Days 11 & 12 Heuriger Sirbu und Prunksaal

We visited another Heuriger (Wine Garden) in the hills to the north of the city. We took a bus up the windy hill and ate at a little restaurant. All hearigers serve their own young wine and then you can go into the building to a very traditional buffet. Usually you start with cheese and bread and then go and order various meats and goodies. I've had pork and bratwurst. Very good!! On the way up to the wine garden, there was a lookout towards the city of Vienna!

Vienna! The Danube canal is on the left. Looking south.

That is Emily on my right.

This is our view from our table!

The other view of the vineyards.

Left to right: Tina, Emily, and Jenn going into the Heuriger

The man on the right is our Architecture Professor, Jim.

The sun is setting.

This was a Polish Church at the top of the hill to honor the Polish troops that descended upon Vienna in her defense against the Ottomans. A sneak-attack through the vineyards!

Today after class we toured the Prunksaal which is the showpiece of the Austrian National Library complex adjacent to the Hofburg complex. It was the first library which houses books from Egyptian times through more "modern" 1800s. The architecture is fascinating. The middle section is full of Prince Eugene's personal library. He was a war hero against the Turks in the 1600s. The rest of the collection is full with various collections of many people. You can smell the old leather and parchment as soon as you walk in the door. The library was commissioned by Karl VI in 1723.

The fresco at the top of the dome in the center of the library.

There are little cubbyholes behind the stacks of books where people used to go to read and stay warm.

Statue of Karl VI

And finally, it was Jenn's birthday today, so a few of us went to the Demel Konditorei, one of the oldest pastry cafes in the city. It was opened in 1785 and has been operating since! It served the royalty! I had a hauskaffee (House Coffee) with real whipped cream...probably the most expensive coffee I've bought.

The outside.

You can watch them bake!