#lteuropa bucket list takedown: austrian wine country
We had high hopes for Austrian wine country. But on the day we tackled this bucket list item, it was cold and rainy, like most of the days we spent in Vienna.
In spite of the gray skies, we bundled up (read: bought sweatshirts en route and wore sneakers because they were the warmest footwear option we had) and made our way from the Inner Stadt to Kahlenberg, a mountain located in the 19th district of Vienna that’s speckled with small vineyards along its hills.
Turns out, touring Vienna’s vineyards really does work better on a day that it’s not downpouring. So, instead of a leisurely afternoon stroll through the vineyard hills, we decided to get cozy in Grinzing. This is the little village nestled at the bottom of Kahlenberg. We ate, we explored, but what we really did was get really, really drunk. Like, supremely drunk.
That’s not to say we didn’t learn about Vienna’s famed wine region. In fact, while drinking a great deal, we also learned a great deal!
Traveling to and from the region requires some advance planning. In typical Lazy Travelers fashion, we (read: the Hubs) had a slight idea of the direction we needed to go. But we hadn’t taken the time to hammer out solid directions. This lead to a lot of wasted time trying to find the right bus, all the while dark gray storm clouds formed over head. We were lucky to meet an extremely helpful local who was eager to share his wine knowledge. He pointed us toward some of his favorite heurigers. These are wine taverns that sell their own homemade wine straight from Vienna’s vineyards.
On the way home, with most of our wits left somewhere at the bottom of a wine barrel, we managed to get on two separate trains home without a clue of where they were taking us. But, magically, we STILL make it home within twenty minutes of each other. We don’t want to brag, but our drunk selves are pretty intelligent (just don’t fact check this with the various locals we begged to help us find our way…)
Once you DO find your way there, the views are unbeatable. Even on a gray, rainy day, the views from the top are top-notch. Rolling hills, lush, green grass. It’s all just so perfect for awkward photo opps!
Told you…
Look for the buschen! WTF is a buschen, you ask? No worries, so did we. You can spot a true heuriger because they will hang a buschen–or a bushel of pine branches–at their entrance, signaling that the vintner is selling wines harvested in Vienna. Not all of the wine taverns we hit up had buschens hanging at their entrance, but for research purposes, we felt we had to give each and every tavern a fair shot.
If you’re looking for budget friendly excursions, this is your jam. By the time we got to the first bar, Maly’s, we had worked up quite an appetite. We helped ourselves to the hot buffet and then let our waiter select a few small carafes of wine to sample. 7 glasses of wine later, our tab totaled a little more than 9euro. Plus, carboloading while imbibing is always a good idea:
If you’re taking photos like these and it’s still light out, it’s probably a good idea to take a break. Also, please take note of our water on his cigarette break in the back.
It’s safe to say that we did not, in fact, call it quits and one of us may not, in fact, remember the rest of the day.
Rhymes with shmomantic.
xo!
the romantic & the wino
Lazy Travelers
The Lazy Travelers are two transatlantic best friends who have mastered the art of exploring a new city. Though Ashley is based in London and Carolyn is in Philadelphia, we'll use any excuse to reunite around the world. We’re professional bar hoppers, pub crawlers, and food testers, and you’ll never see us zipping around, checking things off a list of “must-sees.”
17 Comments
Sara GowithOh
Ohhh I´ve never heard about the Buschen! I´m so looking forward to do this excursion as well!
Lazy Travelers
it was a great way to see a new side of vienna! definitely recommended.
Lazy Travelers recently posted..#lteuropa bucket list takedown: wine country
Lance | Trips By Lance
Poor Hubs having to do all that planning. At least you made it there for some good wine. You are proof that detailed planning isn’t that important.
Lance | Trips By Lance recently posted..Family Fun at Indianapolis Central Canal
Lazy Travelers
poor hubs, shmoor… shmubs. he’s lucky we let him hang out with us in the first place.
(/we’d really get nothing done without his supervision)
Lazy Travelers recently posted..#lteuropa bucket list takedown: wine country
@mrsoaroundworld
You ladies crack me up, seriously ! This sounds and looks like an uber fun day. How did the hubs take it?
@mrsoaroundworld recently posted..My secret place: Herdade do Vau, Alentejo, Portugal
Lazy Travelers
oh he had his fun, too, don’t you worry. he did a somersault in the middle of the street at the end of the night.
Lazy Travelers recently posted..jetsetters: whitney of daily francophile
Fiona
Hoping to visit Vienna for a weekend in October. This looks like a really cool tour. You two look like true experts in the wine tasting pics! 🙂
Fiona recently posted..History + Luxury with a Conscience at The Cavendish
Lazy Travelers
ahh i bet it’ll be beautiful in the fall! have an amazing time and definitely check out kahlenberg if you have time 🙂
Lazy Travelers recently posted..jetsetters: whitney of daily francophile
Mary Anne
I like your style ladies. I think it’s time to go on a trip together.
Lazy Travelers
count us in!
Lazy Travelers recently posted..making our way to australia’s red centre
leah Travels (@L_e_a_h)
Yep. This sounds a lot like my trip to Vienna and the heuriger stops. Luckily I had a driver to deliver me to my hotel, but otherwise I would have been royally screwed. I’d love to do this again with you ladies.
leah Travels (@L_e_a_h) recently posted..Ambassador of Chili: Chef Dean Fearing brings Texas Red to Hawaii
Lazy Travelers
psh driver shmiver. it’s all about the adventure! live a little!
Lazy Travelers recently posted..no travel required: #frifotos
lola
love the pics of the upturned glasses and bottles! you two are just my style 😉
lola recently posted..Top Three Reasons to Visit Morocco
Lazy Travelers
and you’re ours, lola! xo
Lazy Travelers recently posted..no travel required: #frifotos
D.J. - The World of Deej
See…if I was walking down the street and saw a bunch of pine branches hanging from a pole, I’d say “Why are all of these pine branches hanging form a pole.” And kept right on walking, missing the nectar of the gods for sale inside….
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..How to Survive Traveling with Family
Charu
Love this idea! Cannot wait to do Vienna proper, and would be fab to do it with you gals ! (PS: Erika might be into wine, her new favorite word is “coffee”!)
Charu recently posted..Florida Keys through Instagram (PHOTOS)
Tyler Flood
sounds like a perfect excursion – european holiday, good wine, the views and best-friends together!