Vienna

It was a city new to both of us for our next trip to the continent. This time Vienna, the romantic capital of Austria. We arrived early on Friday morning, as the city was just awakening so things were looking pretty quiet. We hadn't done much research on this one so just decided to go for a wander through the city. It was like other European cities but you could tell everything was grander with more money. The buildings were big and well kept, the streets were clean and the people were well dressed. There was plenty of fur around and Marcus had to work hard to keep Jess away from it. In the main square Marcus introduced Jess to Leberkase. We also checked out the beautiful grounds of the Hofburg and parks surrounding it, including a meeting with Mozart and a Woodpecker. We continued our meandearing around the Ring Road, which surrounds the inner city of Vienna, checking out more of the grand state buildings and churches before wandering back into town for a sit down at one of the many cake and coffee houses for some very tasty baked delights. After all of that walking we put our feet up for a while before venturing out after dark to find somewhere to eat, where we indulged in Wiener Schnitzel, Pork, Sauerkraut and Knodel. After making a token effort to walk dinner off we wandered back to our cozy hotel for a good sleep. It was at this point we decided this was not going to be one of those holidays where you lose weight...

We arose early the next monring and after a tasty breakfast made our way to the Stadtpark with its manicured gardens and water features. After meeting up with Strauss we wandered down past the Palais Schwarzenberg till we reached our planned destination, the Naschmarkt. It is situated over the top of a canal and is a combination of food stall markets, restaurants and a flea market. The place was bustling with people so we stopped for some Viennese tea. We then took our time checking out the produce, pastries, meat and other things in the food market and the general random goings on in the flea market. We then wandered back to the main part of town to get something which Jess had been looking forward to since we arrived. The Sacher Tort. The Sacher Tort is a special rich chocolate cake that originates from the Hotel Sacher in the middle of Vienna, a bit like the Ritz in London. We took our seats beneath the sparkling chandelier and proceeded to order our Viennese Tea and Coffee and a slice of Sacher Tort each. It certainly was a rich tasty chocolate cake. Not one for every day consumption though. After heading back to the hotel to put our feet up again we changed our clothes and head back out again, this time taking the Tram out to to the Volksoper (People's Opera House) (we couldn't quite stretch the budget to go to the Staatoper (State Opera House.) After finding a surprisingly excellent pre-opera restaurant (where everything else around was a takeaway) we sat back to enjoy the opera of "Rusalka" by Dvorak. We weren't 100% sure what was going on all the time but in general terms water nymph falls in love with prince but has to give up being nymph to be human and spend time with the prince who eventually falls for someone else. If you have seen the Little Mermaid you know the general story. It was a modern take on an old story but the sets were amazing and the performers did an excellent (if not sometimes confusing) job. We were defintely more cultured for the experience.

The next day we made our way out on the train to Schloss Schonbrunn, a palace similar to Versailles and the historical home of the Austrian royal family. It was full of the standard opulence we had come to expect from touring around these grand palaces. However, as always it was the gardens which were really amazing. It was autumn so there were colourful leaves falling everywhere. The fountains (although not really working) were all very grand with all sorts of crazy carvings in them. The gardens at the back head uphill so when you get to the top you get a great view over the gardens and out into the suburbs of Vienna. There was also a proper hedge maze, with high hedges and twists and turns. We had some fun finding our way through that and the smaller hedge mazes nearby (for the kids...) We slowly made our way back to the main city, checked out of our hotel and then wandered around the city for one last evening. The Staatsoper is still accessable, even if you can't afford a ticket, because they broadcast what is happening inside onto a giant screen outside for all and sundry to enjoy. We made our last visit for some cake and coffee with just enough time to get out to the airport and back to London again.

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