Vienna

After sailing since midnight, we arrived in Vienna this morning before 8 am. By 9 am we were on a tour bus for a drive around Vienna's Ring Road (Ringstrasse) around the historical centre district of the city. Again, a lot of the city had been damaged during WWII and rebuilt. We were shown a lot of key sights along the way, but it wasn't great because what you really saw depended on what side of the bus you were on, and it was virtually impossible to get photos.

We had a commentary along the way as we passed the Opera House, various places where musicians like Mozart and Strauss and Hayden had lived, statues of various composers, the Parliament, City Hall, and a famous ferris wheel (Riesenrad) etc. We were dropped off near the central St Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom - another dark, gothic church, but with a single beautiful spire).

Our guide gave us time to look inside the Cathedral, then walked us around the central streets and exclusive shopping area, and then lead us into Cafe Central for coffee and cake that was included with the tour. I was rapt after asking about gluten free, to be served with an amazing kind of vanilla mousse/brûlée cake, covered in a coating of gorgeous chocolate. They said it was the best 'cake' in the house when they delivered it to me, and it sure looked like it! This cafe was a popular spot in the past for poets to meet.


We didn't have much time, and wanted to make the most of the hour of free time we had left, so took Rick Steve's suggestion of visiting the Hofburg Treasury in the Hofburg/Imperial Palace (the winter residence of the Habsburg rulers until 1918). It was very interesting and worth seeing if you only have a short time - lots of amazing, rich embroidery and jewels and old crowns.

Unfortunately, the Spanish Riding School (Lipizzaner Stallions) wasn't operating because it was the summer break. We also walked past the Imperial Music Chapel where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings, and on to the Albertinaplatz (Square) where there was the thought-provoking Monument Against War and Fascism. This is situated on the spot where several hundred people were buried alive when the cellar they were hiding in was demolished during a WWII bombing attack.

Then, it was back by bus to the boat for lunch. David and Steve decided to stay on the boat for the afternoon, but I'd fortunately read Rick Steve's recommendation to visit the silver collection, and then the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments (Kaiserappartements) of both the Emperor and the Empress.

So Jan and I headed back into town on the bus for a quick tour of these places. An excellent audio guide was provided with the entry fee and then we proceeded to move quickly around the fascinating exhibits. We thought we were in for more Versailles type displays, but this was different and the audio guide brought the displays alive. Most interesting was the Sisi Museum which told of the tragic life of Emperor Franz Josef's wife, Empress Elizabeth (nicknamed Sisi), in the mid/late 1800s, and who was eventually assassinated. The Imperial Apartments, were also interesting to see, especially the table setting used.


We finished up in Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square), with an impressive view of the curved facade of the Neue Burg (New Palace, a new wing of the main palace).



We finished earlier than expected, and rather than wait another hour for the bus back to the boat, and with me hobbling around with a very sore ankle by then, I suggested we get a taxi to take us back, and have more time back at the boat to rest and prepare for an early dinner before the concert we were attending in the evening. I quickly hailed a taxi, and gave him the address where the ship was located. But, too late, we found he seemed to speak no English. I showed him the map of where I thought the location was, going by our bus trips in the morning, and he headed in the approximate location. I kept showing him the map and the road we needed and where to go, and he kept indicating that the address we wanted was in the other direction along the wharf. In the end I insisted that he take a right turn, when he wanted to turn left, and I was correct. We had been told by our tour director that a taxi trip back to the boat should be $12-15, and this trip was $14.95 and as soon as we drew near where the boat was we told him to stop and let us out. If I'd had more change I would have given him just $12 and walked off, but we didn't. I think he genuinely didn't know what the address meant and where it was, even though he was shown the written words and spot on the map. Goodness knows where we would have ended up if we'd turned left as he had wanted!

So, we were back for a well-earned cup of coffee, or tea in Jan's case, although I could have done with a gin! Being back earlier than the bus gave us more time to get ready for an early dinner, followed by a concert in Vienna in the evening.

David decided that a classical concert featuring the music of Mozart and Strauss was money wasted on him, so I went with Jan and Steve. The concert was an hour and a half long and was held in the Hofburg Redoutensaal (which was where famous musicians had performed over the past 300 years, but it had burnt down in 1992 and been rebuilt). It featured orchestral pieces played by the Wiener Hofburg Orchestra, and also vocal soloists. I enjoyed watching the piccolo player, and a couple of the singers were amazing, in particular a tenor called Bohan Choe, we think from Korea. He was stunning. One of the sopranos was also excellent (Andrea Olah), with a voice like a bell in what I'm sure was a very difficult piece - Johann Strauss's 'Fruhlingsstimmenwalzer'. Michelle et al would have loved it. The concert was fun and entertaining in other ways too, with a percussionist shooting a pistol and a shotgun, blowing whistles, and playing one piece of music by clanging two hammers on some metal and striking notes for the piece. Very clever and funny too.

On the way back to the boat by bus, we saw the city lights, and a lot of the old and famous buildings were all lit up. We were given a CD of pieces by the orchestra with some of the soloists, so I'll look forward to listening to that when I get home! We arrived back at the boat by 11 pm, and found a supper of soup and sausages being served - I gave it a miss! When I was getting changed I discovered that I had lost one of my earrings - a Marion McKellow one - oh no, couldn't find it anywhere!