Hostess with the mostess

Since I was in Vienna for a relatively long period of time, I stayed in an apartment. This was especialy nice beause I had access to a kitchen, laundry, and a lot more privacy than in hostels. Ms. Edith, the woman who owns the apartment where I stayed, is actually Hungarian, but has lived in Vienna for a long time. She has a beautiful Old World apartment near the Boerse (old Viennese stock exchange), which is right in the center of town.

Anyway, Edith was nice enough to take me to several great out-of-the-way spots in Vienna. My favorite was the Piaristenkeller, a traditional cellar restaurant that opened in 1698. It's located in the cloisters of the Piaristenkirch, a Baroque church where Haydn, Mozart, and many other famous musicians have performed. A waiter there gave us lessons in napkin origami. I had Fasancremsuppe (cream of pheasant soup). Yum!

Also adding to the charm of Edith's place was the fact that she makes good coffee, has a big shelf of books in English, has a good sense of humor, and played a recording of Tschaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet during breakfast. Danke, Edith!

At the Piaristenkellar

The Boerse, next to Edith's place