Vienna: Icing on the Cake

Vienna was added to my itinerary at the very last minute. I wanted to break up my 6-day stay in Paris, which I thought was too long. I had already been to Paris before and pretty much seen what I wanted to see, therefore, I didn’t need to spend that much time there. I also felt it necessary to add just one more European city, considering I probably would not travel to this side of the world again for years.

Unlike Rome or Istanbul, which I researched extensively, I didn't read up on Vienna at all. I knew nothing about the city or its history. I just imagined Vienna for its world-famous pastry, chocolates and coffee (from TV commercials I've seen in the US). Less than a week before I left for Europe, I booked a flight & hotel package for a weekend stay in Vienna. Boy, was I glad I came! Vienna is so beautiful, clean and peaceful. This city’s charm and ambiance were nothing I had ever experienced anywhere else before. Really! I actually liked it better than Paris. Where Paris is vast and full of snooty people, Vienna is compact with very friendly people. Every person I talked to went out of their way to help me out with either directions or whatever.

V&M, thank you both so much for your time and company. I truly enjoyed the walking tour of Vienna, crash course in Vienna’s history, introduction to Viennese/Austrian/Hungarian food, Q (I had so much fun there!), lunch/dinner/brunch/cafe/hot chocolate/shopping, assistance with my extremely heavy luggage, driving me to Flughafen Vienna in a BMW and seeing me off. I will never forget this. I’m indebted to you both and would certainly return the favor should you come back to San Francisco.