November Holiday

Its our second year here in Turkey and we continue to do what we set out to do, travel! During our week off in November we flew to Vienna, Austria and enjoyed a few days there before heading on to two other countries. It is a short 2 and half hour direct flight to Vienna from Izmir. Upon arrival to Vienna we took the train to our hotel near the museum quarter. We quickly choose one of the local coffee houses to have lunch in. Cafe Ritter is one of the oldest running coffee houses, where the waiters still wear tuxedos. You can order coffee, of course but they also have a full traditional food menu and serve local wine (they boast over 200 different wines are made in Austria) and beer.

Inside the Ritter Cafe

With our bellies full of Schnizel we set off on foot to explore the city. We walked past many grand buildings and enjoyed the horse drawn carriages passing us by through the old quarter. Overall, we found Vienna very nice but a bit too touristy. At times it felt a little "too clean" and lacked the grit and commotion of a real city.

Walking around the museum quarter

Part of the old city that remains has a very complex medieval layout. In the center of all of it is the Stephandsdom Church. It is from the 13th century and features many amazing details. We took a short ride up the small elevator to the bell tower and were able to get a good look around the city from there. The most impressive feature about this church is the tiled roof. It is covered with over a quarter million glazed tiles. Much of it was destroyed in World War 2  but has been restored. The roof was our favorite part! That evening we went to an old opera house and watched a traditional Joseph Hayden opera set in a modern scene. It was very interesting and a good nap for some of the other weary travelers.

Outside of Stephansdom Church

A view from the bell tower of the tiled roof.

Another bell tower view

Looking across Vienna towards the Dunabe River

Sculpture in the Belvedere Gardens

The Belvedere from the outside.

Vienna has amazing museums. High on our list was a visit to the Belvedere.  The Belvedere is a palace with extensive gardens that houses an impressive collection of Austrian art. It holds the worlds largest Gustav Klimt collection that was very impressive along with work by Schiele (a new favorite of Rena's) and Kokoschka. It took us nearly all day to walk and find the museum and to see the exhibit. By the time we left it was time for beer and dinner. After dinner, Rena was on a quest to find a slice of the famous Sacher Torte. What better place to find it than the Sacher Hotel. The torte has been around for a few hundred years and is a grand piece of chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam beneath a thick smooth layer of chocolate coating. It was fabulous!

The famous Sacher Torte!

Graffiti on the train.

After eating, drinking and touring around Vienna for three days we were ready to head to our next destination, Bratislava (the capitol of Slovakia). Worried you didn't hear enough about Vienna? Don't be. We head back here at the end of our trip for another few days. Stay tuned. Next up? The historic Bratislava!