'Grüß Gott!' Two days in Vienna

January 27, 2020:

Early in the morning on January 27th (called Jänner in Austria), we wake up and head to Münster-Osnabrück Airport. We are traveling with only carry-on luggage and arrive in Vienna after an hour. Already in Münster, we buy the Vienna City Card online and I download the app on my phone. In Vienna, we activate it immediately and can use it to travel around the entire city center by subway, bus, tram, and other public transportation. Additionally, there are discounts at many attractions with the Vienna City Card.

It's cold in Vienna, but we're ready to explore the city on foot until we warm up. The airport is a bit outside the city center, so we take the train towards Wien Mitte!

There, we first walk through the Stadtpark. At this time of the year, it's not very crowded and unfortunately, we can only imagine the blooming flowers. But since there is a bench next to every path, the park is definitely a popular place in summer and on warm days. One thing that immediately stands out in this park and all the others we visit is the large number of statues and monuments.

But since we can't explore much without being properly nourished, we head straight to Restaurant Meissl & Schadn. This place is known for serving the best Wiener Schnitzel! That - and our rumbling stomachs - convince us to enter a very fancy and elegant restaurant with classy waiters and furniture. Our jackets are taken and hung up behind the door, and we are led to a nice small table for two. Both of us decide - of course - to order a Wiener Schnitzel. Julian has it with cucumber salad and I have it with a potato salad. When the Wiener Schnitzel arrives, we are amazed! The whole plate is filled with delicious meat. The meat is pounded so thin that it is tender and tastes very good. Because the restaurant is so fancy, we feel a bit intimidated and despite the friendly waiter, we "escape" after eating and paying to explore the city.

With a coffee in hand, we walk to the Karlskirche. The church looks beautiful from the outside. Unfortunately, we have to pay an entrance fee, so we don't visit the church from the inside.

We take a little detour to reach the Belvedere Palace, which was built for Prince Eugene from 1714 to 1723 and consists of two palace buildings and a large Baroque garden. We admire the garden and the upper Belvedere from the outside.

From here, it's just a short walk to our Novum Hotel Prinz Eugen. The hotel doesn't look particularly inviting from the outside, so I get a little scared at first. But once inside, it's very nice and feels like stepping back in time. This feeling is present in every corner of Vienna. Here, a quote by Gustav Mahler is fitting: 'If the world should come to an end, I would move to Vienna, because everything happens fifty years later there.'

After a short break, we take the subway to Stephansdom. Here, we can also visit the interior. The Steffl - as the Austrians call it - is located directly in the city center on Graben street. Graben looks like a square from which narrow alleys lead off and where many luxury shops are located. One particularly striking feature is the Vienna Plague Column, which is a very prominent artwork on Graben. It was commissioned in 1683 by Emperor Leopold I when the plague epidemic in the city was brought under control.

We make our way to the Vienna City Hall. The Vienna Ice World is set up on the Rathausplatz. It's a huge ice rink spread over two floors where people can go ice skating. We rent skates and venture onto the ice. At the beginning, I don't do a great job on the ice, but it gets better over time. The ice is marked with blue stripes that indicate the direction. There are several large areas connected by ice paths, some of which go up and down. There's also a terrace that can be reached via a long ice ramp. After 1.5 hours, we finish our fun but exhausting ice skating adventure.

Back at the hotel, we sit at the bar and plan the next day.

January 28, 2020:

The next morning, we have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then set off. We take the subway towards the Justizpalast. The entire city center is filled with beautiful and magnificent buildings, so we initially struggle to find the Justizpalast. Instead, we wander through a few streets and admire the buildings and the abundance of museums.

When we find the Justizpalast, a police van arrives and a man is escorted away in handcuffs. It seems like we're in the right place. From the outside, you can't imagine how spacious and beautiful the building is on the inside. However, we have to go through a security check first, similar to the airport: remove all metal objects and walk through a metal detector. Our backpack is checked. Then we find ourselves in the reception hall. We are surprised by how beautiful and magnificent the hall is. A huge staircase leads to the upper floor. As we walk towards it, we pass by the sitting figure of Justice with her golden sword and a law book. We go up to the fifth floor, stand on the rooftop terrace, and enjoy a beautiful view of the city. Unfortunately, the weather isn't cooperating and many buildings are covered in fog. Nevertheless, we take a few photos before heading back out and walking towards the Volksgarten.

In the Volksgarten, I absolutely have to see the Sisi monument! So we walk through the entire garden in search of Sisi. We find her sitting at the outer edge of the Volksgarten. Unfortunately, the fountain isn't running and the flower beds look a bit sad without any flowers. The hidden location of the monument is due to the wish of her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, as Sisi hated being stared at during her lifetime.

The next stop is the Hofburg, which is located directly next to the Volksgarten. Here, we visit the Sisi Museum. There are quite a lot of tourists, so it's crowded at the beginning of the tour. With an audio guide, we first walk through the Silver Chamber. Here, there seems to be an endless amount of silverware, goldware, porcelain dishes, glasses, cooking and baking utensils. After that, we walk through the Sisi Museum. This part is my personal highlight, so I listen carefully to everything. Many personal items are displayed here, such as clothing, her travel medicine kit, replicas of her jewelry, and even her death certificate. I am captivated by the exhibition, which tries to portray the real Sisi and not the romanticized figure from the movies. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed, otherwise, I could probably fill an entire post with pictures! Julian walks a little faster through the exhibition and feels like he has walked the distance five times, as he keeps coming back to me. The Sisi Museum is directly connected to the Imperial Apartments. I wasn't allowed to take photos there either. The personal rooms of Sisi, including her gym and her first private bathroom, were particularly exciting.

As we leave the Hofburg, we walk to the Butterfly House. It's a tropical house with many freely flying butterflies, but we only observe it from the outside.

Afterwards, we walk to the Naschmarkt. Here, one stand is lined up next to the other, and you can buy not only sweet things, but also a variety of delicious treats. Unfortunately, it starts to rain. I'm glad we find a place to sit down for a small snack and warm up a bit.

Then we walk to the Prater with a cup of coffee. Currently, most of the attractions are closed. The famous Riesenrad (giant Ferris wheel) was one of the few open sights. Nevertheless, we walk through a small part of the Prater to the next train station and then take the train to the main train station to find out about the connection to the airport for the following day. Because the return flight is very early in the morning.

We end the evening with one last drink at the hotel bar.

The next morning, we have to wake up very early, take the train to the airport, and fly back to Münster in a little over an hour.

Our conclusion of Vienna:

A second visit is definitely worth it, and two days were clearly too short to see everything.

The Vienna City Card was definitely worth it, as it offers various discounts at many attractions. I especially liked that you can use the Vienna City Card with a corresponding app.

Vienna is quite expensive. That's something to keep in mind.

And the season was not the best choice. When all the gardens and parks are in bloom, Vienna surely has an even greater charm. So we'll have to visit Vienna again in summer.

Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the two days. Especially because we could explore a lot on foot and the city simply has a beautiful atmosphere.