Cafe Pruckel, Vienna
If there was a city that just has too many old, historical, and
beautiful buildings and monuments, it has to be Vienna. At almost
every turn there are streets, both broad and narrow, lines with
centuries-old buildings and spectacular architecture. The problem,
however, with such an architectural largesse, is that the eyes soon
get bored and yearn for something more.
I had about six hours in Vienna, and after spending the first couple
darting from one U-bahn stop to another, and taking in this palace
and that garden and this park and that museum, I was pretty hungry
and was a little tired with the touristy stuff. Lunch was at this
sandwich shop in the crowded Stephens Place where they serve these
tiny open-faced bruchetta-type sandwiches for a mere euro apiece!
After gorging on three of them of different varieties and paying
about the same amount for a small bottle of water, I then headed out,
on foot this time, to wander and see what I found.
I walked for about two hours, took a couple of photographs here and
there, not of the old time-tested monuments, but of the new glass-
facade office buildings that were cropping up here and there. After a
few clicks of the camera, and two hours of walking, I needed
refueling, and made a concerted effort to find the ideal cafe. After
walking another couple of kilometers and discarding about seventeen,
I came upon Cafe Pruckel, which occupies a prominent corner opposite
some impressive museum. The travel snob that i am, I immediately
suspected it of being a tourist trap, given its proximity to the
monument. However, before commuting a death sentence to it, I decided
to offer it a fair trial and stepped in, and became a part of
something that I’ve probably only seen in a Roger Moore James Bond
movie.
Cafe Pruckel is a large, airy expanse within a centuries old
building. Chandeliers hang from the ceilings supported by tall
pillars and arches. The furniture is from the sixties or seventies,
and extremely comfortable. Waiters in tuxedos scurry around bringing
white cups of cappucinos in small steel plates to waiting customers.
Posters on the door discuss upcoming cultural events. Newspapers from
around the world are found encased in wooden reading trays, and
available for customers. The pace is unhurried and I helped myself to
a table right in the center, and began taking in the smoke and
conversation filled atmosphere. It was the first time I have been at
a place that would have lost its charm if there was no smoking.
Around me, well dressed people were sipping on their hot beverages
and were either deep in conversation or just sitting around with a
book or a magazine. Nobody appeared to be in a hurry, and the space
between tables offered privacy without the feeling of being secluded.
You could almost hear the background music from Bond playing, and any
moment expected Roger Moore to emerge from one of the tables with a
conspiratory look.
It was snowing outside, providing more of a reason for me to stay and
take-in more of the place. I ordered my second cappucino as I dug
into a heavenly walnut pastry which tasted like it was prepared about
an hour ago. Now I know why they say its a must to taste the pastries
in Vienna- they give Mozart, Vienna’s other famous icon a real run
for his euros.
Before I knew it, it was time for me to leave and catch my train and
reluctantly I asked for the check. One of the tuxedos came over,
wrote up the check on the spot, and doled out change from a purse
then and there! This, by the way, is an amazing part of European cafe/
restaurant culture. They may not bring you the check until you ask
for it, unlike the rushed students of optimization algorithms who
double up as waiters in manhattan, but when they do, they come with
their purse, so that no time is lost in making change!
On my way out, I finally saw the one thing that would not be from
Roger Moore’s era, but would definitely suit Daniel Craig- the cafe
has Wi-Fi.