They certainly know how to put on a show, those Viennese.
Every street in the city centre is rammed with statues of Habsburg rulers and reminders of the country’s imperial past.
This once was a place at the heart of Europe – politically, geographically, musically and culturally.
The vast palace of Schönbrunn completed in the reign of Maria Theresia impresses at first sight. I book a ticket for a tour of the palace later that afternoon and spend the intervening time marvelling at the formal gardens, Neptune fountain, fake Roman ruins and neo-classical Gloriette arcade with views back down the hill to the palace.
It’s also at Schönbrunn that I get to sample one of my favourite things: crisp apple strudel.
Every hour there’s a “show” demonstrating how to make strudel according to their traditional recipe using very thin pastry and packed with apple mix. It’s a flamboyant performance for the audience. The perfomer/cook is a mixture of Keith Floyd and the Swedish chef from The Muppets.
There are samples – they taste delicious – and free recipe cards to try at home. There’s even a “Strudel Hotline” for advice and tips. That’s my autumn and winter sorted.
Photographs are forbidden inside the palace (not that it stopped some visitors) but the inside is as impressive as the outside, particularly the Great Gallery which was once used for imperial banquets and state receptions.
I spend the next day at the Art History Museum.
Again, it’s as if Vienna has to portray its power – bigger, brighter, shinier, grander than other museums: imperial art, Old Masters, Greek and Roman antiquities, sculptures, an extensive coin collection all jostle for attention.
Even the café is in a grander location than any other museum coffee shop.
Several hours later and I’ve seen only a fraction of the exhibits but I need a break so sit outside in Maria Theresia Platz looking across at the mirror-image Natural History Museum. I don’t have the energy or time to look around that building as well.
The Museums Quarter provides a space to relax and recharge with its open spaces and café/bars.
I’ve also been able to sample another of my favourite things in Vienna: schnitzel (several times in fact although not with noodles).
I’m flying back to the UK rather than taking the train. The flight is delayed leaving but makes up time en route.
I return home in a happy mood … made all the more so when I open the post to find out my JSA claim has been approved and my first payment is in.