Our Visit to Vienna

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It was a short and sweet one hour bus ride from Bratislava to Vienna, crossing the Austrian border within 15 minutes of leaving Bratislava.  Once again we traveled on the Flixbus system and the $6 ride was comfortable.  We arrived at the central bus station in the early afternoon.  Our apartment was only a five minute walk down the same main street.  There we met our hostess who showed us around.  For our our stay we have a large three room apartment with 1 1/2 baths.  It is in a older building but was nice and clean and had plenty of room, a good kitchen set up and a large dining room table where we spent a lot of time...all three of us with laptops buzzing...smile.

There is a lot to see in Vienna, such a lovely city, from splendid 19th century architecture, to stunning palaces and museums.  For our three full days we made a list of our favorites and set out.  We used the metro system, our station just one block from our home, and traveled to the center of the city where we joined a free walking tour of the main sites.  Our guide, Mira, was pleasant and well informed and worked hard for her tip.

After the tour we purchased tickets for the Sisi museum and royal apartments.  This all took place in the Hofburg Palace, home to the Hapsburg dynasty since the late 1400's.  The collection was opulent and boastful, full of gold, silver and crystal, and once again we were taken by how people allow monarchs and government to become to wealthy while the common folk suffer...and in those days they did indeed have little.  Franz Josef was a benevolent ruler, along with his fairy tale empress, Elizabeth, yet, as with visiting huge cathedrals, all three of us could not comprehend (of couse we know the motivation) of the reality of the haves and have nots.  

Here's Andi on the grand staircase.

The silver and dining ware collection was overwhelming as we wandered through room after room of dishes, cooking utensils, silver and gold serving pieces and fine porcelain.

This was the gold "centerpiece" that graced both the family private dinning rooms and state affairs.  Ridiculous!

The Sissi Museum was a tribute to Elizabeth, Empress of Austria and was well done.  She was an interesting person, suffered from severe depression and was a bit of a recluse...but then what a nice place to hide.

It was a long day, mingled with a nice picnic on the main square and we returned home to a fish and chips dinner that was greatly quite tasty.

Our second day out was a museum day starting with the art of the Albertine collection and another visit to the state rooms of another part of the palace.  From there we ventured over to the National Art Gallery.  It was a pleasant and warm day with lots of sunshine and beautiful art.  Here was what stood out for most of us.

Our last day started with a viewing to the training session for the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School following by wandering the city streets and a bit of shopping.  It has become time to look for a fresh pair of trousers and a few tops for Tom.  The old ones are giving out after almost three years and they weren't new to begin with...smile.

We ended out visit with a quite afternoon walk back to our apartment and a traditional wurst and kraut dinner.  Nest stop is Slovenia for three days.