After three days in Venice, we took a seven-hour train ride to Vienna, Austria. We stayed in Vienna for five days. Vienna is magical. Monica thinks if she had visited Vienna when she was in her 20s, she would have moved there.
The Hollman-Beletage Hotel
Our Vienna hotel was, without a doubt, the most unique place we’d ever stayed – even more unique than the TWA hotel at JFK Airport! When planning our grand European vacation, we decided to avoid staying at the big, glitzy American hotels. Instead, we tried to find local, boutique hotels with charm. The Hollman Beletage Hotel in Vienna was one of them. It’s a small, quirky hotel on a side street in Old Town Vienna, with the amenities and charm of a five-star luxury hotel. The owner, “Mr. Hollman” put a lot of thought into giving guests a wonderful, unique experience, and it was fun to stay there! You really need to see it to believe it. Mr. Hollman has similar hotels in Sri Lanka and the Viennese mountains. We now want to go to those places just to stay at the Hollman Hotels!
Big Bus Tour
Because Vienna is large and we didn’t know what we wanted to do, we took a Big Bus tour through the entire city to see the major sites. Then, we returned to the places that we really wanted to see. Here are some pics from the bus tour.
Vienna State Opera
We went to Mozart’s _____ opera at the famous Vienna Opera House. We had fantastic view from our box seats. It was amazing to be at the hall that hosted some of the most talented artists and performers in recent history.
Sacher Torte
We went to the Sacher Hotel and had the famous Sacher Torte. It was very, very, very sweet. Too Sweet. But the hotel was beautiful, and the experience was something you can only have at one location in the world. Worth it.
Hair and Nails
In Vienna, we needed to do some serious self-care. Monica got the best manicure she’d ever received at a tiny, Viennese salon called Nails First. They sanded off her cuticles. Peter found a salon (with some beautiful stylists) to give him a haircut. He loved the cut and the pretty girl who took care of him.
Spanish Riding School
We attended an equestrian performance at the famous Spanish Riding School, which had been hosting the exact same shows for 500 years. The beautiful Lipizzaner horses performed in what Peter though looked like a horse ballet. Horses were jumping, doing pirouettes, and balancing on two legs. Being there felt like we had gone back in time.
Oldest Restaurant in Vienna
We ate at Guiechenbsisl, which has been a continuous restaurant serving Viennese food since 1447. The food tasted that old, too. ☹
Our Favorite Bar
On a side street next to our hotel, we found a tiny, bar called Bane. Each evening, we joined the bartender and a few locals for a night cap. The place was dark, uncrowded, and had old photos on the wall of its regulars from the past. On one of the walls, Peter was drawn to a photo of a young man talking to a couple women – it looked like it was taken in the late 70s/early 80s. The man in the photo looked just like Peter Kelly when he was younger. It was eerie and fascinating. Because Pete traveled so much in his younger years, we think it could have been him! It was tough saying goodbye to Vienna. We really liked the energy of the city, the architecture, the people, and the charm. And of course, our hotel was something we will never forget. Next, we were off to Budapest.