Vienna im Vinter

A couple of weeks ago, I went with some friends to Vienna for the day.  At the top of the list was to see the Schönbrunn Palace as it's the #1 attraction in Vienna and I've never been.  It's the 1,441-room summer home of the famous Habsburg family.  And it's very Ro-coco.

Shyla and I in front.

The backyard.

It looks a bit different in spring and summer:

 

{source}

{source}

We then enjoyed a nice lunch at a very Viennesey restaurant:

 

and all split our first Kaiserschmarrn for dessert.

The Habsburgs used to eat this for dinner.

 Crepey/pancake puff with bites of carmelized sugar and a side of plum sauce.

 

 Pretty soon I won't be able to jaunt to Vienna for the day with my girlies. :(

then walked around, shopped and had a coffee at the Sacher Café before driving home in the snow.

Auf Wiedersehen, Wien.

{Photos courtesy of Shyla and Kim. Danke!}

Vienna at a Glance

We took Art's mama to Vienna last week. Can you believe it was his first time too?

So muscley, that groin region.

So groovy, those lights in an old, beautiful church.

So cheesy, that antiquey effect.

 

So leetle, those people.

So good.

So rooty, my hair.
(I mean, that is downright horrendous...it does not look that bad in real life..i hope.)

So gilded, this city.

So long, Wien.

And so long, M.  We loved having you here.

Who now will stand afar and take pics of our important life events?

:) xoxo

Vienna : Last Day

Day 3 started out with a Vanilla Latté at Starbucks (something Graz doesn't have), a walk through Vienna's Stadtpark and a viewing of the crazy Hundertwasserhaus:

"The Hundertwasserhaus features undulating floors ("an uneven floor is a divine melody to the feet"), a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows. Hundertwasser took no payment for the design of the house, declaring that it was worth it, to prevent something ugly from going up in its place.

Within the house there are 52 apartments, four offices, 16 private terraces and three communal terraces, and a total of 250 trees and bushes. The Hundertwasser House is one of Vienna's most visited buildings and has become part of Austria's cultural heritage.^"

^-Wikipedia

Afterwards, Molly and I headed to the Prater Amusement Park for a change of pace. Not sure where Mom and Dad went.
possibly to get some Red Bull?


I would not, could not ride this cute ferris wheel (the carts sway in the wind as it goes (terrifying) and they are small!) Molly was shocked my heights phobia has grown so fierce. I was even scared of a simulated flight ride...in a theater. yikes.

Just looking at these things made my feet feel funny. Is that normal with a fear of heights? Seriously, this just developed in the past 3 years. Art has to comfort me during turbulent flights...tears usually start aflowin'.

Swings as tall up as a skyscraper swinging in a barfulent circle. NEVER.


I'll give this 'sh*t-on-a-stick' a big hell na.




The ride we took, that, at first, seemed like a baby rollercoaster (and pretty much is). It scared the dickens out of me. It looks like your cart is going to roll off the side when you do those stupid turns, of which there are like 6, and you feel your crusty cart tipping when you do. I would shift my body weight while turning, like that would keep us from flying off. Molly was laughing the entire time I was shaking with fear and trying to keep my purse in for dear life.

Poor Molly (whatever, I was her personal photog) just wished she had known of my irrational fears before we embarked upon our journey out to Prater Amusement Park. Thing is, I didn't really realize what had become of me. I haven't been to an amusement park in years. I used to ride everything and LOVE it (The Looping Starship at Astroworld always freaked me out though.)

We stopped by the Rathaus. The summer film festival was still going on.



We got ourselves a tomato, basil, mozzarella crepe fresh off the grill. Genius idea and cute booth to boot!


Don't you dare put that Nutella on my wondey crepe.




Feeling (and looking) the typical crust sensation after a day at an amusement park. Found a delightful home store to ease my pain. Prices caused pain to return.

Then one last dinner just the four of us. :(
We found a delicious outdoor Italian place.

Ich und meine Mutter.


Vater und dat Mädchen.


We ditched those 'rents and went to have a drink and read some German tabloids.
"Sie suchen nach Liebe" - "Liv Tyler is lookin' for love"...possibly in all the wrong places.


Before retiring in our hairball headboard hotel bed.

Gute Nacht, Wien!

Vienna: Day 2

Day 2 started off with a tour of the Hofburg Palace Museums: Imperial Treasury (jewels, fancy clothes), Imperial Dishery (holy cow), Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments (not apartments..palace rooms of gilded glory).



about 50 different sets of China (this is just ONE)..for different kinds of parties, natch.


black botanicals (framed for your walls) are hot now. These are beauty.


gold for miles.


This is 1/100th of their silver collection. Wedding registry nightmare (i know they didn't do that..because they didn't have scan guns!) is all I could think about.



amazing embroidery with seed pearls (in the flowers and around) and gold


Dad couldn't resist.

Have you heard of Sisi? If you've been to Vienna you have.



This is a replica...the woman had a 20-inch waist that ...gasp!..grew to 21 inches after 4 children. She was apparently narcissistic and weight crazy. Oh Sisi, you belong in our times! US Weekly would love to have you.

Also Volksgarten Park:

Meems gets perked about gardens and flowers. me too.



then Art Museum for Mom and Dad, Opera and MusikHaus for just Dad. Molly and I went off strolling the city. We were museum'd out.




Met back up with meems at the ever-crowded Stephansdom square later.


Later that night, dinner at a casual Japanese restaurant...not as good as my beloved Pei Wei though.




Mom wanted to go back to the sassy place we saw earlier that day and have a drink.


We capped the night off with a mistake: Campari Soda...bitta nasty. Definitely from hell...on wheels. But, we're still giving you our same dang grins.