We arrived in Vienna on a Friday evening after sunset. It was a long train ride from Erfurt, almost six hours. The high speed ICE train took us south and east, stopping briefly in the border city of Passau before crossing into Austria. We must take a trip to Passau some day, Ron and I agree for the hundredth time. On the first draft of this trip a few years back, we had planned to spend time here as part of a week long bike tour of the Danube. But that is another story, yet to be had and yet to be told. Today, the story continues on to Vienna, city of music, theatre, art, culture, and of course, the Viennese!
From the train station, it was a quick ride on the U-Bahn (Vienna's version of the London Tube) and we were in heart of Vienna where we found Hotel Austria. We had stayed here before, and rounding the familiar corner was like running into an old friend. We have missed Vienna! At the front desk, Piero flipped effortlessly from fluent Italian for one guest, to German for another, to English for us. Yes, he could recommend a traditional Austrian meal for us, a local guesthouse nearby with a simple menu. It is where he takes his children when they tire of his Italian cooking. Imagine...
It took three tries, and we had all but given up when we stumbled on the Pfudl Gasthaus. As instructed by Piero, we asked for Lea and were escorted into the basement seating area where we enjoyed a dinner of Schnitzel and boiled parsley potatoes, and Apple Strudel with cream for dessert. As we left, the owner offered to take a photo of us, then graciously agreed to pose for another!
Vienna is a beautiful city. On this warm evening in late summer, without the competition of a brilliant blue sky and bright sunlight, the city literally glowed.
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