The edges of Vienna are striped with forested roads that canopy villas between the trees. One such 'mini palais' belonged to the famous Austrian architect and urban planner, Otto Wagner. To know Vienna, is to recognize the hand of Otto Wagner virtually everywhere in the city. His own self designed family residence would perhaps have been demolished or forgotten had it not been acquired from certain desertion by the artist Ernst Fuchs in 1972. Now pause, and imagine what would happen if a renowned founder of the Viennese school of Fantastic Realism happened to possess such a historical Jugendstil gem; and then decided to outfit it completely with his own imagination, while still maintaining the original visual emotion of the late 19th century. That is The Ernst Fuchs Museum. Even from the street, beneath its' awning of green, the bombastic entrance demands more than a glance. The interior is no less nor different. (The place is so trippy that even my tripped out kids tripped out in the most beautiful way). It's a haze of opulent romanticism married to parasomnia and aesthetic wonder. Simply put, it's a dream.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is Austria’s largest art museum. Its picture gallery houses the collections of the Habsburgs. There’s everything from Brueghel to Velásquez and Vermeer to Caravaggio. I especially recommend getting lost in the Egyptian and Near Eastern collection though.

Vienna has three mountains, “house-mountains” as we call them in german, in fact they are more like 3 connected hills that house the famous viennese vinyards, beautiful forests for scary winter midnight visits and restaurants for autumn walks. one can find cheap wine and great traditional food in the green. for me and my friends, taking the bus from the city to go up there has become a ritual in a way, a symbolic voyage to clear our head up there in the fresh air while watching vienna from above. the names are Kahlenberg, Cobenzl and Leopoldsberg. The bus 38A accesses them all, (start from station Schottentor) in summer picnic is a good idea. if you happen to have a car or take a cab at night, the stars are bright from any meadow and you can watch and listen to the city youth drift in their cars on the big public parking space.

One of the biggest parks in the inner city. When I was small, everyone would tell me never to go there, for it was considered the drugs-park of vienna. growing up I realised that it was mere exageration and this beautiful park became my favourite. there is the vienna river running right next to it, for sure it is not the cleanest, but for me it gives an amazing element of urbanity to the whole area. The river is loosing itself in a dark viaduct-like opening, and saga has it that in this tunnels at other times rave partys would take place. the park itself is beautiful, sourrounded by the city, with the fabulously hideous hotel intercontinental building, and the marble statues leading along the river, that changes it size seemingly daily, according to the weather, next to it you find one of vienna’s most beautiful cinemas, the gartenbaukino, as well as nice cafes, my favorite being the “das kleine cafe”. a wonderful experience is limited to summertime and made me often take the long way round when returning late night: you will find yourself in the middle of all kinds of animals lively running about, 5 hedgehogs, 7 rats, 12 ducks, one badger, mice and a heron. I love to find them there crossing the park.

This tiny family-run Japanese restaurant right at the Naschmarket serves great authentic Japanese food. No matter which dish I tried, I loved every single one of them. Plan a little waiting time, they have only 6-9 seats, but it’s worth the wait.  By the way, take a look at the building, it’s the famous Majolica House by the famous Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner.