Vienna

Our overnight train from Florence arrived in Vienna at about 9 am on Sunday. We dropped our bags at our hostel and then went to meet up with my friend Becci. Becci grew up in Germany, and we became friends when she spent one year at my high school (we also went to Sadie Hawkins together back in the day). Today, she works for IBM in Vienna, and she was kind enough to plan a great day for us in Vienna and spend her Sunday showing us around the city.

We started the day with a delicious breakfast at Schiffstation, a new restaurant situated right across the canal from Becci's IBM office. I had some delicious buckwheat pancakes with berries and banana slices. It was a great spot, and we enjoyed watching the locals relaxing over Sunday brunch.

Next, we jumped on a special tram that goes around the city center and describes (in eight languages) the major buildings and monuments along the way. Then we walked through the city center and came upon a food and music festival that was taking place in one of the city parks. There we sampled some Viennese sausages, and one of Becci's coworkers was staffing a gourmet Austrian cheese stand, so she gave us a few samples of the region's cheeses.

After our lunch at the festival, we went to see the Palace of Belvedere, and then Becci drove us out to the edge of the city to walk along the river. Here, we could see some of the vineyards that surround the city--we did not have time to go, but if you visit Vienna, one fun thing to add to your itinerary is a stop at a "wine garden," which is Vienna's answer to Munich's beer gardens. They are essentially outdoor cafes among the vineyards where you can pair regional foods with the area's young white wines.

When we returned to the city, Nathan went to see some more sites, and I joined Becci to see an evening service at her church in Vienna. This was really cool, since it was an international church. Some songs were in English, but about half were in German (though I knew them from American churches), and the sermon was given by the pastor (from NJ, USA) in English, but each sentence was repeated in German before he would continue. It was neat to see a church like this in the middle of a major European city, and I also enjoyed the experience because my friend JP had attended an international church when he studied in Germany, and this gave me a little more understanding of what that may have been like.

After the service, we met up with Nathan again to eat Vienna's signature dish: wienerschnitzel. Essentially, this is a piece of veal that has been pounded thin and then fried with a breadcrumb coating. Tasty, but really filling! I was glad that Becci told us to order 1/2 orders (which they called "kinder"--i.e. children's plate), because that was definitely enough.

Nathan and I had an early train to Budapest, and Becci had work the next morning, so we called it a night after dinner, but we had a really nice day in Vienna. It is a clean, beautiful city full of pleasing architecture and Austrian pride. It was also really nice to see Becci after 8 years and catch up on her life, educational, and professional experiences. You can view the album here. Thanks for reading!

- R