I lost my heart in ... Vienna

Last week, I decided on the spur of the moment that I should join my sister on her trip to Vienna. She had booked train tickets and a hotel room a few weeks before and because I was very bored, I thought that it would be a great idea to go and see Vienna as well.

My sister has been a huge fan of Austria for quite some time. I have only been to Innsbruck a few times but never to Vienna.

So after five hours on the train, we finally arrived and it was brutally hot there after we had almost been frozen on the train by its air conditioning. 

 

I had not made any particular plans on what to look at or where to go to for lunch and dinner. I just knew about one café because a friend of mine had been there earlier this year.

So when my sister and I arrived, we were clueless. We had to get a ticket for the underground and map. My advice: if you are in Vienna for only a few days - for example, three days - you should buy the 72-Stunden-Ticket. It is only 16,50 euros for the whole three days and takes you practically anywhere you need.

 The first couple of hours in Vienna were rather strange.

Sometimes you have a certain image of a city in your head and when you are finally in that place and everything is different than you had thought, it feels peculiar at first. And this is what had happened to me on my very first day in Vienna. But on the second day, I was already in love with that city. Its people, their awesome dialect (Wiener Schmäh), their culture, their food. There is diversity everywhere you go. And history, tradition and customs. 

Something you need to try when in Vienna:

Wiener Schnitzel :-)

Macarons from this bakery 

Oberlaa

   

 

You can do the typcial tourist stuff such as taking a tour around the Schönbrunn castle.

 

Vienna is famous for its traditional coffee houses (Kaffeehäuser). 

Café Central in Herrengasse 14 is one of them and it is fantastic there. Get there early to make sure you'll get seated without having to queue up for ages.

 

I ordered coffee and Kaiserschmarrn, a traditional Austrian dessert, and it was delicious. 

 

Apart from its coffee houses and delicious cuisine, Vienna is also famous for its artists and musicians. There are plenty of museums, theatres, opera houses, etc.

If you want to see many things in Vienna on the cheap, you should definitely take a trip to the Hundertwasserhaus in Kegelhausgasse. The artist Hundertwasser came up with the idea and the concept for this apartment building. 

 

Just a stone's throw away from the Hundertwasser building, in Untere Weißgerberstraße, you can find the Kunsthaus in Vienna - a museum also designed by Hundertwasser.

 

If you are hungry, go for a walk along the Naschmarkt. It is Vienna's most popular market and you'll find plenty of stalls there.

 

And if it is really, really hot and your feet ache and you just want to relax, take a trip to the Danube. The river plays an important role in the lives of the Viennese (so I was told at least) and there is quite a lot happening there when it's warm and sunny. Everyone is out and about there.

 

 My sister and I bought some cake, sat down by the riverside and watched a canoe polo tournament. It was such a lovely evening.

Right down the line, Vienna is most certainly worth a visit!

Kat :-)

Kerwa! - a festivity you should not miss

It has taken me some time now to get around to writing a new post but here it comes - a post about Kerwa in Franconia.

Kerwa is the Franconian word for Kirchweih. For hundreds of centuries, the Kirchweih has been celebrated, originally in order to consecrate a church (Kirche = church, Weihe = consecration) but in the course of time, the religious aspect has been neglected. Nowadays it is a nice get-together for people of every age. It is also a good opportunity to wear your traditional/local garb. 
You can see me (on the left) with my sister in our Dirndl and Lederhosen (yes, girls can wear them nowadays, too .. but in former times, this would not have been appropriate). You have to apologise the bad quality of the picture but taken with a mobile, you cannot expect much.

We were at the Kerwa in Gunzenhausen which has had a tradition of more than 600 years. There is always a huge beer tent where you can eat and drink, well drink mostly ;-), and there is also live music in the evening. Furthermore, there is a wine tent as well as many food stands and funfair rides. And, of course, a parade makes these fun days perfect. So enjoy some impressions of the parade.

where to go in Copenhagen

After I spent a week in Copenhagen again last week, I came to realise that I am pretty much over Copenhagen. This city will always be in my heart, I had great two years there and the most amazing friends who will always welcome me back, but my life is just here in Bavaria. I simply love our nature, our culture, our Gemütlichkeit and our beautiful dialect :-)

One thing is for sure though: I will try to come back to Copenhagen at least once a year!

The first day I was cycling again on the streets of Copenhagen, I felt rather overwhelmed by these masses of people, both cyclists and pedestrians, and I asked myself how I managed to cycle there daily for two years (and without a helmet!!) without ever being caught up in an accident.

One thing that I like about Copenhagen is the vast offer of cafés, bars and restaurants. So I thought that I would write a post about them and introduce you to some of my favourite places.

In this picture, you can see a map of Copenhagen with some spots that I like and want to share with you :-)

1. Blågårdsgade - In this street, you can find many cafés and bars. It is perfect for a nice evening with friends, sitting in front of the cafés in the summer time, chatting over a beer, meeting interesting people from all over the world. 

2. Toldboden - This restaurant is located right by the water which means that you have a pretty view over the harbour, the cruise ships and the Opera House. I love the interior and they serve pretty decent fish and chips with mushed peas and veggies.

3. Ruby - Cozy, tiny bit expensive cocktail bar right by the canal. They have a rather fancy looking interior so you feel pretty much like a V.I.P. :-)

4. Din nye ven - Student café for all the hipsters in Copenhagen. The prices are fairly reasonable for this central location.

5. Tire bouchon - If you like wine and France then you have found the perfect address. This French wine bar has a nice selection of wines and a delicious small menu. Perfect summer evening!

6. Kødbyen - The former meatpacking district in Vesterbro is now packed with bars, clubs and restaurants. You can also find Kødbyens fiskebar there, a nice restaurant with lots of yummy food.

7. Mikkeller Bar - This bar is a must for beer lovers. They only serve selected beers from microbreweries from all over the world and of course some sodas and snacks. Mikkeller was also voted best bar in Copenhagen last year. So go and check it out!

8. Luna's Diner - Also called Live, Love, Luna :-) Amazingly tasty food and the best milkshakes I have ever had in my life. You can find one of their diners in Sankt Annæ Gade 5, Christianshavn and the other one in Vesterbrogade 42 in Vesterbro. I somehow always preferred the one in Christianshavn, probably because I lived in the very same street.

9. Serenity Cupcakes - I already wrote a post about this sweet, little café. Mariam, the owner, is such a lovely and talented person and she totally deserves all the success she has had with her café. So it goes without saying that I had a cupcake there again last week ;-)

10. The Wok Shop - Reasonable, tasty Asian food. My favourite dish there is no. 26, the chicken cashew. There are two wok shops in Copenhagen, one in Gammel Kongevej 122 and the other one in Ny Adelgade 6.

I forgot to mention Café Retro which is a non-profit café in Knabrostræde 26. Lovely, international people, cozy interior and good prices. They also have a spare room that you can rent for free for events. I once booked it for a few hours for a clothes-swap-party. 

This is it for today. I hope you enjoyed reading about the different places in Copenhagen and maybe even go and check them out. I would love to hear back from anyone who went to one of these places due to my recommendation.

Kat :-)