"Wien: Kaffee und Kuchen" a Vienna Travel Page by ray_d

Vienna is as beautiful a city as has ever been created by man.
It keeps a low profile in amongst surrounding European neighbours, exuding an air of quiet sophistication.
Its' people are hard working and professional. They seem to enjoy life with a restrained pleasure that make them seemingly unaware of the unique splendour their city contains.
To really appreciate a city, one has to ignore it. The city needs to be insulted by your apparent disinterest. Invariably this will make it display its' hidden beauty as if to make you accept your mortal use to umm and ahh at its' magnificence before scoffing at you and treating you with indifference.

Friday 29th June 2001, 10am. After a trip that seemed to last forever I landed at "Schwechat".
Unfortunately my bag decided to visit Frankfurt without me and I spent an hour arranging for my bag to be delivered to my Lady-friend's place. This coincided with the arrival of other planes and something close to a thousand exicited people, all taller than my 5' 6", hid the person I was longing to see as I made my way out of Customs.

The rest of the 7 days went faster than a shoplifter's exit. Lazing in bed, late night walks on cobbled, inner-city streets. Sipping Espresso in little coffee shops flanked by centuries old Gothic churches that reminded one of filigree lace. Sharing smiles over glorious mounds of ice-cream at "Café Schwarzenberg" while an anti-European Community march wound its' way through the stately square. Dancing over the city at the "Sky Bar". St. Stephen's church peered through the panoramic windows and winked at me.

If you think I only drank coffee and ate ice cream you would be very much mistaken. I've also swilled "Wieselburger Bier" in Dreihirten; sampled various local wines in various local restaurants; sipped Whisky and water at a Belly Dancing Review in Kagran; drove nails in a tree stump with Tony and Franzi in a pub at the "Donauzentrum" (nightclub and entertainment complex in, as the title says, the Centre of Vienna), was served Nepalese by Raj at his restaurant "Yak & Yeti", and generally made a nuisance of myself spealing English with a Shultz accent.
Admittedly all these activities were always accompanied with friends, cake and coffee but that does not negate the fact that the three extra Kilos I brought back to Australia did not only come fine dining... the Market's Kebabs and the Shinkenflickern were contributers.

I'll have to go deeper into the previous subjects but I feel a touch peckish and need something sweet.

Half an hour of beautiful countryside took us to "Gross Enzersdorf" in the Marchfeld where at "Ludl", a very pleasant, small restaurant, we lunched on "Sulz in Essig und Ol", "Schweinslungenbraten mit Eierschwammerl" and "Gebackener Cambembert mit Preiselbeeren". Don't worry about the wording. Take my word for it; it's a treat. Oh by the way, there are some dots over some of the words, but I'm damned if I know which ones.

So replenished, a short drive to a most picturesque spot was in order. "Orth an der Donau" is the perfect spot to discuss life in general.

Let me detail some of the subjects I mentioned before lunch. Try "Café Sacher" (by the way it's Chocolate cake is so well known, even Café Regina in Malta has them). Flanked by centuries old building, this is where you sightsee. From a well-padded armchair, the Palaces and churches provide an excellent backdrop for conversation.
Traditionally cooked meat at a "Plachutta" in Hietzing is a joy. No diet food here. The Beef has no equal and no excuses are made for the fat content. Horseradish is ever present but other unforgettable sauces, whose names I forgot, bring out the flavour of the meat. Whisky and Nepalese food at "Yak & Yeti", in the 6th District, mixed with conversation has to be experienced. Raj has been in Vienna since there was a land bridge dividing the Mediterranean and a multitude of small foods of wildly different flavours bring tears to the eye. If the chef were female, I would propose marriage. Unfortunately Raj is a short, hairy legged Guy.
Except for the relatively uninspiring "Drei Husaren" Restaurant, Vienna is a magnificent city. I think someone said there is a river called the Danube somewhere around the joint.