Central Europe Day 5: Vienna

The breakfast tables at the Hotel Savoy were so small! Each of us had a carafe for 2 cups of coffee (probably instant coffee) and our own personal creamer. There was also a huge basket of bread on each table. Unfortunately, I saw some of the patrons handle several pieces of the bread assortment in the basket before finding the perfect choice. I wondered if they would recycle the unused breads the next day, and who might have handled the piece I chose. It was better not to think about such things.

Every morning I ate pieces of ham, slices of cheese, scrambled eggs, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I passed up the pickled salads that were also offered on the buffet table. I topped off my first selection with a bowl of unsweetened yogurt that had fruit and granola on top of it. Finally, I consumed a croissant (If I could find one!) or brown bread with butter and jam on it. Needless to say I drank both cups of coffee afforded me in the carafe. No wonder we were all having trouble regulating our digestive systems!

Since the weather was going to be rainy again today, we decided to take in some of the indoor tours of the Hofburg Palace. We went through the Sisi museum to see the royal silver and china collections, and toured the imperial apartments of Sisi and Franz Josef in the palace. Amazing! It contained beautiful china collections, silver and gold table service, cooking pans and utensils, ornate serving pieces, royal table linens, and golden table decorations in elaborate styles. We also toured the palace treasury, which housed vestments worn by the royal guards, kings, and priests. We also viewed many ornate religious items owned by the church. Such opulence!

We also spent more time in the gardens in the Hofburg complex and traveled on the Ringstrasse tram around the complex. Many of the lovely buildings that surrounded the palace complex were the homes of wealthy businessmen and statesmen. The Ringstrasse encircles the inner city where the original walls were built.

     

Next we went back to St. Stephen's Cathedral. We did not go in the cathedral, but probably should have. It was in this cathedral that Mozart got married. It was also the place where his funeral was held. Instead we wandered through the streets of high-end shops, most of which had guards who monitored worthy patrons to enter their stores.

Wandering through the shopping area we came to the Sacher Hotel, famous for the Sacher torte. Since we had the custom of consuming coffee and cake for lunch, we took a seat at the outdoor cafe and ordered 3 coffees, one slice of torte and one cube of torte. Our bill came to 30 Euros (about $35) but none of us cared. That was the thing to do in Vienna.

We ended our day by wandering through the Spittleberg Quarter. It was in this area that many artisans and craftsmen came from other countries to serve the Emperors or work in the silk factories. Consequently you can see quaint little homes on cobblestone streets. The area is loaded with interesting shops and unique restaurants. We chose to eat at a restaurant called Die Burgermacher, which offered organic burgers with healthy trimmings. For example, Meagan's burger was trimmed with greens and white asparagus. Very unique and very good!

We then continued our wanderings and found a cafe that served us glasses of wine. By then it was very chilly outside. The waiter offered us blankets but we were bundled in our coats. He was counting the hours until his shift in the outdoor cafe ended so he could get out of the cold. Not many people were sitting outside that night. Only crazy Americans, I guess.