My journey is drawing to a close. I have already visited his farthest point and now I am gradually returning home. Remained a couple of days in Vienna, a night in Budapest and in Kiev! It’s a little sad, but, after all, they correctly say that you need to come back when you still want to stay, and not when you’re tired and go home faster! Early in the morning, the usual route through the underpass, I went to the railway station. It smelled of fresh pastries, sausages and coffee. Sandwiches, croissants and other food were piled up appetizingly at the kiosks. Again, for some reason, it was not crowded. In this sense, local Monday was no different from Sunday.
The Munich-Salzburg train departed on schedule. The road took about two hours. Why did I get again with a transfer? Firstly, I didn’t want to go on the same train for almost five hours, and secondly, I like Westbahn double-decker trains. We arrived in Salzburg 10 minutes late, but I had enough time to buy a cappuccino and take my seat by the window on the second floor ... from there the review is more interesting. The next two and a half hours passed quickly: I saw hares many times and even several times roe deer.
In Vienna, I took the subway and in half an hour I was already getting used to the huge Wien Post hotel room.
Praising myself for choosing a very successful hotel again - 5 minutes from the metro, 15 minutes from St. Stephen's Cathedral, I quickly laid out my things and eagerly advanced to meet my beloved city! I understand that I’m saying platitudes, but Vienna is a holiday city for the eyes! Each historical house is a separate work of art! And how wonderful are old cafes and shops with vintage display cases! In general, I am not a fan of modernity, but in Vienna he is so good that he cannot but admire.
Well, and about museums, monuments, palaces, fountains, parks, churches and say nothing! Literally a stone's throw from the hotel, I accidentally stumbled upon the magnificent Holy Trinity Cathedral, owned by the Greek diaspora. Since the domes were not visible to me, I did not know at all that at the end of the rather long and very Viennese lobby, which I looked into for the sake of curiosity, there was some kind of church.
Admission to it was free, but as in Germany, “at least some donation” was welcomed. Donated, bought a candle and, thank God, received permission to take pictures. After the asceticism of Nuremberg Gothic, the Orthodox Church looked especially elegant and made a very strong impression on me.
Leaving the church, I went to implement a long-planned program. The plan was very simple - walk through already familiar places and see something new, which was not enough time in previous trips. It was three in the afternoon, and it’s quite logical that I started with lunch in the famous Figlmüller Wollzeile (1905), which has been specializing in the famous “Vienna Schnitzels” for more than a hundred years. Finding it was easy. Two of the four restaurants of the Figlmüller family were located next door to the hotel. The first on my way was Lugeck. His summer terrace was filled to capacity, which seemed to me not a very good sign.
Near the summer terrace is the entrance to the passage with the inscription Zum Figlmüller. I’m just there.
Another ten meters, and in front of me is the legendary green veranda.
At the entrance there is an elegant and very friendly waiter who will be happy to find me a free table. I pass into one of the small internal halls. I’m studying the menu ... but as they say in the advertisement of this institution "We have 13 main dishes, but most of our customers have only one."
Of course, I will be a schnitzel ... and I came for his sake! There is a bit of salad and home-made white wine ... there is no beer on the menu and never was ... To schnitzel! Bad tone! They brought the order very quickly, because in addition to the schnitzels, nobody really orders anything, and they are fried, like on a conveyor belt. This is not the first “Vienna Schnitzel" in my life, and I was mentally prepared for its gigantic size, but what I saw on a plate exceeded my wildest expectations! Noticing my facial expression, the waiter said that I was not alone here and brought a branded packaging kit for leftovers ...
After the restaurant was St. Stephen's Cathedral, magnificent and beautiful like all the famous cathedrals of the world.
Admission is free, but in order to approach the main altar you need to pay 4.50 euros. She did not become greedy ... of course, it was possible to look at everything from the side, but I wanted to take a closer look. In addition to me, there were about ten people, among them there was one less sympathetic Latin American couple who arranged a beach photo shoot against the backdrop of the altar. Why beach, because the strange poses that they took would be more suitable for palm trees and sun loungers. Everyone else scattered around the room, patiently waiting until they cleaned up ... I had to wait a long time ...
Having examined the altar, icons and sculptures, I finally gathered my strength and went looking for 343 steps to the tower ... but sometimes miracles happen to us where you are not waiting for them at all! Now there for 4.50 euros you can easily get on the high-speed elevator!