Blogs from Vienna, Austria, Europe - page 20

Arriving at Prague's main railway station to catch the train to Vienna was an opportunity to do some serious people watching and, since it was peak hour with people coming and going from every which way, there was much to observe. Once our train pulled into the platform it was a bun-rush to get on board although, as we had reserved seats, there really was no need to be quite so eager. But there's something about the excitement of train travel which encourages such behaviour. Settled into our seats we had four hours to enjoy rolling through the countryside - which was quite flat -before we finally reached Vienna. Once at the Kaiserhof Hotel there was no time to waste as we headed off to see some of what Vienna had to offer. I was last ... read more

We left around noon and had a very nice train ride (Business class), Service was very good, beer was cold (unlike other trains) and we could not understand a word! jajaja... read more

We went to the Saturday market down near the ringstrasse. There was everything from fresh produce, fresh fish, meat, Turkish food, Italian food, Viennese food, candy, pastries, beer, wine, olive oil, clothes, toys, etc. It went on for several blocks. We picked up a couple of things, but mostly it was fun watching everyone. We bought some scarves and then our friend bought a jacket. Mom was pretty good at haggling the price down and Helen (friend from the cruise) and I were pretty impressed. We then made our way to the Opera house via bus this time since we were visiting places quite far from one and other. The Opera house interior was gorgeous! Very baroque. Once we were finished with that tour we hopped on the bus to see the Hundertwasser apartments. The artist, ... read more

Visiting Vienna is an immersion into elegance, refinement and the classical, especially if you enjoy their great music. Many of you who have visited will understand. We left our apartment and descended down the long escalator to the metro U1 that would take us to the centre of the city. Modern, clean and fast, we sped along, anxious to get our first glimpse of the heart of this legendary classical capital. After two flights of escalators we emerged and there, standing before us and the first structure we noticed - the imposing steeple of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Wow! What a welcome! It was simply spectacular! And that was just the outside. Upon entering, we were greeted by what I would consider to be one of the most fabulously designed churches we have ever seen. And we ... read more

Today in Vienna, we toured around the Ringstrasse. The Ringstrasse is a ring around the city that used to be the fortification wall but was ordered to be torn down by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1857. The walls were no longer needed and were impeding the growth of the city. The boulevard is 2.5 miles long and circles around Vienna's old town called Innere Stadt. We walked by the Imperial Palace where the Habsburg family resided and where the Spanish riding school and Lipizzaner horses reside. There was so much to see, it's hard to remember it all. We had dinner on the ship and the crew did a Going Away Show for us. I think their talent is in running the ship and not performing but it was fun. Sadly, it was the last day ... read more