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Blogs from Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Europe
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May 1st 2013
I have learned more about Austrian history on this trip than any history class I have ever taken. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire was huge and predated many other more famous monarchs. The Habsburgs married their way in to just about every royal family in Europe and beyond. It wasn’t just Marie Antoinette that was married off to forge peace but it appears that just about all of the Habsburgs women were used (literally) for the purpose. Empress Elizabeth, while not a Habsburg by birth was married to Franz Joseph and clearly hated it. She did fulfill her duty (the royal duty that is) and provide many heirs to the throng, but she certainly did not like her life. In fact she is quoted as saying “you are sold in to marriage at the age of 15 take ... read more
April 30th 2013
Even the best itineraries don’t always go as expected. Today was to be a full day of the Hofburg Palace. This was the winter residence of the Hofburg Dynasty for over 600 years. The palace today houses everything from the royal apartments to the Spanish Riding School (you know those fancy white horses that stand on their two hind legs). We had intended on doing 6 different things today, but things change. The Ugly Truth of Travel Now for some of you this might be going too far in travel advice or should I say travel commentary, so I will be as gentle as possible. The simple truth is that travel is not always smooth and there are some things that can just put a strain on your trip. Ok, I will just say it, sometimes ... read more
April 29th 2013
Travel to Vienna We were up at 5:30 and at the train station by 7. It was an easy 10 minute walk from the hotel to the train station and we arrived in plenty of time before the train departed. Enough time to start my earlier blog today. We were again in 1st class, and I want to say a bit about that. Yes, first class train tickets cost a few more Euros and the vast majority of European’s and travelers travel in second class. Perhaps you think us snobs for choosing to travel in 1st class, but we really aren’t. Yes, we might be missing out on the travelers bond of second class and meeting other travelers, but how much do I really have in common with the 20 something backpacker? Probably not too much. ... read more
April 2nd 2013
Tuesday, our last day in Vienna, was kind of a wash. We visited the Czech Consulate to see about Ava’s visa and bought train tickets for the ride home. Mom decided she wanted to take the train instead of the bus, and I didn’t argue because I love trains. When we finished handling these business items, it was late afternoon. Mom and Ava wanted to rest, but I was dead set against it. It was our last night in Vienna and I was going to force all three of us to have some fun! We caught the subway to Hero’s Square and did some window-shopping. We bought some post cards and various items and had a leisurely stroll around this beautiful area. I also was successful in getting us hopelessly lost. We were really hungry and ... read more
April 1st 2013
“I live in those apartments right there. My phone is in my apartment. I will get it. Please wait here.” The woman used hand gestures to show us not to move from the spot where we stood on the corner. We had gotten off the Student Agency bus in Vienna and walked around for about thirty minutes trying to find our hotel. We knew we were at the right station because we bought tickets for the subway, went into the subway, and realized we were already at the correct subway station. But where was the hotel? We had asked a woman walking past. She stopped and examined mom’s hieroglyphics. “Do you have a number?” She had asked. Mom explained that we do have the number, but that she was hesitant to use our American phone while ... read more
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March 17th 2013
Last Sunday we arrived at the first of the many Wwwoofing places we will be staying at on our way back to N.Z. Our first hosts, Brigitte and Kurt, have been really lovely and we felt at home straight away. Technically we are still in Vienna but are situated in a beautiful forested valley, where we even get the occasional deer or colorful bird outside our bedroom window to wake us up before we start our chores. Unfortunately there hasn´t been much to do. Unlike New Zealand where the summer doesn't want to end the European winter has been very selfish, teasing us with a warm 17 degrees one day and then dropping back to -3, with snow, the next day. On the two days without snow we managed to get in the garden to chop ... read more
March 10th 2013
Arriving in Vienna was a bit confusing, we expected to see beautiful old palaces but instead felt as though we had arrived in Dubai with lots of very modern, large office buildings surrounding us. We were to be staying for the first three days, couchsurfing, in "Donau City" right next to the Vienna conference center and the United Nations. We met our first Couchsurfing host, Hartwig, Who is a very friendly Austrian that practices Buddhism and he was going to be flying to India that Saturday for Buddhism training. So far we have visited Stephansdom, Hofburg and numerous beautiful gardens. Yesterday we visted the Hundertwasser House which look... read more
February 4th 2013
Yesterday was such a leisurely morning, I really loved it and it was much needed. The main goal of the day was to go to Falco's gravesite, and I wasn't too concerned about anything else for the day. I figured out how I was to travel there - I had to take the tram, which would be a first for me in this country. Peter told me I would have to transfer trams, but as it turned out, I hit upon the 71 tram which would take me directly to the Zentralfriedhof. About 15 minutes into the trip, I realized I drank way too much coffee that morning. I knew it would be a bit of a long day in the cemetery, so I figured I should take care of things before arriving. I got off ... read more
February 3rd 2013
After a great deal of traveling for work in San Francisco and Malta, and more airport layovers than I'd like to remember, I finally have reached the "urlaub" (vacation) portion of my travels: Vienna. I've wanted to visit the city for many years, partially for my love of the city's most successful pop star, Falco, partially because speaking German is ganz spaβ (very fun) for me, and my general love of seeing new places, new cultures and having new experiences. After arriving at the airport, I wanted to make sure to get to the hotel as soon as possible, as I had a concert at Musikverein to attend early that evening. I took the CAT, which advertises that it can take you from the airport to the city center in 16 minutes. It was quite comfortable, ... read more
January 13th 2013
It means nothing to me.... ooooooohhh.... Vienna.Well it does mean something to me, and thus making any further reference to Midge Ure and Ultravox songs of the early 1980s would be inappropriate, not to mentuion rather embarassing. Vienna meant much to me, quite a few yers before I got anywhere near it. When I was a nipper in the mid 1970s (Slade, Sweet, Bay City Rollers, Domnny Osmond, Elton John), my family had Wolfgang and Ursula exchange student-ing themselves on us. Those two Austrians were fabulous ambassadors. They showed us postcards of Graz, Salzburg and Vienna. Wolfgang gave me a little purse that looked like a pair of leather shorts. Leiderhosen... with a zipper on the front saying something like "don't be so nosey". Ursula taught me how to say gummistiefels even if she gave up ... read more
