In 1832, Prince Wenzel von Metternich charged his personal chef with creating a dessert for a dinner for several distinguished guests. The chef pawned the job off on his 16 year old assistant, Franz Sacher…and the Sachertorte was born. Now, the Sachertorte could credibly make the claim to being the most famous chocolate cake in…
Photo by Jay8085 As you may well know, Vienna is traditionally renowned for, among other things, its cafés, music and formal balls (like the Opera Ball). However, wine is quickly ascending “Why is Vienna famous?” list. As Austrian wines have become more popular outside the country borders, more and more oenophiles are adding Austria (specifically…
Photo by Sanderovski & Linda After each UnTour, we ask our UnTourists for feedback on their experience with us. This is important to us to make sure you had the best possible experience on your UnTour and to give us some great advice on how to make your next UnTour even better. One of my…
Photo by Problemkind When I’m on a trip, it’s almost a certainty that I buy something that reminds me that I’ve been there (you know, in case my amnesia flares up again). It used to be t-shirts, more recently it’s been things for my daughter (who turns one on Saturday!) and sometimes I just need…
Head over early to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the crown jewels of Vienna’s stellar architecture. (The cathedral opens at 6 am.) to beat the throng and psyche yourself up for the 343 steps to the viewing platform at the top. Reward yourself with coffee at Cafe Landtmann (pictured above). This landmark cafe,…
Here’s why there’s no picture of Bob & Diane in Vienna: “…none of our travel photos include the two of us. We are more interested in a uncluttered photo of the object of interest, I guess. Can you run a stock photo of one of our favorite sites in Vienna such as a beautiful park,…
The Austrian people are known for their warmth, but, in Austria, informality doesn’t always equate with warmth. Here are some hints for how to show your appreciation for their hospitality in a way that the Austrians will appreciate. Note: The Viennese are specialists in formal manners and to this day, may make a more formal…
We’re just about to the end of May, our month for featuring content on the UnTours of Central Europe. As you may know from our featured UnTourists , many people choose a trio of cities — Prague, Budapest and Vienna — as a way to explore this region. In June, we will be featuring Austria…
Jim and Kathy Snyder went to Prague, Budapest and Vienna in 2011. Here are their impressions. Tell us a little bit about your most recent UnTour. We went to all three cities and they were all great in their own way. Prague highlights were The Charles Bridge (We could walk there in five minutes from…
This week we depart from our normal question and answer format to let the Halls tell you about their trip in their own words. In June of 2011 my husband and I took a Prague/Vienna UnTour, and were very happy with the whole UnTours approach. The best thing was the accomodations! In Prague we…