After a 4 hour bus ride, we arrived in Vienna at around 7pm. Our Airbnb host, Ingela, had given me directions on the metro, and she would meet us at the final stop. We found our way around with no problems, and we started feeling pretty good about our public transportation navigational skills.
Ingela met us outside the metro stop (which was still freezing and raining outside!), and walked us 3 minutes to our little short term rental apartment. It was compact but incredibly adorable! Ingela had a hobby of buying these apartments, decorating them, and renting them out. She had a little fruit basket for us with champagne, a mobile phone, and a charming place to make us feel at home. Ingela had made a list of her favorite things to do, and she told us that Vienna has the best ice cream, which got me very excited. She was lovely and it was a perfect introduction to classy Vienna.
We ended up walking around the city center trying to find dinner, and stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant. We'd both been craving Chinese food, so that was an easy choice.
The next day, we walked around the city center and discovered Belvedere Upper and Lower--2 palaces that were built for Austrain royalty over a hundred years ago--and separated by a sprawling, decadent garden. Today, both Belvederes are museums, which seems to be the trend everywhere. I thought it must be an interesting thing when you have all these lavish buildings intedended for or used by royalty. Without a monarchy, they have to find some use, so art or historical museums usually fit the bill for occupancy.
Ingela met us outside the metro stop (which was still freezing and raining outside!), and walked us 3 minutes to our little short term rental apartment. It was compact but incredibly adorable! Ingela had a hobby of buying these apartments, decorating them, and renting them out. She had a little fruit basket for us with champagne, a mobile phone, and a charming place to make us feel at home. Ingela had made a list of her favorite things to do, and she told us that Vienna has the best ice cream, which got me very excited. She was lovely and it was a perfect introduction to classy Vienna.
We ended up walking around the city center trying to find dinner, and stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant. We'd both been craving Chinese food, so that was an easy choice.
The next day, we walked around the city center and discovered Belvedere Upper and Lower--2 palaces that were built for Austrain royalty over a hundred years ago--and separated by a sprawling, decadent garden. Today, both Belvederes are museums, which seems to be the trend everywhere. I thought it must be an interesting thing when you have all these lavish buildings intedended for or used by royalty. Without a monarchy, they have to find some use, so art or historical museums usually fit the bill for occupancy.
After strolling by embassy row, we ate lunch in a touristy area and ordered a pizza for us to share. Imagine our surprise when the waiter brought out 2 pizzas 5 minutes later. We said we only ordered one pizza, but the waiter insisted we had ordered two and were "paying for it anyway, so are you eating it or not?" We declined eating the 2nd pizza, and the waiter stormed off in fury to vent to everyone else nearby that would listen. That was pretty awkward. But, he later calmed down and brought us our check at the end of the meal with only pizza on it. Mad props to Mr Duzan for keeping his cool with the waiter! :)
I wanted to take a tour of the infamous Vienna state opera house, while Chris walked around a little more: The opera house is magnificent! It opened in 1969 (with Mozart's Don Giovanni) but was damaged in WW2 and re-opened in 1955 (with Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio). They mount over 60 operas a season, around 200 productions, which is the largest number in the world. They perform in rep--rarely do the same performance 2 nights in a row--which means they have to tear down the set every night and set up a different one the next day. At 4:30pm during my tour, they still hadn't finished the Madame Butterfly set for 7pm! And that's just the set, a large feat on its own. Imagine costumes, lighting, and other technical elements that would have to change so quickly and regularly.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_State_Opera
The opera employs over 1,000 people each year--musicians, singers, costumers, technicians, etc. It's a big operation! The tour also brought us by the Emperor's Room--built for Emperor Franz Josef, the last monarch of Austria, and his wife, Empress Elisabeth--who were present at the opening. The room, as you can imagine, was very grand with red velvet doors (finer than the box seats), silk/gold walls with the Austrian royal coat of arms detail, gold emblems, etc. It can be rented for 20 minutes at intermission for a meager 500 euros.
I wanted to take a tour of the infamous Vienna state opera house, while Chris walked around a little more: The opera house is magnificent! It opened in 1969 (with Mozart's Don Giovanni) but was damaged in WW2 and re-opened in 1955 (with Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio). They mount over 60 operas a season, around 200 productions, which is the largest number in the world. They perform in rep--rarely do the same performance 2 nights in a row--which means they have to tear down the set every night and set up a different one the next day. At 4:30pm during my tour, they still hadn't finished the Madame Butterfly set for 7pm! And that's just the set, a large feat on its own. Imagine costumes, lighting, and other technical elements that would have to change so quickly and regularly.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_State_Opera
The opera employs over 1,000 people each year--musicians, singers, costumers, technicians, etc. It's a big operation! The tour also brought us by the Emperor's Room--built for Emperor Franz Josef, the last monarch of Austria, and his wife, Empress Elisabeth--who were present at the opening. The room, as you can imagine, was very grand with red velvet doors (finer than the box seats), silk/gold walls with the Austrian royal coat of arms detail, gold emblems, etc. It can be rented for 20 minutes at intermission for a meager 500 euros.
For dinner, we ate at a traditional Viennese gaushaus and feasted on sausage, schnitzel, roasted potatoes, and non-alcoholic beer (for Chris). It was truly delectable, and also we had amazing service, which is rare in Europe (and well-deserved after our lunch!)
The next day, the weather had thankfully much improved. It was no longer rainy and the cold temperatures were finally tolerable. We first stopped by the Schonbrunn Palace--just one metro stop away from where we were staying. This palace was built in the 1600s by Maria Theresa (mother of Marie Antoinette), a famous monarch in Austria's history. The Austrian royalty lived in Schonbrunn for 3 centuries until the end of the monarchy in 1918. In fact, the last Emperor--Franz Josef--died from old age in the palace.
Josef's wife, Empress Elisabeth (Sissi), also his cousin, was not too thrilled with this marital arrangement. She wrote many letters directly stating the fact that marriage wasn't for her. Sissi spent most of her time traveling and was hardly present in Vienna. She was later killed in Italy by an Italian rebel group.
The palace grounds were very spacious and lush. Inside the palace was plush and beautiful, but not overly decadent (like France). For example, there were rich walls made of walnut and elaborate paintings, but it seemed more tasteful and gracefully elegant. There's a virtual tour on their website if you wanted to check it out: http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/wissenswertes/palace.html
The next day, the weather had thankfully much improved. It was no longer rainy and the cold temperatures were finally tolerable. We first stopped by the Schonbrunn Palace--just one metro stop away from where we were staying. This palace was built in the 1600s by Maria Theresa (mother of Marie Antoinette), a famous monarch in Austria's history. The Austrian royalty lived in Schonbrunn for 3 centuries until the end of the monarchy in 1918. In fact, the last Emperor--Franz Josef--died from old age in the palace.
Josef's wife, Empress Elisabeth (Sissi), also his cousin, was not too thrilled with this marital arrangement. She wrote many letters directly stating the fact that marriage wasn't for her. Sissi spent most of her time traveling and was hardly present in Vienna. She was later killed in Italy by an Italian rebel group.
The palace grounds were very spacious and lush. Inside the palace was plush and beautiful, but not overly decadent (like France). For example, there were rich walls made of walnut and elaborate paintings, but it seemed more tasteful and gracefully elegant. There's a virtual tour on their website if you wanted to check it out: http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/wissenswertes/palace.html
Next, we hunted down a coffee shop that Chris had found online. It was built in the early 1900's and used earthy tones with an "old world" charm. The booths were large, the coffee selection was vast, and the prices were actually reasonable. We finished off breakfast with our first taste of Viennese ice cream. It was...absolutely incredible: creamy, flavorful, and fresh. I instantly fell in love.
Our camera died at this point, so unfortunately we weren't able to take any pictures the rest of the day. Everything in Vienna is pretty close together, so moving around feels fast and easy. Shortly after breakfast, we arrived at St Stephen's Cathedral. By this point, we had seen many a cathedral, so it was a bit hard to impress us. St Stephen's was the most ornate, though, and did manage to offer something unique. The statues were actually in color (unlike gold or stone that we had previously seen) and appeared lifelike. Every square inch seemed to be adorned with a statue or some decoration.
On either side of the cathedral's entrance, there were shrines to Joseph and Mary. People solemnly sat and prayed. To light a prayer candle, it costed only $0.70 euro (as opposed to 1-2 euro in Notre Dame). All in all, this was a very captivating cathedral and we enjoyed the brief visit.
Nearby lies Hofsburg, the heart of the city, including the monarchy's "city" abode with imperial apartments. Hofsburg contains several buildings, such as the National Library, around a central garden. There is also a monument to Mozart. Our camera died at this point, so unfortunately we weren't able to take any pictures the rest of the evening.
We dined just outside of Hofsburg at a cafe that came recommended by our host, Ingela. After eating so much meat throughout the trip, we enjoyed a vegetarian dinner and indulged in ice cream again for dessert. It needed to happen.
Vienna is a city that not only boasts, but is also founded in, the arts culture. From opera, ballet, theatre, symphonies, and art, to museums and history, Vienna claims worldwide fame. This love of the arts is embedded in Vienna's culture. If you visit Vienna, most "things to do" revolve around the arts or royal palaces. Thankfully, this suited our tastes, so we greatly enjoyed Vienna.
To properly cap our time in Vienna, we saw Mozart's Opera "Magic Flute" at the Vienna State Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) that I had toured. Seats usually run from 40-200 euro, but they were sold out. From the tour, I knew that the opera house offers standing room only "seats" for 3-4 euros. This was perfect for us and our budget, so we elected to stand through the 3 hour opera.
It was magical to watch this opera in such a renowned opera house with off the charts singers and musicians. Magic Flute actually premiered in Vienna in 1791, about 2 months before Mozart's death. I had chills listening to the arias and hearing the symphony play. The melancholy solo that the character Pamina sings of her love's rejection (and planned suicide) was absolutely phenomenal. I was in complete awe at the depth and passion of her voice, and the pain she conveyed (even to the nose bleed seats). Completely entranced, I applauded at the end, and was definitely not alone. She received an overwhelming response with loud, enthusiastic cheers.
Chris was not feeling well all day. With the entire world coughing and sneezing around us, it had felt like everyone was sick, and we knew it was just a matter of time. But, Chris stuck it out for the entire 3 hour opera. It was certainly crowded and hot up in our seats, and I was grateful that Chris was such a trooper. My manfriend is a badass.
We enjoyed Vienna and felt like our 2 days wasn't really enough. For the first time on our trip, leaving was rushed. We had underestimated the time travel soaks up. The 4 hour bus ride from Prague, for example, took about 8 total travel hours of our first day allocated to Vienna. So, 3 days we planned turned into 2 full days and 3 nights. Another one for our "next time" bucket. Off to Venice!
Our camera died at this point, so unfortunately we weren't able to take any pictures the rest of the day. Everything in Vienna is pretty close together, so moving around feels fast and easy. Shortly after breakfast, we arrived at St Stephen's Cathedral. By this point, we had seen many a cathedral, so it was a bit hard to impress us. St Stephen's was the most ornate, though, and did manage to offer something unique. The statues were actually in color (unlike gold or stone that we had previously seen) and appeared lifelike. Every square inch seemed to be adorned with a statue or some decoration.
On either side of the cathedral's entrance, there were shrines to Joseph and Mary. People solemnly sat and prayed. To light a prayer candle, it costed only $0.70 euro (as opposed to 1-2 euro in Notre Dame). All in all, this was a very captivating cathedral and we enjoyed the brief visit.
Nearby lies Hofsburg, the heart of the city, including the monarchy's "city" abode with imperial apartments. Hofsburg contains several buildings, such as the National Library, around a central garden. There is also a monument to Mozart. Our camera died at this point, so unfortunately we weren't able to take any pictures the rest of the evening.
We dined just outside of Hofsburg at a cafe that came recommended by our host, Ingela. After eating so much meat throughout the trip, we enjoyed a vegetarian dinner and indulged in ice cream again for dessert. It needed to happen.
Vienna is a city that not only boasts, but is also founded in, the arts culture. From opera, ballet, theatre, symphonies, and art, to museums and history, Vienna claims worldwide fame. This love of the arts is embedded in Vienna's culture. If you visit Vienna, most "things to do" revolve around the arts or royal palaces. Thankfully, this suited our tastes, so we greatly enjoyed Vienna.
To properly cap our time in Vienna, we saw Mozart's Opera "Magic Flute" at the Vienna State Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) that I had toured. Seats usually run from 40-200 euro, but they were sold out. From the tour, I knew that the opera house offers standing room only "seats" for 3-4 euros. This was perfect for us and our budget, so we elected to stand through the 3 hour opera.
It was magical to watch this opera in such a renowned opera house with off the charts singers and musicians. Magic Flute actually premiered in Vienna in 1791, about 2 months before Mozart's death. I had chills listening to the arias and hearing the symphony play. The melancholy solo that the character Pamina sings of her love's rejection (and planned suicide) was absolutely phenomenal. I was in complete awe at the depth and passion of her voice, and the pain she conveyed (even to the nose bleed seats). Completely entranced, I applauded at the end, and was definitely not alone. She received an overwhelming response with loud, enthusiastic cheers.
Chris was not feeling well all day. With the entire world coughing and sneezing around us, it had felt like everyone was sick, and we knew it was just a matter of time. But, Chris stuck it out for the entire 3 hour opera. It was certainly crowded and hot up in our seats, and I was grateful that Chris was such a trooper. My manfriend is a badass.
We enjoyed Vienna and felt like our 2 days wasn't really enough. For the first time on our trip, leaving was rushed. We had underestimated the time travel soaks up. The 4 hour bus ride from Prague, for example, took about 8 total travel hours of our first day allocated to Vienna. So, 3 days we planned turned into 2 full days and 3 nights. Another one for our "next time" bucket. Off to Venice!
A pretty rad little joint showcasing modern design
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