Austria
Stadtpark

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 7

      Stadtrundfahrt Schlösser & Co

      July 5 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Es ist ziemlich warm im Bus, er ist auch nicht so offen wie zur letzten Rundfahrt. Außerdem ist es nicht so interessant, wir fahren durch Außenbezirke, Robert hört wieder tapfer die Walzermusik und uns wird auch nicht so viel erklärt.Read more

    • Day 5

      Vienna

      July 25 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

      Today's adventure was exploring Vienna by bicycle, 11 miles to be exact. 🚲 What a cool way to explore the city although you do have to be very aware of your surroundings due to the local bicyclist, pedestrians, cars, scooters, and tram system.

      We rode along the Danube canal filled with bars, restaurants, community gardens, and some amazing graffiti. This included excursion stopped in Stadtpark, a city park in the middle of this bustling city. Stadtpark is also the home of Kursalon, a music hall, and the statue of Johann Strauss II. Of course, Vienna is the home of classical music Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence.

      Our bike tour allowed us to spend some time at the Imperial Palace. We were able to see the stables of the Lipizzaner horses.

      There is no finer place to attend a classical concert than the classical Music Capital of the World. This unforgettable experience was a mixture of the most popular compositions by Viennas most faved composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & Johann Strauss II presented by local musicians. No pictures or videos were allowed, a wonderful reminder to just BE in the moment.
      Read more

    • Day 7

      Stadtpark Wien

      July 5 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Robert hatte uns zugesagt, noch eine Hop-On-Hop-Off-Rundfahrt mit uns zu unternehmen. Da wir der Meinung waren, mit unserer Vienna-City-Card können wir die Stadtrundfahrt kostenlos genießen, entschieden wie uns zur sogenannten Palace-Route. Wir fuhren mit den Öffis zum Stadtpark, der im Reiseführer angepriesen wurde. Allerdings war dieser Teil nicht so groß und toll wie erhofft, nur Johann Strauss glänzte golden wie versprochen.Read more

    • Day 2

      Sep 27 - Arrival in Vienna

      September 27, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

      Sep 27 – Arrival in Vienna

      Our flight landed right on time, about 8:30 a.m. Vienna time – that’s 2:30 a.m. Ontario time. We breezed through passport control and retrieved our luggage. There was a driver waiting for us to take us to our hotel – the Vienna Hilton Park. The hotel was full of people in business suits. There is a huge conference going on right now – the 57th meeting of the EPCA – European Petrochemical Association. We were able to check in, but our room wasn’t going to be ready until normal check in time of 3:00 p.m., giving us almost six hours to fill up. Not ideal, given our lack of sleep. I did a Clark Kent clothing change in the washroom since the forecast high was 28 deg. C. We put our luggage in the secure lock up and set out to explore.

      We generally set our aim to be St. Stephan’s Cathedral in the heart of Vienna. We got a sandwich and a drink in a little corner store and then had chocolate croissants for dessert. We spent hours window shopping and walking and exploring. The architecture is fabulous and could be a theme for exploring Vienna all on its own. Vienna is a haven for high end shopping – designer clothing, gorgeous jewelry, traditional Austrian clothing, expensive pens, Swiss watches, handmade hats, tin soldiers, blown glass, ceramics, even fancy schmancy sardines. Little shops with huge bouquets of fresh cut flowers are on almost every corner.

      Vienna is a very young city – full of students and young families and hordes of youngish businesspeople, all extremely well-dressed. Business casual for men here means “no tie”. The city is incredibly clean – nary a scrap of litter anywhere. And the streets are hosed down regularly after the horse-drawn carriages make their way around with tourists happily sipping champagne.

      By 2:00 p.m., we were hot and tired. We sat in the park by the hotel for a while doing some good people watching, but we were fading fast. We took a chance that our room would be ready, and thankfully it was. We unpacked fast and hit the sack. In predicable fashion, Doug slept for three hours, and I didn’t sleep at all. About 6:00 p.m., we set out for dinner. We had spied a steakhouse in our earlier and without much trouble, we found it. Smoking is rampant here in Austria, and while not allowed inside in restaurants, it is allowed on the outdoor patios. It was a lovely, warm night and would have been perfect for outdoor dining, but the smoke was off putting, so inside we went. We had a lovely dinner and a celebratory drink each, and then found caramel gelato for dessert on our after-dinner stroll. The city is still alive and active in the evening.

      No firm plans for tomorrow yet, except to sleep in and avoid the early morning rush in the breakfast room. We might take the hop-on-hop-off bus tour to give the old pegs a bit of a break. My step count for the day was 18,400 – that’s about nine miles. That should offset the chocolate croissant, the gelato and wine. See you tomorrow.
      Read more

    • Day 3

      Sep 28 - Exploring Vienna

      September 28, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      We both slept like logs in the lovely king-size bed – we needed it! Breakfast is included, so we trotted off to see how the Hilton chain does a breakfast bar. Wow! It was the nicest, most extensive breakfast bar, complete with a made-to-order hot section, that we had ever seen! The décor was lovely too. There is a little coaster on each table – turn it up to show “reserved” when you are getting your second cappuccino of the morning so no one will scoop your table. Great idea. Well done all around, Hilton! In a major departure from my normal routine, I had waffles and two cappuccinos to fire me up. Healthy cereal can wait for another day!

      Well-fed and watered, we set out to explore on another warm, clear, sunny day. High forecast of 26℃. There is a huge park near the hotel, so we walked the length of it. The Wien River runs through it. The brick and stonework along the canal are the star attractions, not the water which is just a stream these days. This river, in its earlier days, would have been an important commercial transportation route for the city. It joins the Danube just a few kilometres from where we are staying. In the park, we saw “Mom and Baby” fitness classes going on, teachers with kids doing phys. ed classes, couples canoodling before noon, and lots of people like us just enjoying being outside on a lovely September morning.

      From the park, we headed to St. Stephan’s Cathedral, hoping to do an inside tour. St. Stephen (or Stephan) was the first Christian martyred saint. He was stoned to death in about 34 A.D. after being accused of blasphemy. But the church was a mob house. The entire city today seemed to have twice as many people exploring it as yesterday. We did get tickets for an organ recital there tonight, so we didn’t feel guilty all day turning down the guys flogging tickets for music concerts that mostly feature Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, a suite that we’ve heard many times before.

      I was in Vienna last December on the Seven Sisters Loud and Crazy Christmas Markets Tour. Along for the fun were four of my sisters and two of our sisters-in-law. (If you want the blog link for that extravaganza, let me know!) We did see inside the church then, so my interior photos are from that visit.

      We nixed the Hop On Hop Off bus idea – the price, we found, was way beyond what we were prepared to pay. So, we walked and walked and walked. We started at the Opera House and headed generally west, stopping every couple of minutes to admire another stunning building or complex wrought iron works or to goo at another window display of things only the extra ordinally rich can afford. We spent lots of time on Kärntner Strasse, a wide, traffic-free zone with great people watching opportunities. This is the same road Crusaders marched down as they headed off from St. Stephan’s Cathedral for the Holy Land in the 12th century. In years past, a gate stood near here, through which a road led to the Kärnten region of southern Austria, hence the name.

      We stopped at the Monument Against War and Fascism, located in the Albertinplatz. The monument commemorates the dark years when Austria was under Nazi rule (1938-1945). The granite pedestals were cut from the infamous quarry at Mauthausen concentration camp. A very evocative and contemplative monument.

      One building overlooking the Albertinaplatz is the Albertina. It was once the home of Empress Maria Theresa’s daughter Marie Christina. A sleek, titanium canopy affectionally known as “the diving board” shelters the entrance way. The Albertina is now a museum for modernistic paintings (Monet to Picasso). The views from the balcony are delightful.

      Craving some shade, we popped into the Burggarten, once the private garden of the emperor. It is home to a famous statue of Mozart. He died just before his 35th birthday but left over 800 works of virtually every genre of his time. In a delightful touch, the flowers in front of the monument were laid out in the shape of a treble clef. Only in Vienna!

      From there, we headed to Maria Theresa square which sits between two fabulous museums, the history museum, and the natural history museum. Maria Theresa was the ruler of the Hapsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780. She fostered institutional, financial, medical, and educational reforms. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. On the negative side, she despised Jews and Protestants and often ordered their expulsion to the far reaches of her realm.
      This square was the site of a delightful Christmas market. How interesting to see how it usually looks!

      Still craving shade, we popped in to the Volksgarten with its beautiful rose garden. People can a commemorative rose bush/tree to remember a family member or friend, living or deceased. What an oasis of calm in a busy city! Last December, the bushes were all shrouded in burlap, giving the place an eerie, ghostlike appearance.

      We heard a military band playing and followed the sound. Sure enough, a troop of young soldiers was being inspected. Doug loves all things military!

      We bought our favourite lunch, chicken Caesar salads and a couple of cold drinks, and found a bench for al fresco dining. We remarked on how many elegantly dressed women of all ages there were. Vienna could give Rome a run for its money in contest for best dressed ladies.

      One more stop before heading back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon for Doug and a writeup session for me. Back in December, I found Läderach, a Swiss chocolatier. This is a mecca for all chocolate lovers. All the chocolate in made in big sheets, and you just show how big a chunk you want (note, I did not say “need”). We bought way too much and headed back with 14,000 steps to show for the day. Going to need at least 140,000 steps to wear off this treat!
      Read more

    • Day 3

      Sep 28 - More pictures from Vienna

      September 28, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Each footprint can have only a maximum of 20 photos, so here are more pictures from this day in Vienna.

      We headed back out after our afternoon break, opting for a light dinner after snarfing down chocolate all afternoon. Our son, Patrick, calls us “The Grocery Store Gourmets” because of our propensity for eating from grocery stores when traveling! We found the ready-made section of the local grocery store and ate in the adjacent mall. Then we hit the streets again for more window-shopping. This time we found authentic Austrian wear. Fabulous. Oh yes, and Doug found chocolate gelato for dessert!

      The organ concert was most enjoyable. We were seated very near the organ console so we could see the organist playing the five upper registers with his hands and the lower registers with his feet. The sound in the cathedral was glorious.

      Time to call it a day. It's been another good one in Vienna. Step count - 23,000! That's over 10 miles - whew!
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Sonntags auf der Ringstrasse

      September 17, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Wikipedia schreibt zur Wiener Ringstrasse (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Ringstraße…);
      "Die Ringstraße, die mit dem Franz-Josefs-Kai rund um das historische Zentrum Wiens führt, und ihre zahlreichen Bauwerke des Historismus zählen zu den Hauptsehenswürdigkeiten der österreichischen Bundeshauptstadt. Die Gesamtlänge des annähernd kreisförmigen Straßenzugs beträgt 5,2 km. Die Ringstraße selbst nimmt etwa drei Viertel davon ein; sie wird häufig nur der Ring genannt, obwohl dieser Ring, was die offiziellen Straßennamen betrifft, in neun Abschnitte geteilt ist.

      Der Ringstraßenstil als besondere Ausprägung des Historismus war stilbildend für die Architektur der 1860er bis 1890er Jahre."
      An diesem Nachmittag habe ich nun die Ringstrasse zur ersten Hälfte (bis zur Staatsoper) abgelaufen. Trotz des heissen Sommertages war diese Unternehmung keine schweisstreibende Angelegenheit, weil es auf der Ringstrasse doch viele schattige Alleen hat.
      Read more

    • Day 3,143

      Steirereck dessert

      September 5 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      Pine cone - chocolate mousse brownie with pineapple sorbet

      Pear with beeswax ice cream and cream

      Damson ice cream and poppy seed powder with vanilla potatoes noodles

      Rose ice with lemon basil
      Cherry macaron
      Gooseberry ice cream pop with white chocolate
      Blackberry pudding pop
      Ground cherries
      Frozen raspberry with pepper ice
      Read more

    • Day 3,143

      Steirereck

      September 5 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

      Mango Melon with Thai basil calamasi or lime granita
      Chicken skin in rice/pea skin topped with salted lemon jelly
      Jerusalem Artichoke with catfish liver cream tart and some chopped fruit
      Blood sausage
      Lavender rye bread

      Rose ice topped with lemon basil
      Gooseberry ice cream in white chocolate
      Blackberry pop with pickled berry
      Frozen raspberry with pepper ice
      Macaron with cherry cream
      Fresh ground cherries
      Read more

    • Day 8,718

      Steirereck, Wien

      November 13, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

      2 Michelin Sterne
      #18 „50 Best Restaurants“
      Steirereck im Stadtpark
      Am Heumarkt 2a, Wien, 1030, Österreich

      „Die ist eine echte kulinarische Institution in Wien. Sehr modern geht es in dem Gourmetrestaurant im tollen weitläufigen Stadtpark zu. Schickes klares Design trifft hier auf die kreative Küche von Heinz Reitbauer, der regionale Produkte überaus präzise und raffiniert zubereitet. Ausgezeichnet auch der professionelle Service sowie die Weinberatung. Tipp: Lassen Sie sich auf keinen Fall den Brot- und den Käsewagen entgehen - beeindruckend die Auswahl!“

      „Contemporary Austrian brilliance in the heart of historic Vienna
      Let’s start with the setting: Much like chef Heinz Reitbauer’s cuisine, the restaurant itself combines the historic with the uber-contemporary. The original building dates from 1904, but the striking mirrored-glass extension has walls that raise up in the summer months to create semi al-fresco dining in Vienna’s green Stadtpark. The blonde wood and concrete interior is airy, stylish and sophisticated.
      The art of hospitality: Steirereck has long been a feature at the upper end of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – and while that’s undoubtedly down to the chef’s vision and skill, it’s also a reflection of the outstanding and ever-evolving hospitality that is proffered, all orchestrated by doyenne of the dining room Birgit Reitbauer. Her warmth, attention to detail and deep knowledge is reflected across the team, and has created an accessible atmosphere that attracts global gourmets as well as local frequenters, and also earned Steirereck the Art of Hospitality Award in 2021.“
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Stadtpark

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android