Vienna, Austria
We arrived in Vienna early this morning to a beautiful sunrise, calm river waters, and crisp, cool fall air. Our experience this first day in Vienna would prove to be a mixture of quintessential Wiener (Viennese) historical influences, cultural influences, and gastronomic influences. We drove initially to the famous Prater, to visit the Riesenrad (giant Ferris Wheel). It was a spectacular, sunny day, affording us views stretching all the way to the Wienerwald, or Vienna Wood. After sparkling wine or a mimosa, and a ride completely around in the historic, wooden carriages, we were off to explore all of the sites we saw while aloft.
Driving around the Ringstrasse is always a good introduction to this vibrant and multicultural city. We passed countless stone buildings, dating from a much earlier era when the site now occupied by this boulevard was once a large, fortified city wall. We completed our drive at Albertinaplatz and began a walk through the seat of the Habsburg family, the buildings of the Hofburg Palace. Disguised as a collection of museums and concert halls, the palace is situated directly in the center of the city, surrounded on all sides by modern aspects of Vienna.
Our next destination was, by far and away, the favorite of the day. We drove a short distance to Palais Augarten and entered a tiny performance room. 22 boys, who ranged in age from 9-13, followed us into the space and surrounded a small piano. Members of the Haydn group of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, they touched every ear and heart in the room with their stunning vocal performance. We left the venue nearly speechless and astonished by their professionalism and clear, confident voices.
Stomachs empty and heads full, we next stumbled into a Vienna original, the Griechenbeisl Restaurant. We enjoyed conversation and shared impressions of this amazing city, while indulging in authentic wienerschnitzel and Sacher Torte (along with a weiss bier, or two!).
Our last visit of the day was to the spectacular Liechtenstein Museum. A privately owned collection of paintings, sculptures, and furniture pieces, it is a jewel in the city of Vienna. Opened to the public in 2004, the Museum itself is in the palace of the Liechtenstein family. It houses one of the largest collections of Peter Paul Rubens paintings in the world, amongst many other world-class treasures. We strolled around, moving from pietra-dura tables and chests to a giant, 7-canvas illustration of the hero, Decius Mus, and his self-sacrifice to save his people. The Museum also boasts a beautiful library and enormous ceiling frescos dating back several hundred years.
Weary, but wanting to absorb all we had experienced, we made our way back to the River Cloud for dinner. In the late evening, many of us continued our exploration of Vienna’s delights by visiting the Volksopera to see a presentation of Mozart’s, “The Magic Flute”. Our first foray into Vienna took most of us by surprise and managed to whet our appetites for another day of discovery in this fascinating city.
