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St Stephens Church
Simon says I never hold the camera straight On Monday morning we woke up to a lovely sunny morning and ate our breakfast outside. We called into reception and got directions for getting into Vienna. We bought a day ticket which covered us on any transport in Vienna. We caught a bus from just ouside the campsite to the metro station. From there we caught the metro into town getting out at Karls Platz. There was a lovely church there. We admired it from the outside and were told there was a concert by the Vienna Concert orchestra that night.
We then walked to St Stephens Church with an amazing tiled roof and a tall spire. We went inside and took a lift to the top. I'm not keen on heights so felt a bit jittery up there particularly where there were some tiny steps up higher right next to the fence round the outside and I felt I was launching into thin air. But it was worth it for the views. We had a ride on a tram round the Ringstrasse and saw a lot of the famous places like the Hofberg Palace.Then we walked to the Danube and we had our lunch sitting on the side.
Later on we found out this was just the canal and the river was further out. Simon wanted to see the big wheel that features in the Third Man film and a James Bond film. On the way it was so hot I felt I couldn't do another step so we stopped for a drink. Then walked to the wheel. This was a bit disappointing as it was now on the edge of a very big fun fair with bumper car rides and log flume rides etc. One further lap and we made it to the Danube proper and watched the river cruises going up and down.
Then we managed to find a metro ride right back to where we started! Much quicker and easier! We walked back to Karls Kirche and booked some tickets for the evening concert. We quickly found somewhere to eat before returning to the performance. We were so glad we did. The interior of the church was beautiful. It had marble pillars of a creamy colour banded with pink marble. The altar was covered in gold and silver. Above it was a white cloud with god and angels sitting on it. The window at
the top let in natural light which shone like sunrays over the altar and the gold rays in the clouds.
The orchestra started playing, first a solo by a cellist then the full orchestra, followed by a singer then a violin solo. They played all well known pieces and it was just wonderful. Afterwards we walked back across the square to the metro and made our way back to the campsite. It was still very warm after 10 o'clock at night. The car and caravan were still in one piece which was a relief all round.
The next morning we were so tired we decided to stay an extra night and just do nothing. We did a bit of food shopping and topped up with fuel and just generally pottered and enjoyed the sunshine. The site looked much better by now. They'd started tidying up for the season, mowing the grass and clearing things. More people arrived who were just visitors and it all felt much better.
At the end of the afternoon we walked to the post box and discovered very near the campsite an amazing house with a mosaic tiled shrine at the side. when
we investigated it turned out to be a museum of Ernst Fuchs and the house was the architect Oscar Wagner's former summer home. It was open to the public but by now was closed so we decided we go into see it before we left in the morning.
We were in the house as it opened at 10am. Inside it was amazing. They had many works of the artist Ernst Fuchs. His pictures are amazing so alive with lovely bright colours and quirky to say the least. The house was filled with collection of lovely furniture and other pieces by Fuchs. He had lived here for sometime. The shrine in the garden was built by him in 1996.
We then left and drove to Hungary. First we had to drive across Vienna to find the motorway, not much fun jostling with trams which seem to have priority. We stopped on the motorway to buy a vignette for the Hungarian motorway.This is not displayed but recorded electronically against your registration number. We crossed into Hungary with no bother. The end of the motorway from Vienna is very industrial and then you go through a rough patch of road and
the only way you know you are in Hungary is from lots of reminders to get your vignette. I then took over the driving which was pretty straight forward until we left the motorway. We immediately came to a ghastly crossing where we had to cross two lines of traffic going at full speed to turn left. Simon kept saying 'Now' and I kept chickening out. I finally made it and hit the worst surface of road I have ever seen. Not quite the pot hole we hit in Dorset but so rough and very narrow. It was difficult to see where to drive and everyone went so fast. Thank God for sat nav or we would still be out there now. We finally made it to a campsite we had chosen from the ACSI book. Fortunately they had spaces and we were made very welcome by the owner who gave us a drink and welcomed us to Hungary. The site is very sweet, in a ravine not far from Budapest. There are trees all around and just a few places for camping. It is an old tram terminus which has been converted. The facilities are basic but all here.
On the beach
beside the Danube canal Simon cooked a meal as I was now too squiffy to cope. We are now settling down for the night.
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Daph
non-member comment
Love Fuchs house
What a quirky house and some amazing furniture! Well done you negotiating the traffic...I would probably have stopped in a dead panic...resulting in a multi car pile up!!!! Beginning to think I’ve become a real woos!!!! hugs Daphnxx