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Vienna: All the Details

This May, to celebrate our 50th birthdays and our 22nd anniversary, Dave and I took a huge 15 day trip to Europe. We started in Vienna, Austria where Dave's ancestors immigrated from. Then we drove to Basel to meet a group of close friends for a 7-day cruise up the Rhine. And we ended this dream trip in Amsterdam for a few days. 

It was busy and exciting and so much fun. We'll be thinking about the adventures we had on this trip for years to come. 

Vienna

Let's start with Vienna, a city Dave has been to for work but never quite explore, and I've never been. 

We stayed at Imperial Riding School Autograph Hotel just outside main town. I was excited to check-in with our last name that is very Austrian -- not having to correct someone is always great. 

The hotel was beautiful and updated. Our room was perfect. Small, for sure, but comfortable with a little sofa and table for working or laying out snacks and an updated bathroom. It was a little too far outside the center of town, so I'd want to move closer next time -- but it was a comfortable stay. 

The hotel was decked out for Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Not something we're familiar with, at all. So we were surprised when we got to our Food Tour and met an American couple from Chicago who was here specifically for the contest. Apparently, it's been going on for the last 70 years and attracts 66 million fans every year! It's HUGE. For the rest of the trip, we asked friends if they knew what it was, and the Europeans all remember watching it as kids. Amazing. 

So a few things about Vienna:

  1. The coffeehouse culture is a BIG thing. Be prepared to find a coffeehouse, and sit for awhile enjoying a pastry (none of them are too sweet, so perfectly fine for any time of the day). And the official coffee is the "Melange" -- it's kinda latte, milky and delicious.  
  2. This city is super walkable. With a middle "ring" and neighborhoods spiraling out from there. 
  3. Cathedrals, museums, castles, etc. This city has it all. I picked the Belvedere as my one museum and it was a small but delightful collection, featuring Gustav Klimt who is from here. I wish we had enough time to tour the Schonbrunn Palace, that looked amazing. As did the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Next time!
  4. They love their female monarchs! Maria Theresa ruled for decades while giving birth to 16 children. Empress Sisi had a long-lasting impact with her long hair and gym membership. And Marie Antoinette grew up here -- even getting a marriage proposal from Mozart when they were children. Cute! 
  5. White Asparagus Season is the best. We were lucky enough to hit the city during the white asparagus and it was so very good. 
I booked us two tours through Viator. The Best of Vienna walking tour really gave us a great historical background and put buildings and places into perspective. And the Authentic Vienna Food Tour which was three hours of delicious food and chatting with the other members of the tour, who were really interesting and fun. Highly recommend both.  

The week started out chilly and rainy but we eventually saw the sun before we had to leave. It was four busy days well spent! 

Next, we rented a car and drove to Munich, Germany. Let me say, the no-speed limit highway was incredibly awesome. I do love driving fast. 

More on that in the next post ... 

But first, a few photos: 


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