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Published: August 14th 2009
10 August 2009
We have continued to bring the good weather with us even to Vienna, another 28 to 29 degree day, calm and dry. We have met up with another Insight Tour group with some Aussies and they have been dragging the rain around with them.
Vienna, Wien to the locals, is the home of classical music, the Vienna Waltz, Strauss, and at various times Mozart and Bach, the Vienna Boy’s Choir, the setting for the story of the von Trapps and the Sound of Music (admittedly that was in Salzburg) and the Vienna Schnitzel.
The organised tour of the day included a visit to Schönbrunn Palace which has played a part in the Austrian Empire since the 14th Century. This is a grand palace, developed largely by Maria Theresa during the golden age of the Habsburg Empire in the mid to late 18th century. The palace has over 1100 rooms, 185 hectares of grounds, its own zoo, a hedge maze, a grand triumph arch and beautifully arranged flower gardens. This is even more impressive than Versailles in France, perhaps because it was maintained as a functioning palace right up until the end of World War 1
and hasn’t suffered the looting of a disgruntled uprising like the French Revolution. This palace is also more sophisticated with the use of internal heating, in the early days by ornate ovens in rooms that were stoked from internal service corridors and later with central heating with the vents for warm air cleverly incorporated into sculptures in the rooms.
We took a tour around the old part of the city seeing the various theatre and opera houses, fantastic art nouveau architecture, the coffee houses and Stephen’s with its curiously coloured roof.
Vienna is a very stylish and ‘civilised’ place, the people are incredibly well organised and efficient (to the point of appearing abrupt to us laid back Aussies) and always well dress, even the crows wear waist coats.
The Vienna coffee is strong, almost bitter and always served with a ‘shot’ of water to be enjoyed afterwards. The coffee style here is thanks to some close encounters with the Turks as the Ottoman Empire tried to conquer the Austrian Empire. Coffee is so different from place to place and you could easily write a blog on this topic alone [note to self, subject for next book ‘The
Dressing up in Vienna
Even the crows wear vestshitch hiker’s guide to coffee’].
Many of you will be aware of the need to avoid gluten in Tess’ diet. When travelling on our own this has been quite manageable and we have enjoyed fantastic food. The Insight Tour guide, Daphne has been fantastic at managing this at our various destinations but we can’t help but notice the trend when we eat with the large group at places with largely set menus that Tess has had a lot of steamed/boiled meat and rice which has become a little bit much. Today we had the opportunity to eat on our own again and found a fantastic Viennese restaurant Plachutta on Wollzeille Street, which served the BEST fillet steak and vegetables and a serve of beef goulash for Al.
Our late lunch was perfect ahead of an evening of even more culture with a visit to a ‘salon orchestra’ for a concert at the Vienna Kursalon featuring Strauss, Mozart, Bach and others. The ‘salon’ is a large, ornate 18th century theatre that would easily house a full 25m swimming pool complex, but with chandeliers.
The music from the 15 member orchestra was phenomenal and it was accompanied by dancers
for some of the waltzes, some ballet by a duet and opera singing (Figaro of course).
We have discovered our next ‘Fawlty Towers’ at the unlikely location of Hilton Vienna on the Park. Four of the group didn’t have rooms when we arrived. Towels for us took two days of waiting and an increasing amount of jumping up and down - all we had was a countless number of hand towels and bath robes.
11 August 2009
Travelling south has taken us into the Austrian Alps, a very different type of country side with high mountain passes, some snow in the distance and beautiful blue glacial lakes. Driving further south into Italy takes us through the Dolomites, steep exposed mountain passes with white cliffs of limestone and dolomite. The water running off the mountains takes on a creamy blue hue thanks to the dissolved limestone, and based on the civil works a lot of water runs off after the winter snow.
Passing over the border from Austria to Italy the farm houses change from the steeply roofed chalets seen on post cards to the more Mediterranean style with square layouts and flatter roof tops, a bit
like north Queensland or Kedron really.
Finally we’ve reach water after about eight hours of driving and have boarded our ferry for the Island of Lido on the edge of the Venician lagoon. The afternoon is hot and motoring past St Mark’s square there are thousands of tourists putting up with the heat to see all the sights.
Our evening has been taken up with a water taxi ride through the Grand Canal past all the hotels, mansions and tiny canals branching off into the city, right up to the Rialto Bridge. Equally as spectacular as being in the city is the summer sunset in the midst of the bell towers and church spires.
After a walk through the tiny alleys lined with a mixture of designer labels and trinket shops we’ve ended at St Mark’s Square seated at one of the coffee shops for an evening of wine, gelatti and music.
Tomorrow will be another day of exploration in Venice.
Ciao baby
Al and Tess
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Gretlyn
non-member comment
Hi Tess and Al, Catherine, Annie and I are very jealous of you. The photos and stories are fabulous and really make us feel part of the tour. Missing you heaps. Love Gretlyn