Waltzing & Whirling Through Vienna

I never thought I would ring in the new year in Vienna, Austria.  Vienna was the last leg in our holiday before returning to New York (technically, Vienna to Prague to London to New York...it was a busy couple of days).  Similarly to Munich, I didn't expect it to be such a modern bustling city.  It was great to spend another holiday in Eastern Europe and learn about the culture surrounding it.

The hotel we booked in Vienna was actually a fully furnished apartment.  It was in a ritzy neighborhood north of the center of the city, about a 30 minute walk.  The second we stepped foot over the river, I was stunned by the old-world beauty of Vienna.  Like Munich, we somehow found the street full of luxury shopping.  All the brand names shouted out at me: Louis!  Chanel!  Prada!  All above us were many long strands of fairy lights that gave the whole shopping street a beautiful starry quality.  We walked along here to the stunning opera house, but our final destination was actually a large food market - the Naschmarkt - in a much quieter, less-glamorous part of town. The market had a very international vibe, and the many sellers hawked things like dried fruits and nuts, Viennese sweets, and halal meats.  We had some absolutely delicious falafel at a random booth.

That first night, it was again very difficult to find a restaurant, as it was a weekend and folks were out in full holiday spirit.  There were several restaurants that looked promising, but were fully booked for the night and turned us away at the door.  Finally, we had some average shnitzel in a dark cozy restaurant on one of the side streets.  That night, we found a local Viennese cafe near our hotel for some dessert and coffee.  It was a very hip place, dark and candlelit with mismatched chairs and plates and an old black and white movie projected onto one wall.  It was very romantic and charming!

The next day, we had planned to meet a couple of Alex's friends who also happened to be in Vienna.  We went very early to a restaurant that we wanted to try the night before.  Luckily, we snagged a table, but even being the first ones there was difficult as a lot of locals made reservations for New Year's Eve.  It was a fun meal at Gasthaus Poschl with adorable blond Austrian waiters.  ;-)

For dessert, we promised we'd try the sachertorte at Demel, a world-famous cafe.  Now, the sachertorte (a rich chocolate cake) was supposedly invented at Hotel Sacher, but we glimpsed the long line for that and decided against it.  We had also heard rumors that Demel's sachertorte was superior.  I loved the ambiance of the old glamorous cafe, but have to say I was disappointed in the sachertorte.  I found it dry and not very chocolatey at all.

Alex and I wandered that afternoon through more holiday markets and even towards the outskirts of town to see how the Viennese really lived.  Everywhere, we were greeted with beautiful architecture, whether it was the spires of churches and government buildings, or the uniform long facades of apartment complexes.  Finally, that night we decided to experience New Year's Eve in St. Stephen's Square.  In the square outside the beautiful St. Stephen's Cathedral (a tall otherwise unremarkable church topped with brightly colored tiles in a chevron pattern on the roof), we stood in the crowd and counted down the minutes until 2017.  When the clock struck 12, the bells in the cathedral rang out twelve times and a live orchestra played The Blue Danube while we waltzed...er, swayed in place.  Then, on our way back to the hotel, we meandered down the New Year's Path, essentially a party out on the street where folks danced, lit sparklers, drank hot wine and cider, and celebrated with a surprising wholesome merriment.  This was the only New Year's Eve that I'd ever done anything.  Never been to Times Square (probably never will), never gone to a New Year's party, but I can say I have danced to The Blue Danube at midnight in Vienna.

The next day, we met up again with Alex's friends for lunch at a popular restaurant, Salm Brau.  We shared ribs, a pork knuckle, some spinach pies, and flights of beer.  The pork knuckle was just as good as the first one I had all those meals ago in Prague.  The ribs were also unexpectedly delicious.  It was our first meal of the year, and a happy one surrounded by good company and awesome food in a beautiful city.  What more could you ask for in life?