There was NO WAY that we were coming back to Austria and NOT spending some time in Vienna...even though we have been here before. Yes, we have now traveled to the same place twice. A new feat for us! But we did it not only to revisit, but to unwind a little bit.
After a too-short and nice train ride from Salzburg, we check-in to the Hotel Astoria as it is right in the heart of the city. Amazing hotel, but no air conditioning. For mid-July, this was stifling. It is a nice place to experience, but would be best in the non-summer months.
First-world problem: The way we travel is intense and exhausting, as we try to maximize, enjoy, and experience EVERYTHING. Sometimes, you need to take a breather. And that is just what we did for day one. There are no pictures of the day because we caught the bus to
Therme Wien, and spent our day drifting between hot tubs, cold tubs, a saunas of varying degrees. AMAZING!
It really is a MUST DO.
Day two was more typical of us, and we spend the time walking around the city, primarily the Neubaugasse neighboorhood
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| So many choices, and Adam's idea of heaven! |
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| We did a cheese sampler platter for breakfast, and it complemented the coffee perfectly! |
I simply love the archecture and building decor in this city. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I almost fell or ran into things on this trip because I was constantly looking up. It drives Adam crazy, as I am not the most coordinated of people to begin with.
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| Wienerschnitzel! |
We shared a "single" serving of wienerschnitzel, and thank god we didn't order one for each of us. We only wanted to try it, and a single order is more than enough for two people to share, even as a small meal!
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| A beer vending machine!?!?! Adam's drooling. |
It was then on to
7 Stern Brau (Brewery), where we shared plates of gnocchi and sausage and sauerkraut. We also enjoyed sipping on their house craft beers and brandies.
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| Sausage and sauerkraut |
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| Delicious gnocchi |
The afternoon was then spent walking around (working off such heavy food!) and exploring.
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| HOLD STILL! I've got to smash this pigeon! |
And much to my delight, the
Albertina Museum had a large Monet and Picasso exhibit, on top of their permanent Van Gogh collection, so we explored this will enjoying the escape from the heat and bathing in the air conditioning.
The museum stop was not a moment too soon either, as the skies suddenly went black and there was a massive and impressive thunderstorm that raged while we toured. Fortunately for us, it finished as we were completing the time inside.
While the artwork of the museum was so awesome (and unable to be photographed), I was equally impressed with the woodwork art of the floors:
Further exploration for the afternoon was much better enjoyed, as the storm has significantly cut the heat index and wiped out the humidity of European summer.
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| I just LOVE the buildings! |
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| Afternoon snack of beers and sausage |
We ended our amazing day with dinner at
1516 Brewing Company and HIGHLY recommend it. It is centrally located with wonderful outdoor seating to enjoy the fresh air, good company, and quality people watching, all while imbibing on wonderful craft brews AND ciders!!!
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| Adam: Sipping on one sampler and contemplating the next |
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| My awesome cloudy cider <3 |
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| White sausage |
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| More gnocchi! |
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| Sad to be leaving Vienna! :( |
