Wandering Fel

Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts

My cousin and her friend went into disappearance mode upon the appointed meeting time and this made the tour guide rather pissed. Oh well, nobody can control my cousin anyway because she’s used to get her own way and to be honest, she’s a very chilled woman by nature. Turns out she was having her R&R at Cafe Konditorei Aida along Mariahilfer Strabe. She refer to the cafe as pink cafe though instead of calling its name, Aida.

Eastern Eurotrip in 10 Days (Day 2): Cafe Konditorei Aida, Vienna

I did not blame my cousin for getting lost at Cafe Konditorei Aida because the cake display is enough to make one sweettooth human being lost in what seems to be cake wonderland. Aida is a franchise chain of 34 espresso bar and pastry shops in Vienna and they had been around for a long time, since the World War II to be exact. To make itself distinct from its modern competitors, Aida has been reluctant to change its coffee flavour for example, by refusing to add flavoured coffee to their list of beverages like its competitor, Starbucks.

Cake display at Cafe Konditorei Aida Vienna Austria

Aida’s specialties are cakes, pastries, doughnuts, coffees, teas, ice cream and merchandises (including gifts). Since Aida had always been decorated in salon look with overwhelming theme of pink, the coffee chain is more popular with the ladies. Although I don’t think men nowadays show disgust toward this feminine color.

Doughnuts from Cafe Konditorei Aida Vienna Austria

I ordered one item each from Aida’s cakes and pastries. The original Viennese Mozart Cake (EUR 2.90) is described as dark sponge filled with the finest nougat and pistachio marzipan, encased in light chocolate fondant icing. It’s basically a chocolate cake filled with nougat and pistachio marzipan. The cake was nice but to be honest, it’s hard to see the Austrian failing at making chocolate related stuff because after all chocolates supposedly taste the best in Europe, no?

Original Viennese Mozart Cake from Cafe Konditorei Aida Vienna

The “Golatsche” pastry is described as finest flaky pastry with a light Austrian soft cheese filling. Claimed as traditional favourite in the coffee house, the pastry is indeed flaky and yummy. There are a lot of comments in Tripadvisor about rude services and stuff at Aida but I suppose sometimes it may be due to frustration during busy times. Thankfully, I did not meet any rude service during my visit to Vienna.

Peach danish from Cafe Konditorei Aida Vienna

In order to prevent waist destruction after consuming many sweet stuff, it’s time for me to continue wandering around Mariahilfer Strabe, the longest shopping street in the city of Vienna. By lunch time, the street is totally crowded by people, especially since it’s Saturday.

Mariahilfer Strabe Shopping Street at Vienna Austria

Not only clothes boutique and department stores, you can also find many souvenir stores along the street. By now, you would have probably realise that there are so many stores displaying Mozart. Well, this is not a surprise because after all, Mozart is a true born Austrian and he’s what you can call a classical genius. He used to perform in front of the royals. His life is not all about fame though because apparently during those dark days, the life of a musician is not really easy after all. Struggling with finances and diseases, he died when he’s only 35. Oh gosh, that’s pretty young I have to say. It seems that the life of musician nowadays may not be any better but at least in terms of health, hopefully the modern musicians live longer days now. Everyone’s fighting hardship anyway on this fallen earth.

Uhh okay, before this post going toward its darker mood, maybe I should take a peek of what kind of items being sold in a typical souvenir store in Vienna. You can basically find all sort of goods such as bags, teddy bears, kitchen stuff, t-shirts, jackets, caps with has the word “Vienna” or probably “Austria”. I don’t collect this kind of stuff but my mother was pretty excited whenever she can find pretty magnets to add into her collection of fridge-magnets-around-the-world.

Bear and bags from souvenir store at Vienna Austria

Vienna has its own street food to offer such as fried seafood stuff (shrimps, calamari, etc) and sandwich/ wrap. The fried seafood selection kinda reminded me of Old Chang Kee back home. The concept is basically similar, selling fried stuff. The portion that the street vendor gives in Vienna seems to be more although it’s justified by its higher price tag as well.

Seafood and sandwich shop at Mariahilfer Strabe

It seems that all tour guides love to bring its tour participant to stores such as Swarovski. I suppose Indonesian love to shop A LOT and the tour guide will surely earn commission whenever they manage to lead customers to buy some stuff from the stores. Swarovski is everywhere in South East Asian but I think the price of its products sold in Vienna seems to be priced lower compared to the ones in Asia (probably due to the crazy mark-up). This is really one huge piece of crystal, I can’t imagine how much it costs. Probably not as expensive as diamond, for instance, but it sure is still expensive.

Another spot which is 90% visited by tourists is Hard Rock Cafe. I don’t collect any Hard Rock merchandise although I used to frequent Hard Rock Cafe in Singapore quite a fair bit of times back in my early-20s days. My friends and I were into live band and Hard Rock’s strong rendition of long island tea back then. Hard Rock Cafe in Vienna has some interesting display to check out though such as concert memorabilias. There is a piano which was used by Coldplay and even a black magician hat which was used by Will I Am from Black Eyed Peas. Hmm, I haven’t heard Black Eyed Peas for a while. Kinda miss their old songs like Where is the Love.

Piano used by Coldplay in Hard Rock Vienna Austria

Cafe Konditorei Aida is located at:

Singerstrabe 1,

Vienna, Austria

Cafe Konditorei Aida’s opening hours:

Monday to Friday 7AM - 10PM

Saturday to Sunday 8AM - 10PM

Hard Rock Cafe is located at:

Rotenturmstrabe 25,

Vienna, Austria

Hard Rock Cafe’s opening hours:

Monday to Thursday 9.30AM - 1AM

Friday to Sunday 9.30AM - 2AM

My 2nd day in Vienna started with a trip to the city's longest shopping street, Mariahilfer Strabe. Whoever visit Vienna will not miss the chance to visit this most famous shopping street. However, it seems that I was a bit too early because most shops had not really opened yet around 9.30AM on Saturday morning. If you come to Vienna not by joining a tour, there is a subway which runs around half of Mariahilfer Strabe so I suppose this shopping street is really conveniently located in the city of Vienna.

Eastern Eurotrip in 10 Days Itinerary (Day 1): Mariahilfer Strabe, Vienna

On the way to the main shopping street, I passed by the symbol of vienna, St Stephen's Cathedral. The cathedral looks pretty Gothic from its outward appearance. It is probably due to the heavy Baroque influence during its construction and renovation period. The cathedral is 107.2 meters long and 34.2 meteres wide and it has four towers. You have to climb 343 steps of staircases to reach the tower room. There is a total of 13 bells hang inside the cathedral. The most popular bell of St Stephen's Cathedral, the Pummerin, is located in the north tower. As most of famous cathedrals scattered all around European cities, St Stephen's Cathedral is also functioning as final resting place for important people such as Emperor Friedrich III. Easter concerts and Advent concerts are held annually in the cathedral. Guided tour of the cathedral and the catacombs is available on a regular basis.

St Stephen's Cathedral at Vienna Austria

The main street lies right after Stephenplatz where St Stephen's Cathedral is located. There are several people walking around on an early Saturday morning despite it's being too early for some stores to open. Most stores open after 10AM but I suppose cafes open earlier, probably around 9AM-ish. Almost all major department stores can be found on this street selling clothes, leather goods, furniture, accessories, books, and Austrian souvenirs. If you prefer for vintage goods, you may want to check out the alleys instead of the main shopping streets for the boutiques.

Shopping area of Mariahilder Strabe Vienna

I would have stuck to the main street of Mariahilfer if it's not because of my cousin who wanted to hunt down some branded stuff and hence, dragged me along for her hunt of Louis Vuitton's stores. Turns out, LV store is located at the quieter corners of the shopping area, near to Mariahilfekirche Church. I read online that the road is often besieged by high number of bums because of the nearby location of homeless shelter "Gruft" located at the base of the church. I did not see any or probably missed out because of the number of crowd flooding the area when the clock hits 11AM. The green-roofed Baroque church was built between 1686 and 1689 for the Barnabite monks (a religious order, I suppose). Nowadays, there are no more Barnabite followers in Austria although there are still a small number of convents exist in Italy.

I could not believe that my cousin is not satisfied by visiting LV alone, she is now dragging me along in her hunt to find another branded store, Hermes. Well, thanks to her "hunt", we kinda stumbled into the Graben, a shopping street where the plague column is located. The origin of this popular street dated back to the old Romans century. Most of the buildings here originated from the 17th and 18th century and you can find shops with long tradition. Those shops which have already been popular in the times when Austria was ruled by emperors such as the porcelain factory Augarten, the court jeweler Heldwein and the court perfumery Nagele & Strubell.

Graben Street at Mariahilfer Strabe Vienna Austria

If you are wondering why there is a statue which is named the Plague Column (Pestsaulen) in the middle of the shopping street in Vienna, well you are not alone. Back in the year 1679, Vienna was visited by a nasty visitor named Yersinia pestis, a bactery which caused a plague which killed many people. Initially, I thought that the idea of building the column is inspired from Moses' action in the bible. You know, the one where the Israeliets sinned and then they died one by one bitten by poisonous snakes. Those who look upon the bronze serpent on pole erected by Moses were saved from the punishment. But the story here is kinda different from the biblical one. The emperor who reigned when the plague swept through Vienna, Leopold, vowed that if the terrible plague were to leave the city, he would build a monument as a symbol of gratitude. And that's how this column came about.

The Plague Column at Mariahilfer Strabe Vienna

Thankfully the plague did not last until the modern day of Vienna. Because otherwise, we would not be able to enjoy the beautiful autumn scene of the city if the plague persist until today.

Beautiful yellow trees at Vienna Austria

Mariahilfer Strabe's stores opening hours:

Monday to Friday: 9AM to 6.30PM

Saturday: 9AM to 5PM/6PM (Malls open until 8PM)

St Stephen Cathedral's Guided Tour Schedules:

Monday to Saturday:

Between 9AM and 11.30AM and

Between 1PM and 4.30PM

Sundays and Public Holidays:

Between 1PM and 4.30PM

After having an awesome time at Schonbrunn Palace, our next destination is Maria Theresien Platz, a square located north of the Hofburg (the Imperial Palace) which was created in the 19th century. As you probably already can tell from the name, the square is named in honor of Empress Maria Theresa, to whom a huge memorial is built and places in the center of the square. The square is also a yearly venue for Christmas Market. But if you want to check the market out, you have to visit Vienna in December.

Eastern Europe in 10 Days Itinerary (Day 1): Maria Theresien Platz, Austria

There are two museums at the left and right side of the monument. Both museums are built together in 1872 which structures facing and mirroring each other. The collection of Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum) actually consists of artworks that the many Habsburg rulers acquired over the centuries. These artworks were originally housed in the Hofburg and later, in Belvedere Palace. After the project for Maria-Theresien Platz was started, these Habsburg artworks were subsequently moved to the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Museum of Fine Arts at Maria-Theresien Platz Vienna Austria

The area between the two museums, Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History), is decorated with formal gardens and statues, fountains and shrub beds. Maria Theresa Monument is located exactly at the centre of the square. It was constructed under the lead of Kaspar von Zumbusch and the construction lasted for 13 years. The statue of Maria Theresa greets the people with her right hand and in her left hand she holds a document roll of the Pragmatische Sanktion (an edict to ensure Habsburg hereditary possessions can be inherited by a daughter) and a scepter. She is surrounded by 4 horseman statues of her generals. This monument is classified as a World Cultural Heritage.

Maria Theresa Monument at Maria-Theresien Platz

Just opposite the square lies a perfect photo-spot in autumn days. Because the yellow trees are lined along the street. Which I suppose is kinda normal for Austrian. But for me, who live in the other side of the world (and thus, don't have autumn), I love it.

Yellow trees along the road to Maria-Theresien Platz

Museum of Fine Arts' address:

Main Building

Maria-Theresien Platz

A-1010 Vienna, Austria

Opening hours:

Jun - Aug

Mon to Wed, Fri to Sun 10AM - 6PM

September to May

Tue - Sun 10AM - 6PM

Thu 10AM - 9PM

(Coin cabinet closes at 6PM)

I love autumn season and it is kinda sad that there is no autumn in South East Asian region. But then again, autumn comes with winter and I don't really like winter so yeah, I suppose if this is how the weather is meant to be for SEA region, then so be it. Hahaha. But one best thing about autumn is that the weather is no longer as hot as summer and yet, not as freezing as winter. Plus the leaves of the trees turn into beautiful yellow/ red before falling to the ground. This imagination of beautiful scenery made me signing up for the tour with Avia to Eastern Europe. The tour covered several countries such as Austria, Slovakia, Budapest, Czech Republic, Poland and Germany in 10 days for the price of IDR 20mil (USD 1,475).

I took the Qatar Airways to reach our first destination, Vienna. The flight from Jakarta to Doha was around 8+ hours and the flight from Doha to Vienna was around 5+ hours. Hamad International Airport in Doha is pretty nice airport to spend time to stretch and relieve butt from soreness after 8+ hours flight. It has a lot of duty free stores ranging from drugstore, chocolate and sweets stores, branded stuff and also, Harrods. Food court and restaurants are available too in the airport if you'd like to have a meal.

Eastern Europe in 10 Days Itinerary (Day 1): Vienna, Austria

5+ hours later, we finally arrived at Vienna International Airport. While waiting for our local tour guide, my cousins and I were looking around our surrounding to check out the arrival terminal of the airport. There are liquor store, patisseries store and drugstore. Machines selling train tickets to city are also available at the airport but since we were gonna travel around Europe by bus, we did not check the train at all.

Vienna International Airport Austria Europe

Once the tour guide has arrived, we quickly boarded the bus which immediately brought us to the first destination in our itinerary. We arrived in Vienna in the morning around 9 to 10AM so the tour started immediately the moment we landed in this country. While I don't mind starting the tour immediately, it's kinda difficult to look fresh in the picture when you don't have enough sleep (I can't sleep well in the plane). But, anyway, that's part of adventure situation and it's kinda fun to go through that situation sometimes.

Our first destination is the former imperial summer residence in Austria, Schonbrunn Palace. The palace has been a very popular tourist attraction since 1960s. I believe this fact immediately because there were so many tourists around when we reached the palace ground around 10AM. The palace is so huge and it consists of not only the palace building itself but also the Gloriette, the Sisi Museum, Maze, Privy Garden, Orangery Garden, and Children's Museum. Admission and ticket depends on how extensive you want your visit to Schonbrunn Palace be.

The history of Schonbrunn Palace originated way back to the Middle Ages, from 14th century to be exact. The estate has been handed down from one lessee to another until finally, it was chosen as hunting headquarter by Emperor Ferdinand II and his wife, Eleonora von Gonzaga, who is apparently also keen of hunting just like her husband. The wife was the one who eventually changed the name of the estate to Schonbrunn after the death of her husband.

The palace was not spared from the Turkish invasion and after the war is over, restoration and construction works began to be performed on the palace. Once the palace's audience rooms and residential suites are renovated, Schonbrunn Palace was ready for occupation for the Roman-German Emperor, Franz Stephan and his wife, Maria Theresa.

Schonbrunn Main Palace at Vienna Austria

The current state of the palace and the decoration/ architecture inside the rooms in the palace is actually the work instructed by Maria Theresa. After the sudden death of her husband, Maria Theresa instructed a new phase of refurbishment and reconstruction in the building. This includes the conversion of her husband's study in the East Wing to a memorial room which is fitted with precious Chinese lacquer panels, costly wooden panelling into which paintings by renowned artists were set and magnificent furnitures. The last projects initiated by Maria Theresa were actually happening outside the palace in the gardens which includes the construction of the Gloriette, the Neptune Fountain, the Roman Ruin and the Obelisk Fountain.

The East Wing of the Schonbrunn Palace at Vienna Austria

The history actually does not stop at Maria Theresa's lifetime and there were many construction works going on until the reign of Franz Joseph. But it was too long for a blog post to cover. Photography is not allowed inside the palace and hence, I suppose the palace is really worth the visit (no other way to see what's inside the palace after all).

Schonbrunn Palace's admission fee:

A single ticket for admission to 3 attractions* - EUR 29.90 (1 hour)

A single ticket for admission to 5 attractions** - EUR 24 (3 - 4 hours)

*3 attractions: Schonbrunn Palace, Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna Hofburg

**5 attractions: Schonbrunn Palace, Privy Garden, Orangery Garden, Maze and Gloriette

For other type of tickets (e.g. Combined Tickets/ Family Tickets), you can check for further details at their website. You can also pre-book online tickets.

Schonbrunn Palace's opening hours:

1st April - 30th June: 8AM - 5.30PM

1st July - 31st August: 8AM - 6.30PM

1st September - 5th November: 8AM - 5.30PM

1st November - 30th March: 8AM - 5PM

Ticket sale starts at 8AM

Entrance to exhibit area at 8AM