Vienna Sun9sept07-Tues11sept07

Tues11sept07
My one and only full day in Vienna dawned rainy and cool. Off I went, waterproofed and ready for three back to back tours to fill the day and see as much as possible. In retrospect I’d likely have spent the day on foot exploring the Ringstrasse, perhaps with a ride on the Prater train and Ferris wheel to see the city from the air… next time.

That said, took in a lot despite a fair share of waiting and bus time. I have found that a good tour guide reveals the secrets of the city you might be hard pressed to discover wandering solo… on future excursions to other cities while here, will likely follow a similar path…a day of touring to capture the rhythm of the city and surroundings and get a sense of where to spend more in depth time on a second and/or more days.

Vienna Woods-Mayerling-Abbey of Heiligenkreuz-Subterranean Lake:
The south Vienna Woods were my start point, a small sampling of the 1200 square kilometers of “muse” or inspiration for musicians/composers/artists/aristocracy and the populace as a whole for centuries. This region of the “woods” is dotted with small villages, summer residences for the former monarchy, green space and rolling hills. We passed through the Roman city of Baden, home to thermal springs and castle-like ramparts marking the entrance to the region (?).

On from there through the Helenental valley to the former Mayerling hunting lodge, where the purportedly depressed and misguided 31-year-old Crown Prince Rudolph and his mistress baroness Vetsera died under tragic circumstances in 1889. Officially ruled as a murder/suicide (the prince ostensibly shot the baroness and then himself), all evidence was destroyed, the bedroom where the deaths occurred rebuilt into a memorial chapel, which is what can be seen there today. It is a place at once sobering and fascinating, standing in the midst of history, as it were.

The path through history wound its way to a stop at the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkruz, circa 1133. Though newer sections are more elaborate and colorful, much of the original abbey remains standing and in use today, simple and elegant in design with graceful curving archways, stone floors, and stained glass windows all in muted grays and subdued hues (later additions are in brighter, more modern or “conventional” hues we have come to “expect”) so as not to distract the monks from prayer through the centuries. Beautiful wooden carvings and open fountains grace alcoves within the walkways of the abbey, as well as a hall lined with simple upright tombstones for the personages buried there (the fountains in early years would’ve been the source of drinking and washing, both practical and visually lovely). Peaceful, quiet, serene, and well worth the visit. As an interesting side note, the number of novices in this actively functioning abbey in the region is on the rise.

The final official stop for this tour was the Seegrotte, the largest subterranean lake in Europe, albeit manmade. Originally a gypsum mine (used for fertilizer), the mine tunnels flooded 60 meters below the surface in 1912. Pumped regularly today to preserve opportunities to “go below” (think tourist here [smile]), if left to its own devices the lake would rise to a level of equilibrium well above the current 1-1.2 meters deep. The water is still and stunningly clear, free of critters and the like and totally drinkable. The tunnels it fills form a seemingly endless maze… tourist “trap” or no, it was fascinating to see and take a wee boat trip on.

Next up, a historical city tour and stop at the Schonbrunn Palace:
Though too fast to capture much in pictures, the city tour was a pleasant review of historical buildings in the city center… the State Opera House, Museum of Fine Arts, Natural History Museum and museum quarter, the Hofburg (former Hapsburg winter palace/residence), Parliament, City Hall, and the Burgtheater. The tour was capped by a stop and tour of a portion of the inner rooms of the former summer residence of the Hapsburg family and home of Maria Theresia. Rumored to be her “favorite palace” (contemplate that notion a while [smile]), the residence was a wedding gift from her father. Among the showrooms available for public review is a room with so much gold leaf and decoration that its individual value today is estimated at $20,000,000 euro… amazing! Many of the rooms are both opulent and elegant. The residence is substantial both in and of itself, and in the grounds surrounding it. The 1000s of visitors to the palace allow it to be completely self supporting today.

After a between tour respite walking the city center’s pedestrian area between the opera house and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a final tour of Vienna by night. The landscape and beauty shifted with the transition of day into night, as the now semi-familiar surroundings adopted the mystery construed of manmade light and shadow interplay heightened by the rain still falling lightly into evening. The city lights danced and beckoned from the vantage point high atop the Danube Tower on the opposite side of the river from the city center and surrounding area. The tour ended with wine, laughter and conversation in a wine tavern in Grinzing, accompanied by the energetic machinations of a violinist and his accordion accompanist. They played everything from local tunes to Strauss waltzes, up close and personal. Imagine my delight myself conversing with a delightful couple from Dublin while there. Nice grace note to the evening [smile]


Mon10sept07
An inauspicious start… As trips go, the hydrofoil portion of my excursion to Vienna was, ahem, “foiled” [laughing], cancelled due to high water ”flooding” on the River Danube [sigh… this mode of transportation was my primary reason for choosing Vienna as an “end” destination]. If the schedule were more flexible, would’ve revamped; as it is, dates are too close to cancel reservations in Budapest and Vienna without forfeiting $$$, so took the bus offered and enjoyed the countryside from land versus the water this trip. Note: I found out later that the Danube has flooded regularly in the past, and at one time locks and other regulatory measures were contemplated and employed to reduce flooding of the attendant cities embracing its banks (from as far back as the 1800’s!).

Just prior to and for miles after crossing the border there are dozens of wind generators, powerful and relatively quiet sentinels and a fascinating visual transition between Hungary and Austria beyond the rolling hills they populate. I remember a fair amount of conflict re their presence on and off the coast(s) of Ireland as interruptions to the landscape, etc., but confess I find them graceful and appealing to the senses, and surely more so than oil rigs and the like seen in other areas of the world… especially given their purpose.

Off in the distance, the southern mountains of Austria, silhouettes merely hinting at the height and majesty waiting for those off to explore that region of the country. Next time [smile]

Arriving in early afternoon, I found myself operating from a less than accurate Mapquest-Europe rendition of the path from bus to hotel… and in my not so infinite wisdom, neglected to secure euros before crossing the border, so spent a much longer than intended time walking through parts of Vienna that are decidedly non-tourist oriented [laughing]. Once I found my way to the Prater, a huge park between the Danube and the Ringstrasse or city center, navigating became both simple and pleasurable, and there was enough time to catch a “ hop on-hop off” tour of the city. Those bus tours are relatively inexpensive, and in this case narrated via earphones with 8 language translations to choose from. After “hoofing” it for a fair share of the day, it was relaxing to sit/see/hear!

About Vienna…
… 40-50% of the city is green space (depending on the guide) in the form of parks and boulevards, offering an enticing mix of old and new architecturally as a counterpoint.
… Culturally, certainly a city of music, with concerts offered almost every night, from Beethoven to Strauss to Mozart and more. Strauss waltzes are often the bus tour backdrop when tour guides are not actively engaged in speaking. They, in turn are amazing individuals, seamlessly guiding tours in as many as four languages. Wow!
… It is also a city of art, modern and otherwise, with sculptures and fountains scattered throughout the city.
… The Ringstrasse or center circle of streets is the former outer wall of the city, the demarcation line between things centuries old and the “outer” city where nothing is more than 150 years old. The infamous St. Stephen’s Cathedral marks the geometric center of the city, and houses a bell weighing an incredible 21.5 TONS, the largest in Austria and the second largest swinging bell in Europe and still rung on special occasions during the year.
… 80% of the city was damaged in WWII and 20% totally destroyed; remarkably, restoration of most took a mere 10 years!
… Once a palace, The Hotel Imperial is rated the highest in all of Europe; heads of state and other VIPs stay there, and perhaps you as well, for a mere $4500 euro and higher per night!).
…The Heroes Palace, part of the Hapsburg complex within the boundaries of the Ringstrasse has in excess of 2000 rooms.
… Vienna is comprised of 23 districts beginning with the Ringstrasse as District 1 and increasing in “rank” or number as you move out co-centrically from the city center.

Accommodation trivia… simple, clean and functional dormer type room with a very practical shower enclosure… glass doors with acrylic water droplets integrated in their structure… no Tilex required!

Other “first day” notes:
…Found myself thoroughly amused by my unexpected language amalgam. Despite knowing only a few dozen words in Hungarian (as compared to considerably more English and even Spanish, and a smattering of travel German), three months in country had me responding as much in Hungarian as in English. All the more entertaining given the plethora of folks in Vienna who speak English… I’ve grown accustomed to using gestures, drawings and simply phrases in Szarvas where very little English is spoken regularly, and brought the habit with me, much to the amusement of vendors and others in Vienna, I’m sure!

Sun9sept07
Off to Vienna, my first foray out of the country since arriving and necessary at this point to reset my “tourist visa” status for another 90-day block as I have been here that long already… amazing! (Note: Lengthier sojourns to other locales (including exploring Budapest) are in the “cerebral file” for exploration as schedules permit.

I have been looking forward to the break, though most of the time is traveling... 3-1/2 hours by bus to Budapest, 5+ hours each way by hydrofoil Budapest to Vienna and back, 1-1/2 days actually in Vienna! More on the trip on the flip side [smile]