Café Schwarzenberg

      I believe in an earlier post, MONTHS ago, I said that M&M was my favorite coffee house.....well I would very much like to rescind that statement because Café Schwarzenberg definitely TAKES THE CAKE! (pun absolutely intended.)

       So my horn professor here, Franz Söllner, was a former member of the Wiener Philharmoniker. He has a special affinity for drinking große Braunen (espresso with cream), talking about Salzburg, and making very lame jokes, and we've developed a weekly tradition of frequenting Café Schwarzenberg after my Wednesday lessons! (Where we drink coffee and talk about Salzburg!

          Every Wednesday at 10am we walk over from the Musikverein to Café Schwarzenberg, situated right on the corner of the Ring Strasse, and on the way to the IES center. I especially love my cake and coffee dates with Franz, not only because I get free cake and coffee (WOO!!) but because I can attempt to tell him in my broken German all about everything I'm doing in Vienna and he tells me stories of his times in the Vienna Phil, of his travels to the States, and gives me suggestions on places to travel, and almost always gushes about Salzburg. Franz really loves Salzburg. Ask him about Salzburg sometime!

         I put on a short solo recital earlier this week and afterwards, not surprisingly, Franz, Bill McElheney and I went to Café Schwarzenberg for celebratory coffee and cake! (And really, is there anything better than this??? If you're looking for way to tell me you like me, express your appreciation for me, or simply be kind to me (all of these things are very much welcome by the way), all you need to do is give me coffee and cake. Seriously. It's all I really want. Ever.) Café Schwarzenberg has been around since 1861!! It was really never an artists' café or musicians' café, but it still upholds the atmosphere and tradition of Viennese café culture.

 

       So anyways, back to my recital: It went well, blah blah...I played Mozart's 2nd horn concerto, Franz Strauss Nocturno, and the David Amram Blues and Variations for Monk. Short and sweet. But I was happy with it! Following that, Franz, Bill, and I came here, and I tried yet another NEW cake. (Franz said I had most certainly earned it! after my recital and all..) 

        I have a self-imposed rule for Café Schwarzenberg that I'm not allowed to get the same cake twice. It is because of this rule that  I've tried 8 cakes at this café! I can keep track of how many times I've come here, by how many cakes I've tried...weird? Maybe....but the cakes are so good! Maximilian Torte, Mohn Torte, Trüffel Torte.......And I'm SO close to trying all of them; that has become my new goal for these last two weeks in Vienna: EAT ALL THE CAKES. Franz joked WEEKS ago "Du wirst alle Torten probieren!" (You're going to try all of the cakes!) And yes, Franz...I DO plan on probiere-ing all the Torten. Nothing would make me happier.

      

       I've started taking my friends here. I'm only going to have two more lessons :( </3 And I definitely have more than 2 cakes left....GAME ON! Everyone is equally enthused with Café Schwarzenberg and their assortment of coffees and cakes. But I'll always associate this café with Franz and my lessons, so it is rather special to me.....

         SO. CAKE IS GREAT. But on a more serious note (or maybe not at all--the Viennese aren't very serious people), I do truly love the coffee house culture in Vienna. There's nothing better than chatting with friends, reading a book by yourself, maybe doing homework, meeting colleagues, or just having some alone time and people watching at a café in Vienna. It's one of the things I'm going to miss the most when I come home. In the states, everyone is always on the go, on the move....and don't get me wrong--I'm aboslutely ENAMORED with my colorful iced coffee travel cups. But it is nice to slow down sometime, and give yourself a few hours to enjoy a cake and a coffee. You deserve it!