In brief, staying at Anna's apartment was a high point of a wonderful 4-day trip to Vienna. We were beyond pleased with both the apartment and the location. Initially, we were worried the location was a little too peripheral, but we quickly realized it was perfect, charming but not overly-trampled, like so much of the old town. The street Schonlaterngasse, is beautiful and historic and quiet, and Anna explained how we could slip through a nearby courtyard gate to access main streets leading quickly to Stephansdom.

The apartment itself is spacious and delightful. As architects, we appreciated the wonderful material palette and a host of details (the hidden door with bookshelves into the bedroom, the niche behind the bed, the beautifully handcrafted breakfast nook, the dining chairs, the clever array of light fixtures in the kitchen, the lights and marble slabs in the bathroom). It was a wonderful experience to have the time to absorb this very specific Viennese aesthetic sensibility by living in the apartment. Because we were interested in the architect, Hermann Czech, Anna mentioned a couple restaurants and bars in the city where we could see his work, and we enjoyed a very good meal at one called Salzampt. She also recommended good pools where we could take our children because it was so hot. Speaking of which, the walls of this former convent building are very thick, so it was well-insulated against the record hot temperatures, although it did get a little warm.

Practically speaking, we were very comfortable also. Masses of room, comfortable beds, a washer and dryer, functioning kitchen, enormous bathroom, espresso maker complete with a pile of capsules, and an elevator. We felt terribly lucky.