Vienna Two: The Active

Since we were on a whirlwind 32-hour visit to Vienna, this day was our one day in the city to see what we could see, do what we could do, and eat what we could eat. We started at a decent hour: 8:00, but surprisingly, there was little traffic and the streets were quiet. It wasn’t until we got to the cafe we were going to try (Cafe Central, visited by both Freud and Trotsky) that we realized today was a holiday, and everything was on a delayed or never-open schedule. Looking on the bright side, though, it meant fewer people in photos that I didn’t want people in, so there’s that.

We walked around a lot (10+ miles), and specifically visited the Belvedere castle grounds and the Kunst Museum of Art to see the Caravaggio and Bellini exhibit, in addition to the other mostly medieval works of art on display. I didn’t take any photos of the artwork, but the internal architecture and art of the building itself was amazing. In fact, everything about the area we are staying is fantastic from an architectural standpoint. There are old — and interesting — buildings everywhere, and nearly every platz has a fountain or statue that is 100-300 years old. I suppose at some point it would become commonplace — much like the grandeur of the Sierra is to me (but I still notice it).

While aimlessly wandering last night after arriving vaguely looking for a place to eat or get a beverage, the man-cub spotted a schnitzel place called FiglMüller. It had been in operation since 1905, with virtually no changes to the menu. We looked to see if we could get in and discovered a long line, so we decided to try it midday tomorrow (today) to avoid any lines. I don’t know if it was the holiday, or just the way the place is, but it was packed at 1:15 and we were told we needed to make a reservation — for the middle of the afternoon! So, of course, we did. Walking around for another hour would just whet our appetites, and that would be just fine.

After an hour goes by, we approached the entrance. Yep, a line of people had formed again (does so all the time). While we are standing there, and I am trying to come up with a way to bypass the line politely, the waiter with whom we made the reservation pops out and tells everyone that they are not allowed to queue, and that reservations are necessary. He looks at me, calls my name, and says “your table is ready.” Wow. I truly felt special as I threaded my way through the people getting turned away.

The schnitzel was good; I had chicken, and the man-cub had pork. I thought the bread was the real deal, though. Salty topped with sesame seeds. Almost like a pretzel. Paired with a Riesling, potatoes and a cucumber salad, we rolled our fat asses out and back to the ABB, to rest and digest. I wanted to see what the area looked like with the lights I saw strung up everywhere.

Recharge complete, and after prying the man-cub away from Jack Ryan’s new season on Amazon, we headed out into the chill wind for a nightcap. We meandered to the pedestrian areas around St. Me, and he got a bratwurst and I got a hot chocolate. The brat was good, the chocolate, not so much. Of course, as soon as I finished drinking it we chanced upon a Swiss chocolate shop with a wall of liquid chocolate — that was just closed. Dang. Oh well, such are the vagaries of travel! Tomorrow is catching the bus back to Budapest. I have several days there before going somewhere else...Prague!