Fabulous Trip to Austria, and Other Fun Things!

Austria with my Brother!

Late last year I really struggled with laryngitis.  I ended up having it for 2 months!  Craziness!  Anyone who knows me know that having laryngitis is major problem.  I like my alone time, but also need to visit - especially with my husband.  I have found that if you have laryngitis, people don't talk to you.  I want to say - you can talk!!  I am the one who can't talk!!  It is so funny.
During my bout with laryngitis my brother, Ken, asked me to go with him to the World Horse Congress in Vienna, Austria.  I didn't think I should go.  First, because it is expensive… And, second, I had gotten my husband tickets to see the Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, TX as a birthday gift. It is the only Formula One race in the USA and we really wanted to go see the fabulous fast cars :)
We would need to leave for the race the day after I fly home from Austria.    I decided that I could swing it!

Because I was feeling sorry for myself with the laryngitis…I got to playing around with the airline tickets to Austria (this was only 2 weeks before the trip).  I found some pretty cheap airline tickets!  I still couldn't talk on the phone, so I was texting with my brother and my husband to see if I could still go (you had to register) and if my husband was sure that he could make it without me for the 6 days I would be gone :)

Austria Here I Come!

I was really nervous to fly so far by myself…  And, I was nervous about the hour transfer in Paris - could I possibly make the connection?  I was REALLY nervous about speaking Arkansas English, in German speaking Austria, while having laryngitis… 
All things worked out - I drank gallons of Throat Coat Tea, and I could actually speak almost the entire trip!  I flew Business Class on Air France (totally fabulous), and managed to catch my Austrian Air Flight just in time!  And then, I actually found my brother in the Vienna airport who had caught other flights from Kentucky.  Miracles!!

Vienna, Austria

I was left to explore Austria by myself while my brother attended meetings.  I was nervous at first, but quickly figured this was my golden opportunity to explore and decided no one was actually paying me a bit of attention!!  I walked and walked and took tons of pictures.  It was so much fun!!!  The only thing that would have made it more fun is if my husband had been there with me :)
My brother and I took the train/subway from the airport to our hotel - super simple and the subway station was across the street!  Super lucky.  He had meetings as soon as we got there, and I took a short nap (I have a hard time getting sleep on planes).  That night were were supposed to go to a concert, but ended up walking around and finding a place to eat!

Ken and me

Weiner Schnitzel

 We decided to eat German food on our first night :)  Totally delicious and I recommend it as a great first meal in Vienna!

We had so much fun walking around at night - felt totally safe.  Loved hanging out with my brother!!!

Day Two

The next morning, while my brother was in meetings, I took a taxi to Stephanaplatz - the center of Vienna where St. Stephen's Cathedral is located.  I decided against figuring out the subway alone until I got more familiar with the city. I can't tell you how cool it was there!!  It was just so totally not the United States!  I LOVED it.  I walked all around the cathedral and browsed in pretty shops and just totally enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

I loved the flower shops putting their offerings out on the sidewalk - all around the Cathedral.  I would have bought many things if I could have gotten it home… Beautiful!!

Lots of orange and pumpkins since it was almost Halloween.  I was talking to some people at one of the Horse Congress functions and asked if Halloween was a big deal in Europe and England.  They said it had gotten to be since the internet (Instagram, Facebook, etc.), has made the holiday popular.  That it used to be no big deal and no one went trick or treating 10-15 years ago.  I thought that was SO cool that some things that are spread by social media are really harmless and fun!

Another view of the Cathedral.  It was so hard to get a good picture.  I was overwhelmed and it was so big, I couldn't get far enough away to get a good shot. 

Beautiful interior of St. Stephen's Cathedral

St. Stephen's was built between the years 1137-1160.  I am humbled that I got to go inside a building that has been a place of worship for almost 900 years.  It was really special.

I did not do a lot of research before going to Vienna.  

I only looked on Pinterest.  Which is a fabulous resource, by the way.  How did I live without Pinterest? :)
One of the pictures that caught my eye, on Pinterest, was this cute restaurant with the cool sign (below).  I walked from the Cathedral, and it is a pretty good ways.  The weather was fabulous and chilly.  The only trouble was it started to rain after a while.  Luckily, I had stuck in my tiny purse, a 97 cent rain coat from Walmart!  I turned quite a few heads with that clear plastic bag on myself.  But, I was dry :)

Restaurant Griechenbeisl, Fleishmarket - Old Vienna

 It was so pretty in this area of Vienna.  There was not that many people around (the chilly air and the rain may have helped with that…).

 I really loved all of the tiny narrow streets and alleys.  

I was all alone, and didn't feel the least bit afraid.  

 Cool sign for a Magic Store!  I was on time constraints, or I would have gone in this cute store!!

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Right around the corner from the cool Griechenbeisl Restaurant (on Fleischmarkt) was this beautiful church!  It appeared to be open…  At least no one stopped me from going inside and taking pictures!  

I was the only person around, so I could look and take pictures to my hearts content :)

Looking at the pictures, I can see a person in the back!  I did not see him while I was there.

Wasn't it lovely?  I highly recommend a quick visit to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church if you are in Vienna.

Friedensreich Hundertwasser's - Hundertwasserhaus - Funky Apartments

After leaving the petty Holy Trinity Church, I did the complete opposite and found these cool apartments that I saw on Pinterest.  It was only a couple of miles from the Church, and I thought, Why Not?  I feel like I am getting a nice slice of Vienna on my self-guided walking tour :)

As a side note - my advice is to get the International data plan on your phone.  I got it for only $30 for a month and it allowed me to have unlimited data!  I was able to text my husband (and others) who had iPhones, and I was able to text people who do not have iPhones for like 10 cents a text.  Totally worth it because I had access to walking maps (google maps) the entire time.  I was never afraid I would get lost.

It was cool seeing these apartments and really great because it had a large covered area so I could rest from the rain.  There was also a bakery across the way and I got a delicious roll!  It was like a tiny French roll with bacon on the outside - marvelous!  I wish I had taken a picture of it.  I was starving at this point because I had not eaten breakfast and it was in the afternoon.  I was able to hold the roll under my clear plastic bag (aka rain coat) and nibble while I walked :)

Albertina Museum

I was pretty soggy at this point, but I really wanted to go to the Albertina Museum to see the Evard Munch exhibit.  It only costs 5 Euro to tour the lovely exhibits.  It was not busy while I was there and I got to linger wherever I wanted.  Again, wishing my husband was with me.

I saw paintings by Monet, Klimt, Picasso, Degas, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec and many others!  It was a lovely museum.

"The Scream" by Evard Munch - it is fabulous.

Apparently he does many "studies" of his paintings and I saw many drawings, and versions of various paintings.  This is a black and white of "The Scream."

Me in the Albertina - drying out.  Just to prove I was there :)

The Hall of Muses

I am so thankful that, even though I was tired and soggy, I decided to go to the Albertina.  It was a really fun experience.

WBFSH General Assembly (World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses) 

My brother, Ken, has a really cool job and gets to work with sporting horses and the people who ride them every day.  He goes to these cool Assemblies each year.  I am so happy that I got to go!!!  I met so many fabulous people from all over the world!  It was a chance of a lifetime for me.  Thanks again, Bud!!

After my soggy day, the WBFSH had their Gala in a winery in Vienna that evening.  First, we went on a bus tour around the city (it was getting dark, but still fabulous).  There was a really funny tour guide who spoke English and German.  He would tell the story in both languages.  I actually think I was beginning to pick up some German!  It was nice to be riding in a bus instead of walking :)

My brother and me :)

This is in the basement of this fabulous winery where the Gala was held.  I wish I remembered the name…  We had a fabulous traditional Viennese dinner and entertainment from these two fabulous guys!  They played really well together and were so funny. They went to each table and played requests.  We said we were from the USA and they played "New York, New York" for us. So much fun with fun people!

That is all I am going to write in this post.  

I will write about day 3 & 4 tomorrow - they were such fun days!!!

~ Joeby