Vienna

We are staying in Vienna for Friday and Saturday night! Vienna is Sehr Elegante (very elegant!) and so hotels are $$$$.  So we are staying at a hotel on the outer ring of the old town (still in very respectable walking distance to the center). However, we learned that it apparently does cost more to have a room with a bigger bed!  So upon checking in, I would think its obvious that we are a couple as we have our dog with us but to our surprise, we walked into our room to find two twin beds (and not the pushed together into one bed as is typical of this region- but two beds built in to adjacent walls)!

Hmm, do they really wonder why the birth rate is declining in these European countries???

* * *

We were too exhausted from the train travel to even complain. Oh well, a little bit like summer camp... but we are still in the beautiful, romantic city of Vienna so we can't be that upset!

our room, view of Bed #1 and window

view from Bed #1 of Bed #2.  "Hi buddy!"

So enough about the room! Now to explore Vienna...

getting a refresher beverage at the restaurant outside of our hotel

Vienna is a beautiful city. The architecture is amazing and the entire city looks like these pictures below.  We must have dozens of architecture pictures, it was tough to weed them out but here is a small sample...

Beautiful buildings!

Beautiful doors!

Beautiful roofs!

Fountains!

Statues!

Admiring the beauty

Yes, Vienna even has beautiful toilets!

Whaaaat???!!! I need to think about some things...

doesn't this look like the start of a stop motion film?

So of course, now I need to include a stop motion video in our blog! I love them! This one is made in Germany and is exactly what a typical German town and the countryside looks like (it could even be our town!).

and one more only because I just love this one...

Ok moving along now! 

and now maybe the best part...

Vienna has a dog park!!!

Kudos to Vienna for having the only dog park in Europe (or that we have found so far)!  Kiwi had a blast running circles around the two surprised little dogs that were at the park.  Needless to say, it has been a while since she has been allowed free reign!  She is almost aero-dynamic when she runs.  For as much as Germans love dogs, it seems most don't really allow their dogs to interact with other dogs.  The dogs we have come across are very well-trained  and well-behaved but not so social with other dogs.  Which is a shame and so sad for Kiwi.  So it was pretty exciting for us to be able to take her to an actual dog park to get some of her still-puppy energy out!

some off leash sniffing at last!

an impromptu hug

We also visited the Hunderwasser House, one of Austria's most visited buildings. It is an apartment built from 1983-1985 after the idea and concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser with architects Joseph Krawina and Peter Pelikan. The apartments have undulating floors, large trees growing inside the rooms with limbs extending from windows and a green roof. There are 52 apartments, four offices, 16 private terraces, three communal terraces, and a total of 250 trees and bushes.

front view

side view

standing in front

Next more strolling around Vienna and we are now getting pretty hungry...

flower stand along the park

Yep, there is our trusty bratwurst stand! We ate lunch there twice!!! 

Der Junge was impressed with the convenient "to-go" packaging of the bratwurst in a delicious crusty roll with only the top exposed. They squirt ketchup and mustard or whatever else condiments you want and slide the bratwurst down inside. So unlike in a hot dog bun, the condiments can't make an escape from the roll to all over your clothes while you are eating. Perfect!

bratwurst stand (we ate lunch here twice!!!)

der Junge having some fun

disappointed that der Junge will not take our picture!

my attempt at self-photography!

and again!

ultimately der Junge just has longer arms and it turns out better!

So beautiful... but now we must go...

except... one last photo...

On our way back home we changed trains in Ulm. As we were waiting, a train on the opposite platform pulled in and a huge mass of people stepped off, chanting in unison, in German. A demonstration, a labor strike, a team building exercise??? No idea. Kiwi had never seen anything like it and to our embarrassment began barking (LOUDLY) at them! We quickly quieted her. Shortly afterward they dispersed as they all got on board the next train that pulled in. ?

no chanting! not on my watch!