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originally imported from Spain and bred to pro-
tect their royal riders. “They actually spend the
entire summer in the Austrian Alps”, my guide
said, “and are only on display in the Hofburg for
six weeks before being rotated. Sometimes, you
can see the mares and foals in the Burggarten”.
Since its beginning, the Spanish Horse Riding
School only had male stallions, riders, and
trainers, but times have changed. In 2008, CEO
Elisabeth Gürtler allowed the admission of the
first two female riding students, thus breaking
a centuries-old tradition.
Bidding farewell to the beautiful creatures,
we strolled next past the Albertina Museum
which caught my eye with a colorful Modigliani
Staircase, then the Café Mozart, and ended up
in front of the magnificent Opera House. “The
Viennese are very culture-minded. Every show
is sold out and you have to book months ahead”,
Gabriele explained. “But it remains affordable
with 4 Euros ($4.30) for the cheapest standing
room tickets”.
I suddenly realized how the streetscape had
changed from small stores in the morning to
impressive department stores in the Kärntner
Straße, Vienna’s most famous street. “Cheap
doesn’t exist here in the 1st district”, Gabriele
laughed before pointing out the Kaisergruft
(Imperial Crypt) located behind a row of build-
ings, one street over on Neuer Markt. The
bones of 145 Habsburg royalty, plus urns con-
taining the hearts or cremated remains of four
others, are here. The 107 metal sarcophagi and
five heart urns range in style from puritan plain
to exuberant rococo.
“The best coffee in Europe is Vienna coffee,
compared to which all other coffee is fluid
poverty.”, Mark Twain once said, and to see if
this is true Gabriele led me to her favorite Vi-
ennese coffee house, the Kleines Café. There I
also had my first ever Sachertorte which was,
ahem, rather dry. “In Vienna you order this with
or without Schlag” (short for Schlagobers, the
Modigliani Staircase at the Albertina Austrian term for whipped cream), my local
Museum, people relaxing at Museums guide revealed. “I still love coffee houses. My
Quartier square husband and I used to take the children every
Opposite: Eleves at the Spanish Horse
Riding School weekend and we read all the newspapers avail-
able.” In coffee houses, no music or only piano
142 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023
