11 July 2012 – Vienna

Stephen back as author.  We're having a few technical issues so have lost use of our smart phone and a few delays to blog - my apologies if anyone cares...

Today we started with delving into the underground to head into town. I wish that Auckland could learn some basic lessons on how to run a public transport system. Buy a ticket, validate it once and after that just walk on and off all forms of transport. Loading is fast and the trams can stop in the middle of traffic flows without causing a major holdup. The underground took 8 minutes for 6 stops.

We walked around to the State Opera House and were immediately beseiged with hawkers trying to sell tickets to any one of a number of dubious concerts. In July in Vienna it is hot and so all sensible people leave the city and head out, including the opera companies and orchestras leaving a motley bunch of wanna bees – at least that is my impression. Even the Spanish Riding School takes the horses out of the city.

We found the guy handling the tickets for the city tour we had chosen and were loaded onto a “transit bus”. In fact this was turned into the tour bus when we arrived at the bus station with an endless stream of mini-buses dropping more people to load on our bus. I thought we were fairly full when we left the Opera House, but at least the same number managed to squeeze on at the station. The tour started with a tour around the city ring road – really the boundary of the old city which was turned into a triumphal boulevard by some emperor. This is impressive in its foresight providing a really good traffic flow around the centre which is largely pedestrian. Many of the cities important buildings have been positioned around the ring interspersed with large pleasant parks. Then it was off to the Schloss Schonbrunn, one of the Habsburg summer palaces around the city, built on a large park which is now well inside the city limits. The palace apparently has 1441 rooms, but I'm not sure who counted them. We had the quick run through of about 30 of them including the very impressive ballroom and the fake Empress's bedroom (she never actually slept there, but used it to receive state guests). The embroidery and gold leaf on the imperial bed were spectacular.

Once back on the bus after a 30 break we left without all the group – there was no sympathy from the guide towards those who had failed to find their way back at the correct time or couldn't recognise the bus (which returned to a different place). Back to the Opera House where we ambled into the centre of town past many cafes stuck in the middle of the pedestrian only streets to look at St Stephens Cathedral - an ornate but gloomy church undergoing serious cleaning work.

Pedestrian street in the middle of Vienna

We spent a time people watching while eating an unexciting apple strudel in a pavement cafe. Gillian remarked on the body shape contrast of the young women here compared to France and Italy – definitely a heavier build to go with the heavier style of food.

In the evening we went back into town to another pavement cafe for a light dinner.