© Richard Randall

Caribbean

Sundries

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

Oceania

It is also common to order a half-liter or a liter of wine with mineral water and then mix them to a desired concentration. The above mentioned quantities are also nearly always available pre-mixed with mineral water. This is called "G'spritzt" ("sprayed"). So to order wine one would say "Ein Achtel/Viertel Rot (red) / Weiþ (white), followed by the word "G'spritzt" if one wants it diluted. The form "Ein weiþer/roter Spritzer" is also used commonly.

Speaking of water: the tap water in Vienna is not only safe, it is recommended.

Viennese coffeehouses

Viennese cafÈs have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries, and the caffeine addictions of some famous historical patrons of the oldest are something of a local legend. The traditional coffee preparations are mostly based on espresso of a lesser intensity than may be found in Italy, served with (Brauner or Wolf) or without (Schwarzer or B”r) milk, Kaffeeobers (thickened cream) or Schlagobers (or simply Schlag) (whipped cream). In traditional coffee houses, there is a whole range of varieties in size and preparation. Addition of various alcohols is less common, creating sweeter drinks, some of which may be given obviously recognisable Austrian names, e.g. Mozart Kaffee (mocha with Cherry Brandy and Schlagobers) or Maria Theresa (mocha with a shot of orange liquor). Traditionally, the coffee comes with a glass of water. Coffee is generally served along with lighter fare (although some desserts are not to be reckoned with lightly). Visitors to traditional cafÈs are welcome to take their time and enjoy the large selection of newspapers on offer. In Vienna, a coffee house is a place to pass the time, to think, to meet, to read or write papers, to smoke if one so desires, or, as a writer once put it, "to be away from home without being exposed to fresh air". In addition to the many modern chrome-brightened 'Espressi', a number of 'real' Vienna coffeehouses still exist to maintain the original charm of this institution.

Viennese parks and gardens

Vienna possesses many park facilities and is one of the greenest cities in the world. The most famous parks and green areas are the Stadtpark, the Burggarten and Volksgarten, which belong to the Hofburg, the Schloþpark of Castle Belvedere with the Vienna Botanic Gardens, the Donaupark, the Sch–nbrunner Schlosspark, the Prater, the Augarten, the Rathauspark, the Lainzer Tiergarten, the Dehnepark, the Resselpark, the Votivpark, the Kurpark Oberlaa, the Auer-Welsbach-Park and the T¸rkenschanzpark, Laaer-Berg with the Bohemian Prater and the foothills of the Wienerwald (Viennese Forest), which reaches into the outer areas of the city. Small parks, known by the Viennese as Beserlparks, are everywhere in the inner-city areas.

Sport

Vienna has become a popular host of many different sporting events including the Vienna City Marathon, which attracts more than 10,000 participants every year and normally takes place in May. In 2005 the Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Austria, the final was played in Vienna. After already being the stage of four Champions League (originally European Champion Clubs' Cup) finals (1964, 1987, 1990, 1995) the final of Euro 2008, the European Football Championships, will take place in Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium.

Austria's capital is also the home of numerous sports teams. The best known of them are the local football clubs SK Rapid Wien (31 time Austrian national champions), FK Austria Wien (22 time Austrian national champions and record cup-winners) and though the oldest is First Vienna FC. Important other sport clubs are the Chrysler Vikings Vienna (American Football), who won the Eurobowl title as Europe's best American Football team in 2004, the Vienna Hot Volleys, one of Europe's premier Volleyball-organisations, and the Vienna Capitals (Ice Hockey). Vienna also had submitted a bid for the 1964 Olympic Games.

Culinary specialities

Food

In winter small stands on bustling street corners sell hot chestnuts and potato fritters. Sausages are also well loved and available almost everywhere. The sausage known in the USA and Germany as Wiener (German for "Viennese") is called a Frankfurter here. However other varieties are more popular at Vienna's sausage stands, such as Burenwurst, a coarse, usually boiled, beef and pork sausage or K”sekrainer, spicy pork with small chunks of cheese within it. Hot dogs are also very common, whereas due to regional food legislation the Bosner or Bosna as the Austrian equivalent of a hot dog (filled with a fried Bratwurst sausage, onions and spices) can seldomly be found at the typical viennese W¸rstelstand.

Vienna is also well known for Wiener schnitzel, a cutlet of veal that is pounded flat, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried in lard. It is available in almost every eatery that serves viennese cuisine for about 14 Euros. Don't confuse it with pork schnitzel viennese style (Schweinsschnitzel Wiener-Art). Excellent, enormous and authentic Wiener Schnitzels are available at the Figlm¸ller restaurant (B”ckerstraþe 6). Be aware that it is usually very full and noisy.

Other Viennese cuisine includes Tafelspitz, very lean boiled beef, often served with grated horseradish.

Vienna has a long tradition of cakes and desserts. These include Apfelstrudel (hot apple strudel), Palatschinken (sweet pancakes), and Kn–del (dumplings) often filled with fruit such as apricots (Marillenkn–del). Sachertorte, a chocolate cake from the Sacher Hotel, is world famous and available to take home from many shops in Vienna airport.

The Naschmarkt is a permanent market for fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, meat and much more. It is well worth a visit. The city centre has speciality food stores like Julius Meinl.

Vienna is a Vegetarian and Vegan-friendly city, with many modern restaurants featuring a vegetarian section in their menus. There are also many vegetarian restaurants operating in Vienna, with some highlights being Vegetasia (Taiwanese menu/buffet featuring many styles of mock-meat), Rupps (Austrian-style menu featuring traditional Austrian meals utilizing mock meats), Art of Life (Gourmet veggie/vegan menu plus fish specialties) and Hollerei (Gourmet veggie/vegan menu). A list of more restaurants catering to vegetarians and vegans can be found at Happy Cow (in English) or vegan.at (in German).

Drink

Vienna is the world's only capital city with its own vineyards. The wine is served in small viennese pubs known as Heuriger, that are especially numerous in the wine growing areas of D–bling (Grinzing, Neustift am Walde, Nuþdorf, Salmannsdorf, Sievering) and Floridsdorf (Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf). The wine is often drunk as a spritzer "Gespritzter" with sparkling water.

Beer is next in importance to wine. Vienna has a single large brewery, Ottakringer, and more than ten microbreweries. A "Beisl" is a typical small Austrian pub, of which Vienna has large numbers.