THE VIENNESE CUISINE (and some similarities to FILIPINO CUISINE)

Before we left for Vienna, Austria, I read many things about the city that is known to be "The City of Dreams" and "The City of Music." I wanted to know, before hand, about its people, culture, weather, what to do, where to go, the beautiful sights to see and, of course, because I am a food lover, I read about info about the Viennese cuisine.  In my research, I found about the Schnitzel (crispy breaded pork chop that was pounded thinly and fried), the Goulash (beef with tomato sauce cooked with browned onions) and, the different varieties of frankfurters and wurstels available in this city.

Whatever would be quickly available was what we would try first.  So, after checking in at the hotel, I googled the nearest restaurant and found "Petrus & Paulus Stuben."  This fine dining restaurant met my expectations.  It offers a variety of authentic Viennese cuisine.  The first two in its menu were Schnitzel and Goulash.  Though the restaurant servers hardly spoke English, we managed to order what we wanted.

In a short time, our Schnitzel and Goulash were served to us complete with warm and cold Sauerkraut and matching very cold local beer. We learned that because the Austrians are beer drinkers, there are many small and large breweries scattered around the country.

Days went by and we tried the city's different varieties of Frankfurters and Wurstels.

What was surprising was when we were looking for other varieties of Viennese cuisine to try, we discovered its Tafelspitz (boiled beef) similar to our own Beef Bulalo, Heuriger Stelze (crispy pork knuckles) very much like our Crispy Pata and its "Ribs of Vienna" charcoal grilled spareribs seasoned with salt and pepper.  The Viennese eat these food with bread or boiled or fried potatoes while we eat them with rice complete with condiments and dippings sauces.

"Did we independently come up with these similar dishes or was there a point in our history when we influenced each other somehow?"

Radatz' famous Heurigen-Stelze

This photo was taken from the internet.

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL, Stephansplatz Square, Vienna, Austria

Discovering a new place on your own is half easy and half not.  But, knowing the most important sights to see even before you visit a place is the best you could do before you get there.  As the modern generation tells us, "Google it!"  So, it is guaranteed that one would have a better appreciation of the place he is visiting if he has a little knowledge about it.

My first stop during my own walking tour of the city of Vienna in Austria was the Stephansplatz Square.  The square was named after the main cathedral of this beautiful and largest city of Austria.  It is surrounded by expensive shops and various restaurants catering to tourists of all nationalities.  As I walked around the square, I saw many things: monuments, shops, Italian gelato and Wien Wurstel kiosks, flower shops, book stores, souvenir shops, "alfresco" restaurants and fast food restaurants, as well.  Then, I discovered the St. Peter's Church which is one of the most beautiful and important churches in Vienna.

I decided to start my visit at the St. Stephen's Cathedral knowing that it is the most important cathedral within the German speaking area and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna. I wanted to appreciate its rich sculptures and its very impressive ceilings with   Romanesque and Gothic structure. Though I am naturally scared of heights, I decided to go up the tower and managed to get by for I was excited to see a compact glimpse of Vienna, known to be "The City of Dreams" and "The City of Music," in Austria.

The photo of the full view of the St. Stephen's Church was taken from wikimedia.org while the rest of the photos were taken by me during my visit to the church.

Prayer petitions of people brought near the altar.

This shot was taken from the tower of the church.

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Though I was scared of heights and it was very windy,
still, I managed to ask someone to take my photo.

Again, I went around the church from the tower.

I did not miss hanging my own prayer petitions but used three sheets of paper instead of one.
I prayed for all my loved ones, my friends and the people of the Philippines.

The succeeding photos of the church were taken
while I was sitting on one of the benches in the Stephansplatz Square
and savoring a Wien Wurstel sandwich.