A Three-Hour Tour…
Our supposed three-hour drive from Salzburg to Vienna turned into a seven-hour ordeal. Austria decided to close down a 10km stretch of the main highway for a construction project without telling anyone. This meant a highway totally full of travelers came to a complete standstill without warning. We spent the next two hours sitting in our car, going nowhere. Eventually, traffic began to creep slowly forward and after another hour or so, we made our way to an exit from which we could take back roads for the next thirty miles, before meeting back up with the main highway.
At this point, we thought it would be smooth sailing. Little did we know our GPS would lose its signal just when we needed it most. We had unwisely become overly reliant on our trusty navigation system and had no backup maps. We made it to Vienna, but had no clue how to find our hotel. We spent about half an hour on the phone with the friendly receptionist at the hotel, trying to explain to her where we were, while she attempted to locate us on Google maps and walk us through the directions. Between her shaky English and our awful pronunciation of the German street names, the endeavor proved unsuccessful. We were lost in the streets of Vienna. At this point, it was around 11:30 at night.
We spent another hour driving around Vienna asking people for directions (note it's midnight at this point so there weren't many folks outside who were qualified to be giving anyone directions, which may have contributed to our plight). We were about to give up and sleep in the car when we heard a familiar British accent say At the roundabout take the second exit. Hooray! Our navigation system miraculously started working agin and we found the place in about 2 minutes. To our credit, this hotel was quite well-hidden, buried in a construction zone.
We stayed at the Zeitgeist Hotel. Chris chose this hotel and I have a feeling it had something to do with the picture on the hotel's homepage:
Our supposed three-hour drive from Salzburg to Vienna turned into a seven-hour ordeal. Austria decided to close down a 10km stretch of the main highway for a construction project without telling anyone. This meant a highway totally full of travelers came to a complete standstill without warning. We spent the next two hours sitting in our car, going nowhere. Eventually, traffic began to creep slowly forward and after another hour or so, we made our way to an exit from which we could take back roads for the next thirty miles, before meeting back up with the main highway.
At this point, we thought it would be smooth sailing. Little did we know our GPS would lose its signal just when we needed it most. We had unwisely become overly reliant on our trusty navigation system and had no backup maps. We made it to Vienna, but had no clue how to find our hotel. We spent about half an hour on the phone with the friendly receptionist at the hotel, trying to explain to her where we were, while she attempted to locate us on Google maps and walk us through the directions. Between her shaky English and our awful pronunciation of the German street names, the endeavor proved unsuccessful. We were lost in the streets of Vienna. At this point, it was around 11:30 at night.
We spent another hour driving around Vienna asking people for directions (note it's midnight at this point so there weren't many folks outside who were qualified to be giving anyone directions, which may have contributed to our plight). We were about to give up and sleep in the car when we heard a familiar British accent say At the roundabout take the second exit. Hooray! Our navigation system miraculously started working agin and we found the place in about 2 minutes. To our credit, this hotel was quite well-hidden, buried in a construction zone.
We stayed at the Zeitgeist Hotel. Chris chose this hotel and I have a feeling it had something to do with the picture on the hotel's homepage:
We did not end up engaging in any pillow fights, as it was too hot (read on)
Zeitgeist opened within the past year and is located near the new central train station, which is currently under construction. The area around the hotel is being redeveloped and looks like it will be really nice 2-3 years from now. The hotel itself was great, although the air conditioning did not work that well which made for some uncomfortable nights as the hot weather streak was still going strong.
Central Vienna
The next day we went on a bit of a self-guided walking tour of the old city. Here are some highlights:
Central Vienna
The next day we went on a bit of a self-guided walking tour of the old city. Here are some highlights:
On the steps of the Albertina museum.
Chris on the terrace above the Albertina museum, looking at the statue of Franz Josef I and the beautiful old buildings in central Vienna.
Outside the Church of the Minorities. I thought these three figures looked like they were playing & dancing to music.
The Plague Column in the central shopping street. It was designed by many of the famous local artists of the time. They worked together to erect this monument celebrating the end of a Black Plague outbreak that had devastated the city.
St. Stephen's Cathedral. It was massive with a very cool mosaic roof.
Hofburg Imperial Palace - This was the seat of the Hapsburg empire for 6 centuries! Today it's the official residence of the Austrian President.
This was above the road that went through the Hofburg Palace. It's said to be the most beautiful covered roadway in the world.
That evening we had dinner back in our neighborhood outside the city center. We went to a brew pub called Columbusbräu. Chris ordered and finished a massive set of spicy ribs, which left him quite content after a long day of sightseeing.
Chris ate every last bite of these ribs.
Biking around Vienna
Our hotel offered us free loaner bikes, so we took advantage on our second day in town and explored some other parts of the city.
Schönbrunn Palace
This massive palace was the Hapsburg summer residence and is located about 4km outside the city center. Here we took a quick tour of the main palace and learned about famous Hapsburgs who have called it home, including their beloved Empress, Maria Theresa . She was the only female Hapsburg ruler, reigning for 40 years! She had 16 children including the ill-fated Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. Their other famous and beloved Emperor, Franz Josef, lived here with his controversial wife, Sisi. Lots of drama took place behind these walls!
Our hotel offered us free loaner bikes, so we took advantage on our second day in town and explored some other parts of the city.
Schönbrunn Palace
This massive palace was the Hapsburg summer residence and is located about 4km outside the city center. Here we took a quick tour of the main palace and learned about famous Hapsburgs who have called it home, including their beloved Empress, Maria Theresa . She was the only female Hapsburg ruler, reigning for 40 years! She had 16 children including the ill-fated Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. Their other famous and beloved Emperor, Franz Josef, lived here with his controversial wife, Sisi. Lots of drama took place behind these walls!
Schönbrunn Palace. We couldn't take pictures inside but we saw the great room where 7 year old Mozart played for Maria Theresa. He was so excited about playing for the Empress that he jumped on her lap, gave her a hug and kissed her neck. Luckily the Empress was quite taken with the young musical genius and rewarded him with a present.
Schönbrunn Palace plaza
Gardens of Schönbrunn Palace
Belvedere Castle and Museum
This castle was built by Prince Eugene of Savoy who turns out to be a very interesting historical character. Eugene was a member of the French royalty who proved a military genius. However, he was small and had several physical deformities, including a hunchback, so was rejected for military service by King Louis XIV. Therefore he moved to Austria where he enjoyed a hugely successful military career commanding the Hapsburg armies. Eugene built the Belvedere as his personal residence, and was also a great patron of the arts.
Today, Eugene is known as one of Austria's great heroes and the Belvedere is now an art museum, notable for its collection of Gustav Klimt's works. Klimt is one of Austria's most famous painters, and is also one of my favorite artists, so I was very excited about the chance to finally see his work in person. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only did the Belvedere have a great Klimt collection, but they also had several pieces from the Impressionism (Monet, Van Gogh, Manet to name a few), Expressionism (lots of Egon Scheile!) and Contemporary periods. If you are ever in Vienna, definitely visit this museum!
This castle was built by Prince Eugene of Savoy who turns out to be a very interesting historical character. Eugene was a member of the French royalty who proved a military genius. However, he was small and had several physical deformities, including a hunchback, so was rejected for military service by King Louis XIV. Therefore he moved to Austria where he enjoyed a hugely successful military career commanding the Hapsburg armies. Eugene built the Belvedere as his personal residence, and was also a great patron of the arts.
Today, Eugene is known as one of Austria's great heroes and the Belvedere is now an art museum, notable for its collection of Gustav Klimt's works. Klimt is one of Austria's most famous painters, and is also one of my favorite artists, so I was very excited about the chance to finally see his work in person. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only did the Belvedere have a great Klimt collection, but they also had several pieces from the Impressionism (Monet, Van Gogh, Manet to name a few), Expressionism (lots of Egon Scheile!) and Contemporary periods. If you are ever in Vienna, definitely visit this museum!
The Belvedere is comprised of two buildings separated by a massive garden. Chris standing by the Upper Belvedere, looking at the Lower Belvedere. The Upper Belvedere was where Eugene entertained his guests and threw parties and the Lower Belvedere is where he actually lived.
Upper Belvedere
One of Klimt's most famous works - The Kiss - which we saw in the Belvedere. In person, the gold is amplified by a dimly lit room and a black background. While no one truly knows it's meaning, many suspect that it's self portrait of the artist. The woman may or may not return his affection. Notice how she i s on her knees with her head turned to the side and arms close to her chest as if resisting the man's kiss. Many believe this painting represents unrequited love. Note: This image s from Wikipedia since we weren't allowed to take photos.
St. Marx Cemetery
This cemetery is one of the most famous in Vienna and many think Mozart was buried here, among other famous Austrians throughout history. We rode by the cemetery on our way home, around dusk, and had the place to ourselves, which was a little spooky!
This cemetery is one of the most famous in Vienna and many think Mozart was buried here, among other famous Austrians throughout history. We rode by the cemetery on our way home, around dusk, and had the place to ourselves, which was a little spooky!
The entrance to St. Marx cemetery. Note the cross and star of David on the entrance.
While nobody knows exactly where Mozart was buried, they suspect it is somewhere in this cemetery. They built this memorial in the center of the cemetery. The angel seems to be a little confused, as if he has misplaced Mozart.
After our three nights in Vienna, we departed the next morning for our next stop - Prague.
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