A song about a hat.

One of the most memorable moments when Traveller was in Vienna was having dinner with some 'real' Austrians.

Husband's family have been close friends with an Austrian family for years and, while we were in Vienna, we were invited to dine with them. The mother was known for her Weiner Schnitzel. Yum! The most wonderful thing we learnt that night was that Austrian hospitality is second to none; we were showered with a very warm welcome from the family and all of their close relatives.

{almost 20 of them in total!}

The evening's menu consisted of champagne, schnitzel and potato salad, Tiramisu and Sachertorte.

{Sachertorte is a Viennese speciality and was delicious!)

The interesting thing about being in a room with a bunch of Austrians, in Austria, is that you soon realise that if you only speak English - you are on the outer. Despite all of her travelling, Traveller is yet to pick up another language and German is probably her weakest 'get by whilst travelling' language. Needless to say, there was a fair bit of staring happening throughout the night and various awkward, yet sweet, conversations.

Then husband did what he does best; he broke the ice. Now, he did not manage this by any unusual, or unsavoury methods; he merely regaled them with a song from his youthful German lessons.

The song is known as 'Mein hut der hat drei ecken'.

Before singing, husband asked if they wanted to hear a German song that he knew. They, admirably, were very cheered by this idea. Before commencing his performance, hubby procured himself a hat from within the house somewhere and proceeded to sing a German song about a hat and its three corners.

The crowd wooped and cheered and sung along.

Traveller giggled away at her goofy husband.

Ice sufficiently broken.

Gorgeous Vienna.

Here are some shots from Traveller's recent visit to Vienna.
The city is absolutely stunning; T thinks it is one of her favourites.
We loved and learnt so much at Schonbrunn Castle {first two pictures}Inside the castle is a tour of Austria's Royal history and it was ever so interesting, especially seeing portraits of Marie Antoinette and her sisters. The rooms were so lavish and intricately decorated.
We enjoyed touring the city and taking in sights such as the Kunst Haus {a major art gallery}, the Hofburg and the Natural History Museum.
We were also really lucky to watch a ballet of Romeo and Juliet in the Royal Opera House - it was such a beautiful performance. The orchestra were extraordinary and T's favourite part{aside from the dancing} was when the cast took many, many bows; while they were bowing, hoards of bouquets were thrown at them.
T has never before seen so many roses. One of the best European experiences so far.

Oh, Tafelspitz!

One of Traveller's most memorable culinary experiences whilst in Vienna was in a traditional restaurant called Plachutta. Ewald Plachutta is somewhat of a celebrity chef in Vienna; an Austrian Gordon Ramsay if you will. His restaurants are all about fresh ingredients, happy cows and traditional cooking.
Husband and T had to partake in the most traditional meal on offer which was Tafelspitz. Cool name, right? Just looking at it makes you want to say it aloud.
Tafelspitz entails a few little dishes which the waiters prepare for you in front of your very eyes; it is basically a boiled beef dish with lots of yummies on the side.
To begin, we had pancake soup which was delicious. The soup was what the beef was boiled in so it was very tasty. Then, to T's initial shock, we had bone marrow on little toasts - now just the thought {let alone the look} of bone marrow makes T a little squeamish but it wasn't too bad. Just like lard on toast, really. Getting hungry?
After the bone marrow, it was time for the steak which was paired with spinach and potato rosti.... yum! The beef was deliciously tender and T is always a huge fan of rosti.
Following this we all opted for dessert; T had a caramel ice-cream sundae, husband had a curd-cake and husband's dad completely won with his traditional Austrian dessert of half-curd and half-chocolate mousse with a gooseberry on top.
It was indescribably delicious!
All in all, a must do if you ever find yourself in Vienna.{which you should definitely try to do - because it is just beautiful!}