A Warm Viennese Welcome

Family Reunion in Vienna

It’s also the home to relatives on my Mom’s side of the family, which made this visit particularly special. We spent two days in Vienna, exploring its many museums, royal buildings, shopping and eating areas. Then we spent our evenings visiting with my second cousin Peter and his family, and getting to know more about them and about what life is like in Vienna today.

We stayed at Pension Suzanne’s (no relation to the other Suzanne) right in the Old Town and across from the famous Opera House. From there, we were just a short walk to the beginning of the Kartner Strasse, a pedestrian-only road filled with shops, sights and eateries. From the Kartner Strasse, we walked to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Stephensplatz, the Hoffburg Palace and grounds, the Spanish Riding School, and many monuments and sights.

We arrived early in the evening in Vienna, with just an hour before meeting with my cousin and his family for an exceptional Viennese dinner at Plachuta, a wonderful restaurant in the Old Town. Peter, his wife Elisabeth, their daughter Daniela, her boyfriend Heinz, and her Chihuahua, Naomi all came to the hotel to greet us and walk to the restaurant with us.

It was so nice to spend dinner with them and get to know them. Caleb and Joel were especially enthralled with Naomi, and took turns walking her and petting her. They are both trying to convince us of all the reasons we should get a Chihuahua of our own. Peter and Elisabeth’s other daughter and her family could not join us because she was working that night (she is a flight attendant for Austrian Airlines).

The next day, we went to church at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, climbed the dome, then visited the Hapsburg royal apartments, and a butterfly museum. Our pace in Vienna has slowed to 1-2 museums a day, and with the nice weather, we are enjoying some downtime mid-day.

Peter, Elisabeth and Daniela took us out of the city that night to the nearby area of Grinsing and a fantastic lookout from Heiligenstadt, a hill high up near the Vienna vineyards and farms. From there, we could see all of Vienna as well as the Danube and the farmland below. After we enjoyed the view, we sat down for coffee, where Peter brought out lots of old photographs and family tree information. It was amazing to be sitting in such a wonderful location, seeing photos of my great grandparents, as well as photos of my own family that had been sent to Peter by my cousin Frank!

We had a wonderful outdoor dinner after that at one of the wine gardens, then went back to the hotel to say goodbye. We enjoyed their company so much, and will miss them. I hope to come back someday for another visit with my family here.

The next day, with topped off our Vienna visit with a few more sights, then tortes and coffee at Demel, a famous coffeehouse where you can watch the top-trained pastry chefs making their sweet confections through a glass that looks into the massive kitchen. Everyone enjoyed this special Viennese treat, it was so memorable!