Vienna in January

The plaza around St Stephen's is an exciting place on a Saturday afternoon. We were amused by a puppeteer and his rock star puppet who would wink and wave to women who walked close and he would pound away on his little piano. He attracted quite a crowd. There were costumed men aggressively selling tickets to a Mozart concert that evening. And there were people shopping up and down the streets. Inside St Stephen's was a haven of serenity after the noise outside. It was dark and quiet, smelling of wax and lit by flickering candles. The small gift shop had pretty little snow globes with St Stephen in them which make nice gifts. Sunday was very much quieter in the city. It made sense to start the day with the Vienna Choir Boys singing the Mass at the Hofburg Palace Chapel. Then you can spend the greater part of the day exploring all the parts of Hofburg Palace that are available to you.

Quick Tips:

The Hapsburgs are a huge presence still in this city whether it's the Schonbrunn Palace, The Hofburg Palace, even the Kunsthistorisches Museum whose collection was started by an archduke and an emperor. If you don't know who Sisi is know you will when you leave Vienna. I would recommend that you at least familiarize yourself with the key players in the Hapsburg dynasty so that the things you see will be relative. Allow yourself the better part of a whole day to visit Schonbrunn Palace. There are 2 very good tours and the carriage museum is a separate and very interesting building to browse. You can walk through the park to the Gloriette and have a great lunch in one of several restaurants.

Best Way To Get Around:

Vienna has many options for getting around. It is a easy city to walk. The trams are a fun way to cover longer distances. There is also a subway system, buses and cabs are everywhere and inexpensive. For the subway, trams and buses there is a day pass or a week pass. The day pass is good for 24 hours from the first punch you put on it and may be purchased at tobacco shops or at the subway station in a machine.

We were welcomed into their warm and bright lobby by the bellman who had a tray of glasses of warm punch. It set the mood for our whole visit. We met the same bellman two days later in the elevator and he pushed the button for our floor; he still remembered it. All of the service here was that personal. We had requested tickets for the Vienna Choir boys and they were waiting for us as the desk when we arrived.

Our room was lovely; it was a corner room, so it was large. It was painted a peachy color and one wall was all storage, closets and drawers and shelves. We had a color tv with 2 English channels and a minibar.

Our large bright bathroom had a shower and a tub as well as a towel warmer. We had 3 large windows, 2 chairs and a table, and even a small stool in the bathroom. The bed had feather pillows and feather comforters. It was very comfortable.

We got a weekend rate for Friday, Saturday and Sunday which was about $85. This included a fabulous buffet breakfast with champagne, juice, coffee, tea or hot chocolate, cereal, fruit, eggs and bacon, sausage, cheese and meat, toast, yogurt and the best selection of rolls that I have ever seen. We never left here hungry.

Everything about this hotel was first class at an excellent price. The #62 Tram goes right near the hotel, and the Taubstummengasse stop on the U1 was right around the corner.

This is a small intimate Italian Restaurant, tucked on a small plaza behind our hotel. The light is dim, there are candles lit on all the tables, the tables have crisp white linen tablecloths and the waiters are all dressed in white tuxedo type shirts and black pants. We began our meal with salad and hot bread sticks. They have an extensive wine list which one of us took advantage of, one had sparkling water and 2 of us the the usual pils.

My entre was a combination of 3 different types of pasta beautifully plated and each one was delicious and very different. One had an alfredo sauce, one a marinara and on it a creamy tomato sauce. The portions here are not large, with one exception. Our friend ordered the seafood pasta and he got a large plate of spagetti with shrimp, calamari and some other kind of fish in a red sauce. They have about 6 different choices of dessert which they invited us to view in a case. I wasn't in the mood for ice cream or cheese cake so I just had a pot of tea but the others ate dessert and seemed to enjoy it.

One warning, there is a plate charge on the bill I think they called it a linen charge, it wasn't very much but it was just not expected. Service here is attentive and the atmosphere is warm and inviting and the food is excellent. It's well worth a visit.

This is a small but very popular restaurant. We didn't have reservations and were lucky to get the last table; it was the least desirable being the closest to the kitchen but we were happy to have it. Our waitress and the hostess were both very friendly and between the two of them were able to help us to understand the specials. They had one menu in English which we shared.

For an appetizer we had a plate with a sample of all their appetizers. These included bread and cheese dumplings with walnuts and scalloped cabbage and artichokes. We were given a bread basket with homemade warm rye and white bread.

Our salad course was wonderful with a variety of field greens, yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes all covered with an excellant balsamic vinigrette. For my main course I ordered lamb chops which were four of the most tender and flavorful chops I've ever had. They were arranged on a bed of homemade fettucini and whole baby carrots and an onion that looked like a large scallion.

One of the others in our group had a half of a roasted chicken done with rosemary and artichokes au gratin. My husband had weiner schnitzel and parsley potatoes. Everyone raved about the food.

For dessert I had white chocolate mocha mousse which was presented beautifully with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The other dessert we tried was mango parfait.

This is a first class dining experience. The cost was about $30 a person. I would eat here again and if you are in Vienna I would recommend that you give it a try. But remember we almost didn't get a table in January without a reservation so I recommend you book as much in advance as you can, the quality of the food here is no secret with the locals.

After spending several hours enjoying all the beauty that the Schonbrunn Palace has to offer you will be in need of a lunch or tea stop. At the Cafe you will be able to find satisfaction in an elegant atmosphere. The booths are set up so that you feel as if you have an intimate table in a Viennese Coffee House. We had a large booth along the wall with a clear view of the glass case full of sinful looking pastries.

Our waiter was very professional and we soon were sipping our tea and hot chocolate while waiting for our lunch (we resisted the temptation to start and end with dessert). My husband had a habs burger, our friends had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and I had pumpkin soup. The soup came in a mini tureen and was steaming hot and wonderful.

But in spite of our best resolve, the pastry case was calling us and we wandered over to make our selection. There were at least 25 choices. We ended up with sachertorte and topfenstrudel (a cheese strudel). The strudels are made in the basement here and are a local favorite. Renewed in spirits and with our strength refreshed, we were able to finish our tour of the gift shops before catching the train back to the city.

This is the Museum of Military History and is located in the center of the Arsenal. The style of the building is very unique; it is moorish with byzantine influences. It was built between 1850 and 1856 which makes it the oldest museum in Vienna.

The museum is divided into 5 main sections from the 16th century to the end of World War II. The first room is the Thirty Years War during the reign of Maria Theresa and Prince Eugene of Savoy who was a great military leader of the time. There is a set of his armour, which shows what a very small man he was in stature even though he was a great military man. There is an Ottoman tent that was capture during the war with the Turks, loads of amazing guns, early rifles, pikes etc.

For me the most amazing exhibits were the ones leading up to World War I. The car that Franz Ferdinand was riding in when he was assasinated is in the museum, also the uniform that he was wearing and couch that he died on. There is a whole room on Austrian naval history including a replica of the ship that carried home the body of the executed emperor of Mexico, Maximillian, who was Franz Josef's brother.

We had a headphone set to carry around and give us additional information on some of the exhibits. There are also sheets in every room in English that give more information. We spent over 2 hours here and the men especially were facinated. There is a lot to see and much to enjoy.

To get to this museum we took the UI to Sudtirolerplatz station and then took the 13A bus for 2 stops. It is a little off the beaten track but worth the effort. The cost is 70As and includes the headphone tour.

Just around the corner from the Karl Platz this gem of a museum is a must for the art lover. It takes true determination to visit it; it's up 3 flights of stairs at the top of a building (no elevator) but the trek is well worth it.

As you enter the first thing that greets you is the Last Judgement triptych by Hieronymus Bosch. This is a large work and the demons in it are terrifying. His work has an amazingly futuristic look to it and the colors are still bring and fresh. In the same room is Lucretia by Lucas Cranach the Elder, which has been compared to Leonardo's Mona Lisa, as well as other early German and Dutch paintings. In the next room is a Botticelli Madonna and child, softly pastel and beautiful as only a Botticelli can be.

As if this wasn't enough there is Rembrandt's Portrait of a woman, a self portrait by Van Dyke, more than a dozen Rubens oil sketches among them one of the three graces, and a Murillo of two boys gaming. This and much more await you at the Academy of Fine Art.

The Hofburg Palace is the former home of the Austrian Royal Family . The oldest part of the building dates from the 16th century. The parts that we visited were the Chapel, the Royal Apartments, The Treasury and the China and Silver Collection.

The Royal Apartments are dedicated to the memory of Emperor Franz Josef and his wife the Empress Elizabeth "Sisi". Their portraits by the famed artist Franz Xavier Winterhaulter are in the Grand Salon. Sisi is gorgeous in a white ball gown with stars in her hair and Franz Josef is dressed in a red and white military uniform. There is another Winterhaulter portait of Sisi in the Emperor's study which is informal with her very long hair hanging loose and this is said to be the emperor's favorite picture of his wife. Since she spent a great deal of time away from him it must have been cold comfort.

We had a headphone tour of the apartments which was quite interesting. As you begin the tour there is a large genealogy chart so that you can try to figure out who some of the people are. The rooms are of impressive size and the decorations are luxurious but there is an underlying sadness here for a time that has past and will never return.

One of the early rooms has lots of informal childhood pictures that give a pretty good idea of what kind of a life imperial children led. Some of their toys have been preserved. In Sisi's room her exercise equipment is still there waiting for her and we learned that she perhaps was one of the early anorexics. She was obsessed with keeping her figure and almost never ate. This caused problems at dinner parties where guests were not allowed to eat after the empress or emperor had finished, guests soon learned to eat before they came to a dinner party at the palace.

We got to walk through their personal rooms as well as the formal rooms and the dining room was especially attractive, set up for a small family dinner. I have included a picture that I took of it; photography was discouraged in the apartments.

To really have any understanding of the immense wealth of the Hofburg family you need to walk through the Imperial Silver and China Collection. This can be done on a combination ticket with the Imperial Apartments and it is also included on the headphone tour. There is case after case of the most phenomenal Meissen, Sevres, a completely gilt set by the Vienna Porcelain, a dessert set by Minton, an Imari set, and a set of dishes in a pattern called Miramire which Maximillan had commissioned for his illfated court in Mexico. There is a whole wall of copper dessert molds, a room full of exquisite table linens, cases of silver and gold service pieces and the magnificent Milan table piece, which is huge. There is the Sevres porcelain that was a gift to Empress Maria Theresa from Louis XV and the outstanding Vermeil set which has service for 140 people. On a more normal note there was an entire pantry filled with blue tranfer ware and pink lustre ware which was beautiful, practical and much more to my taste. It's easy to get glutted here on the sheer extravagance of it all. Who would have thought that you could say "enough of the gold already"?

If you are going to make a whole day of it as we did I suggest you listen the Vienna Choir Boys first in the Imperial Chapel and then do the treasury. The apartments and the silver and china collection can be done in the afternoon of the same day. There is also a cafe in the complex where we stopped for a cup of tea and a sacher torte but it was nothing worth writing about. The Treasury has a nice gift shop and it has a headphone tour as well. Here is where you will find the world's largest emerald, the Imperial Crown and Septre, the crown dates from 962 and is studded with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. Also here is the sabre of Charlemagne and a 9th century lance that was thought to be the one which pierced the side of Jesus. On a more personal note there are the christening gowns of imperial children. Also outstanding is the Burgundian vestment collection which has some of the finest needlework in the world. There are all sorts of chalices, crosses, reliquaries and other religious items as well as the coronation robes of the Emperors of Austria. It is a magnificent collection, well organized and with an interesting commentary on the headphones.

On Sunday we had purchased tickets to the Mass at the Hofburg Palace Chapel where the Choir Boys sing the Mass. If you have ever considered doing this you may reconsider after you read this.

The chapel is quite small and people are packed into the pews. There are also seats along the sides of the balcony upstairs. The choir boys are in the upper balcony, two stories directly above where we were so there was no way we would ever be able to see them.

Our 2 friends had seats upstairs in the first row and if they stuck their heads out the window (yes, the front row is behind a partition with windows) they could just see the first row of boys.

In the part of the Chapel where we were there is a center aisle and they sell standing room only tickets for the aisle , there were at least 3 people across. As it turned out my husband and I had seats 71 and 72 and they were both aisle seats across the aisle from each other and with people packed into the aisle (some of them dragging along their suitcases) we didn't see each other for almost an hour.

Luckily for us we had attended Mass on Saturday night because we couldn't see Mass from where we were either. Now having said all the negatives, the sound in that chapel was divine. The acoustics are wonderful and the singing was to die for, and if you are claustrophobic you might just have(die, that is).

I don't think that this is the best way to hear the choirboys. Many of the standing room people were not Catholic and were chatting and carrying on during the Mass (just the fact that they dragged their suitcases in with them was horrifing enough, this has to be a fire hazard). It is disrespectful to say the least. It was treated like it was a concert which of course it wasn't but the frosting on the cake was when they passed the basket even though we had payed quite a high price to have our supposedly good seats.

The music is so wonderful that I am not even sure how to rate this. The music is divine, the Mass wasn't!!!

If after all this you still want to experience this you must order your tickets as many month in advance as possible. The tickets are scarce and sell out quickly. We ordered them through the concierge at our hotel about 4 or 5 month in advance.

After Mass the choirboys come out in their signiture uniforms for photos but the crowd was so overwelming I didn't even bother.