travel dairy; kirchbach – a day of calories with dia

So it was time to meet up with my favorite girl in Vienna, Claudia@happface313. With her working away on the bank during the week, our dates have to happen over a weekends.

With Robert going into Vienna for his nephew’s confirmation – I got a lift to an area I’m familiar with – the area was Ann Liisa and I stayed when I visit Vienna the first time. So I know how to get around on public transport from there.

Because I wanted a day on my own in Vienna too, I had booked a hotel room at “Hotel Mozart”, just by Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, where my train back to country-life is departing from.

Had heard about Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof and I thought it was the stunningly beautiful old station, but how wrong was I. It’s one of the ugliest building in Vienna, I have seen … just a grey block of glass and metal, and inside not much more appealing. The only positive things were that it’s holding the only 2 supermarket that is open in Vienna on a Sunday, one grocery (Billa) and one drugstore (Bipa) – and the ticket salesman.

I had mixed up the station with the old Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof that is situated by Schönbrunn Palace.

Dia, as I call Claudia, and I started off with a great brunch at a fantastic waterhole, “Restaurant DAS 1090” on Liechtensteinstraße 42. We were given the most beautiful sunny Saturday to enjoy together. Vienna was really smiling at us.

We took a good time as we enjoyed our fantastic breakfast sandwich … sitting outdoors in the sun. We had loads to talk about, it’s was nearly 1,5 years since our last date.

dia©happyface313

After brunch was it time for Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, I have been there before, but I can get enough of the gardens. Have never been inside, but that I wait with that for a rainy day. We were not alone, so busy – but the gardens are huge … they don’t feel crowded.

The Gloriette

Saturday means wedding and Schönbrunn’s surroundings is a lovely setting for the wedding photos – so there were at least 3 weddings shootings going on. I felt sorry for the poor brides in their big dresses in that sunshine. One of the brides didn’t look very happy, I hope it was the weather in combination with her dress that caused her unhappiness.

The palace gardens are so beautiful … and the spring was just giving it them that little extra and both tourists and locals enjoyed the lovely day. The park at Schönbrunn Palace was opened to the public around 1779 – extending for 1.2 km from east to west and approximately one kilometer from north to south, it was placed together with the palace on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1996.

We walked around on the grounds and we came to the “rose garden” and I notice that it’s possible to donate a rose bush and I bought into the idea straight away. What a fantastic idea to be remembered by a  blooming rose bush every year at Schönbrunn, so one day there will a rose bush in remembering of me at Schönbrunn. It will cost me €650/ for 10 years. Have found all the details online and it’s now added to my will. On the card, it will say: “as long as we are being remembered, we remain alive.”

Around 3pm we started to long for a good cup of coffee and Dia suggested we should go to one of the oldest cafes in Vienna … only a couple of minutes drive from the palace and in the right quarters of the city. 

“Kurkonditorei OBERLAA”  (Café Dommayer) one of the most elegant and oldest cafes in the city. Vienna’s self-proclaimed ‘sweetest address’ consists of ten Konditorei and cafés, but Dia took me the main one, at Dommayergasse 1 in the 13th district where Johann Strauss gave his first waltz concert in 1849.

What I understand it was once a casino set up in 1832, which Johann Strauss father, Josef Lanner and the “Waltz King” Johann Strauss Sohn performed very successfully.

Café Dommayer has both a nice terrace in front of the beautiful building and big garden in back. We enjoyed the sunshine at the front terrace … with some soda drinks and cakes. Don’t have a clue what happened coffee???!!! It didn’t happen at all.

They are famous for their macaroons: they are in fact so special, they even deserve their own name: LaaKronen.

Just in front of the terrace was a roundabout and there was the most stunning tulips … all in red and orange, that seems to be the color of Vienna this spring … and in all the hundreds of red & orange tulips was one tall white tulip. Oscar loved it. 

And in front of the cafe was a new kind of newsagent – very neath … and sold out. Later on the following day, I saw more of them. 

After the nice cafe Dia decided that we should finish off with the best ice cream in the city; “Eissalon Tuchlauben”

After quite a long drive in and out of districts and over the Donau – I suddenly found myself only a couple of steps from the St. Stephen’s Cathedral at Tuchlauben 15 and the queue to the ice cream parlor was never-ending, went along the whole street – but that was only the queue for the take away. We got a little table very quickly (very few) and had the most lovely waitress … so smiley and pleasant. And the ice cream was worth every minute in the car. And we got our coffee!!!!

After the ice cream, Dia drove me to the hotel and we had quite an emotional farewell … and 15 min later I realized that Oscar was still in the backseat. Poor Dia had to come back with him. Our lovely day could be allowed to be without a hick-up. Me AGAIN!!!

What a an outstanding day … thank you so much, Dia!!! I only wish that we could have more of our days … or maybe they wouldn’t be so special then. Already longing for our next one.

“Dream on, but don’t imagine they’ll all come true.
When will you realize… Vienna waits for you.”
Billy Joel

As cloud over this post, I have chosen “Frühlingsstimmen” (Voices of Spring) – an orchestral waltz, with optional solo soprano voice, written in 1882 by Johann Strauss II. Strauss dedicated the work to the pianist and composer Alfred Grünfeld. The waltz was not a great success at its premiere but was more successful when performed on Strauss’ tour of Russia in 1886.