Waltzin' 'Cross Vienna: January 2018

And we WILL see you again!

Art and architecture, music and dancing, fine dining and wine, beer and sausages, alps, rivers, castles, shopping. Austria is Disneyland for adults. And we've had such a good time here!

We spent all day yesterday in Salzburg - a 2 hour train ride from Vienna. We revisited the Mozart museum (last time I was sooo hungover I couldn't enjoy it).

We walked along the old town streets and ducked into small open air markets tucked into courtyards. We drank hot chocolate, ate sausages, and drank beer. Lots of beer.

The Salzach River

The Castle - so imposing, it was never attacked.

Lunch at a pretty old brewery.

The last time we visited, we didn't make it up the hill to the Augustiner Brewery. It was a bucket list item, so in the afternoon (an to help walk off our lunch) we headed up the hill away from the castle to the brewery that's been in production since 1621.

It's kind of fun: You pick your preferred size stein off the shelf, walk it over to the water fountain (I presume it's water straight from the mountains) and dredge the stein in the water until it's chilled, then you go buy your beer - they fill it right from the barrel. Then the hard part - finding a seat in the 1100-seat beer hall. Yep, you read that right, 1,100...plus in the summer, there's an additional 1,400 seats outside! (We've GOT to go in the summer!)

View from the Augustiner Brau parking lot.

Tasty dinner

So much fun!

We found a table where another couple was seated, and we asked if we could share. They were happy to have us join them, and soon, we were good friends! They are Aussies on holiday, and so much fun!

We totally expected to hit the hall about 4, have a couple of beers and then return to town for dinner. Instead, we were jumpin' and runnin' to find a taxi so that we wouldn't miss the last train back to Vienna - at 10:30!

We got back to the hotel about 1am. Worth it!

So today is our last day here. We slept in (duh) and went to lunch at the Cafe Schwarzenberg - an historic coffee/cafe that's been around since 1861 (seriously, check out their history through the link). It was a great way to cap off a great trip. I imagine we'll do something close in tonight, the cold winds are whipping, and I still have packing to do.

We'll be dragging back home late tomorrow night, but in my mind, I'll still be waltzing.

Still a bit in recovery today, but still in awe of the fantastic evening we had.

When we were deciding where to go for new year's eve, Vienna popped up on the radar, and I begin researching just what goes on here on the big night. The city is packed with options, but the one that caught my eye was a gala ball at the Rathaus - City Hall. An evening of drinking, dancing, and watching the city-sponsored fireworks from the balcony. Yeah...that's what we're doin'!

Although pricey, our VIP tickets covered early entry, a welcome drink, all the beer, red or white wine, sparkling wine, juice, coffee, and water you could drink. A four-course meal also was included, along with a traditional Viennese goulash at midnight, and a tray of chocolate snacks. Finally, a smaller group from the Hofburg orchestra played, the 2018 debutantes (girls in white dresses) were presented, folks from the State Opera and State Ballet Companies performed, and two bands playing dance music- after midnight - were totally worth the price of admission.

So here are some moments from our Cinderella evening: