Monday 18th September
The sun god is with us this morning, miraculously the grey gloom of the past few days has completely disappeared, we are smiling, the day will be not just another great day but a sunny one too! We are booked on two tours to day, after breakfast we meet our guides at 9.30am for our city tour of Vienna, last night we experienced the city by night but now we can familiarise ourselves with Vienna in the daylight. Our couch tour takes us into the old city centre, originally a walled city. Franz Joseph the 1st pulled down the walls to expand the city creating the Ringstrabe of today. Literally a horseshoe ring around the city that contains enormous buildings and wide boulevards housing the opera house, theatres and all manner of cultural venues. We drive the wide busy boulevards, buildings and statues are pointed out along the way. A golden stature of Johann Strauss II sits in a park, Vienna, city of music, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn & Brahms all lived and worked here, but where not born here unlike Strauss who was a true Viennese. Another statue this time of Empress Maria Theresa, a benevolent ruler who reigned for 40 years and survived the birth of sixteen children, twelve of who survived to adulthood whizzes by. At one point we could believe we are at a tennis match as we look left then right in rapid succession trying to take in the incoming sights and information. There is a whole quarter dedicated to museums, the modern art museum, the Leopold museum of modern art, contemporary art, architecture, design even a Children’s museum called Zoom.
The scale of the buildings is stupendous and their age always astounds, the style varying depending on the age of the building, Charles the VI from 1711-1740 was responsible for introducing the baroque style that includes the magnificent cathedral known as Karlskirche built in 1737 and the opera house built in 1861.
The style continued under Maria Theresa and her son Joseph for another fifty years. The ruling Hapsburg family loved to build, and build they did on a grand scale. Then came the Art Nouveau period with that include Majolica house and the Secession building with its cupola of golden laurel leaves.
There is even an observatory built in the middle of down town “Urania Sternwarte” built in 1910. Twenty percent of the city was damaged during World War Two, some 87000 homes destroyed, it is a remarkable rebuilding feat that we see today. We make our way into the centre of the city where we start the walking tour, really a visit to Prince Eugene of Savoy’s winter palace that is located in the inner district. All street names in Vienna are predicated with a number indicating the district you are in starting with one for the inner city and expanding out to twenty three in all.
The Palace completed in 1724 in the baroque style is much as it was then today. Maria Theresa purchased the building at auction then turned it over to the minister for finance for offices but they kept part as it was. For the first time we could take photos inside, the commentary was excellent and we were the only group making the tour very comfortable.
Back on the streets after the tour we have some free time to explore the city centre. This surrounds a wide shopping mall that stretches on and on with side streets going off in many different directions. Coffee houses and restaurants are everywhere the Viennese love a coffee, Sigmund Freud was from here and enjoyed contemplating his theory of psycho analysis over a good cup of Viennese coffee, (usually a strong black served in a glass topped with whipped cream), we are told. The sun god has stayed with us today, maybe to showcase this amazing city, a remarkable and welcome change from the last few days.
With the beautiful architecture surrounding the shopping precinct one has the feeling of grace, style & elegance. Well heeled shoppers are out in their droves while I press my nose up against the windows of watch makers I have only heard of in magazines. An elaborate marble fountain with gold topped carvings commemorating those who died in the Black Death plaque of 1679 has sat as a centre piece to the cobblestoned mall since 1693.
Our time up we reluctantly head back to our meeting place for our trip back to the ship. Our second tour, this time to Schonbrunn Palace leaves after lunch at 2.45pm.
After a hurried lunch we are once again onboard for this tour. By now we are starting to realise that the Hapsburg dynasty was unbelievably wealthy, after all they had ruled most of Europe for 600 years and where they didn’t rule outright they had ingratiated themselves into the aristocracy of other nations even Britain when Prince Phillip of Spain (a Hapsburg) married Henry the Eighth’s daughter Mary, who later became Queen Mary the first. The Palace of course is amazing over 1000 rooms all elaborately and unbelievably decorated, not that we saw them all of course, but so we are told. The ones we did see, words cannot express the sheer opulence on display. Remarkably this Palace was only the Hapsburg summer home, completely closed for the winter months. Of course we are unable to take photos and the rooms we do tour are packed with people but the commentary by our guide is good, if not a little hurried. The gardens too are magnificent, but we have so little time to explore that we are unable to stroll to the bottom of the garden where there is a much smaller baroque structure, just one kilometre away, yes one kilometre to your back fence, nice!
Weary we head back to the River Duchess about 45 minute away. No sooner have we boarded then we cast off for Budapest. Just before cocktail hour we stop, we presume to queue for another lock, as we have passed through some 68 locks on our journey so far. However during the cocktail hour presentation the captain is supposed to give a farewell speech, but he is detained, it seems that one of the ships engines has failed. Just before dinner the captain makes an apologetic appearance to advise the problem is solved just a dirty filter, his hands still dirty (he definitely is a hands on captain, we have seen him all over the ship sharing in basic duties) he tells us we will move on shortly, by the time we are seated for the gala dinner we are indeed making our way through a final lock and on our way to Budapest. We leave a brilliant sunset in our wake, birds wheel in the sky that lights up behind us as the flame orange embers of the sun reflect the last of its light into the bluey grey clouds on the horizon and are mirrored in river.
Tonight is the ships gala dinner night, the chef and kitchen staff have gone all out with a five course menu starting with creme brûlée of chicken livers foi gras, then cream of celery soup, followed by scallop and risotto with saffron, then filet of beef and shrimp with grilled vegetables and béarnaise sauce and finally a dessert of bombe Alaska with cherries. Wines are equally impressive, Austrian varieties we have never heard of both red and white. Our dining companions a rowdy group of four from San Diego, thankfully quiet tonight, weary after a long day and a long two weeks of tours, food and wine. Looking back on the day our only regret is that we have to leave this city, one day is not enough time for the enormity of experiences this city has to offer. Auf Wiedersehen Vienna!