Austria's infamous pastry and the country's 'most beautiful city' in the same blog title? Yes, today's post is just one cliché after the next. But 'embracing the country's culture' is one of the main aims of the year abroad, right? And seeing as my Hochdeutsch has been corrupted by Austria's much more fun dialects, the other aim of language proficiency was ditched long ago.
In a desperate bid to improve my chances of Austrian citizenship post-Brexit, I decided to try my hand at Strudel baking. Although a cinnamony slice might not be enough to bribe the authorities, an Austrian friend informed me that according to either an old wives tale, superstition, family tradition or all three, if you're able to roll out a strudel dough without a single tear then you're allowed to marry! Sadly mine had many but I can assure you that a freshly baked Strudel is one sure way to forget citizenship dismay.
The same friend then showed me up big time by cooking her own Kaiserschmarrn - Austria's shredded pancake dish which was a favourite of its eponymous fan, Emperor Franz Joseph I.
Fortified by all this baking, I've been doing A LOT of walking round the city - often in my usual stomping grounds but at different times of day to see it in a new light, both literally and figuratively.
(Above: the stunning return from Semmering, albeit through a dirty train window. Hard to believe I was trudging through deep snow just minutes before.)
More recently, I ventured for the first time into the 9th district in search of the...wait for it...Strudlhofstiege!
Despite it's enticing name, there's actually no pastry to be found but rather, a wonderful Jugendstil staircase, commissioned by Vienna's Mayor Karl Lueger in the early 20th century to connect the upper Strudlhofgasse with the lower Lichtental territory beyond.
Schools went back on Monday for the first time since October (!) and although I think my ears might be permanently bent from so many hours of mask-wearing, it's good to be back, especially as my new timetable means I have Fridays off!
So yesterday, on what was both the sunniest and coldest day so far, I set off for Steyr. About 2 hours from Vienna by train, it's an easy day trip and well wroth a visit. Initially sceptical about it being 'the most beautiful city in Austria', my frostbitten hands later attested to its beauty - who needs working fingers when you have a camerroll of stunning buildings?
Here are just a few highlights - bridges over crystal clear water, views across to the snowy hills beyond, a peak into the Steyr cemetery, Gothic architecture in the Old Town and the city's best bakery. Safe to say, I'll be going back in the summer!
