Breakfast in Vienna...

... is large. Viennese people like to eat breakfast, preferably not at home but at some cozy cafe around town.

In Vienna, there are two types of cafes. One is more like a fast-food outlet, where you can grab a snack and a coffee. The other is my favorite type, where you can sit around for hours, sip your coffee with a hundred refills of water, read the paper and chat with friends. This second type of coffe-house is the epitomy of the Viennese cafe tradition, and it is also the place where you crave to have your Sunday breakfast.

We chose the Mozart cafe at the Saher Hotel. This is the hotel which boasts with the oldest recipe for saher cake in the world. They say the original cake is produced there according to a 500-years-old recipe. However, we did not sit in Saher cafe, which is a bit too pompous for my taste, and chose Mozart, overlooking the Albertina and the back side of the Opera (and our favorite sausages stand).

The atmosphere is exactly what you want for a lazy, half-awake, windy, snowy morning. It has so much light, gushing in through the large windows. Added to it, is the soft yellow light of the tens of chandeliers in the cafe. The seats are comfy, the tables not too close to each other, but close enough to make you feel the warmth of people around you. It looks and makes you feel aristocratic, especially when the waiter starts calling you "sir" and "ma'am", and attending to each of your wishes.

Then comes my favorite part. The Large Viennese breakfast includes

pot of coffee, or tea, or chocolate
portion of butter
jar of jam or honey
ham, cottage and sliced cheese
soft boiled egg
freshly squeezed orange juice

Add to it a freshly baked croissant, and, I'm telling you, there's nothing more delicious in the whole world. A perfect blend of aromas for your palate, saturating you with warmth, food and energy for a long day ahead.

No wonder breakfast takes at least two to three hours, when you add to the act of eating the talking, reading the paper or simply drenching in the atmosphere, and enjoying the simple act of being there.

A cafe has existed at this location ever since 1794, and it is easily felt that this is a place with traditions. It is also the location where Graham Green wrote the screenplay for "The Third Man," and a tribute to this classic movie is paid in the cafe's menu :)

In the end, I can only add, it's absolutely recommended, you'll love it. Enjoy your breakfast at Mozart until 3 p.m. each day.