K & L's Travel Blog

Today we expect that our trip to local wine bar or “Heurige” would be the highlight of our day. Who would have thought our spontaneous stop at the power plant at Spittalau would end up being even better than wine!

This morning we breakfast in the nearby “Crème de la Crème” on Lange Gasse. I’d researched this one, and as we approached it I said as much. A man overheard us and said “that is my daughter’s café and you are right, it is wonderful!” Of course, we had to go in. The chairs were Paris size (way too small for two large American women), so we settled carefully, squeezed into our spot and tried to be as small as we could be while enjoying our coffee. They were very nice and I’d recommend it. 

One of our shared goals for this trip included a trip to a “Heuriger,” a local vineyard/pub where they serve basic food and showcase their latest wines. There are lots of these in Vienna & environs, but we ended up choosing one as recommended by our hosts, Heuriger Kierlinger in the suburb of Nussdorf. They didn’t open until 3:30, so we spent our morning with a return visit to the Arabic Brunnenmarkt for another taste of that 1 EUR, cheesy egg sensation we first met on Saturday. 

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There are no crowds today, so there’s more time to browse the offerings. Then we headed across town on Josephstraße, through the area just below our neighborhood that led us back to the city center. We wandered through this very photogenic and relaxed neighborhood, stopping for lunch at the Amerling Beise. We ordered chicken wraps thinking we were being reasonably health-conscious, only to be served fried chicken with French fries and amazing home-made ketchup. Oh well. At least we tried. Delicious.

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We were close to the Museum Quarter complex. A massive square is flanked by the two major museums with a statue of Maria Theresa in the middle. She looks just like Queen Victoria to us (I don’t know who had more children, but together they created an entire string of royal houses across Europe). We joined the crowds of tour groups, jostling and dodging to get through the Hofburg and to a café. Now there are of course lovely and historical cafes nearby, but we opt to go to the Lipizzaner Café to escape the hubbub. As it is, we have the quite courtyard in the Hofburg all to ourselves while enjoying our coffee. Overpriced, yes, but as it ended up, worth the peaceful break. After that we walked through the lovely Volksgarten with extensive roses, fountains and vistas.

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We headed towards the D tram for the suburb of Nussdorf. Nussdorf was like a small village, but upon entering the Heuriger, we were both intimidated. It was Gemütlich in that familiar countryside way and epitomized Vienna wine culture, but we felt like outsiders and the waiter was a bit cold. I don’t know if it was the wine or the time, but the longer we were there, the friendlier and more hospitable the place felt. The food was very meaty, blood sausage, et al. so skipped eating and stuck to the wine. 

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On the way home we stopped at the electrical company at Spittalau, having spied the tower along the tram ride to Nussdorf. This was a great surprise. We thought the Heurigen would be our highlight for the day, but the Vienna energy complex/transportation hub thrilled us even more than local wine in a gemutlich setting. It was so beautifully designed, and the space itself was alive with commuters—bikes, subway, trains, pedestrians, all seemingly getting along and on their way. And somehow, this industrial complex had been transformed into lovely, modern art.