Blogs from Vienna, Austria, Europe - page 17

It was a very, very long flight from Sydney to Vienna, with delayed flights, turbulent flights, and long stopovers, but we have made it! Neither of us are spectacular flyers. We hate it, really, so of course when they made the announcement at Sydney that our flight to Dubai was delayed by 45 minutes (it ended up being longer) for being stuck in maintenance, that worried us. Turns out (once we ended up asking someone) that it was just a normal service to the plane, but due to planes landing and it needing to be towed across the landing strip, air traffic control had to delay that part. So, after finding out nothing was wrong with our trip, all was good! The flight was 14 hours, and considering we had an 8 hour stopover in Dubai, ... read more

Geo: 48.22, 16.37This is not really something you want to see when you land. Don't worry it wasn't our plane. Off to Paris shortly.... read more

Geo: 48.22, 16.37Awake this morning to hear of the terror attacks in Paris where we were just days ago. Just awful. What the fuck is wrong with these people?Received several messages in regard to us being out of France and safe in Vienna however we are flying out of Paris and had planned to do the champs élysées Christmas markets. Guess not now. Have also just seen that U2 have cancelled tonight's concert out of respect.R.I.P all you innocent people.... read more

Geo: 48.22, 16.37The feeling is gone, only you and I it means nothing to me. Ohhhhhh VIENNA. (Ultravox 1981)We arrive Thursday but decide to just remain in the hotel overlooking the Danube.Friday it's time to hit the road and explore this pristine, and clean air city. The last time I was here was in the early 90's and memories are sketchy. It's Chris's first time and he loves it. The cleanliness, the fresh morning air and of course the beautiful architecture. We catch the U2 Bahn into the old centre at Karlsplatz and after just a short walk we are at the towering saint Stephens cathedral which has some scaffolding but still stunning. It's surrounded by Christmas markets which we later discover are all over the city. We see two horses playing accordions (not weird)We next ... read more

We started socialising this morning and sat at a big round table for breakfast. We are travelling with some very nice people and we are starting to get to know our fellow travellers. Before describing the places we visited, here is a little about the Danube River. The Danube is the largest river in Europe. It flows through 10 countries and is a hub of transport and commerce. The cities emerged from the medieval towns which grew along the banks of the river. These countries make up Central Europe, being the modern states of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovenia. The Jewish history of the region provides important background for this focussed cruise. The Jews came to Central Europe before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. However, the Diaspora ... read more