Oh, Vienna!
- lindaglamour
- Dec 17, 2017
- 2 min read
In the 1980’s along with the big-name bands of Duran Duran and Culture Club (my personal favourite), there was Ultravox and their hit ‘Vienna’. Other songs proclaiming city names have echoed through the years, like Barcelona and New York but Vienna, both catchy refrain and city, have held an allure for me. So, when I started to plan a Christmas and New Year escape to Europe, Vienna was the city I chose to visit on my way through to London.
This year I wanted bright lights for Christmas and fireworks for New Year. Surely the best place for both was Europe. I trawled Instagram for pictures of the Viennese Christmas markets and I was not disappointed. Each post showed one gorgeous festively decorated market after another and each were highly recommended by the local bloggers and visitors. Other posts showed the streets decorated with glorious lights and the buildings themselves wrapped in bows.
Vienna for four nights before arriving in London seemed perfect and it was. The Das Tyrol Hotel in central Vienna was a cosy and quirkily traditional Austrian hotel and a great base for exploring the city. On arrival I was warmly greeted and shown a large comfortable room.
The hallways were full of bright and modern artwork and on the window sills at each level, Christmas decorations were thematically piled up. Level one, silver and white rustic reindeer and pots full of ivy. Level two, a riot of multi-colour baubles filling glass vases and the next, an explosion of golden vines and fairy lights. My morning breakfast included donuts and champagne as standard fare, which made me a very happy girl. Vienna and Christmas welcomed me enthusiastically!
The street outside Das Tyrol was long and pedestrian friendly, forming one of the main shopping districts of Vienna. I walked the Mariahilfer Strasse, under garlands of sparkly lights, past gorgeously decorated shop windows to discover two wonders.
Firstly, the Church of Mariahilf with the statue of Joseph Haydn out the front. It is impossible to go anywhere in Vienna without there being a statue or memorial to one famous composer or another. Inside, a trio were rehearsing ‘Silent Night’ arcapella style. Sitting quietly in a pew, looking around the small baroque church with its frescoes and chapels softly glowing by candlelight, the girls soaring harmonies of a song written in Vienna for Christmas, was truly wonderful. It was one of those experiences that no guide book can point you to nor can you plan for.
Secondly, Mariahilfer Strasse had its own small Christmas market. Approximately eight stalls, festive and bright, each with its own speciality. One laden with decorations, another of donuts and pastries some so large they were fit for giants, another, smoked meats and goodies for taking home. Hot chestnuts roasting nearby. This discovery was an exciting start to exploring Vienna and revelling in the Christmas spirit.
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