October 2019, my fourth trip to Vienna. Of course on day 2 I was suffering from a horrendously bad cold, so I had time to do some cross stitching in between sneezing my brain out.

Each January 1, I wake up early to catch the Eurovision broadcast of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year’s concert from Vienna’s Musikverein. And each year, it makes me want to visit Vienna again. I do not always give into this feeling, but every other year, I cannot help myself, so I book my train tickets and find a good airbnb apartment. Now that it is 2018, I’m going back for a week of total immersion, once again :-)

Nature, architecture, and an endless list of cafés and restaurants to find: five full days in Vienna and I was ready! Lists on Foursquare? Check! https://foursquare.com/leonieke/list/vienna-2016-food https://foursquare.com/leonieke/list/vienna-2016-places Airbnb Apartment? Check! Google Map? Check! European Rivers - Day One Train journey from The Hague, NL to Vienna, AU An early wake-up call (thanks, Mom!), my suitcase packed and I was ready to catch my taxi. At The Hague Central, I was happy to find that at 5:45AM, I could get a fresh cup of tea.

A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis My rating: 3 of 5 stars Picked up this title because I wanted to read an historic detective novel situated in Vienna where I was heading for a week of vacation. A Death in Vienna is a pleasant read, though I had to get used to the constant switch of characters at the start of each book. It was only when I was in Part 2 that story lines started to make sense.

In Vienna every place Beethoven looked at, it’s marked by something. Wynton Marsalis What is it about this city that has captivated me so? Another week in Vienna, another Airbnb apartment booked, and seats on trains reserved. I’m making lists of places to visit and places to eat in Foursquare — checking them twice —, and I’ve started collecting those same addresses in a Google Maps. And for the weekend, my friend Katrin will join me!

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family’s Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal My rating: 5 of 5 stars When I was planning a week in Vienna, my mother recommended I read the book The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family’s Century of Art and Loss. A gripping tale of the history of a family - the Ephrussi family - and their often forced travels through the cities of Europe.

Early morning start, my last full day in Vienna. I was planning to catch a performance of the Original Hoch- und Deutschmeister band at 10:45 on the corner of Kohlmarkt and Graben. Unfortunately, due to the weather (it was once again raining!), their performance was cancelled. I guess another lazy breakfast was in order, this time at Café Korb. And as the weather did not improve, I made my way over to Karlsplatz for a visit to the Wien Museum where they had a great exhibit: The Metropolis Experiment - Vienna and the 1873 World Exhibition.

The promise of another rainy day made me start with a lazy breakfast at Café Griensteidl on the Michaelerplatz (right at the Hofburg). A short walk a_ond I was at the Heldenplatz again in front of the Neue Burg: obligatory photos taken of course! From there, and I had seen her already earlier this week, I went into the Volksgarten to see if I could take any photos of the monument for Empress Elisabeth.

And it will Rain rain Go away, go away Rain rain Come back again another day [Rain by Terence Trent D’Arby] The weather gods promised rain and they delivered! I tried to stay inside as much as I could, but as in the morning the weather report mentioned “light” rain, I decided to do some outside photography where I could. As I had not yet visited the two other Otto Wagner Ubahn stations, I went out on U4 and hit them both: Stadtpark station and Hietzing station (near Schloss Schönbrunn).

More to see, and more to enjoy the summer weather: the clouds are gathering and the promise of rain is upon the city! Apart from a morning visit to see the Lippizaner horses train at the Spanische Hofreitschule, I spent as much of this second day outside as I could. Lunch this time: just a simple sandwich in the Stadtpark, surrounded by statues of well-known composers. Dinner however: BBQ on the Donaukanal.