Vienna - August 23-25, 2011

Viennese Adventures

I was very excited about going to Vienna on our trip.  Not only would I spend my birthday here, but I pictured it to be some kind of sophisticated place  straight out of a ???.  Vienna was not at all what I expected, and in fact much more urban than I imagined.  For nearly every charming moment we spent here, city that caused us just as many frustrations.

Highlights:

• Hofburg Imperial Apartments (Kaiserappartements):  Great audio guide here with plenty of info. about the Hapsburg Emperor Franz Josef and his wife, Elizabeth (Sisi).  An entire portion of the tour, the Sisi Museum, was devoted to the tragic life of Elizabeth which gave us good historical background info. before we toured the rooms she and her husband lived in.  The audio also included a whole section on the Imperial China Collection at the beginning of our tour…too much info. there.  

THE Official Fold of Austria

We Love Bundt Cakes...and so did the Hapsburgs

 

• Hofburg Treasury (Weltliche und Geistliche Schatzkammer): Another good museum…we were particularly fascinated with Holy Roman Empire Collection: the crown, the Bible each emperor took oath on, the emperor’s robe, wood from Jesus’ cross, the lance that supposedly pierced Jesus’ side, and the cross that these relics were kept in that was paraded in front of the emperor. The cradle made for Napoleon’s son and heir, and a collection or gems were also interesting. 

 

• Haus der Musik: Well-done museum for music enthusiasts, but almost too in depth and overwhelming.  There were lots of multimedia/interactive exhibits here on the Vienna music scene and even more on how sound works and music is produced.  Maybe I was just museumed out at this point because I lost interest quickly.  Highlight included creating our own waltz and conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. 

  

• Schonbrunn Palace (Schloss Schonbrunn): This summer palace of the Hapsburgs which is known as a rival to Versailles, and rightfully so.  While most of the interior is not quite as elaborate and lavish as Versailles, it was still a beautiful palace with beautiful gardens.  The audio guide here was enough for us because we had already visited the Imperial Palace, but it really didn’t go into too much historical detail so I might have been a little lost if I hadn’t done the other tour first.  My pick of the two great palaces: Versailles where we could actually take pictures inside!  

• Staatsoper (Opera House): Excellent English tour of the auditorium, hallways, the Emperor’s Tea Room, and the backstage (fascinating how they move all the sets!).  Although much of the Opera House was destroyed during WWII, the rooms that remained and those reconstructed blend together nicely. 

Ø      Fun Fact #1: You can attend the opera in the standing room only section for about 3 euros!  

Ø      Fun Fact #2: You can rent the Emperor’s Tea Room during the 20 min. intermission, no food included.

Ø      Fun Fact #3: Vienna’s Opera House is home to two orchestras.  The State Orchestra plays here throughout the year.  Members with three years of experience may then see if they are qualified for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, who give concerts internationally. 

Ø      Fun Fact #4:  Every year, the Vienna Ball is held at the Opera House.  The seats are taken out and a dance floor is put in.  General admission is 250 euros, while boxes go for 18,000 euros (not including tickets).  A select group of dancers from age 18-24 perform before the dance floor is open to all. 

Ø      Fun Fact #5: The first opera performed here was Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

• St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansdom): Vienna’s Cathedral is big and Gothic.  Even without going completely into the main nave, we could still get the gist of the inside.  This site was where Mozart was married, and where his children were baptized.  Unfortunately, parts of it, too were destroyed in WWII. 

• Vienna City Walk: After a day, we finally had a good sense of direction in Vienna.  We enjoyed walking down the busy, retail-lined Karntner Strasse, and Kohlmarkt with its nice view of the Imperial Palace.
• Food: See below

Food

• Figlmueller: So good, we went two nights in a row!  This place is known for their huge schnitzel…and boy was it delicious…wiener schnitzel for Joe and Schweinschnitzel (pork) and Huhscitzsal (chicken) for me.  Vodsalat (potato salad topped with baby spinach and some kinda of rasp. Vinegrette) was amazing, too!  We walked out stuffed both nights…and for a reasonable price.

 

• Zanoni & Zanoni: This hopping gelateria really hit the spot in the heat.  Per usual, I stuck with caffe and cioccolato, and Joe alternated between straciatella and fragola or tiramisu.

• Julius Mein am Graben: Rick recommended this place for a picnic lunch.  It is essentially a Whole Foods with gourmet food.  Perfect for pre-cut fruit and water at a good price.
• Ferber: One morning we got a slice of bread topped with broccoli, peppers, tomatoes and cheese…yum!

• Anker: Chain bakery in Vienna that actually makes decent sandwiches.  The tomato & mozerella on ciabatta with lettuce and some kind of chive mayo was tasty.  Joe liked the Italian sub.

Lodging: VRBO apt on Zentagasse, 7: Irene’s studio apartment was a great find.  It was recently remodeled, clean and very comfortable, and came with Wi-Fi, Flatscreen  Satellite TV (we knew about the earthquake in DC before you did), and a kitchenette. Location was a block away from Laurenzgasse stop (Tram 1 or 62 that run to/from Opera), 10-15 min. from Pilgrimgasse U-bahn Linea 4 stop, SPAR supermarket was a block away as well as an Anker bakery by the Laurenzgasse station.  Only issues: No AC (we were here in a heat wave and even with the windows open and a fan it was warm…also very noisy on street below when we left windows open in the morning), lots of stairs to carry luggage up (an elevator is coming soon), and no street parking (couldn’t find signs or parking meters, but got a parking ticket when we left the car for a few minutes while unloading bags).  Cheap 3 euro Park and Ride garages are a good deal, but it takes a 10-15 walk and at least two U-bahn lines to get to one. Irene was great about getting back to us and answering all our questions.  She also met us promptly to let us in.  Overall, great place to stay…just bring a good subway map and street map of Vienna with you.

Frustrations: 

• Transportation System:  Vienna’s transportation is a confusing mess.  There are three train systems that run throughout the city and beyond: trams (green-line trams that run above ground primarily around the city’s Ringstrauss and to neighborhoods in the city center), U-bahn trains (subway trains that run all over the city) and S-bahn trains (commuter rail trains to the suburbs).  The biggest problem is that to get anywhere, you almost always need to use a combination of trams and U-bahns, but these rail systems do not always connect to each other.  For example, when you get off a tram stop, there is not necessarily a U bahn station (or even the correct one) right there to connect you to your next point meaning you will be walking to the next one.  Add to this the fact that even if you find a map at a station (few and far between), there is never a map with trams and U-bahn stations listed together so you must consult two maps.  Not once in three days did we even see a place where we could get a transportation maps, either.  Consequently we had at least three issues while getting around: we couldn’t figure out how to get to Sudbahnhof one day, we got on a train going in the wrong direction, and the tram we wanted to take stopped running one night even though signs said it normally runs three more trains. Way to confuse and frustrate visitors, Vienna!

• Should we or shouldn’t we??: For 3 days, we rode trams and U-bahn trains in Vienna without ever showing a ticket.  Like other European cities, Vienna uses the honor system when it comes to tickets.  Buy a single tickets or pass, stamp it the first time you use it, then you never need a ticket again to enter a train because the gates are always open.  On our last morning in the city, we debated whether to get a ticket.  Our 48 hr pass had just ran out the night before, and we just needed to get to the park and ride to get the car and leave.  Thank goodness my guilty conscience kicked in!  For the first time ever in all of our travels, a transportation worker and at least 4 polizei were checking tickets at the top the escalator at our transfer station.  The 1.80 euro ticket became so much more worth it than the 70 euro fine per person we would have received!
• Parking: At 3 euros per day, park and ride garages are a good cheap option while visiting by car.  The down-side is that they are a bit tricky to get to on the transportation system, and if you need to unload your car on the street by your hotel, you apparently still need a parking pass.  In the 10-15 minutes that we left our car on the street at 7pm to bring out bags up to the apartment, we got a 21 euro parking ticket.  For the record, there was no signage out in front of the apartment building indicating that it was a parking zone, and even in areas where we did see signs, there was a no sign of a parking meter machine anywhere.  The best part…you have to go to the post office to pay the ticket where they add on a 3.40 euro charge to stamp your ticket as paid.  Ridiculous!
• Bag Checks: Can someone please tell me why mandatory bag checks at museums go by type of bag, not size?!!?  How is it fair that I am required to check my small backpack when someone with a huge purse or a big across-the-chest sachel bag can walk right in?!?!  Someone with one of these bags could do a lot more damage to museum artifacts than me with my tiny backpack.  Play fair!

Unfinished Business: Spanish Riding School, 3 euro standing room only seats at the opera, ride on the Ferris wheel at Prater, Vienna Boys Choir, more cake and Zanoni & Zanoni