Vacation Postscript: Vienna


I'm terrible about finishing out my vacation blogs, so seven months later here are some pictures from Vienna, where we ended our trip. We usually stay in the Hotel Imperial, which I love--it's a gorgeous historic building that makes Vienna's past feel so alive--but it was fully booked, so we ended up at the Hotel Bristol. At first I was a little disappointed about the change, but that was until I actually saw the hotel's interior--it's beautiful! We were upgraded to an opera suite, which meant we not only had the bedroom and two bathrooms, but a sitting and dining room as well. The suite overlooked the Vienna Opera House, so you could watch the show from your window if you were so included (they play some performances on a big screen outside the theatre). Below is our sitting room in the opera suite and the entry to the hotel. 



Since we've been to Vienna before, this stay was really about relaxing and wandering the city--and eating! One of our meals was at Zum Figlmuller, which is famed for its huge schnitzel. Though the wait was long, our fabulous concierge called ahead and somehow got us a reservation (though the restaurant insisted they don't take them).




I also consumed this sizable meringue, which turned by tongue bright blue and gave me a sugar high.



We did two touristy things, one of which was the museum of natural history--it's housed in one of the Hapsburg Palaces and has over 30 million artifacts, including Maria Teresa's stuffed Cavalier Spaniel. It also has a huge and fascinating collection of taxidermied animals, and I discovered all kinds of new species of animals and birds I'd never seen or heard of from around the world.





It's also not a proper visit to Vienna without a meal at Said the Butcher to the Cow, a slightly macabre burger and cheesecake restaurant.


The second touristy thing we did this visit was to visit was the Volksgarten, which is famous for its lush roses in all kinds of varieties. You could smell the flowers before you even got to the park, and upon entry it's a peaceful oasis in the city where people literally are stopping to smell the roses. Walking around Vienna, it's hard to imagine the wealth of Hapsburgs and how at one time these huge grounds and palaces belonged entirely to them.






And finally, below is the screen where the Vienna Opera House shows select performances--people gather on the ground and settle in for the show (which is free, because art should be for everyone!). 


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