Vienna General Tips by morgenhund

Favorite Thing: Vienna's reputation as a city synonymous with coffee goes back to the Turkish siege of 1683. In the late 19th century they were a centre for the homeless literati who would use a café as a holding address, and there are a number of cafés still open today that boast some pretty famous clientèle. Prices and experiences can vary greatly from one establishment to the other. However, the coffee house is an incredible way to while away the day - people-watching and pondering and letting the world go by as you nurse your coffee.

Fondest Memory: It is curiously reassuring that even if hell were to freeze over, that in the Viennese section there would still be a coffee house open and serving with the same haughty service and the grubby, dog-earred look. Admittedly working life has put paid to my coffee house frequenting - the days of nursing three coffees over an entire day to be able to sit in a warm café rather than a freezing flat are but a memory - but I went through all the varieties of coffee served known to man, which include:

Biedermeyer: A Grosser Brauner with an apricot egg nog added - not my favourite
Brauner: A cup of coffee with a dash of milk (either a Kleiner or a Grosser!)
Cappuccino: Made with whipped cream in Vienna
Einspänner: A black coffee in a long glass with whipped cream
Fiaker: With rum and whipped cream
Franziskaner: with hot milk and whipped cream
Kaffee verkehrt: more milk than coffee
Kapuziner: A black coffee with a shot of cream
Kurz: Like espresso
Mazagran: cold coffee with rum and ice - quite elusive
Melange: Milky coffee with a milk foam (like a normal capuccino!)
Milchkaffee: a very milky cup of coffee
Pharisäer: A strong black coffee or mocha with whipped cream and served with a shot of rum
Türkische: sugared, and served with the coffee grounds in it, from a copper pot.
Verlängerter: Modified Brauner/Schwarzer with a bit more water in it.

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Favorite Thing: One of the things about Vienna is that it is a very cosmopolitan society - thanks to housing a lot of international associations and agencies (the perk of neutrality!). Of course people sometimes like to stick to their own kith and kin - and there is a big ex-pat community - and their online forums can be a great way of settling in and/or getting the information you need in English!

I'd recommend www.virtualvienna.net (the community is now free again having previously been a subscription fee-based service) and www.vienna-expats.net - especially if you are moving to Vienna. South Africans might be interested in FOSA (www.fosa.at)


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Favorite Thing: In the 5th district, there are a lot of tucked away places - which offer very reasonable food and drink and are not so full of tourists that you can't dare to venture into them. For me, the Schlossquadrat by Margarethenplatz is one place I would always recommend - here I have frequently enjoyed a lunch outside, had great wine with cheeseboards - ooh they're good, celebrated my 25th birthday, met my girlfriend and also celebrated moving into my flat which I bought - I brought my parents here due to not having a kitchen to cook and celebrate!

Fondest Memory: My home and adopted hometown! The fifth district has become my adopted home and after having travelled around a lot it is always nice to get home and enjoy a meal in my flat.

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