"Vienna waits for you" - Billy Joel

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Europe » Austria » Vienna
January 3rd 2014

Published: January 7th 2014

Back in the States for almost eleven months, the call to travel was fairly strong within us. Now for reference, we’re living in California wine country, so sympathies may be hard to come by, but nonetheless we are who we are, explorers of this big blue marble. Each December, we travel back to Ohio where we are both from, to visit family for the holidays. MJ in her infinite wisdom suggested that... Read Full Entry

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Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

D MJ Binkley

Photographers, divers, writers, foodies, chefs and music enthusiasts. Travelers' Century Club Members: 12/2023. MJ 107 and Dave 104. We appreciate your feedback and if you like our stories we would appreciate it if you follow our blog. We live on North Hutchinson Island, Florida. If you are in Florida please send us a private message as we would love to meet you. Two retired nurses who are passionate about traveling the world. Our love of travel, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures will hopefully take us to wonderful plac... full info

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Peter Rubens

Peter Rubens

Albert Durer

Albert Durer

City Streets

City Streets

beautiful decorations

Bright lights

Bright lights

Vienna

Festive City Decorations

Festive City Decorations

Festive City Decorations

Graffiti Vienna

Graffiti Vienna

Graffiti Vienna

even clean streets have a bit of artwork

View from Belvedere Palace

View from Belvedere Palace

View from Belvedere Palace

St. Stephens and the city

Ceiling tiles

Ceiling tiles

St. Stephen's

Seriously old books at the National Library

Seriously old books at the National Library

Seriously old books at the National Library

State House Bibliotec

State House Bibliotec

State House Bibliotec

MJ celebrating with some dude dressed as a Christmas Tree

MJ celebrating with some dude dressed as a Christmas Tree

MJ celebrating with some dude dressed as a Christmas Tree

And he appeared sober!

A variety of pastry

A variety of pastry

A variety of pastry

Scenic Views

Scenic Views

walking along the waterfront

No shortage of chocolate

No shortage of chocolate

No shortage of chocolate

too many choices

Roaming Vienna

Roaming Vienna

nice reflections

Mozart & Dave

Mozart & Dave

No photography allowed

No photography allowed

No photography allowed

Sneaking a shot

So many wines

So many wines

So little time

Biking Vienna

Biking Vienna

even in winter

7th January 2014

Carolyn Taylor
non-member comment

Lovely and sweet
Oh, so good to have you traveling again. I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes traveling places in the winter.;-) It is fun to not be inundated with tour groups and to be able to mingle with the residents. I have a friend who is a music teacher and she described her visit to Vienna as having died and gone to music heaven. Carolyn

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Vienna is indeed music heaven
Hello Carolyn, good to hear from you again. It is so nice traveling to a location off season. Although the city was busy New Years Eve night and didn't really feel off season. What a great time we had. The music was all we had hoped for and more. The music, the pastry, the history and more.

7th January 2014

aspiringnomad
Jason

I'd never heard of sacher torte either, until I read this.
But after your critique I am eager to try it. What would Freud say about that(?)

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Famous torte
People love chocolate no matter what you do to it or with it. It had a good flavor but was too dry for our taste. It is pretty-- they do an excellent job with presentation. I'll be eager to hear what you think when you try it. Marketing, media and reputation can do a great deal for sales.

7th January 2014

El Eterno Caminante
Greg

Awesome!
Really great blog glad to see you back out there!! Be safe and happy travels!!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Thank you for taking the time to read & comment
Travel is our love and our passion so it was great to have a little time to explore a new place for us. Vienna is so lovely. A city with relaxed energy.

7th January 2014

bvchef
Brendan Vermillion

Great to Read Your Blog
Ah, it is so good to have you on the road- traveling, writing, seeing, relaxing and living the traveler's life. Even back in culinary school we were told that sacher torte is dry and nothing special. I think you made a wise choice heading towards strudel. I'm sorry to hear that the Lippizanner riding show wasn't what you had hoped. They are amazing animals. Still, it sounds and looks like you had a bang up time. Now comes the fun part of planning your next trip.

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Vienna was a great town
Life is full of little disappointments and the Lippizanner stallions will end up in that category but we are generally very lucky in the events we select. The artwork and music more than made up for the horses. We did have a bang up time.

7th January 2014

ktfox
Katie Fox

Yum!
I loved your blog! I will certainly be checking out where to get those delicious local beers if I make it back there!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Returning to Vienna
You are working in a great location to get back to Vienna easily. Let us know if you have any questions. We had a lovely time sampling coffees, wine and those nice brews of the hops variety. Thank you for the tips you provided.

7th January 2014

Mumtraveller
Lynne Brown

Wunderbar.
Hi MJ and Dave So glad you have "done" Vienna now ...well a bit of it ...isn't it wonderful- so much to see and do. Yes I did a Mozart concert too- we stayed in the Museum Quarter so lots of art etc.. and in October we were blessed with amazing warm weather and wore T-shirts most of the time . I agree you can often find concerts in churches ( Florence is a good example of that). And yes the hype sachertorte is a bit OTT. You have given me an idea for what to do at New Year!! 2 weeks for me and I am off again ... will surprise you with my next blog.,,,a clue - I am heading for the sun. Bet you have got itchy feet again...where next for you? Auf wiedersehen, Lynne x

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Over the top torte
Lynne, we are not surprised to hear you'll be on the road again in two weeks. We eagerly await your blog from sunny climes. We hope to travel in the spring and maybe we can see you. We are "thinking" about Ireland, Wales and England. Maybe we can see you. Yes you should consider Vienna for next year. It was joyful. The holiday decorations were wonderful and the city was vibrant.

7th January 2014

Hofburg Palace

Mumtraveller
Lynne Brown

Style !!
Love the hat Dave.

7th January 2014

Hofburg Palace

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

I agree
I think Dave looks good in his hat.

7th January 2014

Sonja Massey
non-member comment

Vienna
So glad you're on the move again. LOVE your musings!!!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Vienna is amazing
It felt good to be on the road again even though it was for a short period of time.

7th January 2014

Quartet at St. Anne's

taracloud
Tara Cloud

A Great Squeeze!
Wow, you two consummate travelers really squeezed so much culture and so many treats in that six days--bravo. Gorgeous music in heavenly churches/palaces is one of my fave things in the world, and your fireworks/music was the best I've ever New Year's Eve. Thanks for the culture hit!

7th January 2014

Quartet at St. Anne's

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

A culture hit
Vienna does make it easy to feel like you've taken a big sip of culture. The churches are amazing, the artwork, the music, the foods and the people are all worth a visit.

7th January 2014

Home and Away
Bob Carlsen

Traveling over Christmas and New Years...
that's what Linda and I did for the 13 years before the kids came along. It looks like Vienna was an ideal choice for you...now the challenge is to maintain that high bar. Going for the strudel was a good choice...so was the beer!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Beer and strudel
Always a good choice! Yes having children could change some of your travel habits but your kids grew up traveling so I'm not sure they held you back too much. You gave them some wonderful experiences.

7th January 2014

Silver Back Cuda
Joanne & Wes DeVoe

Thank You For Vienna
Loved your most recent post - love ALL of your posts - aside from the remarkable photos and text; I am so impressed with your bolded centered subtitles and "wraps!" I've got to work on my blog presentations. Thanks for the great review!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Hey Joanne
Good to hear from you again. If you have not been to Vienna you should consider it. A lovely city and so easy to get around. Formatting makes it easier for someone to pick and choose what they want to read in a blog. I assume few people read the entire entry-- especially one that was this long. We love your blogs and look forward to reading more.

7th January 2014

travellingmike
non-member comment

Freud
Liked your latest blog again guys, good to see you back travelling again. I forget how important location plays in this travelling business, I was reading your Cuba blogs the other day and very jealous that for me to get there from the UK costs a proverbial arm and leg while you were relatively close, but forget that for me Vienna is 'down the road' whereas for you guys its a fair old trek! I also liked your take on Sigmund Freud and interesting to hear he didn't like his photo taken, it made me wonder what he would of made of a person who stated the same. Hope you get away again soon

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Time and Distance
You are right our flight to Cuba from Miami was less than two hours. The trek to Vienna was much longer than we wanted and our connections were not great because we planned the trip sort of last minute. I'm not sure how good Freud was good at looking in the mirror and evaluating his behavior. We hope to get away again soon. Keeping our fingers crossed.

7th January 2014

lexispence10
Alexis M Spencer

Another Vienna
I really like how we shared similar experiences in Vienna, but many were different. Since it is so close when I went, I get a feeling of experiencing what you did myself. Looks like you had a few sunny days; I didn't see the sun until I was leaving. I loved your experience with the orchestra - what a great idea and very "Vienna"! And the National Library looks amazing!!! I agree with the above: I need to work on my blog presentations from now on!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

We experienced your Vienna
Your blogs were the outline for us and we really found your information useful and valuable. Our trip would not have been what it was without you. We were lucky with the weather. We did have some sunshine. The music scene in Vienna is fantastic. We enjoyed it at the Imperial Theatre, in St. Anne's church and a couple of coffee houses. All different experiences but fantastic.

7th January 2014

Oh Vienna...
What a fabulous short break you have had! I had a day in Vienna about 16 years ago and recall eating the famous Sachertorte and like you was unimpressed. I seem to think that there was a lot of cream involved to counteract the dryness. The music sounds wonderful, what a treat!

7th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Sacher torte
Some places did serve it with whipped cream and that was nice. The music was great.

8th January 2014

RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew

Sacher Torte let down...
Sorry MJ and Dave, I think I might have been guilty of contributing to the 'hype' of the torte. I LOVED the torte the first time I had it - worked perfectly with a strong coffee. But haven't been able to find another one I liked. Now I know why :)

8th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

No worries Ren
You mentioned it to me but I'm not sure you hyped it. It was flavorful but dry. In our reading there were many who went on and on about how wonderful it was and then there were critics who mentioned the dryness. I'm with them....my preference is a moist and gooey cake. I did like the whipped cream they served with it because it was not overly sweet. I liked that a lot. I think they could get me more interested if they added a bit of milk for moisture and put in a thick layer of apricot jam instead of the incredibly thin one. I'm just saying....

8th January 2014

Phyllis Villec
non-member comment

Wein, Wein, nur du allein
Your letter was extraordinary!! Over the years Harry and I did almost everything you did and then some in this wonderful city. We did get tickets for Wagner at the Staatsoper with Herbert van Karajan, a high point of our opera lives. Your colorful descriptions are so much fun that I am saving your email to read again, and also think about how I can get over there again! Welcome to Santa Rosa. Gehts gut. Phyllis

8th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Vienna is amazing
We should have taken you with us. An amazing city. I'm sure we will go back some day. It is a city that makes you want to be more creative and accomplished.

8th January 2014

So many wines

liliram
liliram

You've shrunk!
Look at you, gorgeous! I'm jealous. Vienna is truly fascinating even if I agree the sacher torte is overrated. But I did like their liquored coffee there in Hotel Sacher. On your "lust" for travel, I too wonder what S. Freud would say. Take the sofa!

8th January 2014

So many wines

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Taking the sofa
Certainly Freud would have diagnosed us with an obsessive or compulsive neurosis. I supposed we would proudly wear that diagnosis and then wander off to some other wonderful land to explore. Not remembering enough about my Freud I'm certain he saw obsessions as pleasure seeking behaviors.

8th January 2014

So many wines

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Taking the sofa
Certainly Freud would have diagnosed us with an obsessive or compulsive neurosis. I supposed we would proudly wear that diagnosis and then wander off to some other wonderful land to explore. Not remembering enough about my Freud I'm certain he saw obsessions as pleasure seeking behaviors.

9th January 2014

Quartet at St. Anne's

The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas

Vienna - classical music heaven!
So glad you managed to see a musical performance or two whilst in the city - music seems to seep from almost every building. I attended a church service featuring the Vienna Boy's Choir and an opera during my time there 21 years ago. I'm very overdue for a return visit!

9th January 2014

Quartet at St. Anne's

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Classical music abounds
We enjoyed ourselves immensely because of all the music available. Music tells so much about the local people and Vienna is a very special place. The Vienna Boys Choir was not performing while we were there so maybe next time. Twenty one years is a lifetime so it sounds like you are due to go back.

9th January 2014

Ted
non-member comment

Great trip!
Hello Dave and MJ. Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much my folks and I enjoyed meeting you. What a fun time. Hope you can make it back during the summer so we can have a good BBQ and sample a few home brews. Your trip looks fantastic from all the pictures and the vivid write up. Reading it makes it seem like you where there for weeks on end. Travel on!

9th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Great meeting you
We felt so comfortable with you and yes we look forward to the next time. Brews and BBQ sounds great. Wish we had been there for weeks on end. There is so much to see and to do.

10th January 2014

nancic123
Nanci and David Curry

Truth in Traveling!
Great blog and good to hear you had an excellent trip! Thanks for the honest reviews on things that didn't quite live up to their hype. Too many times travelers don't always tell what they honestly think. Thanks for sharing a great way to end (and start) a year!

10th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Honest blogs
We are generally pretty lucky in our choices and most of our blogs are optimistic and positive. But an honest critique is appreciated by most people we think. I remember once we had a horrible train ride through Vietnam and a friend thanks us for the honesty as they thought we only wrote about the positive things in our travels. We generally write about both but have been lucky in that the good far out weighs the bad. We do find it is an art to describe something you found less than expected rather than trashing it. It was a great way to finish and start a new year.

13th January 2014

Readingfcboi
Alan Atkinson

Vienna
I think Vienna is definitely on my bucket list now after reading your blog!

13th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Vienna waits for you
It is an amazing city and you won't regret visiting there.

14th January 2014

Tom Rooney
Tom Rooney Travels

Great post
Thanks guys, your comprehensive post brings back so many memories of one of the world's great cities. And you got to see some concerts too, I'm jealous! Thanks for sharing.

14th January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

An amazing city
We are music lovers and this city was just right for us. Love keeping up with your travels also.

22nd January 2014

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Vienna
Our daughter's middle name...evoking images of waltzes, hills alive with the sounds of music, fine things. Really neat destination for your New Years Eve bash...rock on!

23rd January 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Rocking on
We are always on a quest for music. Vienna was a lovely experience. We'd love to spend more time there. Hope to meet your daughter some day.

16th February 2014

Nice!!!
Hello guys. So you didn't make it to Bratislava...? :-)

18th February 2014

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Hello Elton
No, we didn't. We loved Vienna so much we could not pull ourselves away. We intend to go back! Looks like we will have a month in Ireland starting in early March. Can't wait to get back on the road again. Hopefully you will follow us and get our blogs. Take care and please keep in touch.

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