We had decided to all meet in Vienna for the weekend. Calum & Mini were coming from Budapest where they had been for the week; and Niran and I were flying in from Munich after he finished work.
Our first day was going to be very full – little did we know that apart from lots of walking and sightseeing, it was going to end up being the best EATING day any of us had experienced for a very long time!
– cafes, hot dogs & provocative art –
It began with breakfast at Cafe Sperl – which is one of Vienna’s oldest and most respected cafes – and Vienna is a city very famous for its cafes! It was admittedly more of interest for the classic Viennese vibe, rather than the food – but a lovely way to start the day nonetheless!
Next stop was the permanent produce market, the Naschmarkt, which was close by, followed by a quick burl around the Saturday flea market.
Niran and I (ok…I…) had decided that we wanted to see a contemporary drawing exhibition at one of Vienna’s many public art galleries – the Albertina. Given that this wasn’t on the priority list for Calum & Mini they decided to peel off for the rest of the morning and do their own thing.
On our way we spied the Secession building – a lovely example of art nouveau design:
Just outside the Albertina was a lovely small park – we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a small amble around it and check out the architecture:
The work on show at the Albertina Museum was worthwhile seeing – it was great to discover some new artists we hadn’t seen before.
Jana Gunstheimer:
Marcel Van Eeden:
Robert Longa:
Renie Spoelstra:
A nice piece by Rudolf Wacker titled Portrait of My Mother (1926):
A few cooky ones – Franz Sedlacek:
Rudolf Hausner, from 1972:
And finally these sublime painted works by Gottfried Helnwein.
This one is called Epiphany (The Adoration of the Magi 3). And no, its not a photograph.
The Albertina also has some preserved historical interiors. Sumptuous!
By this time we were ready for lunch. We had agreed to meet Mini & Calum at the Bitzinger Würstel stand just outside the Museum. We ordered the Kasekreiner hot dogs. This was SERIOUSLY the best hot dog I’ve ever tasted!!!!
Our next stop was Vienna’s main church – the Stephansdom – a gothic masterpiece!
We wandered along the avenues on our way to the next destination – the Hofburg.
And happened upon one of Vienna’s most respected chocolate shops – Leschanz. After sampling their chocolate truffles were were ready to fall to our knees and worship at the altar of this chocolate paradise! Divine!!!
Some more shots of the streets and the Hofburg:
We had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Imperial Treasury, which didn’t disappoint. Some incredible relics – such as splinters from the true cross and fabric from Christ’s shroud and the table at which the last supper took place – which looked remarkably like they were the one and the same thing! Lots of embroidered capes – sumptuous in the extreme – I mean this was the Hapbsburg empire after all!
But the works that made our day were a series of religious capes which took the art of miniature embroidery-painting to an ethereal level. The detail was mind blowing!
We decided to call it a day for sightseeing and opted for another cafe experience – this time at Demel – a gorgeous rococo period salon (as per Lonely Planet!). The BEST hot chocolate laced with cardamom EVER! And some yummy cake to go with them.
And some very happy customers:
As if that wasn’t enough – the day of eating wasn’t over just yet! Dinner loomed – and it wasn’t just any dinner. Nellie, Niran’s German-speaking assistant, had booked a restaurant for us earlier in the week – using her connections (it was fully booked out when we had tried to book online). Thank you Nellie! The Figlmuller Backerstrasse is reputed to be the best schnitzel Haus in Vienna. Based on the queue lined up outside its door on a dark cold Saturday night, it’s certainly the most popular. Did I say thank you enough to Nellie?
Schnitzel being Calum’s very favouritest food of all, this was going to be a special treat for him. The schnitzel was deliciously light and puffy, crumbed to absolute perfection and almost floated pillow-like on our plates. Mmmmmm….
One more artwork which we saw on our way home from the restaurant – and then we literally fell into our beds exhausted and filled to the brim! What a day! What a city!
