Days 91 - 93 (June 5 - 7, 2013): Vienna, Austria

The Quick Facts:

* Spent three days in Vienna, Austria, which became the center of the Habsburg rule starting in the late seventeenth century and now boasts some stunning aristocratic palaces and mansions, not to mention a huge cathedral and a plethora of cafes that allow you to sit for hours while enjoying a coffee and slice of cake
* Saw all the main sites, including St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Staatsoper opera house, Schonbrunn palace, Hofburg Palace (which includes the Spanish Riding School, the Vienna Boys’ choir (which we did not see), and the crown jewels, among other things), and the Belvedere (an old mansion which is now an art museum that houses a wonderful collection of Gustav Klimt, including the famous “The Kiss” and “Judith”)
* Stayed at Guesthouse Arabella, which as you might guess is run/owned by a woman named Arabella.  One of the great characters of our trip, Arabella is very kind and runs a nice, clean guesthouse with comfortable rooms, hot shower, and good wi-fi.  Email her directly to book a room and avoid internet site booking fees (“it’s better for you and for me” she says; guesthousearabella@gmx.at).  Definitely recommend for a cheap place to stay while in Vienna.

The Good:

* Vienna is simply lovely. Beautiful architecture, numerous parks and green spaces, and the Danube all round out the setting for a stay in the former power center of the Habsburg empire.
* The city is very accessible, with a wonderful metro system and a well-honed bike path system that a) people use and b) is respected by vehicular traffic

The Bad:

* Can’t really think of anything, we had a wonderful time.

We had multiple days in Vienna, which is good because there’s a lot to see!  We started our first day at the Hofburg Palace which houses, among other things, the Spanish Riding School (where they train and put on shows with the Lipizzaner Stallions that originate from Spain/Iberian Penninsula).  The actual performances are on the weekends, and are quite pricey, but the other option is to go in the morning to attend the daily training sessions from 10-12:30.  Here, you can see the horses and their riders practicing their moves in the beautiful (seriously, beautiful!) arena set to all sorts of classical music (the majority of which is Mozart which should come as no surprise).  The horses are gorgeous and it’s a real treat to watch them.  I loved this and would recommend to anyone in Vienna.  Unfortunately, so as not to spook the horses, they don’t allow pictures so I’ve got nothing.

After the riding school, we got some traditional Austrian food: brats and a beer (beer added later)!

Then, we split up since Carrie had to work.  I went solo to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Habsburgs which played host to a grand gala during the JFK/Khrushchev summit in 1961.  Let me just say, and this is true of the rest of the city as well, the Habsburgs did nothing small or on the cheap.  Their summer palace is simply gorgeous—it’s a knockoff of Versailles, but it’s a *really good* knock off of Versailles – the tour takes you through 40 rooms on the inside, plus palatial gardens, garden mazes, and a wonderful café set on a hilltop in the back which affords wonderful views.  Anyway, here is the view as you walk through the front gates:

 

 

No pictures inside (what’s the deal?), but here is the view of the Privy Gardens on the side of the house.

 

And here’s the view from the rear of the palace looking up toward Gloriette, the hilltop structure with the café in it.

 

Walking toward Gloriette, you get sidetracked by some garden mazes….thank God I didn’t die in there!

 

And here is the view of Gloriette and from the top of the structure.

 

 

After Schonbrunn, I met Carrie at the Staatsoper (Opera House) – on certain performances, the opera house will simulcast the performance outside where people can watch for free.  A great way to share in the famous Vienna opera scene without shelling out any cash!

 

Day 2 began with a journey to the center of the old town, Stephensplatz, to check out St Stephen’s cathedral, which was oddly adorned with psychedelic colors on the inside…

 

Then we walked up the 343 steps of the south tower to get some great views of the city:

 

After the church, we went back to the Hofburg to check out the Schatzkammer, home to the Habsurg crown jewels:

 

Then we went to the MuseumsQuartier to go to the Kunsthistorisches, which our guidebook said was on par with the Louvre.  Perhaps that’s a bit of hyperbole, but there are some nice works in there from the likes of Peter Paul Rubens and Vermeer.  The inside of the place is also quite beautiful:

 

The outside of the Kunsthistorisches is not that great looking, especially when compared to the Natural History Museum which sits opposite:

 

Day 3 was reserved for a trip to the Belvedere, a set of two former mansions (Upper and Lower) that now act as art museums.  The Upper Belvedere is where all the action is at, meaning there is a wonderful collection of Klimt, including The Kiss and Judith (which I don’t really like).  The grounds themselves are gorgeous as well:

 

 

Inside, we used some statues for photo inspiration:

 

After the Belvedere, we rented bikes from the Vienna city bike system to ride around for a couple hours.  Highlights of the tour include the Volksgarten, a simply beautiful public garden across the street from the Parliament building:

 

And Camp Sweden, which is where apparently all of Sweden took over on the banks of the Danube in anticipation of the Austria-Sweden World Cup qualifying match to be held that night in Vienna.  Austria ended up winning in what was a surprisingly entertaining soccer match.

 

After our long day, and days, of sightseeing in Vienna we sat down at dinner and each got big frothy beers.  “I think you have something on your lip, honey…”

 

 

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