Mugs filled with crisp lager filled from wooden barrels, we descend the steps. We set our beers down next to our trays laden with freshly made potato chips, soft pretzels, smoky sausages, bright sauerkraut and mustard. The beer is bright and refreshing — a perfect compliment to the salty snacks and the spring day.

While the kids run and play around the courtyard, we sit and enjoy the light streaming through the verdant green leaves of the Horse Chestnut trees, dappling our table and faces with warm, Austrian sunshine.