Today is our last day in Vienna. We always try to take a mid- morning train to our next destination but it was fully booked so we booked seats on the 7:46 train tomorrow. We have to be up and at it early, which means laundry and packing tonight – so we got out and touring in good time this morning.
We made a list last night of places we had hoped to see in Vienna and hadn’t yet. We set out this morning to experience as many as we could. It’s been cold here and that has impacted the wandering a bit. We double sweatered under our jackets, I bought a headband and gloves (Jim had packed ahead – I was sure we wouldn’t need 🤪) and we headed off. We took the underground to the big NASCHMARKT. It is Vienna’s biggest outdoor market and has been around for over 100 years. This historical pic is still very close to what you see today.
When we would get cold we’d stop for a coffee or a taste of something (love love food – so a great excuse). First stop – pastries and coffee.
Next warm up – Jim had a typical Viannese breakfast with egg, meat and cheese, bread and some plum jam. I had a bowl of garlic cream soup!
Next we decided to jump on the tram and see the Ringstraße – Vienna’s version of a ring road. It is a 5.3 km circular grand boulevard around the historic Inner Town. The road is located on sites where medieval city fortifications once stood.
Because of its architectural beauty and history, the Vienna Ringstrasse has been called the “Lord of the Ring Roads” and is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As we approached the tram stop, I asked a lady at the next stop if we were at the right place to catch Tram 1, using a mix of English and the few German words we know. She spoke German with a few English words but told us she had lots of time. She left her stop – got on the tram with us and rode for 1/2 hour pointing out places she was very proud of in her city and where she thought we should get off and tour. When she left us – she hugged us goodbye and got off to catch her own tram. We have found that so often on this trip – there are lots of good people in this world!
Once we got off the tram we wondered through the historic district and the shops.
Our feet are tired, our hearts are happy – we got a great taste of Vienna – it is an Imperial, regal, clean, safe, beautiful, friendly and yummy city!! We ended the afternoon by stopping and sharing a piece of the famous Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel.
It seems that the official debut of this sweet delicacy took place in 1832 at a dinner hosted by the Prince. He assigned his cook with the task of making a cake for the important personalities who were invited to dinner. A few hours before the beginning of the meal, he was informed that his servant had fallen ill and could not perform his duties. The Prince was therefore forced to entrust the delicate assignment to a simple apprentice, Franz Sacher, who at the time was only sixteen.
Legend has it that he said “Dass er mir aber keine Schand’ macht, heut’ Abend!” (Let there be no shame on me tonight!”). The young Sacher rolled up his sleeves and he invented a dessert that was greatly enjoyed by the guests: the Sachertorte. It has become a Viennese hallmark and there was a line to get into the restaurant today. It is a rich chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam under the glaze. It is served with a big dollop of whipped cream as it is (intentionally) a bit of a dry cake.
It was fun and a nice way to end our chapter in Vienna.