I Love This City

As you probably know, I adore Vienna. I heart it. I have lived here a total of 14 years - 4 as an angsty teen and 10 as an angsty, well-endowed wife and now, mother. The city has so much to offer and it seems we are in it for the long haul. And that is just a-ok with me. I must admit that as a teenager, I wasn't a fan. It was quiet, it was boring and I didn't have a fabulous time at school. But now, now that I am firmly an adult resident, Vienna has flourished into my kind of town. 

Every once in a while, I will have a magical night that reaffirms my love for this city. Last night was one of those nights. These nights seem to predominantly happen in the summer. Go figure. I met a friend who I knew in high school. We didn't know each other well back in da day but now she is in Wien and it is great to catch up. She had a friend in town visiting and we all met up for dinner. We went to Medusa which is in the first district and is in an absolutely lovely spot - right by the imperial crypt... where dead bodies are stored... without their hearts... those are in St. Peter's down the street. Vienna. Magical.

I see dead people... and WINE!

We ate and talked and wine was had. The waiter was cute and I don't know what came over me but every time he asked a question I turned into a winking Sarah Palin.

Have you decided on a main course?
You betcha!
Would like some more wine?
You betcha!
Dessert menu?
You betcha!

Go back in your box, Tova

THIS IS WHY I CANNOT GO OUT!

After a meal of bruschetta, buffalo mozzarella and lasagna, my friend suggested we hit the Sacher Hotel - Vienna's most famous and hallowed hotel. Now, you give me a couple of glasses of wine and I am up for anything. Jump a fence? Sure! Talk to random strangers? Sure! Walk into a five star hotel that I am not a guest at while buzzed? Sure! So Sacher Hotel it was! What I did not know was that there is a magical room in the back of the hotel and it is purdy purdy. It is called the Blue Room and blue it is. It's ornate, it's gorgeous and well, it's everything I would love my bedroom to look like. #NevahgonnahappenaccordingtotheHusband.

I wonder if Ikea has similar wallpaper...

We grabbed a table, I took out my camera and snapped various pictures. We drank the Sacher Cuvee (not badly priced, yo) and each ordered a slice of the famous Sacher Torte. The funny thing about this cake is that it divides people. It's divisive! Am I still drinking? Anyway, you either love it or you hate it. I ate it as a kid in Germany because it was the only chocolate cake in the konditorei that wasn't overflowing with cream. I hated cream as a kid... now, I've made frenemies with it. It can go either way. What I did notice is that the Sacher Torte tastes absolutely INCREDIBLE at the hotel. Maybe it's the atmosphere? Maybe it is the mood lighting? Maybe it is the large amount of wine consumed? Who knows? But I do know that it was delish and I would have licked my plate if the lovely couple from Charleston, North Carolina were not right beside us. Oh, and their friend was from Alabama. They were here for a legal conference. We made them order a slice of cake.

THIS IS WHY I CANNOT GO OUT!

And so it was a lovely evening. I am grateful that I could walk back home in the steamy summer night. It helped to schwitz out the booze. And if we are Facebook friends, then I apologize for posting this picture again but I feel like I need a reminder of why I CANNOT GO OUT!

Never taking my phone to fancy bathrooms again

Je t'aime, Vienna.