On December 19th, I left Salzburg at 8:00 a.m. for the 2 1/2 hour train ride to Vienna. I arrived at Vienna's Hauptbahnhof Train station at 10:30 and traveled by taxi to my hotel. I was able to check in my hotel early (more on hotel at end of the post), and headed out on foot. I walked toward the place I intended to have lunch, but walked through the Christmas market at Maria-Theresien-Platz in the Museumquartier. I then headed to Kohlmarkt and Demel for lunch.
I had eaten at Demel on my first visit to Vienna (exactly 2 years and 1 day prior as it turns out)
Here are a few pics from my instastories...
I skipped dessert and had their fabulous hot chocolate instead...
They serve food, but they are primarily a bakery and confectioner. Look at these little works of art.
Here is a quick video I shot of Demel's confectioners at work...
After lunch, I popped back to the Hofburg Palace to see the Sisi Museum...
The Palace
View of the Palace from the Kohlmarkt
No pics were allowed in the museum, but it was very interesting. It was dedicated to the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of Hungary (known as Sisi), who was the Princess Diana of the 1800's.
Then I walked back down the Kohlmarkt to the Graben. I love the chandeliers they hang along the Graben.
I stopped at Peterskirche (or St. Peter's Church)...
Then down the Graben to St. Stephen's Cathedral
I shopped along the Christmas Market that goes around the Cathedral
Inside St. Stephen's
I took the underground back to my hotel. I wanted to rest for a few minutes (that darn sinus infection was not making me feel great that day) and check in on my pup. Then I headed to the big Vienna Christmas Market, the Rathaus Market (City Hall). It's visually stunning...
A short little video of the market...
One of the bakery vendors...
The skating track set up there...
I didn't buy much there. Just an ornament and a pretzel. I went back to the hotel and got a fancy pizza to go from the restaurant attached to the hotel.
The hotel that I selected in Vienna was a very quirky hotel...Twenty Five Hours Hotel. It has a circus theme: the rooms, the elevator, the lobby.
The Lobby
My room was pink, so I loved that!
The "animal cage" elevator
Here's a quick video I shot the morning I left. Notice that a wall of flashing cameras greeted you every time you came in (it's at the end as I was exiting).
It was a great hotel selection. Definitely not the norm, but very close to a metro stop, a close walk to the City Hall Market, and very close to the Museumquartier.
Stay tuned for more Vienna and a jaunt to Bratislava, Slovakia...
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