Like Billy Joel's song, "Vienna", I tend to move too fast. I find it hard to slow down, especially when traveling in Europe. There is just so much to see and do. But when we arrived in Vienna I tossed the itinerary out the window and allowed myself the luxury of viewing the city through my children's eyes.
I have to admit I wasn't all that excited about visiting Vienna. My memories of it were that it was expensive and cold. To be fair, I visited a long time ago, in the middle of winter, as a college student on a budget. It was my children who wanted to add this destination to our travels. Maddie is a dancer. She wanted to experience the music and culture. Addison wanted to see all the buildings he had been studying in architecture. When luck, and an excellent travel agent, placed us in the perfect location magic happened.
Vienna is a city of sophisticated and refined patterns. Every where I looked I noticed similar shapes and methodical patterns. We were a brioche's throw away from the
Opera House with the
Secession Building, the
Cafe Museum, the
Naschmarkt, the
Majolikhaus, and
Karlsplatz Pavilions all nearby. Without Addison's architectural knowledge we may have passed by these wonderful buildings unnoticed.
The best part about relaxing an itinerary is it allows you to lose yourself in places like the
Naschmarkt. The series of building are not necessarily an architectural wonder or a sophisticated performance, but they create a vibrant, bustling world of sights and sounds that make their own music. Full of delicious aromas and bright colors we fell in love with the market. We were intrigued by all that could be found within its few block radius from produce, seafood, baked goods and flowers, to spices, chocolate, soaps, and clothes. We found ourselves wandering there every day.
Roses in the
Volksgarten, the people's garden, climb the Majolikhaus.
The curly patterns on the mosaic urns at the entrance of the
Secession Building mimic the shapes of fruits and vegetables at the
Naschmarkt.
Colorful flower pots at the cafe behind the
Secession Building compliment the rich jewel tones of the fruits at the
Naschmarkt.
The rectangular containers holding savory treats at the Naschmarkt mirror the windows and colors on the facade of the
Hundertwasser Haus.
Assorted olives at the
Naschmarkt would fit snugly in the oval holes on the exterior of the
Secession Building.
Can you find the patterns on the
Secession Building and the lily pond at the
Volksgarten?
At
Demel, an elegant pastry shop we enjoyed a delicious, sophisticated lunch of cream of asparagus soup and a composed chicken Caesar salad. We ended the meal with a traditional
Esterhazytorte.
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| Cream of Asparagus Soup |
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| A Very Civilized Chicken Caesar Salad |
Unfortunately, there was not a ballet performance while we were in Vienna, but we did go to the opera to see
Tosca. The performance was magnificent. The beautiful glass lights at
Demel reminded me of upside-down tutus.
Although we did not see any ballerinas on stage, we did see these exquisite ballet mannequins in the window of a jewelry story displaying their elegant jewels.
I had not expected to fall in love with Vienna, but I did. An elegant jewel, refined and sophisticated Vienna waits for you.
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