The first part of this review/blog has been compiled prior to the trip. This part is included under ‘The Planning’. The second part. ‘The Reality’ will be/has been completed after the location has been visited.
The Planning
At last, a city with hotels with reasonable price tags. Perhaps August is a cheaper time. Maybe at Christmas prices skyrocket. In fact, there are so many really good hotels suddenly the mad panic that had inflicted me when trying to find accommodation in Elba, Sorrento and Dubrovnik has dissipated and I am calm.
Reading the reviews on Trip Advisor, one thing stood out: every review raved about the hotels’ breakfasts. It doesn’t surprise me; it is something I would expect from the Austrians. At time of writing, I haven’t booked a hotel yet. I feel I have time. I’m at a crossroads of contemplation: do I book what look to be very decent, clean and highly rated hotels of which some are £40 per night and make up for the extortionate amounts paid in Dubrovnik et al and therefore ‘even out’ the average nightly hotel cost to a very palatable average or, do I pay a little bit more and even out the nightly average to a little more than I would like to pay on average per night during my overall stay. Decisions, decisions, decisions…
While contemplating, I thought I’d have a look at something I’m rather looking forward to when I get to Vienna: CAKE.
And, what else did I find on my research for cakes…? This review on Trip Advisor:
And so, I read on…It’s a smoker’s paradise! You can virtually smoke anywhere. A question on smoking in cake shops on Trip Advisor:
Q: “I detest smoking. Isn’t there a cake shop somewhere that at least has a non-smoking area?”
A: “yes, you can sit outside where you are more likely to get fresher air”
Non-smokers are sent outside! Oh, that is fabulous. You can imagine it can’t you?
Waiter, “Excuse me sir, are you not smoking?”
Customer, “errr…no, I’m a non-smoker”
Waiter, “I’m very sorry, you’ll have to go outside”
It seems that there are non-smoking laws but (a) they are confusing (b) there are more exceptions than actual applications of the rule and (c) – the best bit – (quote) “Austrians generally just ignore the laws and smoke anyway”.
Oh this is going to be bliss.
Hotel Decision Made:
My decision was probably swung by the reviews of this hotel’s breakfasts. The reviewers raved about breakfast. Since I have lost two stone since deciding to shed some weight a while ago (I found it incredibly easy) I think I should now gorge on breakfast. The hotel advises on it’s website to leave at least an hour for breakfast. Yes sir!
THE EXPERIENCE:
On arriving in Vienna (Saturday) we were very tired. It has been a long flight and bed was calling. I ventured out and wandered around the Museum Quarter which is a stone’s throw from our hotel. I also walked up the main shopping street and just familiarized myself with the area. Sunday was exceptionally quiet in the city. All the shops in our area were closed and the streets deserted. Of course that’s true for most cities. Yes, there would be life right in the centre but we had tomorrow. Instead we simply wandered around and relaxed. We did however venture to take a ride on the famous Vienna ferris wheel ( the ‘Wiener Riesenrad’ in Leopoldstadt).
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The ferris wheel with its wooden carriages
Vienna is smoker-friendly. I love the tabac shops with an array of different cigarettes. I have had to start smoking different cigarettes (mainly). In Dubrovnik I found a brand that I liked. They are called ‘Walter Wolf’. Today, I have discovered Benson and Hedges Black. I adore the box not only for the colour but the way in the inner box slides out of the outer box a little like a matchbox.
I’ve also been sampling different beers. A particular favourite so far is Haus Marke, a beer with a beautiful aroma of grapefruit and mango and a deep rich flavour. I’m going to miss that beer.
The hotel is nice. It’s location is very good and the breakfast buffet is a feast of variety. It is renowned for its breakfasts. The room is great too. Very large and comfortable.
Below: The bedroom at the Rathaus, Wein and Design Hotel
Vienna has a host of coffee houses. Many of which you can smoke in. For me, this is like a heavenly gift: coffee, cake and cigarettes. OMG….what is there not to like? And, the places themselves have a subdued and dark allure conjured up by the décor and furniture. Today I had coffee and apple strudel while sitting on an outside table.
Below: The interior of the Leopold Hawelka coffee house and the apple strudel served on a table outside 
We don’t have lots of time in this city and so decided to aim to do only certain things. High on my list of priorities was to buy a travel kettle and a screwdriver. What a typically touristy thing to do! We went to the Schonbrunn Palace, walked around the gardens, played in the mazes and took a tour inside the palace which was packed with sightseers. Below are some photos of the grounds of the palace.
The architecture in Vienna is wonderful. Grand imposing buildings. It’s a shame we didn’t plan the visit better. I’m sure that we would have got much more out of this city if we had properly researched it and made a proper timetable. Never mind, Vienna isn’t far away and it is the sort of place that will be so pretty at Christmas. Below is a very small selection of the various buildings of Vienna.
On our last morning in Vienna we got up early, had breakfast and headed for the Spanish Riding School to watch the magnificent horses rehearsing at the school. No photography or filming is allowed and I behaved myself (unusual) despite many people simply ignoring the continuous reminders.
I took a couple of photographs outside and, before the horses and their riders came into the arena, the arena itself. I also managed to get a couple of the horses in their stables.
They are beautiful creatures. Rehearsal was interesting. It seemed to be a free for all, each rider doing exactly what they wanted with their horse; I suppose they may have particular things which they want to hone. I was surprised by the quite frequent ‘stampede’ in which horses would suddenly decide to do what THEY wanted to do and not what the rider was trying to achieve.
The horses look graceful and beautiful. However, within a short time I began to feel uneasy with it all. I watched as the horses were trotting around the arena with their heads bowed down close to their chests in a graceful swan-like curve and felt that they were being forced to do so (they are) and, more importantly, it was unnatural and not something which the horses wished to do. I only felt comforted by the thought that each rider must truly love their horse and that they are probably very well looked after. That was a consolation to my uneasy feelings about the horses’ wellbeing.
Just before leaving the city we walked one final time around the streets. Another coffee house: another large selection of cakes. Another tobacconist: another large selection of cigarettes.
2015 Euro Flight 