The Best of Europe Day 12
The Best of Europe
Day 12 Wednesday September 17, 2003 - Vienna
At 6:15 the alarm went off and we both were in deep sleep - late nights and early mornings! Breakfast was the best we have had in all of this trip - fresh fruit, great sausage and eggs, and super bread. I had to be careful.
We were on an optional trip early this morning and we left at 7:45. We drove to the Palace of Schonbrunn, the palace of Maria Theresa (matriarchal leader for over 40 years), where we met our guide Eva.
We were the first group there and she got us in before they even opened. This was the summer residence of the Hapsburgs, paid for entirely out of the royals’ own moneys.
We took the Grand Tour, visiting its magnificently preserved state rooms and exquisite gardens. Unlike the Palace of Versailles, all the items in the castle are authentic. We visited room after room and its splendor.
The palace was used until 1918 when the Hapsburgs were deposed after W. W. I. The Austrian Republic expropriated all their family properties and wealth and exiled them - a family that had been well regarded for over 600 years.
We finished the interior tour and had 45 minutes to visit its immense gardens and fountains. What is most interesting about the Palace of Schonbrunn is that nearly half of it is now reserved for private apartments. The rent ranges from 200 to 3000 Euros per month (1 USD = 1.15 Euros).
Eva continued to give us the history of Austrian Empire, until they lost W. W. I. In 1900, Vienna was one of the 5 largest cities in the world. Now they have 1.5 million living here - a city designed for 10 million.
There are over 800 parks and gardens and some empty space. There are no specific zoning laws so many areas have business, homes, hotels in the same block. This leads people to live in the city.
From the summer residence of the Hapsburg monarchs, we took the bus and our other trip companions to the city center. Another impressive aspect of the city is that the inner district is where the life of the city is found. In the 1700's this portion of Vienna was the center of the arts, music, science, and many other aspects.
As we drove in on the bus, we saw the international food market and outlet for many exotic spices and foods. We then went by the Theater where the original works of Mozart, Schubert, and others were first performed.
The Art Exhibition building has a golden dome and the Academy of Fine Arts has paintings on the outside of the building. As we went by St. Charles’ Church, we were told it was built to celebrate the end of the Black Plague, (killing ½ of the population) and since that time, the Plague has not scavenged Austria.
We continued to the Imperial Treasures, the Vienna Opera House and the Imperial Crypts and Vaults of the Hapsburg family where we saw the tombs for Maria Theresa, her husband and their 16 children as well as Franz Joseph and other family members.
We were then on our own, we had our lunch in the main street Maria Theresa Strasse, pretzels, cheese, apple and lemonade. We leisurely wandered down the wide but crowded pedestrian way as no cars or busses are allowed in this area.
I found two CDs by Tol and Tol, music that Otmar had played on the bus. We looked in a few gift shops and then found the GREATEST CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM CONE Gennie had ever had at Zanino & Zanino.
We searched for a pretzel for me but could not find any. The bus picked us up at 3 PM at Albertina Station and took us back to the hotel to get ready for our dinner at 5 PM.
At the appointed time, we left the hotel for dinner. As it was late in the afternoon and traffic was at its peak, Otmar took us through the city of Vienna by its back roads. We went to the outskirts and from an overlook at Kahlenberg we had an overview of the city of Vienna way down below us.
This scenic drive along the Vienna Woods Panoramic Road (Hohenstrasse) offered us beautiful views of the city and the Danube River. We all took many pictures and then proceeded on to one of the romantic wine villages, (Grinzing) where Viennese specialities and 'Schrammelmusik' awaited us.
This meal involved a salad of marinated cucumbers, carrots, cabbage and tomatoes. Accompanying was a basket of pumpernickel bread. The appetizer was a ham roll.
Then they brought out large trays of family style servings with boiled potatoes, ham slices, baked pork, weinersnitzel, grilled chicken, and bratwurst sausage. Large mugs of this year’s white wine was served to help wash the food down. Then they brought out large bowls of sauerkraut.
For dessert we had cheese and apple strudel with fresh whipped cream. Our meal was accompanied by an accordion and guitar player. If we ate this well everyday, we would gain 20 pounds a week.
At 8:30 we left the restaurant. Many were not feeling any pain. We drove to the hotel and we were back to the room by 9:15. We have another early morning at 5:45.
Dorint AM Europaplatz
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