(Vienna)
The Schönbrunn palace
Wed. May 30: We awakened to rain, wind and 10°C
temperature (about 50°F). Our plan had been to cycle to the ancient city of Tulln from where
we would take the S-bahn in to Vienna. However at breakfast, as we watched the
rain pelting down outside, we developed a keen
interest in the train schedule from the Traismauer bahnhof, just a couple
of blocks from our hotel. We learned that there was a direct train to Vienna's
Franz Josef bahnhof every hour so we loaded up and got to the station in
time from the 9 AM train. The women spent the time on the train excitedly
examining maps and brochures and books about Vienna. My lack of enthusiasm
characterized my dislike of large cities. By the time we reached Vienna the rain
had stopped but the wind had strengthened and it was bitterly cold. Moe led us
across the city, passing by many impressive buildings that we barely saw, heads
down, sometimes riding, sometimes walking. After a couple of wrong turns we
finally got to our hotel. Heather, Carol, Moe, Barb, Sue and Brian headed off to
see the Schönbrunn palace and grounds. I headed down to the West Bahnhof, hoping
to get some info about our train to Prague on Friday. No luck. There was no
information kiosk nor any railway personnel around. I retraced my steps down the
busy Mariahilfer Strasse. This is my vacation nightmare - plunked down in a
large unfamiliar city where I don't speak the language, where the streets are
clogged with cars and buses and trams, where the sidewalks are teeming with busy
people, tourists, beggars, idle young, dog droppings, etc. And here I am for several days! As
Brian says, "ordeal" vs "adventure" depends on attitude.
This was an ordeal. Our "tourists" returned from the palace less
impressed than I expected. We picked up beer and wine, some ham and cheese and
baguettes and other treats and enjoyed an informal in-house supper. Barb and Moe
and Carol and I played a few hands of bridge, went out for a coffee and returned
to study the maps and plan the next day's activity. At least the weather was
scheduled to improve.
Mozart in the park
Thu. May 31: I was unable to say "No" to Carol
when she asked me to join her for her tour of the Ring Strasse in the
heart of old Vienna. She so wanted me to go. So we headed out wth Moe and Barb,
stopping first at Peter and Heather's hotel where we learned that our Senators
had lost again in California, 1-0. We began our walking tour in front of the statue of
Mozart where a teacher stood with a group of young school children talking to
them about the genius before them. We passed the statue of the stern looking
Goethe en route to the Opera where the ladies would be attending a performance
on Sunday evening. Continuing up the street past the Sacher Hotel, home of the
famous sacher torte, we came to St. Stephen's cathedral. This immense Gothic
church is in serious need of some sand blasting inside and out. It's really
black. Outside the cathedral a young man in wig and 18th c clothing made a pitch
to us about a symphony concert in a nearby concert hall that evening. Because
the tickets were 52 euros each his pitch, though tempting, fell on deaf ears. I
much preferred the smaller St. Peter's church to the towering St. Stephen's.
There were attractive sculptures, walls adorned with paintings and a beautiful
fresco on the high baroque dome. Originally a Roman church, it was replaced by
one in Romanesque style and then finally by the current baroque beauty. They
proudly claim that mass has been celebrated on this site for 1600 years. We
continued on, passing many massive 18th and 19th c buildings adorned with
statues. Carol wanted to see the Votive church, obvious from afar with its two
tall Gothic steeples. We three companions, unfortunately, were distracted by a
nearby café and headed there instead. Carol persisted but joined us shortly
having been unimpressed with the church's interior. At that point Moe and I took
our leave of the ladies. We needed to get some clear info about our train trip
to Prague the next morning so we headed off to the Franz Josef Bahnhof. As we
walked through the university campus our route was partially blocked by a fenced
off construction site - or so we thought. As we got closer we realised that it
was a permanently fenced off area around the American embassy, allowing no
unauthorized person to get nearer than about 40 metres (much like the US
embassy at home in Ottawa). I guess the USA plants
such a large footprint on the world it makes some others want to step on its
toes. At the station we talked to a young woman in a travel agency. She outlined
the when, where and how much for our Prague excursion and also gave us some info
about our Tuesday AM trip to the airport with our bikes. Useful stop! Because
six of us were going to Prague we would get a group rate, saving us about 24
euros each for the round trip. We headed back, past the beautiful spired rathaus,
the massive parliament building and the three big museums. (There were many
Viennese police at the parliament building. We learned later that Condoleeza Rice was visiting the Austrian parliament that day.) At dinner that
evening Heather informed us that Sunday evening's performance at the Opera of
Verdi's "Don Carlos" would be five hours long! Peter, a less
than enthusiastic participant in this event, commented that the tickets only
cost $8 an hour! He offered to sell his to Moe or me but got no takers. A long
day. I've seen enough of Vienna.