Jim had a CLE conference in Vienna on Monday and Tuesday so Sabine and I decided to tag along.
Unfortunately Sabine has reached some new octaves since our last plane ride so we were treated to a screaming opera on the flight to Vienna.
Jim’s boss, Peter, was also at the conference so we met up with him for some dinner on Saturday night. He had scoped out an Italian restaurant near the hotel that was affordable and delicious. Sabine wasn’t very agreeable since she had missed her naps so we made it an early evening. I think poor Peter was ready to get back to his quiet, childfree room.
The next morning, Jim and I went in search of a café for breakfast since the hotel breakfast was exorbitant. We found a really nice café and got seats in the sun. The forecast for the weekend wasn’t good so I wanted to soak up as much sun as possible before the weather turned ugly.
Jim and Peter went to church while I wandered the area around the Hofburg Palace and Sabine slept in the stroller. After church we hit our favorite Italian chain, Vapiano, for lunch. We got there just before it started to downpour and hail.
When the rain died down a bit we went out to visit the Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum. According to Rick, the Hofburg and Schoenbrunn Palace are equal and there is no need to see both. I disagree, I thought the Hofburg was ok, but on Tuesday I went to the Schoennbrunn Palace and it blew the Hofburg away. It is really worth it to take the short train ride out to the Schoennbrunn. In addition to the palace you have the beautiful gardens.
After the Hofburg tour, we wandered around some neighborhoods before heading back for a little rest before dinner. We ended up at a Chinese restaurant for dinner and I remembered why I hadn’t eaten Chinese food in 10 years. Why eat Chinese when you can eat Thai, Japanese, Korean or Vietnamese? Chinese food is just flavorless.
I was on my own the next two days since Jim and Peter were in conferences. On Monday I went downtown to do a little shopping and check out a few of the churches.
Although the Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) is much larger and on the tourist circuit, it was the St. Peter’s Cathedral I fell in love with. The décor was incredibly ornate and the gold and brown colors gave the church a warm feeling which is hard to achieve in such a large building with high ceilings. So many of the cathedrals I see are made with grey stone and have damp, cool air. Unfortunately, the photos I took of the church really didn’t capture its true beauty.
On Tuesday, I took the train out to the Schoenbrunn Palace which is the Hapsburgs’ version of Versailles. After touring the beautiful Rococo styled rooms inside, I wandered around the gardens and climbed the hill to the Gloriette, a small building overlooking the Palace, the gardens and the city beyond. The weather was quite blustery and rainy so it wasn’t an ideal day to wander the gardens but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
I took the train back and Jim and I caught a flight home to Bonn that night.
See, I told you this trip wasn’t very exciting. I even fell asleep there in the middle while I was writing this. I would have skipped it altogether but needed to at least write something so as not to forget we have been to Vienna.
Stay tuned for my blogs on Venice and Salzkammergut. I promise that I will get them done in a more timely manner. Bad blogger, bad blogger.
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