Falling In Love with Vienna (Part II)

Our second day in Vienna started off with disappointment. We had wanted to go to the Naschmarkt, Vienna’s most popular farmers market. From their website, we could only see the hours that they were open and they didn’t mention anything about Sundays. When we arrived, it became apparent that the market was closed. Some parts of it looked like it was under renovation, so it could have been closed for the summer, not just because it was Sunday. This left us with a dilemma as we were originally planning on having breakfast at the market.

Instead, we found a cafe that was open nearby and had breakfast there. I tried Viennese coffee! A Weiner Melange, a coffee with milk. It was super yummy!

I wasn’t so smart when packing for my weekend trip. I completely forgot to charge my camera and so as a result, I don’t have that many photos from my second day in Vienna. Many of the photos that follow are from other people’s cameras or from my phone.

Our first stop for the day was the Belvedere, a set of palaces and the gardens between them. What were once palaces and summer homes, are now art museums. If I were to live in any of the palaces in Vienna, I would choose this one. I really love the buildings and the garden.

Top left: Lower Belvedere; Top Right: Statue in the gardens; Bottom Right: Front of the Upper Belvedere; Bottom Left: Back of the Upper Belvedere with garden fountain

Next we headed off to walk around the Ring Road (or Ringstraße or Ringstrasse). The day was getting extremely hot (30+), but there was a breeze which helped to cool things down which was nice. Our first stop along the ring? The Vienna State Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper). The last time I was in Vienna, I went to see La Traviata here. Probably, one of my most memorable moments.

I didn’t go inside the opera house this time, but the outside is just as grand as I remember it to be. So much musical history has taken place within these walls and so many musical productions take place every year – producing 50 – 60 operas a year in upwards of 200 performances, making it one of the most prolific opera houses in the world.

Next we wandered to the Museum Quartier which has the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which houses many paintings by old masters, ancient and classical artifacts, and the Naturhistorisches Museum.

Opposite, is the Hofburg Palace, which was the principal winter residence of the Habsburg family. Currently, it serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. By the time we arrived here, it was getting late, and the heat was finally getting to me. I have never been inside this palace, and is definitely something I want to check out at some point.

No trip to Vienna is complete without a taste of schnitzel and we went to the most famous places of them all, where the schnitzel is bigger than your face – Figlmuller. The line was long, but we managed to snag ourselves a table. I knew that there was no way I would be able to eat the whole thing myself, so I shared with someone. The potato salad, was amazing. Probably one of the best. So good! I want some now that I’m thinking about it.

Before heading to catch our bus, our last stop was the Hundertwasserhaus, a social housing complex built by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. There are no words to describe this building other than “psychedelic.” The onslaught of colours and shapes makes visiting this building an experience for the eyes. Normal things, such as stairs, had a twist (literally! they were rather uneven) to them.

There were so many tourist there the whole time we were there. I wonder how the people that live there feel about all these tourists coming to stare at their homes. I for sure wouldn’t appreciate it at all.

I had a fantastic time in Vienna. I saw so many things in just two days and yet, there are so many more things that I haven’t seen or done yet. I love living so close to this city – only a three hour bus ride away! I’ll definitely be back to explore more of the city in the next year and a half! I <3 Vienna!