Back at work badly jet-lagged, let me first just repeat my thanks to the many people who took the time to offer us advise about our first trip to Vienna. We relied on that advice almost exclusively, only using our guidebooks to find directions to restaurants and sights suggested.
The weather was cold and windy. It snowed every single day we were there. While it was beautiful the first morning, we soon grew tired of slogging through ankle-deep slush everywhere. We were really surprised that no one shoveled their walks. We have lived in several snow climates here in the US and in all those places it is the law that you have to keep your sidewalks clear. We had many near falls which would have damaged more than just our pride had we not caught each other. As a sidebar to that, I was really surprised that things weren%26#39;t cleaner. We visited Bavaria in the winter and despite the constant work necessary to clean up after all those wet, dirty feet everywhere we went was spotless. Not so in Vienna. There were many restaurants (and especially their bathrooms) where the floor was muddy, wet, and slippery.
Music. A virtual mecca for those who love the arts for sure. The Beethoven was divine Roley. We were in Parkett Row 10 center aisle and one seat in. Perfect. My chair was vibrating! It was one of the most memorable concerts ever. The VO disappointed on both visits. First Die Zauberflöte as I have already posted. Yawn. Fledermaus was really tough for us. It was mostly our fault because our German was just not up to it. Also, we didn%26#39;t do enough research. If we had we would have realized that it wasn%26#39;t for us. It seems to me like Strauss pulled the smallest strands of plot together as a venue to incorporate small bits of every piece of music he ever wrote. I don%26#39;t mean any offense, but it really is more like a play than opera, even operetta. There is very little music. One question for this uninformed soul. braving to reveal my musical ignorance. What is up with having the Count played by a woman? Is that some sort of tradition?
The food. Hands down the best food we have ever had anywhere, including here at home. As superlative as that accolade is, let me just ramp it up several notches to rate the desserts. I now understand why Roley uses the term %26quot;slaver%26quot;. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. Next time we go, I may eat ONLY desserts for every meal so I can work my way through the almost endless choices.
We ate at Cafe Weimar twice, once for lunch and once for a late dinner. Exceptional both times, with excellent service. Cafe Mozart for the best chicken I have ever had. Huge portions, the leftovers constituted dinner the next night. Cafe Central was wonderful and such a pretty place. Cafe Griensteidl had great goulash, and one entire side of the restaurant is nonsmoking. We did the Hopferl Roley. The food was indeed excellent, but is was the ONLY place we ate where the smoke was bad. I don%26#39;t know if they have a %26quot;back room%26quot;, but we were seated in the front section where the freezing cold air coming in the door was actually a welcome relief from the heavy cigarette cloud.
Plachutta for Tapelspitz. It was a grand lunch, except that our waiter really took advantage of us. We already understood about the bread being an add on. However; he charged us 3 Euro for each tiny roll we ate. Gluttons that we were after a morning of walking,it added up quickly. Understanding that bier co$t$ the same as water, we ordered Ottakringers. When I finished my bier, the waiter asked if I wanted water. I declined. A few minutes later he brought us two glasses and a small carafe. %26quot;How kind,%26quot; I remarked to my husband. %26quot;Clearly he is breaking the rule about charging for water since I told him I didn%26#39;t want anything else to drink. %26quot; Not so. Another 5 Euro on the bill. That was one expensive lunch. Nice place, good food, excellent service. But that waiter took advantage of us, which shows a certain lack of basic integrity. Even so, my husband left a tip because that is what we do as tourists who try to show integrity even if it is not returned. And he was attentive, albeit dishonest.:)
The ONLY other negative experience we had was at Diglas. We went in and that table by the coat rack was occupied. They have a completely lovely room in the back with a big nonsmoking sign. I asked if we could sit there. The waiter walked over to a table in the middle of the room, surrounded by people smoking on all sides. He picked up the ash tray and said %26quot;This is nonsmoking.%26quot; And he smirked. So we left. Along with another couple who also wanted a REAL nonsmoking table.
SIde trip to Prague. Long day, but very doable. We bought open tickets the day before at the Sudbahnhof. We took the first train of the morning and arrived by 10:30. Our son and his crew were waiting for us with transport passes so we headed out. Another beautiful city definitely worth visiting again when the weather is better. We had a lousy lunch at Club Architek next door to the Bethlehem Chapel. The good news is that lunch with drinks for 8 people came out to only $100 American dollars. (we had offered to buy this Hostel Group lunch) My son said the food he had there was %26quot;on par%26quot; with the other food they had the week they spent there. Overcooked, bad flavors, and tepid at best. Yick. The beer was pretty good.:) And cheap. If I had a FEW it probably would have tasted much better. No desserts on the horizon. Not part of that culture I guess. We spent a few hours touring sights like the castle and then took the train back to Vienna. Phew. I was glad to return. It was a little creepy for us in the Czech Republic and we didn%26#39;t enjoy having to be so vigilant about our belongings. Which brings me to...
Vienna is a refined environment in which we always felt completely safe. We did encounter some very rude people our age as one poster mentioned. None of them were American. Really. They were all Italian. Really. I am not trying to disparage one group just to make Americans seem better. I fully understand how rude Americans can be. After all, I live here. We were actually elbowed out of the way several times by large groups of Italians there for the New Year. A couple of them in Demel may have bruised me.:) Which leads me to...
New Years. We went to the Beethoven, and then returned to the hotel to change clothes. We wanted to do the %26quot;street thing%26quot;. Unfortunately, we chose Stephansdom rather than the Rathaus. We saw no one waltzing. It was actually scary. People shooting off fireworks at your feet, throwing them at you. We put in a few minutes and then returned to our own stash of sandwiches and sparkling wine we had secured at the Billa in the Ringstrasse (thanks Ailidh). From our window we had a great view of the fireworks, it was quiet, and I could wear my jammies. Perfect for Fossils like us.:)
Le Meridian was great. While not %26quot;palace style%26quot; decorating, it seems in keeping with the fashion sense that Vienna has. I know it is out of budget for some, but we were using a one-time-only bonus to fund it. For us it was ideal. The room was large and very comfortable. The free minibar and Internet allowed my husband to do the business he needed to while I lounged with free drinks. I highly recommend it for middle-agers who can afford it. Excellent service as well. I will post that on the hotel section.
We saw as many sights as we could given the weather. Several palaces, but no museums. We just ran out of time. I bought some excellent souvenirs at the Austria Corner Amadeus shop. We tried the %26quot;Hat%26quot; store HSN, but it didn%26#39;t have anything that suited us. Some amazing hats though.
So. I could write forever. We will definitely return. Definitely NOT in the winter. Those of you who live in Vienna are lucky folk indeed. In the interim, if you plan a trip to California feel free to ask for advice. But then, why leave such an amazing place?
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I am glad that you (mostly) liked it here . Best dates are May/June and September to explore the city. We can even get hot summers (sometimes -_^) so avoid July/August if you want to stay in the city. That´s the time the Viennese spend there time in the countryside or in/at the water (eg. new and old danube)
Sorry that you didn´t find anything in the souvenir/hat shop, that´s my main resource for presents when I am visting my friends abroad.
about %26quot;Fledermaus%26quot;
first this operetta lives from the small hints to most current events especiall the part of %26quot;FROSCH%26quot;, which every actor (mostly they are actors and not singer for this part) does it his own way with small jokes etc. The part of Prinz Orlofsky is more for a counter tenor (which aren´t too many around, so it´s often sung by a woman.
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Wow! Thanks for that great recap! I could see it all, including the coatstand at Diglas!
I%26#39;m surprised at the slush - the twice I%26#39;ve been, February and December, the mini-snowploughs have been out as soon as a snowflake hit the ground.
I%26#39;m a snow wuss, so I hope it%26#39;s all gone by March, my next trip.
Thanks again for transporting me back there.
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Thank you for the lovely long account of your trip! It really is nearly as good as being there, reading what everyone has to say about their own experiences ... I%26#39;m so glad you had a nice time though yes, I suspect you would enjoy the city in spring, early summer or autumn too! But then, you know, you wouldn%26#39;t have got the Beethoven - I would *love* to hear that but I have an embargo on trips between Christmas and Easter because of my aversion to snow (I%26#39;m a real antipodean sook that way) so I%26#39;ll never get to hear it - sob! But aren%26#39;t the Symphoniker fantastic? Good and LOUD (Roley%26#39;s idea of a good orchestra being one that blows your hair straight back).
It was a shame the performances you saw at the Volksoper didn%26#39;t hit your fancy. I%26#39;ve enjoyed nearly everything I%26#39;ve heard there. I didn%26#39;t find Fledermaus too bad (though the plot is somewhat peculiar, I admit). That makes me wonder, is my German better%26#39;n I thought? I doubt it - it%26#39;s probably just that I%26#39;m used to operetta! The thing I like about the operetta is the talking - I love the singing but I like the acting too. I like the whole package! Sometimes in the opera I wish they would just shut up for a while and talk!
But I did enjoy Fledermaus and though most of Frosch%26#39;s jokes sailed right over my head, there was plenty of slapstick which made me hoot (sophisticated, I am not!)
Glad you enjoyed the food - but sorry Diglas was a disappointment. I tend to go more to the Female Branch down on the Fleischmarkt which is smaller and more konditorei than cafe (a subtle distinction). The waitstaff in there are very friendly (females). But I do go to the main branch because the food and cakes are just so good. I tell myself philosophically that I need to endure a little insolence to get my cake - it%26#39;s a good preventative against over-indulgence!
But that was offputting about Plachutta - I%26#39;ve never tried it because I tend to eat in smaller-scale places being on my own so much but I had fancied it. But after reading your account I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;ll risk it!
As for the rudeness (as canvassed in another post) my experience in Vienna has been that though on the whole it is a very polite city, the Italian tourists can be a pain on occasion (the shrieking, unrestrained children set my teeth on edge, said the crabby spinster). But I haven%26#39;t found Americans especially pesky either in Austria or the UK. They%26#39;re much friendlier than Brits in terms of having a chat. And when you visit the US, the people are tremendously friendly and welcoming. I think it%26#39;s the old story of a few bad apples spoiling it for everyone. My worst travel experience for outright rudeness was in Toronto. I%26#39;ve never met so many rude people squashed into so small a place. I%26#39;d been living in Manhattan before I visited and the New Yorkers were the acme of politeness compared to the people I ran into in Toronto!
Rol, not planning on visiting Toronto again anytime soon - which will please the inhabitants!
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