Considering I woke up this morning with almost no plans for the day, it ended up being a pretty good day in Vienna.
One of the things I did want to do today was enjoy a Viennese coffee at a café. I ended up sitting on the patio at another Aida café to enjoy an Aida melange. This would probably be a good time to point out that I’m not a coffee drinker. I like iced coffee well enough (with copious amounts of cream and sweetener), but plain hot coffee? No, thanks. As a non-coffee drinker, Aida melange sounded like my best choice… coffee with milk, milk foam, and (unsweetened) whipped cream. Plenty to offset the coffee flavor. I managed to drink it, thanks to the large amount of sugar I added, but Vienna has not turned me into a coffee lover.
There are a few church services I have attended that I will always remember (aside from personally significant ones): Easter Sunday at Notre-Dame in Paris, Palm Sunday at the Vatican, and the Queen’s 90th birthday at Westminster Abbey. I can now add Sunday mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. I selected a pew right next to the organ and brass quartet and though I didn’t understand a word of the service, the music and beauty of the surroundings will be something I remember for a long time.
After the church service, I did what I do best: wander. I walked down quiet side alleys, busy commercial streets, and around several squares.
By mid-afternoon, I decided I was hungry. I walked by several cafés before finally deciding on an outdoor table at Demel, another popular/famous Vienna café. Also known for its Sacher-torte and kaiserschmarrn, I skipped the sweets this time and ordered a ham and cheese croissant with a mimosa. Sunday afternoon brunch, if you will. The croissant was huge, but also perfectly light and airy, and the mimosa was made with fresh squeezed orange juice, complete with plenty of pulp.
Though I haven’t mentioned much about Vienna’s geography, I’ve primarily been walking around the Innere Stadt, which is the old town area of the city, bounded by the Ringstrasse road that encircles it. The street signs are posted on the sides of buildings on street corners and most are written in old style script.
I spent a couple of hours relaxing in my room before my final dinner in Vienna. Figlmüller is a Vienna institution, having been in business since 1905. It is popular, and for good reason. My dad still talks about the size of their famous schnitzel (made with pork, not veal, so technically not Wiener schnitzel). The schnitzel literally hangs off the plate and is pounded thin and perfectly cooked. I ate as much as I could and felt like I barely made a dent!
Dessert was a panna cotta with strawberries back at my hotel. Since I’m leaving Vienna tomorrow, I had to repack my suitcase tonight, which is already a complete disaster. What happens to my suitcase when I travel remains a mystery to me. Stay tuned for my adventures in the Wachau Valley starting tomorrow!
Traveling with Laura 