Reasons to Fall in Love with Vienna

I was so excited to finally experience "The City of Dreams" with the man of my dreams. Vienna was not the backdrop of the popular Leonardo DiCaprio Blockbuster film Inception, but it was home to one of the greatest interpreters of dreams, Sigmund Freud.  Ohhh and of course musical prodigies Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler and Joseph Haydn all worked in Vienna at times in their lives. Pretty cool history, right?!

Ten years ago, mom and I made a mad dash through Vienna, and I remember being impressed with my hurried experience. This time around, I was looking forward to two days of drinking and breathing in the sights and sounds of Europe's most desired holiday destination. 

This will be a quick blog that simple highlights a few of the things that I loved about Vienna. You really have to experience it for yourself, and now I can say from personal experience that you must visit in December. Christmas just seems to come alive in Vienna. 

Why I fell in LOVE with Vienna:

Reece and Chris in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

-St. Stephen's Cathedral is beautiful even though it is being restored. It also is in the center of Vienna, so it serves as a great landmark. 

- In Vienna, we met up with Chris' best friend, Reece. It was great to travel with a friend, and since he lives in Europe now, we foresee a few more of these joint trips in the future. 

- The subway system (The U-Bahn) is super easy to figure out, so even though we were staying 6+ miles out of town, it only took about five minutes to get from our hotel to St. Stephens. 

We visited Krah Krah the first evening we arrived in Vienna, and would recommend it. 

- There are several great little pubs in the center of Vienna, and since I was traveling with two dudes, we checked out several of them. They were happy with the beer selection that was available. 

- In 2005, Vienna was ranked (by Economist Intelligence Unit) as the best city to live in for quality of life. In 2011, it was ranked second to Melbourne. It would not take much to make me move to Vienna! I can see why people love the city!

Der Graben (translation - "the trench") Street 

 - Famous Der Graben Street is great to strolling and window shopping. All of the shops are high end, but their window displays are all decked out for the Holidays. I think we must have found ourselves on this street four or five times. 

- The statue (that we are standing in front of) of the Pestsaule is one of the most prominent pieces of sculpture in Vienna, even though the statue was placed there as reminder of the 1679 plague that visited the city. It is beautiful and haunting. 

Beautiful and ancient St. Peter's Church Vienna. 

 - Around every corner, an architectural delight awaits discovery. 

Chris and Reece - just exploring the city.

Yummy food at Bermuda Brau in the city center. 

 - Even though we did not find a juicy burger for lunch in Vienna, we did find a great place called Bermuda Brau. At night, the place turns into a hopping bar, but during the day, traditional Austrian food is served at a reasonable price. 

Our first experience in a Christmas Market - Christkindlemarkt. 

 - I fell in love with the European Christmas Market in Vienna. Vienna's Christkindlemarkt is set against the backdrop of picturesque City Hall. Choirs perform inside City Hall through the Holidays, and the music just spills out onto the market. (beware - this market is packed with tourists)

- I tried hot wine (or Austrian Gluhwein) for the first time at Christkindlemarkt, and I decided that America is missing out on this amazing Christmas tradition. 

Front view of City Hall. 

 - You can find all sorts of gifts at the Holiday Markets. Of course some are homemade, but then there are some that are shipped in from China. Reguardless of where the gifts come from, the markets are a fun Christmas experience. 

-While Christkindlmarkt is Vienna's most recognized Holiday Market, we found a smaller one called Spittelberg that was easier to navigate. There were fewer tourists packed into the same area, and the prices were better on the Spittelberg market.

- There must be around 15+ Christmas markets in Vienna, and I believe we only stumbled upon four or five of them. You could spend a week in Vienna and never run out of Holiday cheer. 

- After I dragged the boys all over Vienna in search of Christmas-market-cheer, we found a great little Tex-Mex place at the end of the Spittelberg market. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but we just had one drink in the trendy setting and went in search of a burger. 

(Chris and I don't typically crave hamburgers, but we had not had one since moving to Serbia, so we were craving one in a big way. And McDonald's was definitely not on our radar.)

- After a long day of walking and exploring, we stumbled upon a random hole-in-the-wall-bar that seemed to have reasonably priced food and drinks. Once we sat down, Chris opened the menu and discovered that the place served burgers! We had given up on our search for the perfect juicy burger, and we ended up getting one anyway! It was a glorious end to our first day in Vienna. 

A must see in Vienna is Schonbrunn Palace, and we were headed there on day two.

The Buvljak - Subotica, Serbia

Chris, me and Dad after the wedding ceremony. 

In an effort to set up this blog post, let me tell you about one of the most amazing men in the world. 

My father. 

I could write a book about Him; and perhaps one day I will. My Father is a man of utmost integrity, a man who has traveled the world and back, a voice for the voiceless, and a man who has been shaped by the struggle and ultimate forgiveness of his own father. He is a strong leader who holds onto his convictions, but he desperately loves me, and I am certain that he would do anything for me. 

He absolutely influenced my life. 

Dad loved me through my awkward and defiant stages, and when I was 13 years old, he told me that I didn't need to tirelessly search for a boyfriend. . . he would be my date. 

He said that he would always be there for me no matter what happened in my story. 

I believed him, and I still do. 

He loved my mother and me in such a way that I knew exactly what I wanted in a spouse. 

I wanted to find a man who loved others the way my Father did. 

found on mimifroufrou.com

Dad started a tradition with me when I turned 13. We would grab coffee (or hot chocolate) at Starbucks, and then make our way to the Nordstrom fragrance counter. He would spread his arms wide and exclaim that I could choose any perfume for my birthday. I always had everything I needed as a child, but this was one of my first "indulgences." No label was out of reach, and no price was too great. I was in 13-year-old-paradise, and I instantly felt mature and important. The women at the counter treated me like I was someone, and I knew it was because Dad was there. One fragrance after another was sprayed onto tester wands, and we smelled them all. We laughed and discussed the "notes" in each one, and then we started smelling more. I could choose anything! It seemed as if the world was at my finger tips, and I remember feeling overwhelmed and treasured all at the same time. 

The first fragrance I chose was by the designer Faconnable. When I smell it now, I think it stinks, but it was the beginning of a tradition that shaped my childhood. 

Soon, Dad and I were making a trip to the fragrance counter for my birthday, Valentine's Day, and sometimes even Christmas. Eventually, we started picking out several fragrances for Mom each year, and in no time, Dad was the MVC (most valuable customer) at the counter. He started getting invitations to all of the fragrance events, and he was personally called whenever a new fragrance made its way behind the counter.  For an important man who traveled for a living, he somehow always found time to enjoy this tradition with his daughter. 

I felt special and important. 

It became one of my favorite places - because it was a place I went with Dad.

So, fast forward 15 years. I have packed up my life and made my way to Subotica, Serbia with a wonderful husband who greatly resembles my father in character, heart, and mind. About ten of my favorite perfumes made the trip with me, so really there is no need for a fragrance counter in the foreseeable future. 

But when I see perfume, I am instantly transported back to that favorite place that I shared with my Father. The first fragrance counter I encountered was at the Buvljak in Subotica, Serbia. What is the Buvljak, you may ask? Well, in short, it is a place, near town, where you can buy just about anything. From fake Nike shoes and track suits, to batteries and alarm clocks, and even puppies if you so desire. There must be several thousand little "shops," and often the items are cheaper on the Buvljak since they've been brought in from Hungary or Turkey (often tax-free). 

One of my friends was shopping for a fragrance for her father's birthday. I smiled as I remembered how many of my birthday gifts were purchased at a fragrance counter. This counter was a little different. While the women claimed that all of the perfumes were authentic, I had to wonder considering all of the fake Louis Vuittons hanging over my head. My friend asked the vendor if she sold any fragranced aftershave, and the vendor replied, "No, I am sorry, I only sell toilet water." What in the world?! She quickly corrected herself, "Ummm . . . you know, eau de toilette only, I don't sell aftershave."

With the toilet water comment cleared up, my friend proceeded to test a few of the men's colognes. Rather than producing a wand with a squirt of fragrance, the vendor instead took the cap off of the fragrance and allowed us to sniff whatever remnant of scent lingered in the cap. My second friend (not a Subotica local yet), picked up a fragrance that she liked and sprayed it on her skin. That seemed normal at a fragrance counter, right? Both the vendor and our Serbian friend stared in disbelief! The vendor gave the stink-eye and shook her head in disgust. Apparently at the Buvljak, you are not supposed to spray the fragrances. Everything that you see out on display is for sale,  and those opened perfume bottles are not traditional "testers." I am surprised that it was not me who committed the major Buvljak infraction. With my love of fragrance, that is something I totally would have done. Well, now I know for next time. 

I came to the conclusion that Dad and I would not be able to spend quite as much time at the fragrance counter on the Buvljak as we had spent over the years at Nordstrom. Nonetheless, I had a great time reminiscing days past. 

Thank you Dad for the wonderful memories that we created! When we could home for Christmas, we may have to make a trip to Nordstrom just for old times sake. 

 Below are a few pictures of the Buvljak in Subotica, Serbia. 

As always, thanks for reading!

Diesel jackets anyone?