Vienna, Austria
Once again we awake on the shores of the Danube. We have the spent the last few days threading through some of the most beautiful areas of the Danube, lush countryside, vineyard valleys, and quintessential villages providing us with chocolates, Christmas decorations, and schnapps. Today however, we have arrived in Vienna, one of the most exciting cities in Europe. A city steeped in culture and history, we might have five days, and our thirst for Vienna would not be quenched, yet we will make the most out of the two days we do have.
We begin our morning traveling to nearby Prater Amusement Park, and hop on the Riesenrad, a Ferris wheel at the entrance. It was one of the earliest Ferris wheels, erected in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I's Golden Jubilee. The designer was an Englishman, Walter Bassett, which explains why the wheel's diameter is a round number in Imperial units - 200 feet (approximately 61 m). From atop the wheel’s arc, we have a spectacular view of the city we are about to explore.
The city center of Vienna was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2001. We began our walking tour of the city in its very heart, at the incredible baroque cathedral of St. Stephen. From here we work our way along the cobbled streets, past palaces and churches that have survived hundreds of years of conflict, war, differing rulers, and the natural elements, yet still appear magnificent. Whilst fall and winter are coming, Vienna is in full swing with performances, and as we continue along, we stop in venues to purchase tickets for Mozart concerts, and even standing room at the famous Lipizzaner Horse Show.
After a break for lunch (including Schnitzel of course!), we continue to delve into Vienna, traveling to the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. Designed by Domenico Martinelli mostly in Rococo style, the palace was the summer home of the Liechtenstein family. Leading an extravagant aristocratic lifestyle, their winters were spent at their other residence in the heart of the city, with formal concerts, receptions, and balls, while their summers at the palace were more informal and outdoor oriented, including hunting trips. Now however, this palace houses one of the worlds largest and most incredible private collections of art, consisting of over 200 pieces of art and 50 sculptures, dating from 1500 to 1700. The collection is displayed over 2 of the palace’s 3 floors, and with minimal security in the immediate vicinity of many of the pieces, it allows you to get within a nose length in order to really appreciate what you are seeing.
For many, our day does not end here, from Mozart to Cirque du Soleil we are off to one of the many performances Vienna has to offer tonight. As we finally close our eyes to rest, pictures of angelic choir boys, strutting white stallions, and imperial palaces pass behind our eyes, and we dream of the pleasures Vienna will have for us tomorrow.
