The first chapter of our Austrian adventure: three days of palaces, beautiful dresses, incredible food, and a city I had been dreaming of visiting.
There are trips you enjoy, trips you remember fondly, and then there are those vacations you somehow know you will never forget.
Sometimes it’s because of the food. Sometimes it’s the scenery, the people you travel with, or the occasion that brought you there in the first place. And sometimes, if you’re particularly lucky, it’s because of all those things coming together.
I think our trip to Austria was one of those.
It all began with my 32nd birthday.
My boyfriend and I had decided to celebrate it by going abroad together, something I had been hoping we would do for quite some time. Traveling has always been important to me, and over the years, I’ve developed a little tradition of leaving the country at least once a year.
I like to think of it as something I do for my soul.
There’s something about stepping away from everything familiar, wandering through streets you’ve never seen before, trying new food, and discovering beautiful places that makes me feel incredibly happy. And luckily for me, my boyfriend knew just how much I wanted it.
So when he asked me where I wanted to go, I didn’t even need to think.
“Vienna,” I answered immediately.
I’d heard so much about the Austrian capital. Its imperial palaces, its beautiful architecture, its romantic atmosphere, and, of course, its famous cafés and desserts.
Most of my previous trips had been to European cities such as London, Prague, Rome, and Budapest. I love urban vacations, especially in cities with a rich history, beautiful architecture, and plenty of places to explore on foot. I wanted something that would give me that familiar excitement, but also feel a little different.
And Vienna seemed perfect.
When we started planning our itinerary, however, we decided that we didn’t want to spend the entire vacation in the city. We would dedicate three days to Vienna and spend the rest exploring Austria’s famous lake region.
Little did I know that those lakes would turn out to be some of the most extraordinary scenery I had ever seen in my life.
But that’s a story for another post.
For now, we’re staying in Vienna.
And what a beautiful beginning it was.
A Birthday, a Flight, and a Sunset Above the Clouds
Our flight was scheduled for around six in the evening, on the actual day of my 32nd birthday.
I couldn’t have asked for a more exciting way to begin another year of my life.
I woke up that morning to the loveliest birthday messages from my friends and family, which made the day feel special before it had even properly begun.
Usually, my sisters and I celebrate our birthday together. Being triplets means that birthdays have always been something we share, and celebrating separately still feels a little unusual.
Since I was going away, we had celebrated the day before at my sister’s home with a rather unique experience: a private spiritual workshop involving meditation, personal questions, and beautifully illustrated cards.
It was a lovely way to mark the occasion together before I left.
By the following morning, though, my attention was entirely on the trip.
I was incredibly excited, although I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, too.
My migraines had been particularly difficult in the months leading up to our vacation, and I was worried they might interfere with the experience. I had spent so much time planning everything, choosing places to visit, making reservations, and imagining all the things we would do.
The last thing I wanted was to spend the vacation feeling unwell.
But I was determined not to let that worry take over.
We had planned this trip carefully, and I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.
By the time we arrived at the airport, the excitement had begun to outweigh everything else.
And then came the flight.
I have always loved flying, although I tend to get a little anxious on travel days. Add an existing migraine to that, and you can probably understand why I was hoping for a particularly peaceful journey.
Well, apparently the universe decided to give me a birthday present.
The plane was almost empty.
And I mean almost empty.
It was wonderful.
I think we can all agree that one of the least appealing parts of flying is spending several hours squeezed between crying babies, people repeatedly asking when the food will be served, and a never-ending queue forming beside the bathroom.
None of that this time.
Instead, we had plenty of space, a wonderfully quiet atmosphere, and a spectacular view from the windows.
As we took off, the sun was setting, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange, pink, and gold.
I watched the colors change above the clouds and felt that familiar excitement that comes with knowing you’re finally on your way somewhere you’ve been looking forward to visiting.
My birthday had begun at home, surrounded by messages from the people I loved.
And it was ending somewhere above Europe, on our way to Vienna.
Not a bad way to turn 32.
The Hotel I Was Convinced We Had to Book
We arrived in Vienna at around ten in the evening.
By then, I was exhausted.
Travel days always seem to take much more energy than you expect, even when everything goes relatively smoothly. All I wanted was to reach the hotel, put down our luggage, and finally relax.
Luckily, I had been particularly excited about our accommodation.
During the planning process, my boyfriend and I had each found different hotels we liked. After comparing them, we eventually decided to book my choice.
And I was rather pleased with myself when we arrived, because it was exactly as special as I had hoped.
We stayed at Jaz in the City Vienna, a hotel with a wonderfully unusual musical concept.
Rather than the traditional elegance you might expect from a hotel in Vienna, Jaz was modern, stylish, and full of personality. Its design was inspired by music and recording studios, with dark interiors, playful details, and a contemporary atmosphere.
The most exciting feature, however, was waiting inside our room.
A record player!
Every room had its own turntable, and guests could borrow vinyl records from the reception desk, choosing as many as they liked during their stay.
I absolutely loved that idea.
There’s something so nostalgic about listening to music on vinyl, and I thought it was a particularly charming detail for a hotel.
We also received two vouchers for welcome drinks at the rooftop bar, which sounded like a lovely way to celebrate our arrival.
Naturally, we decided to go upstairs immediately.
Unfortunately, when we got there, the bar was already closed.
“They closed early, I guess. It’s the middle of the week,” the receptionist explained.
Oh well.
Another time, then.
There was another pleasant surprise waiting for us, though.
We had been upgraded to a room with a small entrance leading directly to a shared garden.
It was far too dark to see much of anything that night, but I already knew I was going to love it in the morning.
And with that, after a very long birthday, we finally went to sleep.
Our first proper day in Vienna was waiting for us.
A Pink Dress for an Imperial Morning
The following morning, I woke up ready to explore.
And, perhaps even more importantly, ready to wear one of the outfits I had been planning for weeks.
I had bought several dresses especially for the trip, and I was determined to wear every single one of them, regardless of what the weather forecast had to say about it.
Was it going to be a little cold?
Probably.
Was that going to stop me?
Absolutely not.
For our first day, I chose a gorgeous blush-pink dress from House of CB. It had a beautiful flowing skirt, a flattering neckline, and exactly the romantic look I had imagined for our visit to one of Vienna’s most famous palaces.
Our first destination was Schönbrunn Palace.
And I was so excited.
We had decided beforehand that, because our time in Vienna was limited, we wanted to concentrate on its imperial history. Palaces, museums, the opera house, famous cafés, and all the beautiful architecture that makes the city so recognizable.
Schönbrunn was the perfect place to begin.
Even from the outside, the palace was breathtaking.
Its enormous yellow façade stretched across the courtyard, with rows of elegant windows, grand staircases, and beautifully symmetrical architectural details. Everything about it seemed designed to impress.
And impress it did.
There were plenty of visitors, of course, but luckily I had booked our tickets in advance, so we didn’t have to waste time waiting in the ticket queue.
We walked through the magnificent rooms, admiring the elaborate decorations, ornate furniture, beautiful chandeliers, and the sheer grandeur of the imperial residence.
Then there were the gardens, which seemed to extend endlessly beyond the palace.
It was all incredibly beautiful.
But what fascinated me most was the opportunity to learn more about Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi.
Meeting Sisi Again, Almost Twenty-Six Years Later
I have a rather personal connection to Sisi, one that goes all the way back to my childhood.
When I was around six years old, there was an animated television series about the young empress, and I absolutely adored it.
I loved the dresses, the romance, the beautiful settings, and everything about her story.
In fact, I loved it so much that my very first school backpack had Sisi on it.
And I’m almost certain that this was also when my love for the color purple began.
It’s funny how certain childhood interests stay with us, even when we don’t think about them for years.
Back then, Sisi was a beautiful animated character in a world of palaces and elaborate gowns.
Now, more than two decades later, I was standing inside the palace where the real empress had lived, learning about her life beyond the romanticized version I remembered from childhood.
It made the visit particularly interesting.
I loved discovering the historical details, seeing the rooms, and imagining what life must have been like within those walls.
Of course, the real story of Empress Elisabeth was far more complicated than the fairy-tale version I had grown up watching.
But I still found it wonderful that a childhood fascination had somehow found its way into my adult travels.
And there I was, wearing my own beautiful dress, wandering around an imperial palace in Vienna.
Six-year-old me would have been delighted.
Shopping Streets and Desserts Disguised as Fruit
After spending the morning at Schönbrunn, we decided it was time for something a little different.
Shopping.
We were staying close to Vienna’s main shopping area, so it seemed silly not to take advantage of the location, especially since we had been lucky enough to get a beautiful sunny day.
We wandered along the streets, browsing shops and enjoying the city.
And there was something else I had been particularly determined to find.
Fruit-shaped desserts.
You know the ones.
Those incredibly realistic little mousse cakes that have been appearing all over Instagram, designed to look exactly like mangoes, pears, pistachios, and other fruits.
Every food blogger seemed to be trying them, and I had been dying to taste them myself.
My boyfriend knew this, of course, and had promised that we would find somewhere to try them during our trip.
So when we discovered Kashtan, there was absolutely no question about whether we were going inside.
The desserts were beautiful.
Seriously, beautiful.
They looked like tiny pieces of edible art, with glossy surfaces, delicate shapes, and colors so realistic that you almost expected them to be actual fruit.
We decided to try three flavors: mango, pistachio, and pear.
Naturally, I had to photograph them first.
Each one was completely different, both in appearance and taste, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were.
The mango dessert actually contained fresh mango, which I thought was a lovely detail.
Surprisingly, though, it ended up being my least favorite.
The real winner was the pistachio.
Oh, the pistachio.
It had a wonderful flavor that immediately reminded me of Indian desserts, which I absolutely adore.
There was something about that rich, distinctive taste that made it stand out from the others.
I hadn’t expected to enjoy it quite so much, but it was easily my favorite of the three.
After plenty of shopping, walking, and dessert tasting, we finally headed back to the hotel.
Because the evening was going to be special.
It was time for my birthday dinner.
The Most Beautiful Bouquet of Flowers
Before we left for dinner, my boyfriend surprised me.
And what a surprise it was.
He had bought me the most extraordinary bouquet of flowers.
It was enormous, filled with dozens of blooms in soft peach, cream, blush pink, and warm yellow shades.
There were roses, peonies—my absolute favorite flowers—and so many other beautiful varieties arranged together.
I couldn’t stop looking at it.
The colors reminded me of autumn, which made it feel particularly appropriate for an October birthday.
There was something so beautiful about the combination of warm peach tones, delicate petals, and all those different textures.
It was one of the loveliest bouquets I had ever received.
Naturally, I immediately started thinking about how many photographs I could take with it.
And, as you’ll see, I made very good use of it the following morning.
But first, we had a dinner reservation to get to.
A Birthday Dinner at Chez Bernard
For my birthday dinner, we had decided to go all out.
After looking through several restaurants in Vienna, we reserved a table at Chez Bernard, a beautiful restaurant with a romantic atmosphere that seemed perfect for the occasion.
At first, we had wondered whether making a reservation was really necessary.
Well, I’m very glad we did.
The restaurant was absolutely packed.
We were shown to a lovely table beside the window, which made the evening feel even more special.
The atmosphere was elegant but lively, with beautifully arranged tables, warm lighting, and people enjoying their dinners all around us.
It was exactly the sort of place I had hoped to visit for my birthday.
And then came the food.
You know you’re somewhere promising when the meal begins with a basket of bread and butter.
We looked through the menu and ordered several dishes that sounded particularly delicious, including beef tartare and Wiener schnitzel.
Trying a proper Viennese schnitzel had been on our list from the beginning.
After all, how could we come to Vienna and not have one?
And thankfully, it lived up to our expectations.
The coating was wonderfully crispy, the meat was delicious, and it was exactly the sort of dish I had been looking forward to tasting.
The beef tartare was excellent, too.
We enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, and the fact that we were celebrating my birthday together in such a beautiful city.
By the time we returned to the hotel, I couldn’t have been happier with how our first day had turned out.
We had visited a magnificent palace, explored the city, tried the desserts I’d been dreaming about, done some shopping, and finished the evening with a wonderful birthday dinner.
And, of course, I had received the most beautiful flowers.
Our first day in Vienna had been perfect.
A Blue Dress, a Famous Kiss, and the Upper Belvedere
The following morning began with another outfit.
This time, I chose a beautiful sky-blue mini dress, also from House of CB.
And before we left the hotel, there was one very important thing I needed to do.
Take photographs with my birthday bouquet.
I mean, how could I not?
The flowers were far too beautiful to leave sitting in the room without documenting them properly.
Once that little mission was accomplished, we set off for our first destination of the day: the Upper Belvedere.
This was another place I had been particularly excited to visit, mainly because I wanted to see one of the most famous paintings in the world.
The Kiss by Gustav Klimt.
I’d seen reproductions of the painting countless times, but I was curious to see the original.
And it was spectacular.
The golden details, the decorative patterns, the embrace of the two figures, and the way everything seems to merge into one shimmering composition were even more beautiful in person.
I stood there admiring it, delighted that I was finally seeing the real painting.
But the Belvedere had much more to offer than Klimt.
As we wandered through the galleries, I found myself particularly drawn to paintings of nature.
Landscapes filled with greenery, flowers, trees, and beautiful colors.
Those were the works I kept stopping in front of.
I have always loved nature, and I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoy paintings that capture it so beautifully.
There’s something about seeing the natural world through an artist’s eyes that makes you appreciate all the little details.
The different shades of green, the softness of flowers, the way sunlight falls across a landscape.
It was a wonderful morning surrounded by art.
And then, naturally, we got hungry.
An Unexpected Israeli Encounter at Naschmarkt
For lunch, we decided to explore Naschmarkt and the nearby flea market.
I love visiting markets when I travel.
They offer such a different experience from museums and palaces. Instead of carefully preserved rooms and famous artworks, you get the everyday movement of a city: people shopping, vendors calling out, colorful stalls, unusual objects, and all sorts of food.
Naschmarkt was full of life.
There were stalls selling spices, vegetables, sweets, and different foods, while the flea market offered a fascinating collection of antiques and secondhand treasures.
We wandered between the stalls, looking at everything, until we came across what might have been the biggest falafel stand we’d ever seen.
It was called Dr. Falafel.
And, as it turned out, it was owned by an Israeli man.
Naturally, we started talking.
He told us that he had moved to Vienna around thirty years earlier, shortly after completing his military service in Israel, and had decided to stay.
Over the years, he had built an incredibly successful falafel business.
And the falafel itself?
Delicious.
He gave us some falafel balls to try for free, in true Israeli fashion, and we ordered pita with falafel and salads.
As we ate, he told us more about his business.
Apparently, his falafel had become so popular that local restaurants were buying the falafel mixture from him and preparing it themselves.
I thought that was amazing.
He had managed to build a business around something so familiar to us, right in the middle of Vienna.
But then he told us something a little surprising.
He was planning to retire soon.
His children worked in real estate and weren’t interested in continuing the family business, so they preferred to sell it.
I thought that was such a shame.
Here was a man who had spent decades building something successful, something that had become part of the local food scene, and now there was a possibility that it wouldn’t continue in the same way.
Of course, I understood that his children had their own careers and ambitions.
Still, I couldn’t help feeling a little sad about it.
We continued talking while my boyfriend and I enthusiastically stuffed falafel into our mouths.
It was such an unexpected encounter.
We had come to Vienna to experience Austrian culture, and somehow ended up having a lovely conversation with an Israeli falafel owner who had made the city his home thirty years earlier.
That’s one of the things I enjoy most about traveling.
You never quite know who you’re going to meet.
One Last Imperial Day: Hofburg and Sisi’s Dresses
For our third and final full day in Vienna, we decided to return to the imperial side of the city.
This time, our destination was the Hofburg Palace and the Sisi Museum.
After learning so much about Empress Elisabeth at Schönbrunn, I was excited to discover more about her life and see some of the personal objects associated with her.
But there was one thing I was especially hoping to see.
Her dresses.
If you know anything about me, you probably won’t be surprised by this.
I love beautiful dresses, particularly historical gowns with elaborate silhouettes, delicate fabrics, and all the little details that made nineteenth-century fashion so extraordinary.
I had imagined seeing several of Sisi’s gowns displayed in the museum.
As it turned out, there was only one.
But it was beautiful enough to make the visit worthwhile.
I spent time admiring it, imagining the amount of work that must have gone into creating such a garment and how different the experience of dressing must have been back then.
It was another lovely connection to the empress I had admired as a child.
And from there, we continued to one of the places I had been most looking forward to visiting.
The Austrian National Library
I don’t think I could have visited Vienna without seeing the Austrian National Library.
As someone who studied literature and has always loved books, visiting beautiful historic libraries is one of those experiences that makes me particularly excited.
And the State Hall was magnificent.
The moment we entered, I was struck by the sheer scale of the room.
Towering bookshelves filled with old volumes, enormous columns, gilded details, beautiful sculptures, and an elaborately painted ceiling stretching above everything.
It was breathtaking.
Everywhere I looked, there was something to admire.
The rich wooden shelves, the golden decorations, the rows upon rows of books, and the extraordinary craftsmanship that had gone into creating such a beautiful space.
It was almost difficult to believe that this was a library.
I kept looking up at the ceiling and then back toward the bookshelves, trying to take it all in.
And, of course, I couldn’t resist imagining what it must have been like to study in a place like that.
Although, to be fair, I’m not entirely sure I would have managed to concentrate on reading with so much beauty surrounding me.
I would probably have spent most of my time staring at the ceiling.
Still, it was easily one of the most impressive interiors we saw in Vienna.
And I was so glad we had made time for it.
Apple Strudel at Demel
After the library, we decided it was finally time to visit one of Vienna’s most famous cafés.
Demel.
Of all the things I had wanted to try in Vienna, traditional Austrian desserts were very high on the list.
And apple strudel was an absolute must.
Demel had that wonderful old-fashioned coffeehouse atmosphere I had been hoping to experience.
Beautiful interiors, marble tables, traditional menus, and the sort of elegant surroundings that make you feel as though you should sit down and take your time.
We ordered apple strudel and a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream.
And I was very pleased to discover that the strudel was just as delicious as I had hoped.
The pastry was delicate, the apple filling was sweet and comforting, and everything tasted wonderful together.
The hot chocolate was lovely, too, especially with that generous layer of whipped cream.
It was such a simple pleasure, sitting in a beautiful Viennese café and enjoying a dessert that has become so closely associated with the city.
And yes, I was extremely happy about it.
I think the photographs make that rather obvious.
Indian Food in Vienna, Because Why Not?
One thing I love about traveling with my boyfriend is that we both enjoy trying different kinds of food.
And although we were in Austria, we certainly weren’t planning to limit ourselves exclusively to Austrian cuisine.
At some point during the day, we spontaneously decided to have Indian food for lunch.
My boyfriend knew how much I loved it, so it didn’t take much convincing.
We ordered several dishes to share, including pani puri, onion bhaji, garlic naan, and chicken curry.
And everything was delicious.
I particularly love Indian food because of the incredible variety of spices, textures, and flavors. There always seems to be something exciting to try, whether it’s a crispy little snack, a rich curry, or freshly baked naan.
And after spending the morning exploring museums and historic buildings, sitting down to a wonderful Indian meal was exactly what we needed.
It might not have been the most traditionally Viennese lunch.
But it was definitely one of our favorites.
Our Little Ramen Tradition
There was one more food-related mission we needed to complete before leaving Vienna.
Ramen.
My boyfriend and I have developed a little tradition of eating ramen at least once on every vacation we take together.
I don’t remember exactly when it became an official tradition, but at this point, I consider it non-negotiable.
No matter where we travel, we somehow have to find a place that serves ramen.
And Vienna was no exception.
So later that day, we found ourselves enjoying bowls of chicken ramen.
After all the Austrian food, pastries, falafel, and Indian dishes we’d eaten, ramen seemed like a perfectly appropriate way to complete our culinary adventures in the city.
I love that we’ve developed these little habits together.
They’re not necessarily the most important parts of a vacation, but they’re ours.
And I fully intend to keep this particular tradition going.
One Last Record Before Leaving Vienna
That evening, we returned to the hotel for our final night in Vienna.
And there was still one thing we hadn’t properly taken advantage of.
The record player.
Remember the hotel’s wonderful collection of vinyl records?
Well, we finally decided to borrow one from reception.
We ended up choosing an album by Gérard Lenorman, a French singer whose music was a rather unexpected discovery for us.
It wasn’t necessarily what we had imagined listening to during our stay, but that made it even more fun.
We brought the record back to our room, placed it on the turntable, and listened.
There was something charming about ending our time in Vienna that way.
After three busy days of walking, exploring palaces, visiting museums, eating incredible food, and enjoying the city, we were finally back in our hotel room, listening to an old French record.
It was such a different atmosphere from the busy streets and grand buildings we’d spent the day exploring.
And I thought it was a lovely way to end this part of our trip.
Three Days in Vienna, and So Much More Waiting Ahead
Before visiting Vienna, I had already traveled to several beautiful European cities.
London, Prague, Rome, Budapest.
Each one had its own character, its own charm, and its own reasons for being memorable.
But Vienna surprised me.
I had expected it to be beautiful, of course. I’d seen the photographs, read about its history, and planned our visits to the palaces and museums.
What I hadn’t quite anticipated was just how much I would love the city itself.
The imperial architecture, the beautiful streets, the magnificent interiors, the art, the cafés, the food, and the way history seemed to be present everywhere we went.
I loved the contrast between the grandeur of Schönbrunn and the lively atmosphere of Naschmarkt, between the gilded rooms of the Hofburg and the modern little desserts at Kashtan.
I loved finally seeing Klimt’s The Kiss, admiring Sisi’s gown, walking through the Austrian National Library, and eating apple strudel at Demel.
And I loved that this was how we had chosen to celebrate my birthday.
Three days filled with beautiful places, delicious food, lovely surprises, and so many photographs I couldn’t wait to look through.
By the end of our stay, I genuinely felt that Vienna might be the most beautiful European city I had visited so far.
And if our vacation had ended there, I would already have considered it a wonderful trip.
But the funny thing is, we were only at the beginning.
Because while I had been so excited about Vienna, I had no idea what was waiting for us beyond the city.
The lakes.
The mountains.
The little Austrian villages.
And landscapes so beautiful that, even now, I find it difficult to describe what it felt like to stand in front of them.
Vienna had given us the perfect beginning.
But the most extraordinary part of our Austrian adventure was still ahead.
And that deserves a story of its own.
