Vienna, Austria - October 4-6, 1999

Vienna was the fourth city on the tour and the only one I'd been to previously. Of all the foreign cities to have visited twice, my first guess would not be Vienna. Not that there is anything wrong with Vienna. Of course, that was back in 1982, when I was much younger than now and I did not fully appreciate being there then. That probably had something to do with the fact that I spent the best part of one afternoon searching for the city's only McDonalds in an attempt to find some American food. Vienna now has more than one McDonalds (also Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, and Hooters, which I found by accident).

We arrived in Vienna a little before noon on Monday, October 4. We'd left Budapest very early that morning and had had a non-eventful border crossing into Austria (they, unlike Slovakia and Hungary are not too concerned about those people coming into their country). This was also the first day of the trip we didn't have sun and even had, gulp, some rain.

We had lunch prior to the afternoon tour (Vienna was the only place on the tour where we had a free day - which would be the 5th - because we had the tour the same day we arrived). Bettina, our tour guide, sent us to a local self-serve-type restaurant which was very reasonably priced (Austria is not cheap and, after Helsinki, was the most expensive city we visited). I had been eating at the American fastfood restaurants up to that point (McDonalds and KFC) but I ate here. The restaurant was in a basement so we all trooped down there out of the cold (I did mention we had inclement weather, didn't I?).

I really liked this place, so much so that I ate here all four meals (except for breakfast) that we had in Vienna. It was like a cafeteria; they had different sections for meats, pasta, vegies, salads, breads, drinks, coffee and waffles. I had the waffle twice - it was a large belgian waffle that was not cooked until ordered. That meant you stood around for about ten minutes, but it was worth the wait. I had it topped with a berry sauce - mit beeren auf Deutsch (with berries) - which also came with whipped cream and shaved nuts. Simply delicious. The hot chocolate wasn't all that bad either. This meal cost about $5 or so. The restaurant also had great fried (in butter) potatoes and very tiny whole potatoes that I think had been boiled but which were somewhat salty, but still good nonetheless. The salad bar paled in comparison to what we have here in the states but at that point a salad was great. I cannot recommend the pasta, however. I did not like it.

After lunch, we wandered about the city center until the tour started. The city center is surrounded by either the Danube river or the Ringstraße, which encircles this part of Vienna. Within the city center are the Hofburg, the state opera house, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and many expensive shops. The Spanish riding school, part of the Hofburg, is also here and is one of the main tourist attractions of the city. I did not go but those who like horses generally go to the daily practices to watch the Lippizanner horses. Parliament and several city parks are on the opposite side of the Ringstraße from the city center.

A large part of the city center is blocked off for pedestrian traffic only, and that part includes St. Stephen's Cathedral. I really liked the roof on the church but, of course, most church roofs that I saw had tile roofs like this. St. Stephen's was mostly yellow and brown with some blues thrown in, and the inside of the church was just as impressive. Tourists can go in - there is even a souvenir shop inside off to the left - but they must remain in the back, behind a barrier. Many devout people are always in the church, praying, and services are held frequently.

The local guide for today's tour was named Regina and, except for the name I would not have known she was a she. Regina had a very deep voice and didn't look all that feminine. She was also very outspoken, which we were to experience early and often. Outspokenness is not normally of a trait of tour guides so everyone was a bit shocked by this. For example, we were on the east side of the Danube where the United Nations buildings are. When the ministers are in town or in session (I forget which), flags are flown on stands on the roof. This, according to Regina, was similar to the "crap" that we Americans do when the President is in the White House. Yes, she used that word.

As I mentioned, we were a bit stunned at first. But, as she kept expressing her opinions and using more and more coarse words (she also said "damn" and "bullshit") and gave us some insights into her political views. Very interesting tour, this one.

Regina just raved on and on about some guy named Hundertwasser. This guy is now a senior citizen and has a girlfriend much younger than he is. He does lots of things but what he is known for is the "rescuing and restoring" of decrepit buildings. Like the one on the right. This is what the finished product often looks like. Not like anything I'd ever seen. Even the sidewalks outside are uneven - Mr. Hundertwasser says the life is not smooth or even and doesn't feel that the sidewalk should be either.

From Hundertwasser house we went to Belvedere palace and then back to the city center to the Hofburg. The Hofburg was the winter palace of the Hapsburg family (the rulers for many centuries of Austria and, later, Hungary, Czechoslavakia, parts of Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Mexico for a while). Now it houses many museums and other state offices. The Hapsburgs were forced to abdicate after the end of World War I by the new Republic of Austria. The Republic appropriated all the Hapsburg property as property of the state and didn't reimburse the remaining Hapsburgs anything. I can see their point; after all, the citizens of Austria had paid for it all. There are still Hapsburgs in the world today. They don't live in Austria and don't officially recognize the abdication.

After dinner at my new favorite restaurant, a group of us went over to the amusement park where The Prater, the very large ferris wheel, is located. This involved using the public transportation which, unlike Hungary, was very easy and user-friendly. Not as cheap, however.

The Prater tickets cost about $4.50 or so. It was a bit of a rip-off. Once you buy a ticket, you board into a car, where there are benches if you wish to sit and windows from which you look out. Having some trepidation where heights are concerned, I did not venture too close to the windows. Some of the cars even had dinner tables and curtains. For your $4.50, you got to go around the ferris wheel only once, albeit very slowly. Afterwards, I went on the ride I'd been on before when I visited the city in 1982. The ride is called the Tegada and is basically a circle with a bench and rails around the outside. The riders sit on the bench and the ride goes around and around, tilting and sometimes bouncing. It really is quite fun but I think you have to experience it or see it for yourself to truly appreciate it.

Our hotel was very nice, just outside the city center. My room was smaller, if that was possible, than the one I had in Budapest, but nicer. The x-rated movies returned here but we also got to see NBC, from Hamburg. Only the commercials were in German, the rest was English. Got to watch Dateline and The Tonight Show.

After breakfast the next morning, I went on an optional tour of the Hapsburg summer palace, Schoenbrunn. The palace was built very far outside the city originally but now, of course, the city is much larger and it is within the city confines. Schoenbrunn has over 1100 rooms and a very pretty garden, from which this picture was taken - you are looking at the back of the palace.

Our tour guide today was named Peter and he was a much better guide, overall, than Regina. He took the small group of us, about 15, to view only about 100 of the rooms. The rooms were very ornately decorated, with furnishings from Empress Maria Theresa's (1700's) and Emperor Rudolf's (early 1900's) times. Maria Theresa actually had the palace built, in between having all those children (16!). She is the mother of the hapless Marie Antoinette, who was beheaded by the French sometime in the 1790's.

Rudolf was the second to last emperor of Austro-Hungary. He died in 1916, just a few years before the end of World War I. His only son, and heir, shot himself many years earlier because his parents would not allow him to end his loveless marriage and marry his mistress. So Rudolf appointed his nephew Ferdinand (the same Ferdinand whose death in Sarajevo provoked the start of World War I) heir. Ferdinand's sons, however, could not ascend because Ferdinand had married a woman of lesser nobility. So another nephew I think (and I think his name was Otto or maybe Charles Otto) ruled the last two years of the empire, before being forced to abdicate.

Whoever ruled, Schoenbrunn was very pretty. I really liked the gardens. There are all sorts of statuary and trimmed trees. Flowers even. After the tour, we got about ½ hour to explore said gardens before the bus left to return to the hotel. You would think that would be enough time to explore a garden, for heaven's sake, but it was not. The gardens are huge. And very well maintained.

I stayed at the hotel for a while. It was cold and rainy, and I was cold and in the process of catching a cold. I actually took a little nap before catching the subway to my new favorite restaurant for another belgian waffle. With berries. Then I wandered about the city center for a while, saw the Cathedral again, went over to the Hofburg, and did some souvenir shopping. Expensive things in Vienna, those souvenirs.

Part of my wandering involved riding the trolleys on the Ringstraße. There are all sorts of trolleys in Vienna, but only a few just stay on the Ringstraße and go around in a circle. One goes clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. So I got to see a few more buildings (like the aforementioned Parliament, and the university and city hall as well). Kind of like a poor man's city tour.

Along either side of the Ringstraße are also several parks. I hoped off the trolley somewhere and went to the city park to see the Johan Strauss statue, which is a smallish statue at least covered in what looks like gold. Or at least bronze. Next to the statue is a clock. I kid you not, this clock is made of vegetation and actually works. I sat and watched it for about ½ hour and the minute hand actually moved.

By this time, I felt pretty bad. I hate colds. My theory on colds is that they attach that feature which annoys you the most or makes you feel the worse. In this case, my nose. It gets all red and sore, and I never get any sleep because I'm always blowing it. Because I felt so bad, and was cold, and because my feet also hurt, and because I'd seen everything I pretty much wanted to in Vienna (and some I hadn't), I ate my final meal at the new favorite restaurant and went to bed early. Watched some more NBC (CNN had gotten old by this point). We were off to Prague the next day.

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