After a relatively mild winter Mother Nature decided to unleash her forces on much of the East Coast. The resulting Winter Storm Jonas, also known as Snowzilla, brought well over two feet of snow to New York City. Of course even a blizzard cannot bring the city that never sleeps to a standstill; numerous stores and bars remained open. It did, however, sadly mean that ballet classes were cancelled, and that Katja found herself with some unexpected free time. So, after a quick session of fun in the snow (as pretty as it was there’s only so much cold and wet she can take), she decided to head back home to make Glühwein (naturally she stocked up on the essentials just in case all the shops had been shut), and reminisce about her New Year’s trip to Vienna. Vienna is a city that Katja can just go on and on about, because, as she knows she's mentioned before, she loves it ever so much.
Katja is never much of a planner when she travels, and this last trip was particularly leisurely, especially given her that her first evening in Vienna was a late one. After dancing the night away at the Hofburg Silvesterball she certainly wasn't going to get up bright and early simply to get things checked off of a to-do list.
Of course she did made certain to get in some art and lots of cake, but really, Vienna is such a beautiful city that one doesn't need a plan. Simply by wandering the streets one encounters so many beautiful things, such as the window displays at Demel.
Established in 1786, Demel is one of Katja's favorite bakeries in Vienna. It's a lovely spot with a large assortment of beautiful cakes, which can be eaten in numerous charming rooms spread over three floors. But as much as Katja enjoys Demel's cakes, it's the Topfenpalatschinken that she loves the most, and what she orders every time she's there. While it's normally served with a delicious warm vanilla sauce, this time she was given an equally tasty chocolate sauce, as well as the usual generous portion of whipped cream.
And, since she's covering the topic of desserts, why not mention two of her other favorite cafes, Café Imperial and Café Diglas. Café Imperial is located in the luxurious Imperial Hotel, and is known for its Imperial Torte, which, according to legend, was invented by a kitchen boy on the occasion of the hotel's opening in honor of His Majesty Franz Joseph I of Austria. However Katja doesn't really care who invented it or why, she just knows that it's incredibly delicious (she is partial to things with marzipan). Equally tasty were the other cakes she tried there; it was a cake for lunch kind of day so she had an excuse to indulge.
Café Diglas she loves both for its cakes (she enjoyed a delicious yogurt and poppyseed concoction) and its decor - little ornaments dangling from chandeliers, and lampshades made of petticoats. Not quite as cute as tutus would have been, but close.
Besides indulging in sweets at her favorite coffee shops, it wouldn't be a trip to Vienna without catching a performance at the Vienna State Opera. The beautiful opera house, designed by architect August Sicard von Sicardsburg and interior decorator Eduard van der Nüll, originally opened in 1869; most of the building was destroyed during World War II, and it reopened in 1955. As much as she loves opera, Katja prefers ballet, and always hopes that there'll be one on while she's in town. And indeed there was, John Neumeier's Verklungene Feste and Josephs Legende. She can't say either would rank amongst her favorite ballets, but she still very much enjoyed the performance, especially as she always likes to see things that she hasn't seen before.
It also wouldn't be a trip to Vienna without visiting a museum or two, and enjoying some of the art that she loves so much. She's a huge fan of the artists associated with the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte. One of the museums where their work can be found is the Leopold Museum, which also has many works by one of her favorite artists,currently on display in the exhibition Egon Schiele – Self-Abandonment and Self-Assertion. Other favorite museums of hers are the Museum für angewandte Kunst, and the Belvedere. Sadly she wasn't able to make it to either on this trip, but she knows she'll back, and most likely sooner rather than later.
Vienna is also a city filled many beautiful churches, and one of her favorites is the 17th century Franziskanerkirche. While it might not be as grand as the Stephansdom, she loves its Baroque interior, which comes as quite a surprise given its much less ornate Renaissance style exterior. The church is particularly lovely over the holidays, as it's decorated with Christmas trees and poinsettias.
Finally, as she is writing this drinking a tasty glass of Glühwein, Katja figured she'd mention that not only does Austria have very good cakes, it also has very good wine. So, of course, she made certain to sample lots of that too. Among the spots she likes to enjoy a good Austrian red are Santo Spirito, a restaurant/bar which plays classical music (so cozy and relaxing), and Pürstner, an Austrian restaurant with very eclectic decor (she's a sucker for things like that).
But, of course, as much as Katja likes her wine, and even when she indulges in a bit too much of the stuff, she always remains a lady, and knows when it's time to end the evening.
Wine goggles really aren't her style, after all.
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