Given the opportunity to take a short break from the rigours of the daily ‘kitchen grind’ and the accumulating stresses of the never-ending war between Israel and Hamas, we enjoyed a short winter break in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Vienna in winter naturally has a smaller volume of tourists and congestion, translating into no queueing for the palaces and art museums and thinner crowds competing for the hospitality and street space available to the traveller in the city.
Christmas was strongly visible in the traditional window decorations, busy street-corner trade and Christmas trees throughout much of the city. On Christmas Eve the city shut down, suburbs became deserted and tourists had little choice but to seek out diverse immigrant eateries that remained open. The traditional Christmas bells tolled loud and strong throughout the quiet city streets on Christmas Day.
Vienna, I suggest, is the true cultural centre of continental Europe: its grandeur and centrality developed over centuries as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, which ended promptly for the royal Habsburg family with Austria’s defeat at the end of World War One.
Architecture, art, music, medicine, academia and business; Vienna is the understated shining jewel in the crown of modern ‘Western’ Europe. It has everything that the other great capitals of the world only have bits and pieces of.
Food… we ate well during our stay, discovering an abundance of neighbourhood eateries peppered throughout the inner-city suburbs of Vienna. We enjoyed both local and immigrant foods and at no point did we go wanting.
The authentic gasthaus, or inn, was the best place to try genuine Viennese cuisine. Our local, Gasthaus Wild, was a hybrid cross between a pub, a cafe and a restaurant. We ate there a couple of times, enjoying the beers, wiener schnitzel, pan-fried salmon and, of course, apple strudel with chantilly cream. Food, like everything else in this city, isn’t cheap, so make sure your wallet is stuffed before you arrive.
If you are ever in Vienna, give Gasthaus Wild a go. The address is on the receipt. You won’t be disappointed.
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