I woke up one morning last week and suddenly it was spring. Well, it felt like spring and the sun was shining so bright, even though the temperature was barely in the 50s! Vienna is GLORIOUS in the springtime and even though the winter is relatively short compared to other winter cities, people can't wait for the warmth. Almost immediately restaurants and cafes put out their sidewalk seating and stories along the Graben and Mariahilferstrasse, two main shipping strips in Vienna, open the glass walls that separate the inside of the store from the sidewalk.

March is great in Vienna, I am told, because there are fewer tourists crowding the streets and Easter rings in the first major holiday of the year. There is even an Easter Bock Bier (the Viennese love to brew special beer and wine for special times of the year!). Easter Bock is a very strong lager and was meant to add nutrients to the monk's slim diet during Lent. Ha! Love it. Also in March, Vienna hosts its annual Spring Blue Festival. Who says Vienna is only a town of classical music?

Alison
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Vienna