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Prater
Prater park is a recreational park as well as an amusement park. Lots of folks out enjoying the great weatherThis morning was definitely a slow one. We were still jet-lagged and weary from travel, and were not in a hurry to get up and get moving. We slept it longer than we should have, and spent some time relaxing.
We walked down the street for some breakfast at Cafe Standard, another fine Viennese establishment. Breakfast was simply pastries and coffee. We took a short walk just for the heck of it, and returned to the room.
We had to check out of the hotel and move to the Airbnb which would be our home for the next two weeks. This move really took up most of the afternoon. There was some miscommunication with the Airbnb host. I did not have anyway to get a hold of him unless I had wifi, so when he was not there to meet me, I did not know what to do. The whole thing took about an hour to sort. By the time we settled in, it was three and an entire day had passed. It didn't matter so much as it was our first day, and we were still recovering from a night with no sleep, but next time I will
have to rethink this move. I thought staying at hotel on arrival day would be a good idea, since searching around for an Airbnb in a strange, foreign city after a sleepless travel night didn't sound fun. The drawback is, you need to spend time relocating the following day. Check-ins are usually quite late at Airbnbs as well.
Our apartment was adorable, however. It was in the Leopoldstadt part of town, in a quiet area and near the Prater. We each had our own bedroom, a full kitchen, a family room area, a washing machine and plenty of storage. The couch and beds were substandard and not the most comfortable pieces of furniture ever, but they sufficed. My favorite thing about the place was all the Ikea-like shelving, tables, and storage. I actually had fun putting my clothes and things away in an orderly fashion. Mom and I took stock of the kitchen so we'd know what to buy later.
Feeling pretty well rested after our leisurely morning, we set off to explore. We were a two-minute walk to the Prater, and I was super excited to check that out. It was a lovelyspring day again, and many
locals were out enjoying the weather and the park. I loved the atmosphere at Prater Park.. fun and nostalgic, but laid-back at the same time. Entrance is free at Prater; you pay for rides individually. It's a great place to wander around, grab a fun snack and people watch. We'd be back many times. We were getting hungry, and picked out a traditional beer hall kinda place called Schweizerhaus. We both ordered a beer and some Slovakian Cabbage Soup, and shared a basket of brown bread. Everything was delicious, especially that soup! While we were there, we kept seeing servers walk by with giant pork knuckle mounds. We vowed to return one night and give that a try!
Off to explore some more! We thought walking to the Old Town would be close, and began heading there. We ended up doing way too much aimless walking for mom though. I decided we'd have to be more concise in the future. She is in terrific shape for a lady of near-80, but from now on we'd take the subway to our destination and save the walking for the in-between. When you're tired in Vienna, there is always a bar or
cafe nearby, so we ducked into a cute place for a few glasses of wine, and a bathroom break. We next wandered over to the Stadtpark.
Everyone was out enjoying the evening. Blankets were spread out, strollers were strolling by, kids were feeding the ducks in the pond. There were walkers and bikers everywhere. I had my camera out, trying to capture it all. The park had a few features, like the pond and the big statue of Strauss. We had a good, relaxing time exploring the park and watching all the people.
We attempted to take the subway back, but failed. I could not figure out how to get where I needed to go, so we hoofed it. Mom was a trouper, but tomorrow we would need to master the public transport!! When we were almost at our apartment, we stopped at a little restaurant called Tethys. I wasn't that hungry, and ordered an appetizer plate. Mom had more spaetzle. We had a conversation with another good-looking waiter about the name of the restaurant. It was on Tethysgasse street, which is the shortest street in all of Vienna. I joked with mom about how we actually DID
see something important today. We would end up walking past this restaurant every night to get back home, and I kept looking for that handsome waiter. Never saw him again...
We picked up some groceries on our way back. I found it pretty fun to explore a foreign grocery shop. They do not use plastic bags here..if you need a bag, you have to buy it. Mom is sharp and brought a shopping bag with her, so we were set. I noticed they sold mayo in a tube, like toothpaste. I noticed that Manner wafers and Mozart balls were rather popular. Produce looked pretty amazing here, as well. So food (and wine!) purchased, we headed home.
It felt good to relax in a family-room setting rather than a hotel room. We had some wine, searched the internet, and vowed to get serious about our sighseeing. Mom is quite anxious to see the palaces and museums, and tomorrow we begin all that!!
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