because our shoes were also soaked through, we set off to ride the tram which took us to the museum quarter. Here we walked around looking at the fabulous architecture and reading about some of the history of the buildings in our guide. We decided to go to one museum and were glad we did. We had seen and heard a lot about this woman called Sisi and so we ended up at the Hofburg Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum. This museum gives an inside look to the life of the Empress Elisabeth “Sisi”, who didn’t enjoy her public life in the least and was obsessed with her looks. The Austrians still carry a love for the former Empress and you see her picture adorned on a lot of tourist merchandise. We found out the Empress loved ice cream just as much as we do. This museum houses an impressive Imperial Silver collection which really showcases the pomp and circumstance of monarchies and dignitaries. The museum was interesting and also gave us an opportunity to get out of the rain for awhile.

Vienna is rich in culture and is known as the birthplace of opera and the waltz. Everywhere you look there are posters advertising classical concerts. We went to see a performance by the Vienna Royal Orchestra who performed a compilation of pieces mostly by Mozart and Strauss. We managed to get tickets for $29 Euro each. The concert took place in a neo-Gothic Imperial Hall which had a very impressive architectural interior. There was a 10-piece orchestra and they were accompanied at times by two Viennese opera singers and ballet dancers. We were also treated to a performance by a Mexican Youth Choir who was in attendance that evening. Overall we were quite impressed with the concert and felt we got great value for the price.

The entire time we were in Austria, Z wanted to try a Sacher torte. This dessert originated in Vienna, so what better place than Vienna for him to try it. Even better we found Cafe Sacher, the home of the original sacher torte. This torte is basically a two layer chocolate cake with apricot jam filling in the middle and is served with a side of whipping cream. Z enjoyed his torte immensely while I ate a slightly overpriced, but well worth it fresh fruit salad. This salad was so fresh I had to wait about five minutes before it arrived.

The Naschmarkt is a place worth visiting. Here you find blocks of vendors selling everything from fresh produce, fruit, meats, cheeses, spices, teas to souvenirs. There were plenty of places to order food from and several restaurants lined the outside rows. A lot of the vendors were of Middle Eastern descent and a lot of the foods had a Mediterranean flavour to them. You could sample an endless supply of olives, and stuffed tomatoes.

The Rathus, city hall, is a very impressive structure as well. The Vienna Film Festival was taking place during our stay and there was a colossal screen set up in front of the building with chairs set up for people to view the free nightly movie. The plaza out front was lined with a large assortment of international food vendors. And in Viennese style, the meals are served on real plates and drinks served in real glasses. It was definitely a well run and classy event. There are tables in the plaza area to sit, or stand, and enjoy your food and/or drink. We enjoyed a sample of Greek food and I must say it was the best tasting chicken slouvaki I’ve ever had. We also tried an Austrian Ottakringer beer. We had the Radler, which is a mixture of 50% beer and 50% lemonade. It was refreshing, but the taste was a little unusual; not bad, just not something we’re accustomed to.

Austria is also known for its wines and what better way to end our stay than a trip out to a Heuriger (wine taverns). We read about these in our guide and thought it would be fun to experience. We took the tram towards the outskirts of Vienna to an area called Nussdorf. From there we walked a couple blocks before we started to see the wreaths which indentify a Hueriger. We stopped in at Schubel Auer Heuriger, a 300-year old family run winery. As you enter through the gate you walk up a cobblestone path to the wine garden which had picnic tables and chairs, umbrellas and trees; there is also indoor seating, but we chose to sit outside. It’s like being in someone’s back yard. It was quite busy when we arrived and we didn’t have a reservation, but we found an empty table and shared a wonderful ½ litre of red wine. These wine taverns generally offer new brews which are made on site, so we’re not exactly sure of the name of the wine we had, but it tasted great nonetheless. What a wonderful way to end our stay in Vienna.