Sightseeing in Vienna

Coffee in Cafe
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October 26 –

Vienna Up at 4am this morning to fly Air Berlin to Vienna.  Had some very good crossants in the airport.  When we landed decided to take the CAT (City Air Train) to City Ctr.  16 minute ride to get there and 18 Euro for the two of us.  Surprised at how few people there were on the streets.  The conductor told us how to get from the train to our hotel.  Involved an underground and a tram.  Maybe we should have taken a cab (was going to be 33 Euro)  Got the underground for 3 euro and took it for two stops.  When we exited the underground our street was supposed to be right there but we came up in a park and didn’t see street signs anywhere.  Walked around looking for street signs at the intersection but still didn’t see any.  Eventually asked a tram driver and she said she would take us there – no charge.  Went up to the opera house where she told us to ask at the hotel.  Got map and directions and started walking.  After a few minutes we were back at the park where we started.  LOL  Turns out we were on the right street at the very beginning. Walked a little further and started to see street signs.  10 minutes more and we were at the hotel.

Opera, Rain, Cafes and History

Tea in Cafe
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Went out and walked to old town which is about half a mile away.  The whole area beyond the opera house is pedestrians only.  The buildings and streets are absolutely beautiful the only draw back is the amount of neon signs and shopping stores.  Had a nice hot chocolate in a café.  Went into St Stevens Cathederal = which is amazing = but after about half an hour got kicked out as they were closing.  When we came out it was raining – and cold – so we walked back.  Slept for the rest of the afternoon and eventually made our way out at around 10pm.  Walked around and got some food and hot chocolate.  Turns out it was a national holiday so there were very few people on the streets.

Turkish Coffee in Cafe
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October 27 –

Vienna Up around 7 this morning.  Had a good breakfast downstairs with plenty of croissants and made our sandwiches for the day. Got some asperin and moisterizer – the room was extremely warm and we were both feeling run down despite having slept for a fair bit of time.

Once we were all fixed up we headed to the opera house to see if we could get tickets for the evening opera.  The opera house’s ticket booth didn’t have any but the man there told us about an agency that had some tickets.  It was only a couple of minutes away in the basement of the underground station.  We had a couple of options $45 tickets (each) in the balcony or a box seat for $120 each.  We took the box seats figuring it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Then it was off to the Hasburg palace section which is only a couple of blocks from the opera house.  Everything here is easy walking distance.  As our receptionist reminds us every time we ask her a question – we are only 900 meters (1/2 mile) from the Opera house.

Diner at Sacher Hotel
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The palace has 2600 rooms and we were overwhelmed by the size of the buildings.  We didn’t go in any of the palaces but just walking around the outside of them was incredible.  We saw the national history museum and the national library.

Took a couple of breaks to stop at some cafes along the way.  Each café has its own unique character and is populated with the locals who seem content to hang out for the day chatting, drinking coffee and smoking.  People smoke a fair bit here and smoking is still permitted in restaurants, cafes and clubs.

Inside Vienna Opera House
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Later, as we were walking around, we came upon the Spanish riding school.  The agent who we had bought the opera tickets from told us that there were no shows today but when we walked by they were selling standing room only tickets for a show that started at 2pm (we got there at 1pm).  For $20 each we thought it would be worthwhile.  After shuffling around to get the best standing position view we got to see what turned out to be a training demonstration.  They showed 4 horses at different stages of their training.  The riders were also at different stages.  A young rider is matched with a young stallion so that they get to know each other as they train.  Appparently one of the first things they teach the rider and horse is to work together so that the rider can stay balanced on the horse without needing to use the reins for balance.  A young guy was riding a horse without using any hands for the entire demonstration.  Arms dangling at his side even when the horse broke into what looked to be out of control gallops.  They showed how they taught the horses to stand on their hind legs and how they could control the horse with the long rein while walking behind them.

In our Box at Vienna Opera House
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After that we made our way back to the hotel for a little nap.  At 6 we woke up – pressed our good clothes and made our way to the opera.  We had dinner at the Hotel Sacher.  It is across the street from the Opera house and apparently world famous for their choclate tort – a chocolate cake with jam in it.  For dinner we both had the Wiener Shnitzle and some bottled water.  Very good quick service.

We walked across the street to the opera house and found our box seat.  We were seated on the 3rd floor to the left of the stage if you were to be looking out from the stage. The orchestra pit was in front and a stage for the the opera singers behind that – it is a large multi story circular room.   Very pretty building.  We saw Electra - the story of a woman whose father is murdered by her mother and her lover.  Electra is an outcast and obviously upset by how things have come to pass.  Her brother who she had thought was dead eventually comes back to avenge the father and take control of the household.  I only know this because there are little translating screens in front of each person so that they can use them if they choose..  The show was an hour and 45 minutes long and after all the walking during the day we were hard pressed to make it through the whole show but we did.

Orchestra Pit at Vienna Opera House
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After the show we went to the Hotel Sacher for a drink and desert – you guessed it - a sacher tort ☺   Walked home and learned that we would be gaining an extra hour here due to the time change.

October 28,

2007 Flying out in the evening so had almost another full day of exploring in Vieanna.  There are tours you can do around Vienna but there is so much to see in the old town that we decided to continue to explore the area on foot.

-    raining -    St Stevens tower -    St Steven’s catacombs -    Mozarts house -    Small cars -    Cafes -