Dancing Horses // Day 12
When I first began thinking about this trip to Austria, the only thing I knew about was the Opera House and the dancing horses. I wasn't totally sure that I was interested in going but I very much changed my tune. I happened to walk past the stables yesterday and it just felt special. Unfortunately, the horses only dance for real on the weekend... so I had to settle for a practice session.
Much of the day was spent wandering the city, trying some cafes, and falling in love with the doors and patterns of this city... to the tune of 10.1 miles. At this point I'll be honest, crossing 10 is not only easy but kind of a point of pride. Vienna is a super walkable city.
Morning
Our numbers here are slowly getting lower as the trip winds down. This morning Dad packed up and left. On my morning walk-a-round, I stopped at St. Stephen's Cathedral, caught the tail end of mass, and lit a great candle. It feels like the best kind of European send off. Other highlights? My favorite market has croissants the size of my head. They are also warm and flaky and come with a adorable, young blonde boy who seems to appreciate my limited attempts at German.
Horses!
The Spanish Horses absolutely come with the most rules in Vienna. It's been a long time since someone told me I was breaking the rules so many times. You aren't allowed to take any pictures or drink coffee. I guess thats only two things but I do both of those a lot.
The horses are very beautiful and impressive. I'm sure the building has a lot to do with that impression. I've never seen horses in such a grand ring with three chandeliers. I do wish I had been able to see a full performance, I can tell that it would be seriously amazing.
Afternoon
I did absolutely no research prior to this trip - unlike my mom. She had a list of cafes that were not to be missed. Cafe Demel was a great spot for lunch, some caffeine, and maybe a little sweet. As we were waiting in line, we started talking to some BC kids who were here abroad. Besides making me feel incredibly old, Cafe Demel is great.
The rest of the day was spent wandering the city. A quick visit to St. Michaels - which is Mom's new favorite church. This is the one that I described as being made from play dough... in a good way. After that, I visited a park, the outside of the butterfly exhibit (didn't seem worth going inside)... and taking my mom and grandfather to my favorite market. Yes, that means it was my second trip in one day. If there was one thing that everyone in my family likes ... it is grocery stores. Weird but true. I would move to Vienna to shop at this market daily... and the thing is, I'm pretty sure that nobody else here feels the way I do. It's like a Whole Foods + fancy NYC deli + white marble + incredible selection... in every category.
Tomorrow? Vienna Woods and something about a subterrain lake. I need to look up what that is and whether it requires Dramamine.
No comments
Post a Comment