"All beef Vienna hot dog" in Vienna. Austria: Part 2.

Vienna falls into the category of cities that need little introduction. Considered the cultural capital of Europe (if not the world), the city epitomizes the definition of romantic. Beautiful buildings, romantic palaces, expansive gardens, significant museums, renowned theaters, historic churches, and a definitive location for music/opera enthusiasts.

Luckily for me, my hostel was only a short walk from the Westbahnhof train station, my arrival point from Linz. My plan was to always stay close to the central train station in any city and I lucked out with my location. The hostel was probably the busiest I've been to, though they operate very efficiently. The facilities where also some of the nicer of my travel so far. A full bar, cafeteria, plenty of lounge space, and even a large 'no shoes' couch. My room was a four bed with a private bathroom. My roommates were a group of three Uruguayan girls, so we spent most time talking in Spanish.

Getting a map at the front desk, some advice from the attendant on what to see, and dining recommendations, there was not a moment to waste to see the city.

First, dinner was beckoning. Anticipating a long walk ahead, I was not going to skimp on my meal. I sought out the most traditional of Austrian dishes, wienerschnitzel. This fried veil dish is very common in the area. The restaurant recommended by the hostel was close, but a little touristy, which I did not mind on this occasion. Though slightly overpriced, I was filled after eating a large slab of schnitzel on rice with cranberries and a salad of lettuce, corn, and coleslaw.

Did I forget to mention the Austrian beer...

To avoid a long walk to the historic city center, I purchased a ticket for the underground metro. Walking to the metro train, there was no checkpoint where I had to present my ticket. For example, when you buy a metro ticket in Madrid, to insert it into a machine to open the doors to the platform. In Vienna, no. In effect, I could have walked in without a ticket. The efficient metro (one of the most consistent I've seen so far, more prompt than the Madrid metro for sure) got me to the Volkstheater stop in a few minutes. Even exiting the metro station, there was no check. I would later learn that sometimes there are checks for those leaving, but even that is rare.

This is all that separates you from the metro

At this point, I just started walking, seeing what I could see. The historic center of Vienna is one of those places where a short walk will take you to someplace significant. My plan was to follow the Ringstrasse (Ring street), lined by most of the city's famous sights. The Naturhistoisches and Kunsthistoisches museums, the parliament, Burgtheater, the old Votive church, and most impressively the city hall building covered the first part of my walk. With twilight setting in, most buildings were illuminated for the evening. In some instances I prefer that type of view.

Parliament

City Hall

History  Museum

A little disappointing was the church. Covered in scaffolding for renovation, the image of the covered parts was imprinted on a banner covering the scaffolding. On the same banner was an advertisement for Ford. Honestly, since when should churches be used for advertisements.

"God... brought to you by Ford"

'What you lookin at"

I backtracked following another street concentric to the Ringstrasse. I actually ended up close to my start point before. There, I was attracted by another well lit building, a different turn from earlier. I walked down a large public path to the Hofburg palace, now a library and museum. The palace extended to other buildings including the royal apartments and the Spanish horse riding school (but, we're not in Spain...). This dumped me into the shopping heart of the city, with many people out on the pedestrian walkways. One thing of note was the monument against fascism, located in a plaza. The series of three statues was accompanied by English descriptions. The monuments were different in an abstract style. I would invite you to look up the monuments and read the meaning behind them.

Hofburg Palace

Fascism Monuments

Having covered a few hours of walking, food was my next priority. I had been told by my Austrian friend to find different foods, including kaiserschmarrn (ha, take that spellcheck!). Such a dish is normally offered in any Viennese coffee shop, but the hostel attendant recommended a more local and younger establishment where I could find it for a better price.
Orienting myself at one of the metro stations, I walked into the station to cross a street and came to an underground shopping center. There, I discovered the (probably) famous "Opera Toilet." Because most public bathrooms charge a fee, this one is a restroom with an opera theme playing music. I continued on past this obvious tourist trap.

Music while you pee

I found the street circled on my map for this recommended cafe. I searched along the street not finding anything that matched the name of the cafe written on the map 'Topino.' On this street is the Technical University of Vienna, so most nearby places catered to the younger student crowd. I walked into one place, saying I needed to find a friend at this place. Only one person recognized the name and gave me directions. Still not having found, I entered a more traditional coffee house and asked a waitress if she spoke English. Never before had I received an answer of "Of course" followed by an expression of why did you ask me in the first place. Anyway, one person recognized the place and gave me different directions than the other place. Following precisely, I ended in front of the Top Kino cinema. Really? Looking at the map again, I noticed the name did resemble Top Kino. Seeing it was a cafe, I entered. Asking the waiter that I was looking for a traditional Vienese dish, he immediately knew what I was looking for.
Kaiserschmarrn is a fried dough that tastes like apple served with applesauce. With some tea to warm up, it was exactly what I needed and was really good.
I was content walking back to the hostel. I spent the evening at the hostel bar, meeting a few Americans and some Englishmen.

The next day began my true tour of the city. Starting with a (free) metro ride to the Hofburg palace, I wanted to appreciate the building complex in the light. Walking more toward the city center, I passed the main shopping district, admiring the classic building decoration and some statues along the pedestrian walkway. I stopped at the famous symbol of Vienna: the cathedral of St. Stephen. Though entry was free, I was a little distracted from appreciating the interior with the majority of the cathedral closed to ticket purchasers. They must really make a killing off of churches in Vienna. Nothing too different here, I did pay to climb some 300 steps for a view from the south tower. At the observation room, your view of the city was unobstructed. Once again, the only thing that took away from the experience was how the room doubled as a gift shop. My favorite part of the church is its green and yellow tiled roof, one of the more distinct color combinations I have seen on any monument.

A quick walk around the church returned me to the metro. There, I departed to see the second most recognized landmark of the city: the Ferris wheel. Even with a design style similar to the earliest Ferris wheels built in the in 1900s, walking there was not really worth my time. The wheel is set into a cheap amusement park where apparently many Americans were also walking about.

Thankfully, I was not too far from something nicer to see: the Danube river. The famous 'Blue' Danube is every bit to its name: blue and big. I crossed a bridge half way to get a better view. From the banks of the river, I was facing the business center of Vienna. The famous Danube island, a forest retreat from the urban sprawl of Vienna, was also in sight. Several river boat cruise ships were parked along the bank. Some of my pictures were interrupted by a couple throwing bread pieces to seagulls in the river. More than 30 were flying around to get a piece.

I metro'd back to the city center and wandered a bit, heading in the direction of the Belvedere Palace. I passed some churches, parks, and more lovely buildings along the way.
Now, not to get into too much detail, I needed to use a washroom and was coincidentally near the famous Opera Toilet at the metro station. Yes, it got me. Even with the blue Danube theme still stuck in my mind since visiting the actual river, the bathroom was only somewhat clean, but is still one of those one of a kind things.
As I had to climb up the hill after not finding a lower entrance to Belvedere Palace, I was getting hungry. I was told to find the traditional Austrian meat of liberkasen at any grocery store, like a Billa store. Coincidentally  I saw a sign for one along my walk. After purchasing a sandwich of the oily meat from the deli attendant who did not speak English, I accompanied the sandwich with some cheese chips and a Riddler, a fruit flavored beer. This time, I was lured into trying a grapefruit version.

Belvedere Palace

The palace and gardens were obviously beautiful. Starting at the top, a large pond occupied the rear of the upper palace, connected to the lower palace by a large garden. With snow, the garden was marginalized. Still, the walk around was perfect for enjoying my sandwich.

I was close enough for a quick swing through the Nashmarket, Vienna's open air public market. I will give credit where due for this as my favorite market in any country. Stretching for several blocks, the long market had artisan stands featuring foods from around the world. Rustic cafes and mini restaurants also mixed in between. The surrounding buildings were also very unique.

Nashmarket

I made one last walk through the Museum Quarter. After realizing the museum prices were quite expensive, I found a free contemporary art exhibit in another section to satisfy my hunger for art. The exhibit featured mechanical drums, neon light signs, paper boats dancing in forced air, and a movie of pro soccer players playing in business suits. Fairly interesting, actually.

I'm looking at you...

My day concluded with a walk through the Schönbrunn Palace and gardens. This time, I did not walk alone. I met a local, Andres, through the Couchsurfing network (look it up) and he agreed to tour me around the palace. Meeting him near the metro at his neighborhood, we walked and talked to the palace. Andres is a young professional in Vienna, though our conversations focused on his time studying in the USA at the University of Richmond. We reached the palace as the sun was setting and enjoyed a climb up the hill to the Gustavo monument overlooking the Palace and western Vienna. We walked back to his apartment and enjoyed some tea. He was very friendly and provided a local's perspective to the city. I, of course, offered my Chicago perspective on things, including the perfect recipe for a Chicago style hot dog ("So, you start with an all beef Vienna hot dog..." "But we are in Vienna...").

As I prepared for my early flight, dinner was a traditional frankfurter purchased from a street stand. In a sense, a true Vienna hot dog.

Vienna wins the award of 'City I only scratched the surface of.' I must return in the future, with time (and money) to appreciate the cultural significance and the famous art/music scene. I'm glad to have seen as much as possible, even though it took a toll on my sore feet afterward. And yet, was not done traveling....