Vienna

We spent two wonderful days in Vienna, which was not nearly enough time. This is a magnificent city, but somewhat overwhelming in scope. It is full history, music, museums and monumental architechture. Vienna is the capital of modern day Austria, as well as the Austro-Hungarian and Austro-German empires before that. It was founded as a Celtic settlement and has prospered as trade and commerce center with its prime location on the banks of the Danube.

Our first morning was an orientation of the city. We stopped first at the Prater recreational grounds and had a glass of champagne while taking a trip around the Riesenrad (Ferris wheel). This was the Ferris wheel featured in the HItchcock movie "The Third Man". There was a charming museum in the base that we visited before our spin that had dioramas and murals depicting the history of Vienna. Curiously the time period from about 1937-1950 or so was completely missing...

After our aerial view of the city, we took a trip around the Ringstasse - the main boulevard that circles the inner city - and then we took a short walking tour around Stephensdom Cathedral through to the Hofburg Palace. We enjoyed a chance to get settled into the city and decide how we wanted to spend our time.

In the afternoon, we took a visit to the architectural curiosity of the Hundertwasserhaus apartments. Friedensreich Hundertwasser (a name he adopted which means "Peace-Kingdom Hundred-Water") was born in Vienna in 1928. He was originally known for his paintings but now he most famous for his unique archtectural style. His revolutionary ecological stands with regards to architecture earned him the nickname "Architecture-Healer" . His works have been used for flags, stamps, coins, posters, schools and churches. The apartments are a low-income housing development full of funky lines and colors and playful spaces. His style, somewhat reflective of Antoni Gaud and influenced by Klimt, is very organic and has been described as "humanistic primitivism" . He is worth "googleing" and learning about. I found him to be very compelling.

After our visit to the Hundertwasserhaus (one of the top most visited sites in Vienna) we were treated to a private tour of the Liechtenstein Palace. A mueum guide took us through part of the world's largest private art collection, explaining key pieces of the exhibits and their importance in art history. The collection is absolutely amazing and I thought our guide was perfect - just enough history and art theory to be interesting but not enough to bore you! The collection comprises works from Early Renaissance to Austrian Romanticism including works by all sorts of peope even I had heard of: Raffeal, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, etc.

After our wonderful tour, we drove to the Vienna woods to have a sunset view of the city and then to Grinzing on the outskirts of Vienna for a dinner at one of the fine heuriger. This evening we had entertainment provided by a guitarist and an accordian player. Along with the usual Austrian folk music and required renditions of Edelweiss, we were also treated to a wide variety of non-traditional songs such as "Yellow Rose of Texas," "Blue Suede Shoes," a Petula Clark song from the early 60's, and apparently a somewhat off-color song about only loving money (our guide refused to translate). The beer was good and so was the dinner, but the music really topped off the night for us.

We spent the following morning at the Schonbrunn Palace.This palace was formerly the summer residence of the Emperor and lies on the southern bank of the River Wien. The original house was aquired by the Emperor in 1569 and was devasted by the Turks in 1683. It was rebuilt in 1694 (modeled after Versailles). In 1744-49 it was altered and decorated for Maria Theresa, in 1805 and 1809 Napoleon stayed here. The palace was also a favorite residence of Emperor Francis Joseph who was born and died in the palace.

Our tour started with an Apfel Struedel show - a demonstration on how the traditional Austrian dessert is made - including coffee and a slice. Did you know that the dough is stretched correctly when you can read a newspaper through it? After the demo, we had a short time to visit the formal garden with its symetrical orderly lines of trees and paths. We met up with our guide and had a full tour of the palace rooms complete with stories and pictures about the family, the construction and court intrigue. It is a lovely place.After the tour we visited the Marionette Theatre for a wonderful 15 minute presentation of "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - the puppets were absolutely amazing.

We were dropped back in the center of town where out group went its separate ways. Some went to the Picasso exhibit at the Albertina, some went and checked email at the coffee shop. After we met back up we paid a visit to the Sacher Hotel - famous of course for Sacher Torte. We had a nice rest enjost enjoying our coffee and pastries while people watching.

After our snack, we decided to just walk. We couldn't make a decision on which museums or parks to visit, so we decided to amble, which ended up being a great choice. The weather was absolutely beautiful - clear skies and nice temps, so we ended up in the museum quarter with its fantastic buildings and lovely parks. In the midst of this we came upon a peace rally celebrating the anniversary of the last occupying soldier's departure in 195?. The rally was great slice of local culture - bands, booth food, balloons, couples necking on blankets, peace signs etc. We spent about an hour enjoying the music and festivities and watching the people line up for the opening of Parliment. There were lots of people out enjoying Austrian independence.

In the evening we joined Helen (the ship's wellness director) for a trip into town to a local restaurant. LIke all good restaurants this involved public transportation, a few wrong turns, and three flights of steps into a basement. The food was typical - wurst, schnitzel, cheese etc. The menu was all in German so we winged it a little, but we did alright. The place was called The Twelve Apostles, and the building was mentioned as early as the 15th century on city surveys. The food was good, the local beer was better and we had a somewhat boisterous night out. Riding the subway home was way more entertaining than it should be - for some reason it was absolutely hilarious when the ticket machine choice was "I buy ticket now." We did eventually make it back to the boat before it sailed at midnight for Bratislava.