DAY 5 VIENNA Doris...Thank you for your comments. It was funny that you recommended that for a non-touristy restaurant we try Paul Restaurant. Coincidentally Keith found it a few months ago at which time he asked the hotel concierge to make a dinner reservation for us. Nice to hear that you have visited Vienna so many times and that your granddaughter will spend five weeks here. Bravo. Before dinner we went to the Hotel Club Floor Lounge where we had some wine and vegetables. One of our favorite hotels is the Ritz Carlton and we do appreciate and enjoy their Club Floor Lounges. We think that they have some of the best lounges of any hotel group from around the world. There are definitely cities where we go with another hotel either because Ritz doesn't have a hotel in the particular city or because we prefer another hotel and/or its location better than the Ritz Carlton. We have been very pleased with the Vienna Ritz Carlton. As it turned out the club floor has been quiet this week and we never see anyone on our floor. It wasn't like this two weeks ago from what the club floor staff told us. Lucky us. LOL. We did enjoy dinner at the Restaurant called Paul. Its food is a combination of Austrian and European/Central European. We were seated at a beautiful table. Each table has a white tablecloth. We have to admit we like the tradition of tablecloths and a nicely set table versus the more contemporary look. The restaurant has two levels. First floor is divided into two rooms that are not divided by a wall. Each table can accommodate a four or more people so for two people the table is a nice size. They are opened just for dinner six nights a week. They eliminated opening for lunch when it was apparent they could not offer the quality of cuisine they desired at the price the customer was willing to pay. They have a small but efficient and friendly staff. This includes the waiter who took great care of us, the co-owners (husband is the chef and the wife takes care of the customer service). We enjoyed a nice salad with goat cheese, a side order of grilled vegetables and Wiener Schnitzel. This is our second time having it. It was a little crispier than the one from the other night and we thought it tasted great. They served it with a jam. The potato salad which accompanied it was terrific. Anne Marie had wine and Keith had a local beer on tap. All in all a great experience. ![]() Once again we slept very well last evening. We began our day with coffee in our room followed by breakfast at the Club Lounge. We continue to have cereal, banana and also some additional fresh fruit. The fruit and vegetables have been terrific in terms of overall quality and taste. You can see from the photos how fresh items look such as the Tomatoes, Strawberries and Blueberries. The forecast for today called for continuous rain. Whereas forecasts are wrong it was certainly correct when we went out in the morning. In addition to the rain, it was windy. We persevered and with jackets and rain jackets along with one umbrella to share we walked for quite awhile. We walked the ring and by buildings that have become very familiar to us. However, with the rain it was not practical for Keith to take any photos other than one with Anne Marie holding an umbrella so you can see it was raining. Nevertheless we had a wonderful time walking up and down many streets. At one point we went inside a shopping mall and walked all of its levels from end-to-end. When the rain and wind became too much we returned to the hotel. The remainder of the morning included packing by Anne Marie and Keith walking inside the hotel. There is a Fitness Center at the hotel but Keith decided to walk the stairway between each floor of the hotel; up and down and kept repeating it until his body said enough. LOL. We enjoyed another lunch at the club room of the hotel. The good news is the rain stopped two hours earlier than the forecast and we were able to go on a long walk in the afternoon. We walked towards the Kariskirche whic is a baroque church of great size. Groundbreaking began in 1716 and it was completed in 1737. Our next destination was the Naschmarkt. On the way we passed the Secession which has a unique gold top. It is an exhibition hall built in 1897 by Joseph Maria Olbrich. The building features the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt. The next stop was Naschmarkt. We passed this a couple of times when we were driven by tour guide Johann. It is Vienna’s most popular market and is close to one mile long. It has existed since the 16thcentury when milk bottle were sold. Back then they were made out of ash wood and that is how it got its name. From 1793 it began selling fruit and vegetables. Today, one can buy these items plus herbs, cheese, spices, meat, seafood, olives, wine, beer, baked goods such as bread and desserts, beef, seafood and other delectable items. Some of the area has become restaurants and there are a few stores selling souvenir and other items. Cheers,
Anne Marie & Keith
1 Comment
Greg altman
5/9/2019 07:40:51 pm
Bon voyage.
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