Vienna, Austria

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

So, it’s been two nights since I made a blog post, and this is for two reasons.  First, Wednesday, was mostly a travel day from Venice to Vienna.  Not too much happened, although the countryside in Austria is really beautiful and I did take a few pictures along the way.  Second, my stomach was not feeling too good an I went to bed at about 6:30 PM.  So, I decided not to post until today.

It was a long trip in the bus again (I thought we were done with those, but I guess not), as we made our way from Venice, Italy to Vienna, Austria (not to be confused with Australia *smirk*).  A number of places along the way it reminded me of areas of British Columbia (like Dead Man’s Flats).  The Alps mountains remind me of the Rockies.  They are majestically tall and there are waterfalls (none of which I was ready to capture with the camera) in numerous locations.

We stopped at an Austrian place for lunch and I made sure to order the Weinersnitchel and Sauerkraut.  My mother-in-law would be very happy!  It was pretty good and even Laureen tried it and seemed to like it (she usually doesn’t like sauerkraut).

Lunch in Austria - Alf wearing a kings crown (don't ask...)

Weinersnitchel and Sauerkraut

Back on the coach we made our way to Vienna.  It was about an hour outside of Vienna that I knew I needed to make a stop – so I walked to the front and checked with the tour director.  She said that it was no problem, and they stopped at the next service area.  I wasn’t the only one that got off to use the facilities – but I was probably the most determined.

Back on the coach we made our way to the Hilton, waterfront (on the Danube river).  We grabbed our stuff and made our way to our room.  Once Our bags arrived, I decided that I was just going to turn in for the night (as we had not booked the excursion for that evening).  Laureen went downstairs and had something at the hotel for dinner (I think – because I was sleeping).

The next morning, we needed to be having breakfast 6:45 AM and out to the coach at 7:40 AM for the Schönbrunn Palace.  The Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna, Austria. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in the country. Since the mid-1950s it has been a major tourist attraction. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs.  We were not allowed to take photos of the inside of the Palace, but I did take a number of pictures of the exterior and gardens. The official web site for the Palace can be found here should you be interested to learn a little more about it: http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en.html

Front gate of the Schönbrunn Palace

Side garden at the Schönbrunn Palace

Rear garden

Statues at the back of the garden

Laureen at the back of the Palace

We walked for quite a while and the guide pointed out a number of different items around the city.  There are so many gorgeous buildings here, it’s hard to take pictures of the them all.  We just don’t spend the kind of time that they used to back 500 years ago when some of these were built.

Even the McDonalds are fancy here!

Couldn't resist the photo.  Maybe Zachary needs to be a diamond guy?

Just look at the amazing buildings

The main drag where all the shops are

Another look down the main shopping street in Vienna

The Spanish Riding School is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses

After we had some free time, Laureen and I went out on our own and walked down some of the main streets.  I found every brand of watch that I’ve dreamed of owning along here.

Laureen wanted to get her nails touched up, so we found a place called “Nails2Go”, where she stopped in for about an hour and a quarter.  I used the time to go explore a little on my own.  I wandered in the St. Peters Church and took a few pictures of the very ornate decorations in there.  After that I went and sat down in the main shopping area and just watched some of the people go by.  The pace of life is a lot slower here.  Peter and Pat wandered up and we chatted for a while before they continued on their way.

St. Peters in Vienna (a little smaller than the one in Vatican City)

The inside of St. Peters

"Somebody" getting their nails done

I went back and got Laureen and we strolled down the shopping area, looking at a few things.  She was magnetically drawn to the Swarovski crystal store, which comes from Austria.  They have some pretty expensive stuff in there – including a crystal dragon that costs $17,500.00 Euro

Swarovski crystals leaving the store...

After a while we stopped for a snack at the Sacher Hotel for its world famous chocolate torte (and a couple of cokes as well).  It was pretty good.  I think I enjoyed just sitting down, resting my feet and watching the people go by.

Chocolate Torte at the Sacher Hotel (see one on the table behind us) 

We made one more stop to grab a couple of things including a few “Mozartkugeln”.  I’ll just leave the translation to those who are brave enough to look it up!

Believe it or not, these are called "Mozart Balls" (I wouldn't make that up)

A taxi ride through the Vienna traffic brought us back to the hotel where we’ll meet a few of the other couples who did not go on the optional evening excursion for a classical Vienna concert.

Tomorrow we are off to Salzburg, Austria where the Sound of Music was filmed, the Eagles Nest (which was a hideaway for Hitler), ending up in Munich, Germany.

Curt & Laureen in Vienna, Austria