The nice thing about living in central Europe is that many great cities are just a few hours away by train. Our first adventure outside of Graz was to Vienna, the capital of Austria. On Friday 22 March we boarded a train and 2.5 hours later we were in central Vienna. The lovely train ride took us through rolling hills, picturesque valleys, and several tunnels. The mountains were stunning as the evening sun illuminated the tree-lined peaks.
This photo was taken a few kilometers outside of Graz. That is the same river that runs through the centre of town.
Once in Vienna we found the tram, which took us to the Hotel Pension Stadtpark. After checking in and freshening up we headed to dinner. Because we were in Vienna over the weekend, Robert had already made reservations for dinner. Müllerbeisl was a traditional Viennese restaurant. We shared the pig’s knuckles, Wiener schnitzel, carrots and cabbage, and potato soup. Everything tasted delicious!
(Vienna’s main train station)
Once dinner was over we enjoyed strolling around Vienna at night. The city was alive with folks taking moonlit strolls in the Stadtpark and window-shopping along the various Strasse (streets). Faywen found a very pretty wedding dress and we saw everything from haute culture to discount shops! Once in the Stadtpark we came across the Golden Statue of Johann Strauss Sr., the waltz King! The Strauss’ were prevalent well-respected musicians in Vienna in the mid-late 1800’s. The Golden Statue of Strauss Sr. and various statues of his sons Richard, Johann Jr., and Josef were erected in memory of their contributions to the musical life in Vienna. Johann Jr. composed the famous Blue Danube Waltz.
This is the building where the Viennese came to dance to the Strauss family’s waltzes and polkas. Today it is still used as a dance hall and hosts classical concerts too.
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