On the second late morning of our trip, my mom and I went on a lovely walk to The Albertina museum in search of some of the most beloved and iconic artists of the last two centuries.
On our way, we passed by a darling little Christmas shop nestled in a street only a few rows down from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Despite it being May, I had to pop in and visit the little shop. Not only was it all the most delightful European handmade treasures, it was also owned and managed by a woman that exuded genuine kindness and joy for her country. She gave excellent suggestions on where to visit, all while packaging up some little treasures for me to take home.
We continued our walk and entered The Albertina – currently housing Picasso, Degas, Matisse, Renoir, Cèzanne and… Monet. Sigh. It was like being in the most delectable patisserie, overwhelmed by beauty and visual consumption to the near point of fatigue… but it was so very worth it.
After an enjoyable browse through the gift shop we stopped at Café Demel’s museum location for a dessert completely new to me – “Kaiserschmarrn”. As with everything in Vienna, it was unexpectedly and exceedingly delightful. Cooked plums ladled on top of a sort of shredded pancake and dusted with powdered sugar… absolutely unreal.
After this indulgence we set off to find the location of the Vienna Philharmonic, as my dad had requested we go there on his behalf. I put it into my gps, and off we went. We passed by marvelous buildings on our way, of palatial grandeur. This was something so intriguing to me, how it was possible for one city to have so many grandiose and lavishly ornate buildings was beyond my comprehension.
As we continued our search, we asked a woman on the street where the philharmonic played, and I guess my gps had been leading us to a location that wasn’t right for our intended purpose. She pointed us a different way, and off we went. When we came to a stop farther down, we asked another man for help, and he pointed us in an entirely different direction after looking at his phone for help. Not to waste more time, we asked a third person for help, who confidently validated the second man’s directions… so, onward we trudged. And finally – success! We saw the outside of the Vienna Opera House, and walked a little distance further to photograph the location where the philharmonic plays their annual New Year’s Day concert. The greatest irony? We had been within a short walk at the very start of our journey, when we were at The Albertina. The long walk was worth it though!
After a bit of grocery shopping and a brief rest, we took the kids on the train to see the outside of the Schönbrunn, the summer home of the monarchs of 1600’s. For a little while the younger kids played near the palace gardens, and then we returned back to the city for some dinner – first stopping at a Vienna hotel dog stand for the girls to enjoy a giant hot dog to share, and then a meal for the rest of us at Reinthaler’s Beisl. We enjoyed some Viennese goulash, and… more schnitzel. Once we enjoyed our hearty meal we stepped next door to Café Leopold Hawelka for some apple strudel, cottage cheese pie and ice cream. The best way we found to enjoy the meals while traveling was to order a modest amount and simply try a bit of whatever we were interested in – economical and delicious. One of the waiters caught me taking a picture as we were leaving, and with good humor he gave me quite a pose.
And this was the end of day two – remarkable and memorable!
PS, how ADORABLE are these little walk sign people in the neighborhood where we stayed?!
Tamara Hebert 
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