Blogs from Vienna, Austria, Europe - page 11

From the time I first saw the Sound of Music, Austria has been a place I wanted to visit. I expect to hear the von Trapp family singing from the trees and lakes outside of Vienna. But what do we really know about Austria, other than perhaps, Germany's little sister? The Soviet collapse in 1991, and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1999 were landmark events. They are not members of NATO. Distancing themselves from Germany has been positive for this country. As a rule, it is difficult to categorize Austrians, as they do not stand out for any particular reason. They are moderate in their outlook and behavior. They are soft-spoken, well-mannered, family-oriented, and socially conservative. They do NOT like to be called German!!! As the 114th largest country in the world, their land ... read more

And now a few words about our shipboard experience: I realized this was our first River cruise on a longboat (or any boat for that matter) BUT Wow!!! The ship and crew were amazing as was the ship and accommodations. The room though small was perfect. The bathroom had heated floors and absolutely everything in the room was soft close. You couldn't slam the toilet seat down if you wanted to, or the doors or drawers. The ship was clean, clea, clean from top to bottom. The room steward freshened our room almost everytime we left it. The tours were run with the precision of a German cuckoo clock. On the evening before a tour everyone would meet at the bar and the Activities Director Lee would go over the plan for the next day. The ... read more

Although I had incorrectly booked our Sept. 7 train tickets from Hallstatt, it was no problem boarding at Bad Goisern, two stops later. Our reserved first class seats were a little more comfortable and we could order food from our seat or sit in the dining car next to us. As we had to change trains around noon in Puchheim, we decided to have lunch on the next train. It was a quick and easy change (we only had about 10 minutes) and we were quickly settled in, on our last leg to Vienna. The only awkward thing about the trains in Austria is a lack of luggage storage. All the trains in France have large luggage storage areas as you enter, but most of the trains in Austria have nothing at all, creating very crowded ... read more

Salutations! I hope all of you back in the heimat (homeland) are weathering the stormy weather. Today I am writing this entry from my hotel room in Budapest. Budapest is the last stop on the two week manic holiday with one of my friends. This will be the last time I have the luxury of using a tablet and wireless keyboard, so will be regressing back to the stone ages soon and writing my blogs on stone and an inscriber of sorts, otherwise known as pen and paper haha. So expect a potential drought of blogs until I return to London for a few days before heading to Thailand. I'll try enter them when I can. So Vienna, you have seduced me with your wily charms and beauty. My friend warned me that Vienna would likely ... read more

So it has been exactly one week since we started our tour. I have been to England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Austria. So far it has been a great trip. The different cities we stopped and have been wonderful, the food has been great, the atmosphere has been perfect. So today after a wonderful breakfast that would've cost me €38 on my own at the Hilton Vienna, we headed to the Schonbrunn Palace. Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna, Austria. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in the country. Since the mid-1950s it has been a major tourist attraction. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations ... read more