We started our last day in Rome with a breakfast at Fornaio, a small Italian bakery that we had discoved the day before. Located between the Via del Governo Vecchio and the Campo de' Fiori we looked for some souveniers at the famous market. The pushy merchants drove us away quickly. We took a bus to the Villa Borghese.
Is there anything better than a late summer breakfast on a rooftop terrace? Although our room was small and basic (and not really wheelchair accessible) the Hotel Museum turned out to be a perfect choice. We asked the concierge if it was possible to stay for one more night. It was! In addition we were able to move to a bigger room.
The next day we took an early train to Rome. Back in school our class went on an impressive study trip with the two best art and history teachers. I remember hastening through Rome's bumpy streets and getting dizzy by the uncountable number of churches we visited. I was looking forward to some classic art inspiration.
Planning our 2019 trips my boyfriend and me realized that we hadn't been to Italy for more than 10 years and that we both would like to revisit Rome. What a good opportunity to refresh dusty Italian language skills. A look on the map of Italy revealed: The city of Verona was a perfect stop in between Stuttgart and Rome.
The weather forecast didn't look too promising so we decided to visit a museum. To learn about Hungarian history and culture the Hungarian National Museum is a perfect place. Again we didn't have to pay an entrance fee. It is an older and smaller museum but it houses a pretty big exhibition with interesting exhibits.
Did you know that Empress Elisabeth of Austria loved travelling to Budapest? Did you know, that she was quite sporty? She loved working out most of the day. And when she went for a walk her abigails had to be replaced during the walk beacause they couldn't keep up with the empress. Sisi loved slogs. We didn't know that such a slog was in store for us when we left the hotel for the Hungarian Parliament Building the next morning.
The next morning we continued our journey. We had a quick breakfast ('Buchteln', sweet rolls filled with plum jam) at main station and hopped on the Railjet Xpress.
No visit to Vienna without sweet dishes. Everybody knows 'Apfelstrudel' but have you heard of 'Kaiserschmarrn'? A thick pancake that is ripped apart and served with plum sauce.
Marie Antoinette once said 'Let them eat cake!'. So why not have it for breakfast? Luckily I knew a bakery close to the hotel we stayed at. In fact I had been to the Felzl bakery for a business trip a few years ago. For breakfast I chose the healthy option: Carrot cake with just the right sweet and moist texture.
In recent years my train travelling took me to the UK or to theme parks. Direction north. Not this time. Our destination? Vienna in Austria. Why? Because it is full of delicious food! We found a train connection via Nuremberg for a reasonable price. I was happy to see a new Intercity train pull in. These new trains are modern and fully accessible.