Breezing through Vienna

We had an afternoon and an evening in Vienna, so it was going to be packed with things to do.

I’ve spent a whole three days with no other dogs in sight. I was the one and only four-legged creature amongst hoomans so when we arrived back in Vienna, I was annoyed that a short-legged distend should yap at me when he saw me. So I barked at him! Mummy wasn’t happy.  And then lo and behold, I caught sight of a German Shepherd who wasn’t even looking at me. I did one of those anger-fear barks and grumbled under my breath when Mummy told me to stop.I guess I am now back in the real world where there are other dogs besides myself. We walked along the pedestrian street of Rotenturmstrasse towards Stephansdom – first stop.And there was a dog refuelling stop! Getting the sense that dogs are very much a part of life here. But we’re not the only four-legged creatures in this city …Lots of clip-clopping on the streets.

And here’s the Stephansdom we had only seen from a distance.Photo op at Stephansdom – done.

Next, Cafe Havelka, a traditional and legendary Viennese café at Dorotheergasse 6 in the Innere Stadt. Mummy asked if she could have a decaf coffee – they (very rude waiters!) looked at her as if she had said something sacrilegious! LOL! Since she came all that way, she thought she should just have a coffee and expect to stay up all night.The Café Hawelka was opened by Leopold Hawelka in 1939 and it has been a hang out place for writers, artists and other creative arts people. Mummy was told that she should try their famous Buchteln dessert but they do not have them till the evening. They gave Mummy the option of apfelstrudel and other strudels.Mummy said it sure was a VERY good apfelstrudel!

After a REAL coffee and the very delicious pastry, we took a quick walk to the Sacher Hotel – the third thing on the list of things to do.

But we were distracted along the way with– man on horse on a pedesta,

White horses chilling out in stables Very, very large statuesAnd we saw some doggies in the window!Just before we reached the Sacher Hotel, on the steps of the Albertina Museum where the current exhibit is Seurat, Signac, Van Goghwe came across this installation.  That was a lot of distraction on the way to the Sacher Hotel but we were also further distracted when we ran into some of the people we met at the wedding.Dieter and Kay recognised me and then saw Mummy! 🙂At Sacher Cafe, Mummy bought all kinds of goodies!But nothing that is good for me. Well, that was the third thing on the list completed.

One last must do – wiener schnitzel!!!  When in Wien, surely, Mummy said, one must have that.  It was suggested that she goes to Zum Schwarzen Kameel which was established since 1618! One of the oldest restaurants in Vienna. And here’s the weiner schnitzel! Mummy asked me to have a look at the deliciousness! And then they gave me some beinschinkenNow that’s a meal!

After she had consumed all of the very delicious wiener schnitzel, Mummy proceeded to ask the waiter of this very established restaurant of traditional Viennese cuisine – isn’t the weiner schnitzel originally from Milan?  The waiter apologised and said the question will be better answered by the manager, Mr. Spiro.Mr. Spiro did confirm that it is indeed true that when the Austrian Empire spread far and wide, they adopted a lot of the local cuisines but with the wiener schnitzel, the Austrians have adapted it. Whilst the Italians bread and fry their Cotoletta Milanese, with a part of the bone with oil, the wiener schnitzel is fried with butter and without the bone. They have proudly “adapted” it. So now Mummy knows the difference and shall not ask any more questions.

Oh, and at the next table was a screaming toddler. I had to do my magic trick to calm her down – show my presence.

Phew! It sure was quite an afternoon and now I found the one black “spot” in our very white hotel room.

May’s comment: Before this visit I thought I had only been to Vienna once on a quick business trip but when I visited some of these obvious places – I remembered I have been to at least some of these before.