Sadly, I’ve likely taken my last overnight bus trip. EuroTrip Adventures plans some amazingly affordable “day trips” to farther reaching locations. I’ve done a couple “turn and burn” trips with them now that have turned out to be some of my favorite trips. But it seems, despite being in the best shape I’ve ever been, age is catching up to me… and I just can’t seem to hang like I used to.

My poor feet looked like loaves of bread after the last turn and burn I did. Never had I ever had such a gnarly case of dependent edema in my life – so one would think I’d have prepared for this overnight ride? Absolutely not. It was fueled with constant cappuccino’s, spekulatius cookies (it’s Weihnachtszeit after all), a lot of swear words, shared dark humor with my friend K, and then doused down with some delicious Austrian beer and Unisom. Stepping off the bus in Vienna, hips aching, knees stiff and popping, underbaked loaves tucked into sneakers, and already sweating from the internal furnace on overdrive, K and I tossed around a few expletives and headed straight for a cappu and breakfast.

We went straight for Café Frauenhuber, Vienna’s oldest coffee house and a UNESCO World Heritage site. A bathhouse once stood in the location, before a house was built on the spot in the 1700’s, and a restaurant was opened that also held concerts – Mozart and Beethoven among the musicians to have performed there. In 1824, it became the coffee house it has remained, operating under different names: first Café Hänisch, Zum Hopfenstock in 1870 , Café Herzog later on, and finally in 1877, it became Café Frauenhuber.

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These bus trips will generally have an optional activity or two planned. So far, my travel partners and I have opted out of these to avoid the larger group of tourists along for the ride, and to have a bit more freedom in where we want to stop and when. We meander at our own pace, stop for photos down cute side streets, and try on an excessive amount of coats…

Before traveling, a decent amount of time is spent exploring Google Maps for food and destination points. If I have the motivation, I’ll plan an entire walking tour (that I’ll follow loosely). But today we just browsed our pins and picked what was closest.

The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek was one of our first stops. It’s part of the Habsburg Palace complex, and is absolutely stunning.

We attempted to get into the Sisi Museum, however the exceptionally long line deterred us, so we wandered on. We passed the Spanish Riding School, some Roman ruins, horse drawn carriages, browsed through one of the prettiest H&M’s I’ve ever been in, then finally decided to give one of the other famous cafe’s of Vienna a taste.

The cafe culture of Vienna is renowned and Demel has been contributing to it since 1786. Throughout that time, it has been the royal confectionary, passed on to multiple owners, and continued to maintain it’s unique and historic atmosphere. It remains a popular attraction known for is Sachertorte and Kaiserschmarrn. We ordered both, and while the famous Sachertorte was rich and delicious, we raved about the Kaiserschmarrn paired with a plum compote. Sitting in the dining room, sipping our Anna Demel kaffee (coffee with orange liqueur and whipped cream) and sampling our two dishes, we felt transported back in time. It was lovely.

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A while ago, when I was planning our Spring Break trip to Dresden and Poland, I’d originally intended to loop down through Austria and Slovakia. A coworker had recommended that if I stopped in Vienna, I should take the time to see the Hundertwasserhaus. She touted it’s uniqueness and beauty in art and architecture.

Crossing the road from “normal” neighborhood Vienna was a bit like stepping through a portal into a surreal and alternate side of the city. Everything from the sidewalks and columns, to the walls and mailboxes were the real life paintings of Friedrich Stowasser; aka Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

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The first summer after moving abroad, I ventured out on my first solo trip while The Kid was spending the summer in the US. A two-and-a half hour drive took me through the Vosges Mountains in the Alsace region to Colmar in France. It was here, in the little Airbnb I stayed in, that I learned about one of the restaurants Anthony Bourdain had visited before his tragic passing. It fueled a curiosity about some of the other countries/regions of Europe that he’d travelled, and it that curiosity, where I’d learned about the famous Wien Naschmarkt. It’s an extensive outdoor market that is home to over 100 different market stalls including fruits, veggies, spices, meats, arts, and anything else one can imagine. It’s full of restaurants, deli’s, and a weekly flea market.

We had dinner, shopped a little, then headed back towards the bus. Sadly, I didn’t snap more photo’s inside the market as there was so much to take in. Even in the colder temperatures, the market was bustling with tourists and locals alike. Colors and fragrances were bursting from the stands – merchants tending their stands with rapt attention to swoop in on browsing customers. I bought a basket-full of spices to send back to family.

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A day hardly allows one to scratch the surface of Wien. To fully appreciate the coffee/cafe culture, museums, food and markets, a few days – a week, even – would be necessary. The city is so opulent and glittering – you can feel the time, effort, and wealth spent to built it to such grandiosity. It is truly a beautiful city.