No vino in Vienna, just Starbucks

Upon our arrival in Vienna on Thursday evening, we were swarmed by people in costumes. First, a group which looked the von Trapp family from “The Sound of Music.” These performers asked us about classical music, which quickly turned into a bizarre conversation about our late night tendencies. Actually, the pseudo van Trapp family was advertising a Mozart concert, as the composer spent much of his life in Vienna. Throughout the evening, we saw several people dressed beer costumes and naturally, we dined at a traditional Austrian restaurant, with hosts and servers in traditional Austrian attire.The remainder of our snow filled evening was spent soaking in the scenery in our “American costumes!” My roommate and I managed to get lost going to our hotel and were given assistance from five locals along the way. And to think I always thought I had a decent sense of direction! It’s odd how Europe can change your perspective on even the little things!

Friday morning we went to Café Central - a local cafe that my roommate’s dad said we had to visit! Was it ever charming! According to our guide book, this café was the meeting point for the city’s intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We felt our IQs increasing just from the simple meal. If only we had a seven course feast, then could you imagine our intellect? Furman would be so proud.

We then ventured to the Hofburg Palace, Vienna’s former Imperial Palace. The massive, magnificent structure was extremely overwhelming. It is now houses the Imperial Apartments, office of the Austrian President, an international conference center, the Winter Riding School, several museums and state rooms. Now for your weekly history lesson - we visited the Imperial Apartments, which included dishes and china preserved from nearly every era of the time period and the home of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. Empress Elisabeth, commonly known as Sisi by her family, was the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. She was a legend and icon in her own right, whose influence on Austro-Hungarian politics made lasting impacts. Nevertheless, her free spirit and private manners continue to be debated, as historians still search for answers to her ways. The Sisi Museum’s extent of artifacts and memorabilia dedicated to Empress Elisabeth was phenomenal. This public service announcement has been brought to you by Brussels Routes by baker.

Outside, we were fixated on the horse and buggies. Even the horses wore ear muffs! To flee the freezing temperatures, we visited Starbucks – I know it is Vienna a major coffee capital of the world, but Starbucks frappuccinos are on my most missed list! During the remainder of the afternoon, we walked around the main area of the city, including Museumsquartier, the Stephansdom, and Secession Building. There’s so much to do in Vienna that I surely recommend a week rather than less than forty eight hours! Nevertheless, it was quite a relaxing weekend, walking through the imperial grandeur of Vienna. The entire time, I wondered if this would be my life in the 1800s.

During our last evening, we had to try a local favorite – Number 3 Sonnenfelsgasse. It’s a bar/restaurant in lower cellars that dates back from 1100. The house includes Romanesque and Gothic style cellars, the only of its kind still in existence in Vienna.

Now I am back in our Brussels bungalow, enjoying a peaceful Sunday with treats and fruits from the local market. Also I am enjoying stories from my third roommate, who has just returned from Salzburg with her family, where they took “The Sound of Music” tour. The movie is a Baker family favorite during the holidays – I secretly wanted to be the little girl, Gretl. Shh - Let’s keep that our secret!

Taking place a mere block away at Place Jourdan, is the last night of the Brussels’ Oktoberfest. My roommates and I are planning to take a peek at this event hosted by the EU. For details, please visit http://www.opt.be/informations/events_etterbeek__oktoberfest____beer_festival/en/E/53679.html#. Since I did not make the traditional, 18-day Oktoberfest in Munich, I think this smaller version will more than suffice!

This week, I’m staying in the heart of the EU – a much needed break after six continuous weekends of traveling. However, I’m sure there will be plenty of interesting and entertaining stories to share as I further discover my European home.

P.S. I took these photos for my family, as this trip brought back childhood memories - my grandmother and mom sporting Geiger and my mom and I winning 2nd place in the Laura Ashley Mother-Daughter Lookalike Contest! Haha, ironically, the store I was named after is now out of business, but I'm hoping not to have a similar fate, as I’m just getting started... =)