For ten years in a row, the Danube city of Vienna has been crowned the city with the highest quality of life in the world. Another title has now been added: Vienna, the greenest city in the world. A good reason to explore all the praises once. Surprisingly, one then realizes: Vienna is not only a breathtaking natural beauty and a historical masterpiece but also a city that one can truly savour.
As a poetic reporter, I know many cities that make my heart overflow. Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Istanbul — but Vienna stands out again for good reasons. I stroll through the Danube pearl and immediately land in the realm of senses, as Vienna is brimming with green, sensual places. Paradise-like meadow atmosphere in the new green Prater, then feasting your eyes on the white magnolias in the city park, the blooming lilacs at the natural history museum, and the magnificent, delicately scented white-pink carpet of Japanese cherry blossoms on the Danube Island.
Gurgling spring gardens with a sun greeting, pagodas lined with an idyllic cherry tree grove on the Danube Island — a grand gift from Japan on the occasion of Austria’s millennium in 1996. The delicate wonder of cherry blossoms has now become a spectacle that alone justifies a visit to Vienna. There are five Japanese gardens in Vienna. One visual delight is the Setagayapark in the 19th district.
Flying Jewels and Village Oases
After all the vineyards, green oases, and magnificent gardens, the wild heart of Vienna is still missing: the rushing, freely flowing Danube winding through a true jungle and national park. Paddling through fantastically beautiful meadows, with primitive water and reed landscapes, beavers, and sea eagles. Eyes gleaming for hours from the iridescent plumage of the magnificent kingfishers — the jewels of the sky.
If you want to leave the noisy city behind in the middle of Vienna, you should go to the most beautiful “Grätzl”, the Servitenviertel, and find a shady spot there opposite the summer-yellow baroque church on the terrace of a café. “Grätzln” are small districts with an almost village-like atmosphere. I would love to stay here in Servitengasse forever. Great “Beisln”, these respectable Viennese eateries serving excellent food. Cafés galore and the elegantly separated “Schanigärten” by flower arrangements from the pavement, oases of retreat inspired by the flair of the opposite monastery. If you still long for hustle and bustle: from the Servitenviertel, it is only a few minutes’ walk to all the attractions in the middle of the 1st district. My recommendations here: Weltmuseum, Schmetterlingshaus, and Schönlaterngasse.
Char in Beeswax
Viennese Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Sachertorte, and Kaiserschmarren: These dishes of Viennese cuisine are unmistakable and globally renowned as a culinary delight. These classics are also served by the haute cuisine in Vienna and, of course, subtly reinterpreted.
One of the world’s best Viennese Schnitzels can be found at Meisl & Schadn, where I highly recommend the Schnitzel workshop, where you also learn what makes a good crust.
But now, the gourmet reporter is drawn to Steirereck in the Stadtpark. A culinary paradise that has been among the top twenty restaurants in the world for years! The veal for the Viennese Schnitzel at Steirereck is aged for two weeks and is souffléed after an elegant butterfly cut and pounding with a mixture of rapeseed oil, clarified butter, and lard, by continuously swirling the hot fat over the schnitzel in the pan.
However, the biggest revelation is the char in beeswax. Before my eyes, the fillet cooks by being completely covered with eighty-four degrees hot beeswax in a wooden frame. After ten minutes, the whole thing is tilted
