Second Visit to Austria but First time in Vienna
Vienna was our next stop after Prague. Just like the train ride from Berlin to Prague, the train we took to Vienna from Prague was full. However, it turned out to be a pleasant ride since people didn't have to fight over seats and no one stood in the aisles. It was full but not bursting at the seams.
Our train ride to Vienna was definitely more entertaining. We ended up sharing our cabin with two young male Chinese youths studying in St. Petersburg, Russia and a Czech-Asian American family residing in Honolulu, Hawaii. We chatted with them all the way from Prague to Vienna. It made the trip go by very quickly.
I liked Vienna a lot. The atmosphere was calm despite the number of travelers in the main train station. The subway was likewise within the train station. We reached our IBIS Hotel in no time. Of all the IBIS Hotels we stayed in, our IBIS Hotel room in Vienna cost us the most money. We paid around $150 per night. Viennese accomodations were definitely some of the most expensive in Central and Eastern Europe.
Just like many tourists to Vienna, savoring the sacher torte was a must for us. We wanted to know if the cake was just hype or if it was truly delicious like everyone who had gone to Vienna have said.
With my sacher torte and coffee at the Cafe Sacher
Marc with his Sacher Torte.
The Sacher Torte up close
Another view of the famous Sacher Torte with the Hotel Sacher napkin
To be honest, I found the Sacher Torte I ate at the Cafe Sacher a bit dry for my taste. I prefer my cakes a bit moist. Throughout our stay in Vienna, I ate SacherTorte in many places. In the train station, in the supermarket, and other restaurants for dessert. Travelers need not really go to this fancy schmanzy cafe just for the cake. If you would like to soak in the atmosphere at the historic cafe and hotel, go for it. It was a nice place to be, but if you're in pursuit of tasting good Sacher Torte, this is not the only place it is available at. This chocolate cake which the Sacher Torte really can be purchased in pastry shops and bakeries in so many places all over Vienna. My most favorite was from a cafe inside the train station close to our IBIS Hotel. I had it for breakfast. I know what you're thinking: Cake for breakfast?
The Hotel Sacher
The cafe we ate in is located on the right side of the building. See the red awnings. That's where the cafe is.
Another view of the Hotel Sacher
One of the entrances to Hotel Sacher
St. Peter's Church
The main altar inside St. Peter's Church
The fresco in the in the ceiling
The organ
An obstructed view of St. Stephen's Cathedral
The tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral
A piece of art on the side of St. Stephen's Cathedral
And here's another one. Such impressive carvings on stone
Everywhere Marc and I went, there were men and women dressed as Mozart selling tickets to concerts. Mozart after all was Austrian and visitors to Austria were reminded of this fact through monuments in his honor to chocolates covered with Mozart wrapping paper . Mozart, Mozart, Mozart.
We saw this Mozart bust inside a department store.
The New Market Square
The Ronacher Theater showing Sister Act at the time of our visit.
Hmm, I thought everything was oh so cultured in Vienna. A Sister Act play? I wonder what Mozart would say?
Graben, one of Vienna's shopping streets, is where the Column of Plague can be found