Traveling with Laura

I only did three big things today, with some mid-afternoon rest thrown in, but they were all amazing.

Side note: Lest anyone think I’m escaping the New England heat over here, it was almost 100 degrees today and the Europeans don’t have the same fondness for air conditioning that Americans do. I have the a/c set to 18 degrees Celsius (about 64 degrees Fahrenheit) in my hotel room and it’s barely cooling it down.

I started my day with some muesli and pastry for breakfast and then set out to my first stop at Schönbrunn Palace. The U-Bahn (subway) map here reminds me of the one in Boston and I had no trouble finding my way from my hotel to the palace on the U-4 line.

My timed entry was for the first time slot at 9:00AM, but I arrived around 8:00 in order to have time to wander around the gardens before the crowds and heat arrived. The gardens extend on both sides of the palace and up to the Gloriette. I can see why it’s a popular walking/running spot because there is plenty of shade along the shrub- and tree-lined paths. 

I walked around for a while and took some pictures before getting in line to tour the palace. Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburg rulers. Photography isn’t allowed inside, but suffice it to say the rooms were filled with portraits of the Habsburg dynasty and lots of gilded artwork on the walls and ceilings. The tour comes with an audio guide, which was helpful without being overwhelming. Of the 1,400+ rooms, visitors are allowed to see just 40.

After the tour, I needed a mid-morning snack and found that at Landtmann’s Jausen Station, a cute little pastel-themed café tucked into the gardens. Since I hadn’t had any coffee so far in Vienna, I decided it was time to try “Eiskaffe” (iced coffee). If you’re picturing coffee with ice, cream, and sweetener, prepare to have your mind blown. Viennese iced coffee is definitely coffee but… wait for it… it’s poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass and topped with whipped cream. I know… why hasn’t this caught on everywhere?? It was obviously delicious and I took my time enjoying every sip.

After my morning treat, I was rejuvenated and ready to walk some more. I climbed the steep hill to the Gloriette, with its sweeping views over Schönbrunn Palace and the city of Vienna.

Once I had my fill of the Palace and gardens, I hopped on a bus and then a tram to the village of Grinzing, on the outskirts of Vienna. Grinzing is one of a few small villages known for their wine gardens, called heuriger (pronounced hoy-rih-gur). Heuriger were started when families wanted a way to sell their “new wine” to the public. There are several heuriger just outside the city. While Grinzing is known to be the most touristy of the wine areas, I’m a tourist this week so I decided to head there. 

The village of Grinzing is very quaint with homes and small businesses lining the main road. There are several wine gardens and restaurants, but I had my heart set on Zum Martin Sepp, which I had read about online. The heuriger garden was pleasantly shaded, and they have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for €14,90. I had two glasses of Weissburgunder Haisberg wine, some roast pork, salad, spaetzle, roasted potatoes, and one of the most amazing desserts I have ever tasted. When I asked what it was, I was told it is “cheese cream with yogurt and apricots”. I didn’t really care what it was, I just asked if I could go back for a second (“of course!”).

My body has done well with the time change this time, with two “normal” nights’ sleep, but I can still feel a bit of jet lag. Given how hot it was, I decided to just head back to my room to rest for the afternoon. “Rest” included a shower, watching a few YouTube videos while lying in bed, and enjoying the lounge’s complimentary happy hour for “dinner”.

The last of my three activities took place in the Sala Terrena, a beautiful room where Mozart once played that is part of the monastery of the German Teutonic Order. There, I spent the evening listening to a Mozart string quartet perform works by Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. During the short intermission, we were able to enjoy champagne being served in the garden. It was the perfect ending to the day!