Monday, September 13, 2021
Sunday, August 19, 2018
VIENNA: EXPLORING THE OLD TOWN
This is a multi-part series about our Danube River cruise.
Guten Morgen, Vienna! I'm beside myself with excitement (seriously, I peered in the mirror and there two of me looking quite elated)! I've had Vienna on my bucket list for years!
As if being in Vienna isn't enough, I've got another reason to be excited.........I'm going to meet a blog friend this afternoon! I've been following Merisi from Merisi's Vienna For Beginners for years, and her breathtaking photos intensified my desire to visit Vienna. When she found out I was coming, Merisi generously offered to show me around. There's only one thing better than traveling to someplace new, and that's having a local as a personal tour guide!
But before I meet Merisi, our tour group goes on a little sightseeing drive around the famous Ringstrasse, or Ring Road, which encircles the Old Town district. The architecture of Vienna is intoxicating! We pass many magnificent buildings, including City Hall............
| City Hall |
.......and The Parliament, which has the audacity to be undergoing repairs, mucking up my photos. But even with debris in the shot, it's too pretty not to share.
| Parliament |
Our tour guide tells us that Vienna has topped the list of the "World's Most Liveable Cities" multiple times (and it does again, late this summer). Free health care, free education, excellent public transportation, a strong cultural identity, long maternity leaves, large swaths of parkland, and say what? You get paid to be parents? Awesome! A financial benefit makes it more realistic to stay home and take care of the little ones.
The bus tour is over; it's time to put our feet to pavement and walk through Vienna's first district, or Innere Stadt. There are 23 districts, but today, we will explore just one -- the historic old town.
That building to my right with the gray dome.......I think it's The Museum of Natural History. Or is it the Kunsthistorisches Museum? I honestly can't tell these seemingly identical twins apart.
| Museum of Natural History or Kunsthistorisches Museum? |
Straight ahead is the Austrian National Library. Is that a giant fly on the roof? No, it's a bird, it's a plane, yep, it's a.......bird.
| Austrian National Library |
This entire complex is part of the Hofburg Palace, which for centuries was the imperial castle for the Habsburg dynasty. The magnificent mint green Leopoldine wing is where none other than Marie Antoinette was born and raised (before she lost her head). For
some inexplicable reason, I've got a sudden hankering for cake. 😉
| Leopoldine Wing - Hofburg Palace |
We walk through the palace courtyard and pass under an archway. And I mean archway with a capital ARCH!
On the other side of the archway, we are in front of the entrance to the magnificent Hofburg Palace. The dynasty is gone, but the president of Austria and several museums have taken up residency.
| Hofburg Palace |
| Hofburg Palace |
Our guide takes us down the street called Kohlmarkt, past Gucci, Lagerfeld and Cartier. I'm so busy looking up, that Mr. GS has saved me from tripping several times, but the details on the tops of buildings are not to be missed!
Kohlmarkt leads into to a large pedestrian plaza, known as The Graben. I'm trying to keep my ears tuned to what our guide is saying, but I'm distracted by the side streets, and keep scooting away from our group. Now Mr. GS is afraid I'm going to get lost.
Halfway down The Graben, an ornate structure called the Plague Monument, or Pestsäule commands our attention. It was erected to commemorate the great bubonic plague of 1679.
| The Plague Monument |
Further down on The Graben, St. Stephen's Cathedral stops me in my tracks. Sure, I've seen pictures, but its enormity takes me by surprise. I photograph it from every angle, and now, I think I have more photos of St. Stephen's than I do of my dog.
| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
Our walking tour ends in the square outside the Albertina Museum. Here is where I leave Mr. GS to meet Merisi.
We are to connoiter upstairs at the equestrian statue, which I can see from street level. An escalator whisks me to a rooftop, where I'm rewarded with a fantastic view of the famous Vienna State Opera.
| Vienna State Opera |
Merisi arrives, and after hugs and warm greetings, we're off!
We peek inside the famous Hotel Sacher, home of the original sacher torte. We wander around the old city's back alleys. I'm getting a view of Vienna that I never would see on my own. And if I did, no doubt I'd be lost in the passageways of Vienna forever.
We venture even further off the beaten path into little hidden courtyards which are a refuge from the busy city.
We stop for lunch at one of Vienna's most famous restaurants, Cafe Demel. I figure it must be good since it's been operating, oh, almost as long as the United States has been in existence.
Merisi insists on buying a piece of apple strudel for Mr. Goo Shoes, which is known to be the best in all of Austria. (Later tonight, Mr. GS and I will concur that it is). She treats me to a violet (yes, violet!) ice cream cone "mit shlag" (with whipped cream), and I'm ready to become an expat for the food at Demel, alone.
| Kitchen at Cafe Demel |
It's time for me to get back to the ship, as we are having dinner tonight at Palais Pallavicini, and I must get ready. It's been a glorious and memorable afternoon, and I am so happy to have met one of my favorite bloggers!
Showered and refreshed, we have a lovely dinner at the palace. We dine, accompanied by classical music, opera singers, and ballet dancers, giving us a sampling of the arts that the Viennese are so rightly proud of.
River Cruise Day 9
The four of us decide that we want to spend Day 2 in Vienna on our own. We skip the tour of Schonbrunn Palace, and spend the morning shopping for souvenirs, and leisurely strolling the streets.
We start on Kaerntnerstrasse, a touristy pedestrian shopping street, and buy a crazy number Gustav Klimt souvenirs. I crack myself and the others up when I say, "We're not verklempt, we're ver-klimt!"
One thing I notice about Vienna is that there are many benches. Unlike NYC, which doesn't want anyone to get too comfy, Vienna beckons us to rest our feet and sit a spell.
| Kaerntnerstrasse, a touristy shopping street. |
That "please linger" mentality extends to Vienna's coffee house culture. One can sit the entire day in a coffee shop, having ordered a single cup of java. In fact, this culture is protected by UNESCO, as a piece of heritage that can never be changed.
We sit down outdoors at Segafredo Espresso on The Graben for a mid-morning coffee break. We have no intention of staying all day, but it's nice to know the waitstaff won't give us the evil eye if we dawdle.
| Segafredo Espresso on The Graben |
Viennese coffee is always served with a silver spoon and a glass of water. I learned this from Merisi's Coffee, Anyone? series on her blog.
We walk some more, shop some more, and thoroughly enjoy soaking up the sights and sounds that are Vienna at our own pace.
I'm thrilled that my non-foodie companions want to stop for lunch, giving me another chance to sample local cuisine. At Cafe Mozart, we all order the asparagus ravioli, which is one of the best things I've eaten on this trip, and maybe ever! A G'spritzter, (aka wine spritzer), is quite fashionable for lunch in Austria, and it is a refreshing compliment to our pasta.
| Cafe Mozart |
It's time to go back to the ship. As we cross the Little Danube enroute the to big Danube, I wonder as I always do when I travel, "Could I live here?"
| The Little Danube |
Yes. Yes, I could. I mean, what's not to like about the world's most liveable city?
Auf Wiedersehen, Vienna. Until we meet again!
To be continued.........
This is a multi-part series about our Danube River cruise.
Read 10 Things To Know About River Cruising here.
Read Our First Day In Prague here.
Read 10 Things To Know About River Cruising here.
Read Our First Day In Prague here.
Read A Day In Medieval Regensburg, Germany here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 1: Engelhartszell here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 2: Salzburg here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 3: Durnstein here.
Read Scenery Of The Wachau Valley here.
Read Bratislava: Slovakia's Charming Capital here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 1: Engelhartszell here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 2: Salzburg here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 3: Durnstein here.
Read Scenery Of The Wachau Valley here.
Read Bratislava: Slovakia's Charming Capital here.
Read Budapest: The Pearl of the Danube River here.
Resources
Linking With:
Best of the Weekend
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
SCENERY OF THE WACHAU VALLEY.....AND A WINNER!
This is a multi-part series about our Danube River cruise.
River Cruise Day 7 (Morning):
It feels good to sleep in this morning. We won't be disembarking the ship until 2:00pm when we dock in Dürnstein. The MS Joy left Linz at 5:00am this morning, and we enjoy an elaborate on-board brunch while making our way down the Danube.
The Wachau Valley in lower Austria is a Unesco World Heritage site, and is the crown jewel for all the Danube River Cruise lines that sail through the area. Since we've got about an hour before we arrive at the Wachau Valley, I treat myself to getting my hair blown out at the ship's salon. This luxury is worth every euro. My hair and I have had a love-hate relationship for my entire life, and I'm happy to let someone else wrestle with it.
It is another unseasonably warm day, with just a bit of cloud cover. Pretty much all of the passengers head up to the sun deck to take in the scenery. The ship's crew offers commentary on the Wachau Valley, as well as the fairytale village of Dürnstein that we will visit later in the day. We are invited to try some of Dürnstein's famous treats, all of which center around the marille (apricot) for which they are famous. We try several apricot liqueurs, apricots in heavy syrup, chocolate covered dried apricots, apricot smoothies, salted apricot kernels, and lordy, if they didn't know this would be my favorite -- apricot gummy candies.
Many passengers are content to sit and watch the scenery go by, but there are a group of us who bounce from bow to stern; port to starbird; trying our best to capture the scenic beauty that is around every bend.
I give up on trying to hear the narration, and so I will never know the significance (if any) of most of what we are seeing.
In this case, it's far better to let the eyes just see what they see, and let the camera capture what it deems worthy. The beauty of the region will speak for itself.
It is a photographer's paradise, comprised of farmland...........
Castles and churches (many, many churches!)...........
Tiny villages...........
And occasionally, an inviting restaurant (stop the boat, I want to get off!!!)
To be continued.........
Speaking of marille souvenirs, we have got a winner!
While I was visiting Durnstein,
I picked up a few tiny gifts to give to one of my readers.
Annnnnnnnnddd the winner is (drum roll, please)..........
Liberty of B4 and Afters!
Congratulations, Liberty!
This is a multi-part series about our Danube River cruise.
Read 10 Things To Know About River Cruising here.
Read Our First Day In Prague here.
Read 10 Things To Know About River Cruising here.
Read Our First Day In Prague here.
Read A Day In Medieval Regensburg, Germany here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 1: Engelhartszell here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 2: Salzburg here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 3: Durnstein here.
Read Vienna: Exploring The Old Town here.
Read Bratislava: Slovakia's Charming Capital here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 1: Engelhartszell here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 2: Salzburg here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 3: Durnstein here.
Read Vienna: Exploring The Old Town here.
Read Bratislava: Slovakia's Charming Capital here.
Read Budapest: The Pearl of the Danube River here.
Linking With:
Best of the Weekend
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