Vienna is for Music (and eating)

May 11-15, 2014

After two warm and sunny days in Budapest, it poured all day on our travel day to Vienna. Due to the rain and lack of any concrete plans, we skipped a stop in Bratislava, Slovakia and headed straight to Austria.

Our arrival in Vienna could not have been more welcoming. Upon check in at Le Meridien Wien we were informed that we'd been upgraded from the standard queen room we'd booked to a king suite. Minibar drinks would be free every day.

The bed was the most comfortable we've slept in since leaving home. And the chaise lounge gave Joe a place to watch Ducks playoffs while I was sleeping.

Not only did this room have a huge bathtub, but the shower was in its own room. That's the towel rack inside the shower and the water sprayed from above and two other horizontal spots - BEST. SHOWER. EVER.

Besides the hospitable staff and the amazing room, the location of the hotel couldn't be better: just across the street from the State Opera House and Burrgarten, it is within walking distance of anything you'd want to see in Vienna.

The State Opera House. Beautiful venue, though there was nothing on that we wanted to see during our trip.

As usual, we booked our biggest outing on our first full day. This time we took a quick bus tour of the city and then headed out to Schönbrunn Palace,  the summer palace of the Habsburg monarchy. Most of the palace is a memorial of Maria Theresa, the Queen and Holy Roman Empress who ruled or influenced most of Europe in the mid eighteenth century. Of her sixteen children many made advantageous matches, but the most famous is Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated Queen of France who married Louis XVI. (There was also another queen, a duchess, and two Holy Roman Emperors among them.) In fact, in the game Civilization, Maria Theresa's great power is "Advantageous Marriages."

 Notice anything weird about this statue at first glance? What about that extra leg in the front that belongs to this third wheel guy?

This lion statue tried to eat Charlie and Bert!

Vienna is an incredibly beautiful and clean city. The architecture is somewhat similar to that in Paris, but the boulevards seem even wider and lined with even greener trees. We were enchanted by the city not just because of its aesthetic appeal, but also because of the many large parks and the city's celebration of great art and artists. Rather than statues and memorials to war generals and kings, the most beautiful monuments in Vienna are dedicated to composers, writers, and artists. Around Musikverein there are even Hollywood-style stars on the sidewalks with the names of classical composers and musicians.

Stadtpark

Johann Strauss

Franz Schubert

W. A. Mozart in Burrgarten

Surrounded by all these reminders of the music that has flourished here, it was impossible not to do as many music-themed activities as we could. We saw not one, but TWO performances at Musikverein. The first featured a pianist and violinist playing Schubert, Prokofiev, and Beethoven. The second was a performance of the Vienna Mozart Orchestra playing this city's most famous composer's most famous pieces in period dress (and charging what effectively is a tourist tax for the tickets as they cost more than twice what the same seats cost for the non-Mozart orchestra). The Vienna Philharmonic also performs at Musikverein.

We purchased tickets in the afternoon for that evening and the following one and had no problem procuring the levels we wanted. There are standing room tickets for the Gold Hall that cost only 5 euro, but we opted for the seats behind the stage for a bit more money so that we didn't have to stand for 2 hours. Both performances were great for different reasons. The duet we saw on the first night was impressive because of the immense talent of both performers and the incredible amount of sound that they were able to produce with just two instruments. The Mozart concert was fun because so much of the music was recognizable, but the tourist factor was turned up a lot and it got kind of frustrating to see some people more concerned with taking pictures or recording audio than actually listening.

Other music-themed sites in Vienna included Mozarthaus museum and Haus der Musik. We had planned to visit both anyway and there's a discount if you buy a joint ticket to both attractions. Mozarthaus offers a detailed history of Mozart's life, family, and contemporary musicians and composers with whom he performed, collaborated, and competed. It is beautifully done.

Haus der Musik should really be called House of Sound (in fact, its tagline is "Catch the Sound"). It is a five story museum that includes exhibitions on everything from how sounds are produced and processed to how great composers create their masterpieces. It's scientific and playful at the same time. It's not until at least the fourth floor that you enter the exhibits on major composers including Strauss, Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and Mahler. At the very end there is an interactive exhibit that lets visitors "conduct the Vienna Philharmonic."

Near both of these attractions is Stephansdom, or St. Stephan's Cathedral, with its all-too-inviting climbable tower. The 342 steps in this tower counted for our day's exercise and offered a nice aerial view of the city. The viewing area was enclosed, which isn't ideal, but we were still able to identify most of the city's major sites and our hotel from the windows.

Just behind the cathedral (and very near the entrance to the tower) is Haas & Haas teahouse, one of our favorite finds in Vienna. We went the first time because it was next to Stephansdom, but we loved our teas so much that we returned the next day for more. The food was good, but this is really a spot to stop for tea and a pastry before or after visiting any of the surrounding attractions (Stephansdom, of course; Mozarthaus around the corner; Stadtpark nearby). They even have cronuts!

Our favorites were the Fig Rose and White Peach, which we bought to take home.

A couple other favorites that we'd recommend include 1516 Brewery next to Haus der Musik and Gmoa Keller near Karlsplatz for after theatre dinner. 1516 offers some good beers, yummy soft pretzels and apfelstrudel, and a pleasant atmosphere. The owner is also a hockey fan, which Joe appreciated since it meant there were games playing when we were sitting at the bar.

We sought Gmoa Keller after our first evening at Musikverein based on its inclusion in our Top 10 book. It was a little strange to find, but if you pass the Vienna Konzerthaus, you're on the right track. This place gets busy when the theatre lets out as a lot of performers seem to flock here. Choose the downstairs area if you can as it is nicer than the bar on the ground level. The food and wine were yummy, the service was fast and pleasant, and the kitchen doesn't close at 10 pm - an all around win for a restaurant in Europe.

We loved Vienna and were very sorry to leave, but the rain on our travel day signaled that it was time to move on. This was perhaps our favorite stop on our European adventure tour so far, so we sincerely hope we'll be able to go back soon.