30 Aug – Vienna

We arrived at our final stop on this long and lazy roll down the rivers: Vienna.

Before boarding a bus for a tour of the city, we were introduced to our local guide, Gabby. Austria requires that tour leaders be drilled and tested before they are licensed. And a license is required to conduct tours in Austria! So she knew her stuff.

Because we were in a moving vehicle, there weren’t a lot of photo-ops or stops…so there aren’t a lot of pictures from the tour of this very photogenic city. We were too busy trying to just see the sights.

The Vienna Opera House from the bus (left) and from the street approaching the subway (right)

By decree, most buildings in the city were kept to a maximum height of between four and five stories, churches exempted. Although about 33% of the city was destroyed in the Soviet assault and occupation of WWII, Vienna has been restored to its pre-war appearance in the old town. My impression of this city is one of designed, purposeful beauty. There are visual feasts at every turn.

The Plague Memorial

We eventually were dropped off to begin a walking tour that took us to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Again, a gorgeous Gothic cathedral with a unique patterned roof composed of colored tiles. The interior was too dark for photography, quite a contrast to the Cologne Cathedral and the beautifully-lit interior due to its stained glass windows.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Note the patterned tile roof.
 A selfie with Vienna’s cathedral. By the way, like the Cologne Cathedral, St. Stephen’s is also having its exterior washed.

After some free time around the cathedral–I bought some fabulous hazelnut wafer cookies. Yum!–we regrouped to continue the walking tour. Gabby paraded us through city shopping areas (pointing out her favorite stores–she must be quite the shopper!), past Roman ruins, the Lipizzaner Stallions training stables, palaces and a rose garden before dumping us to our own devices.

 The Hofburg Imperial Palace. Not just an empty building housing museums, there are actually people living in the the building’s apartments. And the Austrian president has offices in one of the wings.
 Rob examines the excavated Roman ruins in the Imperial Palace plaza.
 Complementary buildings wrap around the palace plaza.

On our way to the Volksgarten, we happened upon a Greenpeace demonstration against the European/North American Free Trade Agreement talks. The European Union is very strict regarding the quality of their food. The United States and Canada food conglomerates are more interested in chemicals and additives to increase productivity and profitability over quality and health. The Europeans are rightfully concerned.

 We continued walking through the formal rose gardens, coming across a temple built to house a single sculpture many years ago but now repurposed as a rotating exhibit of one selected work of art from the nearby museum.

The Volksgarten’s rose garden. Here, Empress Sissy (Elizabeth) holds court.
 So do we!
 The current art occupying the temple.

We then set out in search of a sidewalk cafe for a little nosh and a cold beverage. We located one such place on a small side street near the Opera House.

We then headed for the Vienna subway–the Red Line–and a return to the ship. Great subway. Very simple to use, clean and efficient to ride. Five stops and we were a five minute walk from the boat.

As they say, all good things must come to an end. And so, we began the less than enthusiastic process of packing our bags, ensuring that the bottles we were bringing back were well padded with dirty laundry to protect them from the tender manhandling of airport personnel.

We settled our bills–really just bar tabs–with the front desk; tipped a very deserving staff and program director; and, after a parting cocktail with a few fellow travelers and the exceptional bar staff, we headed to bed for a 5 AM wake up call.