Day 8 – Vienna – Fleischmarkt, Griechenbeisl, Stephansdom & Schönbrunn Palace

We caught the early train from Salzburg to Vienna and arrive around 10:30am to be greeted by Peter and Silvia’s cousin Karin and her husband Josef.

We checked into the Vienna Centrum Mecure Hotel and were delighted to be given a room on the top floor overlooking the city with views of the St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Josef wanted to take us to a special place he loves, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church located in the first district of Vienna, in the historic Greek neighborhood of Vienna’s Innere Stadt.  The neighborhood has also been known as the “Fleischmarkt”.  We were blown away with the ornate paintings and architecture.

Next to the church was a famous restaurant called the Griechenbeisl, one of the oldest inns of Austria and its history goes back to 1447.  Famous guests of the Griechenbeisl include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Richard Wagner, Johann Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Mark Twain, Franz Grillparzer, Johann Nestroy and Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin.  The food and atmosphere made us feel as if we had stepped back in time hundreds of years.  Peter enjoyed a traditional Austrian lunch of Pork Knuckle with a glass of wine while Kylie and the others had schnitzel.

Next stop was St. Stephen’s Cathedral (or better known as Stephansdom). After viewing the grandeur of the church (no photos allowed), we decided to walk up the 343 narrow spiral steps inside the south tower to be rewarded by a magnificent view across Vienna.

Later we headed to Schönbrunn Palace, the former imperial residence of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia from 1848 until his death on 21 November 1916.  The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in Austria.  Again, no photos allowed inside.

Following a tour of the palace, we enjoyed walking through the Christmas Markets in town, drinking hot Glühwein and eating street food delights like baked potato, sausages, schnitzel, pretzels, biscuits and so much more.

Would you like some roll with your schnitzel Kylie??