Birthday Week in Vienna!

To kick off my Birthday Week, Elise and I decided to be cultural on Friday and try our talents as Top Chefs of Austria. First, we went to the Hofburg and toured the Imperial Treasury and National Library. We managed to get in for free because the security guards at the Treasury allowed us in since we were 19 (under 19s generally go free)............. Anyway, we looked at all the beautiful jewels, though they weren't as impressive as the English Crown Jewels. Maybe because the style is different here and the favored jewels are different as well. We also peeked into the National Library, which was stunning, but didn't end up buying a ticket to go in. Instead we visited the St. Augustine Church next door, where Emperor Franz Joseph and Sisi were married in 1864. It was beautiful inside!

St. Augustine Church

Keys at the Imperial Treasury

Our next stop was the Naschmarkt to buy ingredients for dinner. We'd decided on trying to cook salmon since it had been forever since we'd both had fish. One large filet of salmon, a 9 Euro bunch of asparagus (we'll never speak of it again), a tub of hummus, 40 pieces of falafel (yes, we did go overboard. But for 4 Euro, who wouldn't??), and an Austrian Football Team scarf each later, we found our way home to rest before tackling dinner in the kitchen. And surprise! It turned out to be delicious!

Homemade rosemary and lemon salmon, spiced rice, grilled broccoli and asparagus, and falafel!

Saturday for me started at 6am when I got up to pick up Mom and my aunt, Khala, from the airport. They were spending Birthday Week with me! I was so excited to see them again. When we were all reunited and checked into the apart-hotel they were staying at in the first district, I took them to 1516 for lunch. Our delicious burgers hit the spot and soon we were up walking around the city center, though Mom was very jet lagged and both Khala and I had been up early and were tired. Vienna was busier than usual since it was a Saturday. It almost surprised me because usually, the city isn't too full. It was pleasant weather, though, and lots of people were out! Our next stop, a few hours later, was at Palmenhaus. Mom and Khala both ordered their first Viennese coffee and were amazed. The coffee is superb here! We spent a few hours relaxing there and chatting before going to meet Elise at Karlskirche for a performance of Mozart's Requiem!

Elise and I at Mozart's Requiem

Inside Karlskirche

Later that night, Mom, Khala, Elise, and I went to Schwartzenburg Cafe for a late night drink and apple strudel. We discussed the show together. The acoustics in the beautiful church made the music lovely. I only recognized one piece, Lacrymosa, though. Elise knew them all, being in a music class here and having played violin for so long! I still think its amazing that churches in Vienna just have little performances like this all the time. It makes art and culture so attainable!

Khala and her apple strudel!

On Sunday, I gave Mom and Khala a walking tour around Vienna city center. Having done this three times before with my previous visitors, I've really got the hang of it now! However, our first stop was to one of the oldest teahouse in Vienna, Haas&Haas, for breakfast. I think I found my new favorite restaurant. Not only did they have spectacular breakfast options, with choices from over 30 countries around the world, but the hot chocolate was the best I've ever had. It was thick and not too sweet, but was basically melted chocolate. I preferred using a spoon or a kipferl to drink it! I've never tasted anything as incredible...I'm about to become a regular at Haas&Haas.

Chives are my new favorite ingredient

We spent the better part of the late morning and afternoon on the walking tour around the city, and finally made it to our last stop, the Rathaus, by the time it was dark outside. However, at the Rathaus, the Wiener Christkindlmarkt was open and lively! Vienna's Christmas markets have begun! They're famous in Europe, having started as early as 1772, and maybe even earlier! It's the perfect way to start the pre-Christmas spirit! All the pretty squares and areas in Vienna are set up with little wood stalls selling warm Glühwein or baked goods. Khala, Mom, and I shared an enormous chocolate and almond soft pretzel, which was almost as good as the one I had in Salzburg last month. I also got some chocolate covered strawberries on a stick as we browsed through the stalls selling handmade gifts, food, ornaments, and more. I'm so excited I have another month of exploring the Christmas Markets!

Khala and I at the Rathaus Christmas Market

Buying chocolate covered strawberries!

Already craving another schoko-bretzel

We continued walking around Vienna, looking at the sights and hearing the sounds of the city on a Sunday night. I took them to Peterskirche for an organ and baritone singer concert. Another church performance! It was very good, though we left to find food after about half an hour. We managed to find a delicious Egyptian restaurant, Hamam, for dinner before making our way through the cold, windy night back to the apart-hotel. I have to say, living in the first district is so much more preferable than the 18th where my Villa is. It's great to have the space at the Villa, but I'd never pick it if I had the chance to go back and decide where I wanted to live this semester.

Organ concert at Peterskirche

It was incredibly hard dragging myself to class in the morning, but thank goodness it was just a 15 minute walk rather than a 45 minute commute from the Villa! And my politics class got to tour the Vienna Headquarters of the United Nations building at the Vienna International Center! It was pretty amazing seeing how large and modern the complex was in comparison to the old city just 10 minutes away! Now I've visited the NYC headquarters and the Vienna one. Just need to visit Geneva's headquarters next!

I met Mom and Khala at the apart-hotel so we could head off into the city again. They'd slept in and now we were heading to the Naschmarkt to take a look around. It's always a big hit with visitors! Khala especially loved the intricate architecture on the buildings surrounding the market. It's a big change from the architecture out by my house, which they then got to see as we went there. I think they both feel really bad for me for living so far away and in a sparsely, IKEA-filled house. I understand (obviously). The house has so much potential and yet, the furniture is terrible. There isn't even a TV! 

It was a long way back to town, but we made it and ended up stumbling across the famous Cafe Central by the Hofburg. I literally passed it every day in the warmer weather when I walked to and from school from Schottentor station, and never stopped in or even knew how famous it was. We went in for dinner and had the most amazing evening. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was inviting, and the desserts were to die for. It's great eating desserts now, because Mom and Khala only have a week to try them all, so I might as well try with them! We were there for about three hours, listening to the piano, admiring the high vaulted ceilings, and studying German (in my case...I had a test the next day!). I was a wonderful evening. I can't wait to go back and get the pumpkin chicken salad and molten chocolate cake again!

Cafe Central Kaffeehaus

The culinary culture is truly the best

Pumpkin chicken schnitzel salad

The amount of desserts I've had is absurd...but I love it

I look forward to ending class now, because I get to go join Mom and Khala at whatever new cafe they've chosen! Khala is on a mission to do the top ten kaffeehauses in Vienna, and I'm not complaining. The one she chose today was called Cafe Diglas, and was another famous one with a lovely pink front. I found out what the name of my favorite cake was, the dry chocolate marble Gugelhopf, that I've been trying to find again since Dad visited. They're literally everywhere, so I don't know why I had such trouble...

Gugelhopf at Cafe Diglas!

I took Mom and Khala to Schönbrunn, but had to leave them to explore themselves, so I could go tour Parliament with my politics class! It was a beautiful building, and so incredibly old! There was one room that's been in use for 130 years!

Sisters at Schönbrunn

Austrian Parliament

Let's go Österreich!

I took a nap after class, since I wasn't feeling too great, and when Mom and Khala returned, we grabbed some veal meatballs and veggies from Henry's cafe in Wien Mitte and headed to Gumpendorferstraße to get tickets to see Elisabeth the Musical. Dad and I loved it, so I was sure Mom and Khala would too! Turns out, the show didn't start at 7:30 on Tuesdays, but 6:30...and we'd arrived at 6:45 to buy the tickets. I was a bit annoyed with myself for not checking closer, but Mom and Khala were fine to amuse themselves for the evening. I was heading to an Austria-USA friendly football match with my friends! It was great fun, even though the US lost (I wasn't actually sure who I was supporting), we were in the Austrian section of the stadium. The Austrians were all singing German chants and going crazy while we stood there a bit awkwardly, not actually knowing what they were saying. It was quite an experience though!

Football game!

And then, all of a sudden... NOVEMBER 20TH! MY 21ST BIRTHDAY HAD ARRIVED! 

Honestly, it felt like it kinda crept up on me. I'm not in Vienna with my closest friends who would know it was my birthday instantly, I wasn't with my whole family, and I knew I wasn't about to get a bunch of presents (not that it matters....). It felt really odd that it was my birthday. I was back from the soccer game and I Skyped Zaynee and Dad (Hanaa was MIA, probably at school or SAT tutoring) with Mom and Khala before bed.

Happy birthday to me! Please excuse my pajamas...

My birthday breakfast had a slight hiccough in the plans, when Mom and Khala took a little too long meeting me at Meinl's Cafe at 10:30. My phone had died (it's so dumb and dies at 40% now) and I had no way of contacting them or finding out if they were lost or something. I waited about thirty or forty minutes by myself at this huge table in the cafe, which probably looked so awkward. Then I ran to a phone store and begged to borrow a charger so my phone would turn back on and I could waste 8 Euro calling Khala ten times over. For some reason, we couldn't connect with one another. When I went back, I saw them outside, about an hour late. And Meinl's was no longer serving breakfast. I was a bit sad, but then we went to Haas&Haas, and nothing is better than Haas&Haas breakfast! 

THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE IN THE WORLD

My big birthday present was a new, warm coat, that Khala chose and Mom bought me from Zara when we were on Mariahilfestraße that day. After shopping a bit, I headed to the first half of my tedious anthropology class at 4:30pm and Mom and Khala visited the Hotel Sacher cafe for famous Sacher Torte and the Albertina Museum before we met up for my birthday dinner at 7:30. Guess where it was? Patara, my favorite Thai restaurant that Dad and I went to! We had such a lovely meal, and then, a few hours later, went to another iconic Viennese kaffeehaus, Cafe Museum, to meet all my friends and have dessert together! The truffle cake I had was to die for. It was great that Cafe Museum stayed open til midnight! Mom and Khala left a bit early, and so I walked back after midnight with Amanda, Megan, and Sara. It was such a fun birthday, with family and new friends!

Dinner at Patara!

Mom and I 

Desserts with Evan!

My truffle cake! (Credits to Orli)

The group at Cafe Museum! (Credits to Orli)

I felt no different on Thursday. Being 21 is weird, only because I feel exactly the same and keep telling people I'm 20, though I'm not. 21 is just such a big number, how am I that old already!? Anyway, Mom, Khala, and I met at Stephansdom after taking this Emory group photo (there are so many of us here!):

Emory in Vienna!

We went out to Cafe Landtmann, by Rathaus, for breakfast. It was another very famous and very traditional cafe that Khala had found for us. The food was delicious, if a bit pricey, and the atmosphere was wonderful. Mom couldn't get over how attractive the waiters were and both Mom and Khala are very taken with the coat racks that have been in all the cafes. It's so nice to be able to hang your coat up instead of draping it on the back of your chair (although we sat on cushioned booths here!). 

Outside Cafe Landtmann!

Though Mom was wearing my bright purple running shoes (her shoes had been hurting her) and was ready to do some walking, the Belvedere was quite far, so we took a tram from Rathaus instead. I love the Belvedere and think the green roof of the palace is beautiful, especially when reflected in the pond in front. Unfortunately, a Christmas market is going up right in front, which messes up the pretty view at the moment. Maybe it was worse because the market stalls weren't all set up yet, so it looked a bit messy. We went inside the Belvedere and spent about an hour and a half looking at the art. I loved the most famous piece, 'The Kiss' by Gustav Klimt. I'd heard people say how amazing it was and seen all sorts of paraphernalia around Vienna of it, but in person it was beautiful! I'm definitely a Klimt fan now. The sideways heads seem to be his trademark!

Mom and Khala at Schloß Belvedere!

Mom and I at Schloß Belvedere

After the Belvedere, we took the tram to the Secession Building that Khala desperately wanted to see. It was a museum dedicated to the artists who used to meet there, creating the Secession art movement. I contented myself with reading "111 Things to do in Vienna" from the bookshop. I have some interesting new places to visit now!

Secession building

Cafe Sperl was another of Khala's chosen cafes. We found it off Mariahilfestraße (actually on Gumpendorferstraße), around a lot of theaters. Sigmund Freud used to spend lots of time here! The food wasn't that good, though the coffee apparently was. It wasn't my favorite kaffeehaus, so I probably won't be back, at least not for a while. However, we'd checked off another cafe on the top ten list!

Outside Cafe Sperl

We made it to the Raimund Theater at the correct time to see "Elisabeth" tonight, and got some great seats. A quick Anker sandwich and Gugelhopf slice (for me of course) later, we were seated inside the theater by 7:30pm. I was so excited to see the musical again, because Dad and I loved it so much the first time. The music was fantastic. I'm glad Mom and Khala enjoyed it too!

Our dinner ended up being a large Hühnerschnitzel at Cafe Bistro by the Staatsoper. It's been so fun practicing my German in all the cafes. Now I'm a pro at ordering food. That's obviously the most important thing to learn, right? 

Khala having a traditional Viennese schnitzel!

Mom and Khala did their own thing on Friday until about 4pm, giving me time to relax, finish the Divergent Trilogy (everybody needs to read these books before the movies come out! They're like the Hunger Games and are amazing!), and make it back to their apartment to meet them after they'd seen the Hundertwasserhaus and Strauss statue in Stadtpark. We spent some time walking and wandering around Stephansplatz, and came across Figlmüller, one of Vienna's oldest heurigers. Thought it was only about 5:30, I was hungry, and so we all ordered Hühnerschnitzel and potato salad. The schnitzels were so big they were hanging off the plate! I must have been really hungry because I finished the entire thing myself! It was a very good restaurant and its good to know that there's a heuriger closer to the city center than the ones in the 19th district. Although, those ones gave three salads instead of one, and it came free with the schnitzel. And it was just so delicious. I'll have to take Zaynee and Savannah there when they visit me in December. This can be our second option!

Massive schnitzel

We took a nighttime walk through Vienna again, because it was Mom and Khala's last night in Austria. We ended up at Cafe Central again. It's a favorite of ours! Mom and Khala got coffee and I had hot chocolate. We stayed until closing and Mom and Khala both ordered one last pastry. They were both delicious, but Khala's Nuss Kuss, a hazelnut-chocolate pastry that was gluten-free, was simply spectacular. We've definitely had quite a number of desserts here this week! We even went and bought Sacher Tortes from Hotel Sacher afterwards, so Mom and Khala could bring them home. Vienna certainly does pastries well!

Mom's truffle cake and Khala's Nuss Kuss

Enjoying our drinks

Mom left early in the morning the next day, and after I'd dropped her off at the train station, Khala and I made our way to Haas&Haas (surprise!) for breakfast. I couldn't resist that dark hot chocolate and kipferl combination! We also spent some time in H&M because I swear the store was an old palace. It has mirrored walls, ornate door handles, paneled wood walls, and a spiral staircase! It truly makes shopping a pleasure.

I also showed Khala St. Augustine Church and the National Library by the Hofburg, before we, too, said our goodbyes. It had been a spectacular birthday week with them, and I even got to go out to Lutz Club with Evan and a bunch of other friends Saturday night after they left to continue celebrating! Showing Mom and Khala around showed me how incredible Vienna really is (not that I didn't already know that), but they also showed me a lot of new places, mostly kaffeehauses honestly, that I'll be visiting more frequently. I still have over a month left in this wondrous city!