The enchanting city of Vienna, capital of Austria

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Austrian Airlines
Rome (FCO) - Vienna (VIE) Vienna (VIE) - Rome (FCO)
After this trip the flag carrier of Austria was elected to the first CAT & DVD in Europe and third worldwide after absolute Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways. The short flight lunch offered as well as good has no equal. Much appreciated the attention given to TEO (various toys, pillow and blanket).

Hotel Graf Stadion
Buchfeldgasse 5, 1080 Wien; hotel@graf-stadion.com; www.graf-stadion.com
Hotel located just behind the Rathaus (City Hall) in a quiet lane and easily accessible by subway. Very spacious rooms at the ground floor (n12, n13), and easily accessible to strollers. Bathroom a bit small but very useful without a shower cabin.

Visits (for reasons of space we have made the most important.
- Neue Hofburg (New Imperial Palace): Although it was the center of power in Austria for more than six centuries we have decided not to visit. for short trips like this, we prefer to walk the streets and visit the museums if missed. the Neue Hofburg not among them.
- Graben: like the previous one, is an elegant pedestrian street, which ends in Stephansplatz. greatly appreciated the lack of machines that can walk in complete freedom. Many historic centers nostrani not use the same courtesy.
- Stephansplatz: the frame of this square with the Cathedral and its historic buildings, is far from trivial but is diminished by the multitude of acrobats and jugglers that distract tourists. disappointing.
- Stephansdom (Cathedral of Santo Stefano). view of the cathedral that appears when one comes from Graben is far from impressive. external facade and the aisles are blackened by smog and disturb the sense of dirt. significantly more attractive the northern facade with glazed tiles that form the double-headed eagle crest of the Habsburgs. the contrast between the gothic and the baroque interior conformation does not speak in its favor. disappointing.
- Karntnerstrasse: pedestrian Graben and Kohlmarkt less elegant but rich in ideas for edible lunch. if you like fish chain Nordsee is a very good solution.
- Schloss Schonbrunn: seat of the imperial house of Habsburg, the great symbol of imperial Vienna, in the guides is compared to that of Versailles (Paris). In our opinion, the comparison fails. E 'likely to access the square crowded with tourists not allow us to enjoy the view of the whole, however we are not impressed. Completely different impression is made by the gardens that we found rather charming. A special mention goes to the hedge maze, where it alternates with the old classic maze of new types of mazes, which delight visitors through logic games, water and sound. Sublime and not a little envy of the playground for children which is located inside. Even the reference to the labyrinth movie buff is a must: The Shining (1980) by Stanley Kubrick
- Naschmarkt without looking too appeared before us after a vain attempt to find the Majolikhaus of Otto Wagner. Divided in sectors ranging from flowers to fruit, spices to the meat is fully the idea of the market that we do. The long walk between the benches is accompanied by the sight of KunstHausWien, the Gallery dìArte designed by the inspiration Hundertwasser. Definitely nice.
- Karlsplatz: square of passage from which branch out interesting walks. Pleasant garden, but not as the Stadtpark.
- Thai Festival here is the classic "unforeseen" that can not miss a trip. we go in the gardens of Karlsplatz when we see a crowd of people. captain in the middle of the Thai Festival organized for peace and civil coexistence among peoples. women with traditional costumes running around the tables where the guests are intent on eating local cuisine. with great regret, still had enough for lunch, not to try anything and we just watch the traditional dances presented on the occasion.
- Burggarten here is the garden for excellence in Vienna. located behind the Imperial Palace (Neue Hofburg) and is, fortunately, a public garden. the classic park where you could spend an entire afternoon sitting on the grass watching the clouds go by. There we go, as always, to catch his breath and rest a little. but the break does not last long. CAT has a flash of genius: Let's get a slice of Sacher? intrigued by the guide to iaronob passed the house of Butterflies (Schmetterlinghaus) decided to visit it but the call of Vienna's most famous pie prevails on our botanical curiosity.
- Prater: apart from the Ferris wheel that provides the view from Vienna is about an ordinary playground. the wheel, despite being the oldest in Europe ', it compares (height / panorama) with that of London. disappointing.
- Tram number 1: pro; sfliare the window you see the beautiful buildings of the Ringstrasse. against, and if the tram is full or you are walking the show is not. We have taken but after a few stops we went quite happy to resume walking. useless.
- Stadtpark: a pleasant and quiet place to relax and rest a little between a walk and another.
- Hundertwasserhaus: not to be missed. the reference architecture of Gaudi is immediate but the style is different and the stroke of view very suggestive. miss. Given the pleasant surprise to find a little corner of Vienna wrongly praised by the various tour guides definitely attribute to the first place among the ancient architecture and the reason for travel in the city.

EAT
- Bradwurst: the sausage with bread like baguettes and plenty of mustard is a must. the kiosks that are everywhere prepare him for which no thought in his research. Gourmet rules require the decay of the kiosk guarantee of good product.
- Figlmüller: cafés to enjoy the Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal) the size of a flat, thin and crispy. we tried to book without success, apparently reservations are valid only for locals. never mind. we did willingly line that runs pretty fast too, because once you have finished the dishes you pay and go away. miss.
- Nordsee: fast food chain to fish. in fact the definition is very narrow because Nordsee is a valid alternative to coffee for a tasty meal and cheap. by frittini fish dishes with vegetables or potatoes of the alternatives are lacking.
- Demel: If Bradwurst can not miss, skip a snack with coffee or chocolate Sacher is a real crime! Because various reasons we tried twice Demel at the expense of the Hotel Sacher. do not know then do a comparison. cake unrivaled quite different from what we push the pastry from our own. excellent.
- Beim Czaak: recommended by LP. For once, this guide gives valuable advice and do not regret that he went.

Vienna CARD: If you plan to visit the museums and stay four days is not expedient. Better to take the business 72 hours that we have fully exploited allowing us also to take the train to the airport.

THANKS Fabrizio & Alessia you for sharing with us this pleasant journey.
THANKS to Sara for having filled with kisses a secretive and not always available TEO.