Vienna

Vienna, Austria

I have been lucky enough to spend a collective month of my life in Austria. The first time, two glorious summer weeks and the second, two cold winter weeks over the Christmas and New Year holidays. I love this place. A family friend has a home in the Salzkammergut region and an apartment in Vienna. What a prime way to see the country, both city and rural life and learn about the country from a native Austrian. I was impressed by the picturesque mountains and countryside at every turn in the road.

A great place to start your Austrian journey would be Salzburg. Mirabell Park in Salzburg, while filled with many tourists, is picturesque with its many blooming flowers and fountains. While in Salzburg, you’ll also see many tributes to the ‘Sound of Music’. The movie is only well-known to Americans, and as such there are many English speaking tours that visit the ‘Sound of Music’ sites. I couldn’t bring myself to do a tour, but I did visit some of the sites within Salzburg as seen in the movie. In the winter, there is an ice skating rink in the town square and the holiday décor makes the city even more lively. Make sure you get an Original Mozartkugel, from the confectionary, Fürst. Yummy.

Summer was a primetime to visit the ice caves and scenic towns in the Salzkammergut. Ice Caves abound near this region, check out Dachstein. Be sure to bring your jacket – as the name implies, it’s well below 32 degrees in the ice caves. Near these ice caves, the quaint town of Hallstatt sits between the lake and high mountains. You can reach the city directly by car, or take the train, which stops on the other side of the lake from the town, and take a scenic boat ride over. Hallstatt, while scenic, and worth visiting for this alone, is also well known for its interesting display of former Hallstatt residents. Centuries ago, as the cemetery was overcrowded, the skulls of the deceased were transformed into artwork and are now in display. Another great summer outing is Hellbrunn. A former residence with trick fountains, it's perfect for those hot summer days and is an interesting example of the sense of humor from its time. Summer in Vienna means free opera and concert performances at the Rathausplatz (City Hall Plaza, yes, ironic). The plaza also features many local craft vendors and fine food stand fare, and wine spritzers. Summers in the city are amazing.

In December, the Rathausplatz is transformed into a Christkindlmarkt. The market features booths for Christmas decorations and gifts and serves up lots of Wassail. I wish you could buy hot spiced wine from street vendors in the US, but I have yet to see that. Needless to say, I was quite warm and happy walking around the cold streets of Vienna. The windows of the Rathaus are turned into an advent calendar, where a window lights up every night of December: the Wiener Adventzauber.

Museums and former royal residences are great stops during the cold winter months. One favorite in Vienna was Schloss Belvedere, a former royal residence. Interesting tidbit of history: The last resident here was Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His assassination in 1914 is said to have started World War I. While the gardens of Schloss Belvedere were covered in ice and snow, I could imagine how incredible it must be in the spring and summer. I even enjoyed walking the grounds in 20 degree weather, although watch out for slippery patches of ice! The building itself is quite impressive and not only has a number of interior attributes worth raving over, but has an impressive collection of Gustav Klimt works. Klimt is best known for his painting “The Kiss” and the piece is on display here. Later in his career, Klimt spent many summers painting landscapes in Salzkammergut, on Lake Attersee, just round the corner from my family friend’s home in Steinbach am Attersee. The best coffee and dessert to be had in Vienna was at Hotel Sacher. World famous – nothing beats viennesse coffee at Café Sacher Vienna.

Interesting to note: I witnessed many interesting Christmas traditions while in Austria. Austrians decorate their Christmas trees with sparklers. One would think it to be a fire hazard, but the trees are just fine, and the sparklers, for their 30 seconds of display, are beautiful.

Date of Completion: August 2000 and December 2002