Today we took the tram out to the Central Cemetery. It was a huge place and we only saw a very small percentage of it, but we were there long enough to take a stroll and see what we came for, the composers' monuments.
In the middle of the cemetery were monuments for Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Brahms and probably many others that I've forgotten, or was unaware of. All of them were beautiful and striking and all in the same small section at the edge of a main road. Here are a few.
We browsed and photographed. There wasn't a huge crowd at the Mozart monument, but it was hard to get a photo without a person in it.
In contrast, the rest of the huge cemetery was empty. Visitors just come for the composers and leave, and that's basically what we did, as well. Near the composers' monuments, we stopped in the church. It was either new or had recently gotten a facelift. I've never been in a church with a dome that felt new, so this was a little surreal. I loved the bright blue in the ceiling.
From there, we walked down a long, shady road so we could leave the cemetery from the opposite end that we had entered, giving us a better overall feel of the place. The wind blew through the grassy fields bordering the graves. It was a beautiful place.
When we reached the other end, we waited for the next tram and went back to central Vienna. I mentioned it before, but I loved taking the tram in Vienna and seeing all the different parts of the city. As a tourist, it's the best way to see all the sites, cover a lot of ground and still be able to have a good view of everything while saving your feet.
We took the subway to Hundert Wasser House, an apartment building painted in wavy blues and oranges.
It felt like something Gaudi might have built. From every angle I stood, I noticed something different. A new paint color. A small window. The serene garden in the center.
I wonder what it would be like to live there.
Probably noisy.
For lunch, we went to Kuchldragoner. To be honest, the food was forgettable. But I highly recommend it for affordability and it's wonderful atmosphere. Take a seat outside, and you are in the most peaceful little square, completely tucked away. It was the most picturesque restaurant setting of the trip. It felt like a secret. The only foot traffic was people trying to check out the quaint, very old church right next to the restaurant.
Have a beer or two, maybe some snacks. It's the perfect place to chill out for an hour. 2 entrees + 2 large beers + tip < 35 euros.
After lunch, we rode the tram to Spittelberg to visit the cute, baroque streets. Besides the walk up and down the streets there's not much going on there, but they are pretty. We were also there on a Sunday so it was very quiet and all the shops were closed, which made me sad. I saw some promising looking jewelry stores, so I think we'll have to squeeze a trip back in during the week when they're open.
In Spittelberg, we decided to try a modern coffeehouse for a change of pace. Das Mobel was a cool space with modern wood furniture and light fixtures of wire and paper dangling from the ceiling. Everything inside was for sale. I loved the table we sat at. You could see all the natural markings in the wood.
To drink, I wanted something sweet and not coffee and accidentally ordered chamomile tea. "Kamille." Yeah, it kind of makes sense after the mug of tea arrives at your table. Hubs tried to order a coffee and somehow got a terrible fruity beer. So while the setting was good, our German ordering was a bust. Language barrier fail.
We took the subway to Prater Park to see the old ferris wheel, the Wiener Riesenrave.
The cars were large and red, almost like small train cars. The park was filled with picnics and playing children.
Prater Park has an elaborate carnival. This girl on the pony rides was the happiest person I've ever seen in my life. Every time she went around, her smile kept getting bigger and bigger.
Right next to the ferris wheel was a rickety old roller coaster. It's one of those rides that doesn't seem bad in theory, a ride that your friend would coax you to go on despite your better judgment. It's just a throwback to your childhood, you think. But as soon and it creaks and bumps to the top and you start the rocky decent, you know you've made a terrible mistake and your neck is going to be sore for a week. It was loud and screechy, everyone in the cars over fifteen had a pained expression on their face. They were also eaten by a cat.
Soon after, the sky opened up and we ran to the bumper cars for shelter, not having an umbrella. When the rain let up, we hustled back to the subway, to the hotel, and changed clothes for a night out at Gurtel, a group of clubs underneath the subway tracks.
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE BOSNA DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME
On the way to the clubs, I ate another Bosna dog. It was gigantic, and I couldn't finish it. As soon as we got to Gurtelbrau, the cute bar we decided to have our first drink at, I felt really ill all of a sudden. The warmth and candlelight was making me dizzy. I tried to fight it. I drank water and we moved outside to a table in the cool night air, but nothing was working.
After dashing to the bathroom and expelling every ounce of the Bosna dog from my system, I felt better. I tried to be a trooper. I had a couple sips of my beer, but a sheet of exhaustion settled over me and I couldn't kick it off. So our romantic evening out was cut short by a damn hot dog. But I was lucky, I had no other side effects and I felt perfectly normal when I woke up in the morning. And would this ever make me think twice about eating street food? Hell no! This was just a little bad luck, nothing more.
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| It's okay, Bosna dog. I forgive you. |
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