Goodnight Vienna

---

Firstly..........sorry about the Ringo reference in the title, but I was getting desperate.

Anyway........my Vienna experience:

I ended my stay here with a movie. Yes……..I know I shouldn’t have been indoors (especially given the lovely weather), but I think the movie added to my experience, and I’d recommend it to anyone visiting this city. The movie was ‘The Third Man’. It was made in post WWII Vienna. It’s a 1949 black and white classic, and the backdrop to the drama that unfolds is a city that is not only divided in four (overseen by the French, Russian, British and United States armies), but also damaged heavily from the bombing that took place.

In contrast…..the city today is in pristine condition. Obviously a lot of effort has been put into restoring buildings to their former glory, and the result is truly impressive. Sure, there’s some tacky 50’s architecture scattered around, but between where I was staying (the 4th District…….less than half an hours walk to the city centre) and the old city centre itself, there were simply stunning buildings to be seen everywhere.

I loved it. Such a great atmosphere

It’s a not a huge city. Again….I think the compact nature makes it easier for tourists to appreciate (as if that’s why it’s the way it is), but there was plenty to do. So while I initially had thoughts of doing a day-trip outside the city, that didn’t eventuate.

I’m sure it would be very different in Winter, but at the moment the place is over-run with tourists, and the city is alive into the night. As such, I ventured in one night to listen to a bit of Mozart in a free open-air cinema experience outside the Rathaus. It was certainly something special.

Other highlights included the Schloss Schonbrunn and the Liechtenstein Museum (I know I was going to avoid castles…..but I think these are more accurately described as palaces - big difference).

The city fun park was also recommended to me as a place to visit, but I wouldn’t make that recommendation to anyone else. Overall it wasn’t very impressive, but it did contain the Wiener Riesenrad (a large Ferris Wheel built in 1897) that also features in ‘The Third Man’.

I’ve probably eaten a little too much of the Wiener Schnitzel……so hope that Budapest has a few healthy local dishes (not likely).

So on my enjoyment scale from 1 to 10, where a 1 equates to Adolf, and 10 equates to Strauss, I would rate my experience with an 8.5

---

Photos

The Hofburg
Spanish Riding School section

The Hofburg II
Me outside another section. It used to be a popular meeting place until the time of Adolf.

The Rathaus - by day
Where the open-air films/concerts were held

The Kunsthistor Museum
There is another (natural history museum) that mirrors this one

Schloss Schonbrunn
The palace itself (the Summer House)

Schloss Schonbrunn II
Fountain and Gloriette within the grounds

Residential Building
This sort of thing is everywhere