Ah Vienna. Why do I love thee so? I have postulated that I am a long lost, but better looking, Habsburg. But there is a part of its essence that is obvious. Coffee. I love coffee! Wherever I go, if the coffee is good I will enjoy it more. It probably affects my opinion of a place as much as its history, cuisine, people, etc. While I am a fan of the coffee in Belgium, Spain, Italy, & Croatia, Vienna lives up to its reputation as the world’s best in my mind. The sheer variety of how you can have your coffee can be overwhelming. It starts with a strong espresso based coffee. No American style drip coffee here. Then it gets confusing as there are many different types of creamy & creamless concoctions that Viennese have adapted from other countries and then adopted as their own. Forget about a cappuccino, how about an Einspanner? That was my favorite though I sampled the many different varieties with schlag (cream).
Part of the joy is also the atmosphere in which you’re drinking the coffee. Vienna’s coffee houses are attractions unto themselves. Beautiful elegant architecture oozing old world charm. The waiters are in tuxedos and serve water with the coffee (nice touch). The desserts rival the coffee (almost). Try and find a dessert that goes with what you’re interested in. The best part is you can linger as long as you want, no pressure to leave. (A concept that is unfortunately foreign to us Americans) Now there are hundreds of coffee houses in Vienna, and admittedly I’ve only been to a few. I can happily say I avoided the Starbucks’ in Vienna. My favorites include the Cafe Mozart outside the Opera House (no better way to drink coffee outdoors), and The Central Cafe. If you want to try the venerable Sachre Tort, there are two places, each claiming to be the best: The Hotel Sachre Cafe and the Cafe Demel. On this debate I weigh in on the Hotel Sachre. The tort is just a little bit fresher tasting, the atmosphere better, and the hotel has the same name for God’s sake! I definitely recommend one experience the culture of Vienna, but in order to do so you have to have your coffee (and NOT from Starbucks).
Unfortunately when I made my third pilgrimage to my homeland there were some unforeseen coffee issues. My parents joined me on this trip. After my father retired he and my mother started traveling. It really was a testament to the love my dad has for my mom. He would have been perfectly happy staying home, but after raising five children my mom’s inner explorer came out and needed to be satisfied. After boasting about Viennese coffee to my parents throughout our initial stop in Munich, we arrived at an affordable, family run, very atmospheric pension in a central part of the historic area. Old wooden furniture, thick red drapes, winding staircase, chandeliers, were all we saw as we walked in. The rooms were functional, but quaint. The next morning when we sat down for breakfast I was aghast. I felt my Habsburg heart sink to the weathered wooden floor. We were served… Nescafe! GASP! I couldn’t believe it. This is what I had been bragging about?! I have since found out an open secret among Europeans. Despite the abundance of amazing coffee to be had, Nescafe is generally the first thing they drink in the morning. When they are out and about they get the good stuff. Nescafe is actually the number one coffee beverage on the continent. So for the first everyday cup America wins.
Determined to show my parents how good the coffee is before we hit any sights we went to a nearby café. An indoor one is special and they would get to one, but it was a beautiful day so I thought having coffee near the Ringstrasse would be a nice sight unto itself. Since the selection was overwhelming for them I ordered fairly basic coffees for them. My mother might have even had the Einspanner. Anyway, when the coffee came out the small size surprised my father. He wanted a big old cup of joe. I should have explained that espresso is strong and to be sipped. It’s just a different way of enjoying coffee. He was not impressed at all. He just wanted a “real” cup of coffee. To each their own. I felt horrible not preparing him for the difference. My mother enjoyed it though. For our next cup I ordered him a Café Americano. He was happier with that but still not thrilled. (He did get some American fast food coffee in Salzburg).
I was disappointed that my enthusiasm about my favorite city was not being shared by my parents. I think I overhyped it and being served Nescafe every morning did not help. I also exhausted them. However this disappointment made my whole passion for the city more personal. Not everyone felt as I did. Still we were able to share some special Vienna moments. Though the Opera House was closed while we were there (I couldn’t win), we did have a lovely day walking through the lavish grounds of the majestic Schonbrunn Palace and my dad and I enjoyed walking through the Habsburg Crypt under a Capuchin church. We went to dinner at a traditional heuriger, a wonderful winemaking tavern in the outlying Grinzing district of the city. We enjoyed hearty local fare and good local wine. My mom became fast friends with the musicians and became part of the act. They finally had discovered the Viennese vibe that I had been desperately trying to show them all along. Moreover, I even got my father to enjoy his time at a coffee house, maybe not the coffee, but he and my mother really enjoyed the sachre torte and vanilla strudel. Ah Vienna!
To be continued…