Back to Vienna

 Leaving Budapest at 9 am we arrived back in Vienna by noon. We checked into the hotel near Leopoldstradt and headed back to Vienna's center for an afternoon of art at the Albertina Gallery. The Gallery had three major exhibitions. One per floor. Da Vinci's Drawings, Picasso retrospective, and William Kentridge retrospective. That's some purty heavy hitters! So we decided to separate, each enjoying the gallery as they please and rendezvous at the wine bar under the gallery in a few hours.

By then evening approached and we set off through the city lights to find the Cafe Pruckell  for diner and dessert. This classic, classy cafe is a step into 1950 and the piano goes great with the coffee...

the travellers

Then we wander the city and found a place that was a bit more like 1850. Greeted by a well dressed man in the finest suit and bow tie who quickly found us a table( and the place was packed ) but with style and grace, he squeezed us into the middle of the place. Cafe Hawelka or Leopold''s as the locals have called it since 1939 well kind of...the place open its doors in '39 and 5 days latter closed -WWII. The city was heavily damaged by the war but this cafe was untouched and  in 1945 reopened... Wow! What luck. The exterior would never told this tale.... and a great place and a great way to end this week long escapade!