I wasn’t supposed to be in Vienna and yet I think I was. A city I only briefly visited in college with a school group, from that first meeting, I knew I wanted more. On my recent trip through Eastern Europe, the plan was to head to Romania. However with sub zero temperatures, national road closures and snow, I decided to forgo being a world news story and find the story instead in Vienna. Vienna is utterly effortless. It is a city so grand, so royal, and at the same time, it is unpretentious and kind. For a big city, Vienna is unhurried, appreciated with ever bite of schnitzel and Sacher Continue Reading
Dessert in Vienna: A Slice of Aristocracy and the Sacher Torte
I step inside what appears to be wall-to-wall red fabric with gold appliqué, large portraiture and dripping crystal. A man in a black suit greets me as he points me in the direction of the coat check. Still frozen from Vienna’s cold outside, I hesitate. Do I have to? I glance around at the opulence bombarding me and realize, yes, I have to. To be an aristocrat for dessert in Vienna you would never wear your coat indoors. Five minutes later, after peeling the various layers of coats, scarves and hats off of my frozen self, I rub my hands together for warmth as I am shown to my table by the Continue Reading
In Search of Schnitzel in Vienna
It is so quiet you could hear my fork drop on the plate ever so lightly, that is, if I ever put it down. My waiter makes certain to place my Erdäpfel-Vogerlsalat, a vinegary potato salad with lamb’s lettuce, down in such a manner that I wouldn’t ever have to give my fork a rest. My dining companion tells me this is customary in Germany and Austria to place your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right at all times. Almost like dinner gloves, you wear these tools until the plate is clean. My plate tonight is a golden dream, a Viennese specialty, Wiener Schnitzel. The traditional Continue Reading