The Royal Treatment
If you feel like you're living in 17th century Austria in Salzburg, you'll feel like 17th century Austrian royalty in Vienna. A few days in this regal city showed why it is Austria's crown jewel. Everything is just so... grand.
My knees were happy when I decided to take a pumpkin spice latte break after having been on my feet for hours exploring the Altstadt. I couldn't stop myself from turning left and right down alleys. Following a lit turquoise church dome at night here. Stealing a closer look at an ornate fountain I caught a glimpse of there. Whether monuments of grandeur (like St. Stephen's Cathedral below) or a statue in a small hidden square, these gems are strewn about the city; their design, ornamentation, and purpose gracefully impressing their importance on you. As if you're being drawn into a world fit for a king or queen and the city is your palace. The lighted "chandeliers" hanging through the streets certainly help this effect.
While I half expected infantry men to storm the streets with bayonets and pictured white-wigged couples waltzing in some of the quieter, more removed areas, I was fully present upon reaching my destination one night at the main Vienna Christmas market (or Christkindlmarkt). A traditional, festive holiday scene in the shadow of Vienna's dramatic Rathaus (or City Hall). A wow moment, upon first sight, which was partnered with an impulsive "Ho-ly BLEEP!!" The expressions of the holidays have begun!
As dignified as Vienna makes you feel, I was just as happy to lay low for a bit in a small, classic Vienna coffee house. Minus the pumpkin spice latte.
Frohe Feiertage! (Happy Holidays!)
Robin
