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redfiona99And featuring lots of food.
We landed on the Tuesday evening, got on the shiny new CAT train to Wien Mitte and then caught a taxi to where we were staying. The son of the man we were staying with let us in and we had drinks and cake, topfenstrudel with what was probably blackberries to be exact. Very nice.
Wednesday we did nothing but shop for food and Mum rang around to see who was in town so we could meet up with them.
Thursday we did a little sightseeing, paying particular attention to places I hadn't been before, or at least places I couldn't remember being.
We went past the Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Church) but none of my photos of that have turned out. Outside there are always a bunch of people dressed up as Mozart trying to convince tourists to part with their money. This is especially great when the person dressed up in reasonably accurate clothing is either a) female, b) talking on a mobile, c) smoking or d) some mixture of the above.
As well as these there are now people painted silver and gold, also dressed up as Mozart, pretending to be statues. So far so ho hum, we went past them. But then there was something totally different. One of the statues that aren't was done up as the Grim Reaper, complete with scythe - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0005.jpg.
So very cool.
Our route to the next place we were going took us past the Opera House - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0006.jpg - the outside of which has been cleaned up since I was last there. That seemed to be the main theme in Vienna, we are sprucing up our buildings. Also being renovated, cleaned up, having their sandstone sorted, etc were the Stephansdom, the Votivkirche, Karlskirche, Belvedere and the Parliament building.
Then we went up to the Karlskirche (St. Karl's Church, built on the orders of Karl VI dedicated to St. Carl Borhemius (spelling madly wrong since he's Italian and everything was German spellings and I can't spell to begin with), a plague Saint.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0007.jpg
They did let you take pictures inside but I didn't because I don't approve of taking photos inside places of worship.
I did take one photo on the platform where they were restoring the fresco. But that didn't turn out too well either.
Then we stopped for lunch at a cafe house on Karlsplatz and proceeded to have soup, wonderful, delicious, clear soup.
Friday we went to Belvedere. The Belvedere is actually two palaces built for Prince Eugene of Savoy that have been converted into art galleries.
Upper Belvedere, the much grander of the two, houses 2 rolling exhibitions of modern art, collections of Jugendstill (Art Deco) paintings such as Klimt and Schiele, Beidermayer paintings and the work of various other Austrian painters working at the turn of the 19th century into the 20th.
So I saw "the Kiss" and the other famous Klimt one for real. And yet I still don't get why everyone raves about them.
I much prefered the realists and the Beidermayer painters. But each to their own.
Lower Belvedere contains earlier works than the above and some Medieval art that I didn't get the chance to see because the room was locked. Lots of old kings and queens and religious and mythological scenes. One room in particular had really cool wallpaper and another was all gold and mirrors.
There was also a fantastic painting of Napoleon by Gerricault.
Unfortunately my photos didn't turn out too well, Mum's did so I will see if I can borrow them and edit them in later.
On Saturday we visited Baden, a little town outside of Vienna. Very picturesque. Only one photo from here, a picture of the town coat of arms positioned on the building that used to be the town hall - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0008.jpg
Sunday we walked through Schonbrunn, I finally got to do the tour of the interior. The tour is very interesting and I recommend it to anyone going to Vienna.
Four photos from Schonbrunn:
the Gloriette -http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0015.jpg
Part of the palace itself - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0010.jpg
The main entrance - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0011.jpg
One of the tree lined paths towards it looking out towards the entrance at Heitzing, which is the entrance you would come in to if you were going to the zoo - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0012.jpg
When I lived in Vienna I lived about a 10 minute walk away from these so you can see why I thought Vienna was the prettiest city on Earth.
Then we went to the house of one of my Mum's friends and spent the rest of the day there. Wierdest feeling ever, since I saw one of the friend's sons who was about 6 the last time I saw him and is now 15. He ran for it once the baby pictures started coming out. Poor Stefan.
Monday we had a look at the university and tried to get in to see the Votivskirche which was shut. Then again most of Vienna's museums don't do Mondays. Then we had our evening meal with another of my Mum's friends.
Tuesday featured another coffee house with yet another friend of my Mother's, this time right near the Hofburg - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0013.jpg
It's on the right hand corner. You can't quite see it but I do recommend it.
That night we had dinner with the son of the man who we were supposed to be staying with and his girlfriend.
Wednesday we raced around to see a little Beethoven museum, have dinner with some of my Mum's old friends, and raced round futhere to do a tour of the National Theatre, as decorated by Klimt, his brother and their brother in law and featuring Klimt's only self-portrait (my photos once again haven't come out but Mum's have).
Thursday was further shopping, clearing up after ourselves and then going. For our midday meal we had the best and cheapest meal of the holiday, soup followed by Wiener Schnitzel from a Gasthaus (pub type thing) on the corner of the road we were at.
And then home.
The only other thing I'm going to do is give you directions to the greatest ice cream parlour in the world. This is good information for if you ever find yourself with an hour to kill in Vienna, and it's between April and the end of September.
1) Catch the U4 underground line and take it to Meidlinger Hauptsrasse.
2) Exit the station following the signs for Meidlinger Hauptsrass.
3) Turn right.
4) Cross the road big main road.
5) Walk upwards. You should see an ice cream parlour called Zampetti's.
That's it.
Really, the greatest ice-cream parlour in the world.
We landed on the Tuesday evening, got on the shiny new CAT train to Wien Mitte and then caught a taxi to where we were staying. The son of the man we were staying with let us in and we had drinks and cake, topfenstrudel with what was probably blackberries to be exact. Very nice.
Wednesday we did nothing but shop for food and Mum rang around to see who was in town so we could meet up with them.
Thursday we did a little sightseeing, paying particular attention to places I hadn't been before, or at least places I couldn't remember being.
We went past the Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Church) but none of my photos of that have turned out. Outside there are always a bunch of people dressed up as Mozart trying to convince tourists to part with their money. This is especially great when the person dressed up in reasonably accurate clothing is either a) female, b) talking on a mobile, c) smoking or d) some mixture of the above.
As well as these there are now people painted silver and gold, also dressed up as Mozart, pretending to be statues. So far so ho hum, we went past them. But then there was something totally different. One of the statues that aren't was done up as the Grim Reaper, complete with scythe - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0005.jpg.
So very cool.
Our route to the next place we were going took us past the Opera House - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0006.jpg - the outside of which has been cleaned up since I was last there. That seemed to be the main theme in Vienna, we are sprucing up our buildings. Also being renovated, cleaned up, having their sandstone sorted, etc were the Stephansdom, the Votivkirche, Karlskirche, Belvedere and the Parliament building.
Then we went up to the Karlskirche (St. Karl's Church, built on the orders of Karl VI dedicated to St. Carl Borhemius (spelling madly wrong since he's Italian and everything was German spellings and I can't spell to begin with), a plague Saint.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0007.jpg
They did let you take pictures inside but I didn't because I don't approve of taking photos inside places of worship.
I did take one photo on the platform where they were restoring the fresco. But that didn't turn out too well either.
Then we stopped for lunch at a cafe house on Karlsplatz and proceeded to have soup, wonderful, delicious, clear soup.
Friday we went to Belvedere. The Belvedere is actually two palaces built for Prince Eugene of Savoy that have been converted into art galleries.
Upper Belvedere, the much grander of the two, houses 2 rolling exhibitions of modern art, collections of Jugendstill (Art Deco) paintings such as Klimt and Schiele, Beidermayer paintings and the work of various other Austrian painters working at the turn of the 19th century into the 20th.
So I saw "the Kiss" and the other famous Klimt one for real. And yet I still don't get why everyone raves about them.
I much prefered the realists and the Beidermayer painters. But each to their own.
Lower Belvedere contains earlier works than the above and some Medieval art that I didn't get the chance to see because the room was locked. Lots of old kings and queens and religious and mythological scenes. One room in particular had really cool wallpaper and another was all gold and mirrors.
There was also a fantastic painting of Napoleon by Gerricault.
Unfortunately my photos didn't turn out too well, Mum's did so I will see if I can borrow them and edit them in later.
On Saturday we visited Baden, a little town outside of Vienna. Very picturesque. Only one photo from here, a picture of the town coat of arms positioned on the building that used to be the town hall - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0008.jpg
Sunday we walked through Schonbrunn, I finally got to do the tour of the interior. The tour is very interesting and I recommend it to anyone going to Vienna.
Four photos from Schonbrunn:
the Gloriette -http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0015.jpg
Part of the palace itself - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0010.jpg
The main entrance - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0011.jpg
One of the tree lined paths towards it looking out towards the entrance at Heitzing, which is the entrance you would come in to if you were going to the zoo - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0012.jpg
When I lived in Vienna I lived about a 10 minute walk away from these so you can see why I thought Vienna was the prettiest city on Earth.
Then we went to the house of one of my Mum's friends and spent the rest of the day there. Wierdest feeling ever, since I saw one of the friend's sons who was about 6 the last time I saw him and is now 15. He ran for it once the baby pictures started coming out. Poor Stefan.
Monday we had a look at the university and tried to get in to see the Votivskirche which was shut. Then again most of Vienna's museums don't do Mondays. Then we had our evening meal with another of my Mum's friends.
Tuesday featured another coffee house with yet another friend of my Mother's, this time right near the Hofburg - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/redfiona99/File0013.jpg
It's on the right hand corner. You can't quite see it but I do recommend it.
That night we had dinner with the son of the man who we were supposed to be staying with and his girlfriend.
Wednesday we raced around to see a little Beethoven museum, have dinner with some of my Mum's old friends, and raced round futhere to do a tour of the National Theatre, as decorated by Klimt, his brother and their brother in law and featuring Klimt's only self-portrait (my photos once again haven't come out but Mum's have).
Thursday was further shopping, clearing up after ourselves and then going. For our midday meal we had the best and cheapest meal of the holiday, soup followed by Wiener Schnitzel from a Gasthaus (pub type thing) on the corner of the road we were at.
And then home.
The only other thing I'm going to do is give you directions to the greatest ice cream parlour in the world. This is good information for if you ever find yourself with an hour to kill in Vienna, and it's between April and the end of September.
1) Catch the U4 underground line and take it to Meidlinger Hauptsrasse.
2) Exit the station following the signs for Meidlinger Hauptsrass.
3) Turn right.
4) Cross the road big main road.
5) Walk upwards. You should see an ice cream parlour called Zampetti's.
That's it.
Really, the greatest ice-cream parlour in the world.
