wir sind wieder da

We're back.

Sorry we've been away so long. We were busy playing tour guide which is more fun than writing about the latest repeat episode of "Silent Witness." Or reading about it; trust me on that. So, today we bring you sites and activities checked off our "to visit" list, thanks to our enthusiastic guests.

Suzi and Michael, representing our Supper (cooking) Club, arrived late on a Thursday evening bearing gifts: a care package from Diana and an empty suitcase.

Yarn, for the knitting obsessed, and cookies

We got them checked into the hotel, with only minor confusion at the airport's S-bahn ticket vending machine. Fortunately, they didn't take our inept screen punching as a sign of our tour-guiding abilities and stuck with us for the whole week. We set out from the hotel in search of dinner and Curt guided us to 7Stern Bräu where we enjoyed beer (including one that smelled like smoked gouda) and traditional Austrian fare in a great courtyard.

Saturday, Curt dutifully went to class and aced his mid-term. I led Suzi and Michael on a walking tour of the Inner Stadt. We climbed the spire at St. Stephen's (my second time, how does Curt keep getting out of it?) and had lunch at a great little place whose name translates as "the Pretzel Vault." Later that evening, we met in the Stadtpark for a stroll and then headed to Plachutta for dinner. Many locals advised us that we absolutely had to take our foodie friends there. I think it lived up to the hype, though Curt might have found there to be too many tourists dining around us. We chuckled at the apparently 10-year-old sommelier, but couldn't find fault with his skills.

Sunday was the Vienna Marathon. None of us wanted to be in town for that so we met early at the boat landing to catch the ferry to Bratislava. All the boats for the day were booked. Plan B! We decided to take the train to Melk instead. Suzi had been there before, but didn't mind a return visit. My favorite part was the monastery's library. Or was it the cream sauce on my pasta with salmon at lunch, accompanied by a wine "from prehistoric rock"? Either way, a great outing.

Tour Guide Curt

happy tourists

the view from the monastery
(it didn't seem so hazy)

We returned by train to a stop near the apartment and strolled through the neighborhood, gave a tour of the apartment, drank a bottle of wine, ate some pastries from our favorite bakery... (and I finished a sock I was knitting). After relaxing awhile we decided we were hungry. Well, I wasn't after the 4 portions-worth of pasta I ate for lunch, but everyone else was so we set out for our favorite pizza place. It was closed, the menu gone from the case, and no note on the door. I feared the worst, but announced again, "PLAN B!" We headed to another pizza place on the other side of our apartment. It turned out to be an excellent back-up, and they brought us "schnapps" after we finished up. Suzi and I were handed Amaretto and Curt and Michael received Grappa. Despite nothing going according to plan (or maybe because of it), it was another fantastic day.

Monday, we took advantage of half-price day at Kunst Haus Wien and turned it into a Hundertwasser day. We toured the museum, bought souvenirs (Hundertwasser yarn and sock pattern for me), and had coffee in the courtyard.

the tables get the guests into the spirit of the place

This hot dog outside Hundertwasser Haus inspired us to get lunch at a Wurst stand

The shadows on the tower/chimney at the heating plant reminds me of the colors cast on Curt's lap by the table

Monday night, we went to the Stadt Oper. Our cheap seats didn't allow us to see all (or much) of the stage, but the music was outstanding. I went in hoping to defend the architects so distressed by the critics that one committed suicide and the other suffered a fatal heart attack just before the building opened. I think the critics were overly harsh or the architects were overly sensitive, but they did miss the mark a few times. It's an impressive building with some amazing frescoes, particularly on the loggia, but the entrance procession felt clumsy to me and the proportions in the music hall itself seemed off. Maybe I was more interested in wavy floors and tree tenants that day, though.

The Belvedere

Tuesday, we met at the Belvedere to visit the Klimts. You really can't visit Vienna without seeing The Kiss in person, can you? We all selected other paintings as our favorites, but didn't regret the pilgrimage. Salm Bräu, just outside the Lower Belvedere entrance fortified us for some more site seeing. Curt and I planned to send Suzi and Michael to the Schatzkammer, but found it closed on Tuesdays so the four of us headed to the State Hall at the National Library instead. Two baroque libraries in three days; I swooned. We headed to Demel for treats. We stopped at the hotel to pick up the empty suitcase and headed back to the 13th for a light dinner at the Wein Hutt'n. After seeing our guests safely to the U-bahn station, we set to work stuffing that suitcase with winter clothes and books we've finished, but don't want to abandon.

Wednesday, we wandered through the Naschmarkt where I learned that photographing the flowers is frowned upon but everything else appeared to be ok.

olives stuffed with pistachios

I have no explanation for why we didn't buy any

We went to Wein & Co. for the last required souvenirs, but the prices at the wine bar portion kept us from lunching there (plus, it was only 10:30). We dropped off the heavy stuff and headed to the Prater, took a ride on the Riesenrad and had a nice lunch. Suzi and I had the risotto with green and white asparagus. Yes, I chose an asparagus dish. Pick yourself off the floor, Mom & Dad; maybe I'm not "adopted" after all. Suzi and Michael toured the Schatzkammer while Curt and I wandered around. Then, we headed to Schönbrunn for a stroll through the (much greener) gardens before dinner where Curt and Suzi could have shared the spare ribs, but opted for their own platters.

before

after

Whew! You think that was a long post? Imagine if I'd remembered EVERYthing we did!
Thanks for a great week, H's!