[continued: Vienna]
You can see already that I am going to wear you out with all the walking I am recommending. I better tell you about places to sit and relax. The Tee Haus right behind the St. Stephan's Cathedral is a great place to rest your feet and drink excellent tea. There are many selections and it will probably be hard to choose. By now you also deserve a piece of cake or an apple strudel after all the walking you did. A really nice and very authentic coffeehouse is the Café Central. This coffeehouse is particularly nice with its beautiful chandeliers and marble tables. All coffee houses are a bit smoky but that's just the way it is here. After you've rested a bit you should visit the Imperial Treasury inside the Hofburg Palace. It holds the original jewels, china, silver and crystal from the time of the Habsburgs and it is very beautiful to look at. If you still feel up to it at after a long day have a drink in one of the bars in the Bermuda Triangle. This triangle of streets offers many cozy restaurants and bars, some with live music, and it has been known that people have disappeared for a while after they set foot here.
Austrian food is very good but may be a bit heavy at times. Vienna has great food and is famous for many dishes such as the Wiener Schnitzel or the Schweinebraten and a variety of hearty soups. My favorites always were the desserts and pastries, and I am even today an enthusiastic from-scratch baker. I am not sure if there is another country with so many pastry shops and such a selection, too. If you are ever there be sure to try a Topfengolatschen ("cream cheese pocket" -- it tastes *much* better than this translation sounds!) or a Mohnstrudel (poppyseed strudel) -- they are delicious. Don’t miss many of the different breads and rolls; there's just no comparison to anything in the average supermarket elsewhere.
Some advice about the Viennese and Austrians. We are very direct and up front and we are very prompt. Don't be surprised -- or insulted -- if someone you hardly know asks you how much money you make or how old you are. (And feel free to tell them just as directly that it is none of their business!) We don't believe in beating around the bush.
Be aware that time is an important factor and if you are invited for dinner at 8 p.m., it really means exactly 8 p.m. and no later than that. Lateness is considered to be very rude.
Vienna, my home town, is a great place to enjoy yourself and have a good time.
See you there!
By: Elisabeth Lowther
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