Life is a continued journey of love, healing, compassion, beauty and truth to get back to the wholeness of mind, body and soul...welcome to 'Walking Divinely in May'!
Travel Bug Tales: When in Vienna...do do the Schnitzel.....Part 2!
Welcome back my darlings to Part Two of my mini-adventure in Vienna! Also, apologies for the delay in posting and replying to comments the past week as it has been a little busy, but rest assured that every new follower and every new comment has been deeply appreciated....I owe you all a very big Thank You for all your support! [If you missed my previous post on Vienna, you can find it here: travel-bug-tales-when-in-vienna_Part-One as this post will cover the last two days of my trip.] The 5th District of Vienna, also known as the Margareten area, oozes a vibe of familiarity for trendy youths and the artfully fashionable......in other words this London girl found a bit of funky Canarby Street in orderly Vienna!
Look what a London girl found in Vienna......the Camelot Restaurant!
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Judita and I ventured to an open-air flea market called Naschmarkt in the 5th District of Vienna to rummage through second hand bric-a-brac laid out across the coarse tarmac floor...but also to pry into food stalls with produce such as cheese, nuts, sweets, fresh pasta and kebabs. It is an interesting encounter as you feel you have been transported somewhere other than Europe....heaps of old clothes, bags and shoes piled on the ground as sellers yell out invitations to view their wares along the long stretch of tarmac flowing straight from the car park and surrounded by busy traffic. You can find almost everything at Naschmarkt.....from the old Ikea mirror you bought two years ago to some traditional Austrian ceramic tableware that could be cherished and passed down to the next generation. Venturing on through the food stalls to reach the end of Naschmarkt, the area is vibrantly populated by cafes and restaurants sitting side by side to each other. Almost every cafe there seemed to be filled with trendy locals meeting up for the weekend, but they differed from the somberly dressed locals that have been marching through their daily lives in the center of Vienna. Here in Naschmarkt locals openly displayed shocking flashes of neon, edgy red skinny jeans, savvy graphic print tees, famous designer sunnies and slick skyscraper heels.....reminding me that Vienna is indeed buzzing with liveliness and added a touch of London to make me feel at ease in this foreign city. I must admit that I really enjoyed the laid back afternoon of just sitting at a Viennese cafe amongst locals, having a drink with a good book and frantically jotting in my trusty notebook which accompanies me everywhere I go. Towards the end of my visit my thoughts swerved along the lines of....if only I had more days to do a cafe tour in Vienna.....perhaps in the not so distant future?
[To find out more about the 5th District, click here: www.wien.info/trendy/margaretenplatz]
Wish I had the time to visit this Art Deco looking Cafe in Vienna.....
Judita in sunny Vienna.....Naschmarkt.....
Chinese ornaments at the flea markets in the 5th District...Naschmarkt, Vienna.
Naschmarkt, 5th District Margareten, Vienna!
Finding the Vintage shop 'Flo Nostalgisch Mode' (5th District) in Vienna....
Inside the vintage shop.....Can you spot the gorgeous vintage 1920s beaded mint dress and white Chanel coat?
A little further off from Naschmarkt on a quiet side street is the highly acclaimed Vintage shop of 'Flo Nostalgische Mode', which is also in the trendy 5th District of Vienna, and has been described by the Louis Vuitton City Guide as a "heaven for vintage fans". Having heard such accolade I could hardly resist visiting Flo to swim in Vintage heaven! Being an admirer of Vintage fashion and having attended a few Vintage fairs, I would describe Flo rather like a very small Harrods of Vintage collectables, where every few steps taken might be met with a dazzling sample piece of Armani or Chanel that was used on the catwalk all those years ago. Two pieces that especially caught my eye were a beautiful 1920s styled beaded mint chiffon drop waist dress and a pristine white Chanel coat, which I just had to have a photograph with....as though they were celebrities I accidentally met whilst on holiday! (Photo below) Flo is really not the type of place to go to for vintage bargains or just any piece of second hand clothing, but worth a peek if you would like to admire some interesting vintage pieces. [To find out more about 'Flo Nostalgische Mode' click here: www.vintageflo.com]
The buzzing local Naschmarkt cafe scene.....Vienna.
Chilling at Naschmarkt with a cup of tea......Vienna.
Brrrroommm.......window shopping in Vienna!
Time for more cakes in.....Vienna!
The utterly yummy Schnitzel at Figlmuller....made from a well kept 100years old recipe (Vienna)!
Of course I had to try some authentic Schnitzel before I left Vienna, and what could be a better place than a restaurant with a 100 years old Schnitzel recipe......so on Saturday night we headed off to 'Figlmuller' in the center of Vienna to try the Schnitzel they have been making since 1905. The restaurant was so busy that we had to wait 20minutes before we could be seated, but the wait was indeed worth every minute, as our patience was rewarded with one of the most scrumptious Schnitzels I have ever had! When I first laid eyes on the handsomely crisp and delicately thin pizza-sized Schnitzel, that was bigger than the actual dinner plate it sat on, I was pleasantly surprised! So like a bemused novice I began cutting bite-sized triangles from the imperfectly rounded Schnitzel, but once I took the first bite there was no going back.......as the tenderly succulent fare in a crunchy bread-crumbed shell with beautifully crispy pan-fried potatoes was too hard to resist even for a small-time meat eater like me! In other words, a visit to Figmuller's to try their brilliant Schnitzel is definitely highly recommended if you happen to be in Vienna! [To find out more about Figmuller click here: www.figlmueller.at]
The crime scene.....Vintage teddy bears from 1920s to 1960s on display in Vienna!
Can I take all of them home with me?
You are never too old to play! ^_^
Leaving with very full tummies and contentment in our hearts we were fueled for a long late night stroll and decided to go to Sisi's gardens at Hofburg. Shortly after leaving Figmuller restaurant we were delighted to discover a mini display of vintage teddy bears dating from the 1920s to the 1960s, and of course had fun taking lots of photos of the cute bears! Then venturing past Stephansplatz in the city center, we were suddenly stopped by a stag party who wanted to sell us some specifically themed goods they prepared in order to raise money for some beer. Looking around me, I was quite surprised to find that the holy St Stephans Cathedral has been chosen by quite a few stag as well as hen parties as the best spot to sell specially themed things to raise money for their night out. But since I did not intend to buy oddly shaped cookies or candy as souvenirs, we politely declined and continued walking through the brightly lit shopper's heaven which resembled London's Oxford Street. Finally as we walked past Sisi's peaceful Imperial Apartments and into the picturesque surrounding gardens, we began imagining the possible daily walk the Great Sisi might have taken with the ladies of her court at a time long gone by. [For more information on Hofburg: www.hofburg-wien.at]
Smiling in Vienna......Judita and the teddy bears!
Stephansplatz (St. Stephens) Cathedral by night.....Vienna.
Completing my trip with a traditional cup of Mokka (black coffee) and chocolate cake at the poetic Hawelka Cafe, Vienna!
On the last day of my visit, there was one place I felt compelled to see and it was the poetic Hawelka Cafe in Vienna. The cafe itself is simple in its antiquity, but it was the lovely story of Mr Leopold and Mrs Josefine Hawelka's devotion as well as the many writers' passion, which brought a warm smile to my face as I sat at a tiny table in Hawelka that Sunday afternoon. As I sipped my traditional cup of Mokka (black coffee with a glass of water on the side), I tried to soak in a little piece of the history that has propelled Hawelka Cafe on to the must-see places list, and watched Leopold's son rush around mechanically with a stern face....but still dressed in his bow tie and dark suit. The cafe was certainly very busy with groups of tourists as well as locals taking turns to occupy tables like a carousel, and I understood the old story of writers ordering one cup of coffee to sit the whole afternoon with a pen is no longer as welcomed as before when we were briskly disposed of as soon as we had paid. Not speaking a word of German I was baffled as to what had happened, but as we hurriedly took our leave Judita commented that she would no longer like to return to Hawelka Cafe again. [To find out more about Hawelka Cafe: wikipedia.org/Hawelka]
After that last piece of the Vienna puzzle, I made my way to the airport to fly back to London. My visit may have been short and filled with unexpected occurrences, but I would definitely still like to return to Vienna to see Judita and perhaps to spend more time on a cafe tour of the city! Now back to more recent life....some of you darlings may know that my hair only goes under the scissors twice a year and a few days ago I had my first haircut of 2012. This time rather than the normal few inch trim, I have had 12 inches taken off my past-waist-length hair because I decided to do something different and donate the hair to a charity called the Little Princess Trust. It is for a worthwhile cause that will improve the lives of children affected by illnesses such as cancer, so if you are considering supporting a charity or donating your hair then please keep them in mind. [For more information on hair donation or the Little Princess Trust, please watch YouTube video above or please click here: www.littleprincesses.org.uk/donate/hair] There will be more post to come on my vintage 1920s inspired birthday party and other vintage looks. Here's wishing you lovely darlings a fabulous weekend.....especially for those of you lucky enough to be at Hemsby!
