Vienna Sept 16,17,18,19,20,21 - Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Day 3 Friday Sept 16 - On the train to Vienna for our 4-5 hour trip.

While on the train a cute little boy in the seat in front of me was bored so started flirting with me. I played along and soon we were friends. The family is from Iran. They were world travelers. The father had gone to college in the US. She had been to Vienna many times before because her father had gotten his degree in surgery here. So they knew their way around. As we talked Deb figured out or guessed they were going to the same Hotel we were going to - amazing.

We got to the Wein-Meidling station where we took the U-Bahn (Metro) to Westbahnhof, changed trains and went to our stop, Neubaugasse on the U3 orange line,  in downtown Vienna. We were not real close to the "ring" area which is where most tourists spend their time.

The "Hotel Pension Corvinus" on Mariahilfer Strasse was very nice. A bit off the main tourist areas. We were on the third floor the room was a little small. The best shower of the whole trip. Unfortunately the toilet was attached to the wall and was such that my feet did not touch the floor, quite uncomfortable. The owner/managers were very nice and like family. There was a sitting area with a shared computer available. The WiFi didn't work well in our room, it could be my Nook has a weak antenna.

We were pretty pooped. I could hear an oompah band and a busy square just below our window. We went down got a table and had a beer and a sausage while watching the passing scene. Our friends from the train came by. The square was in front of a church next to our building.

We relaxed and took a nap.

We decided to hike down to the Ringstraussa. I was told it was about ten minutes away. Unfortunately we went in the wrong direction and walked for about 30 minutes. We were pooped. We stopped in a restaurant for the bathroom then hiked back. Not a good experience. 

The hotel guy suggested a place for dinner a few blocks away. We hiked over and had a simple dinner and a beer. It turns out this is a "7 Stern Brau", more about that later. Then back to our hotel and to bed.

Day 4 - Saturday Sept 17. We diddled around getting breakfast because they were quite busy. Breakfast was rather limited. I was happy to see my little friend and family next to us at breakfast.

We then took the U-Bahn to Volkstheater and went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. A bit of a hassle getting to the entry. This is a world class exhibit of the Hapsburg's' art collection, including Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Bosch, and Bruegel (to quote RS). A huge place. These few pictures do not began to show what is here.
   We were really hoping to see Cellini's salt cellar. We had recently read his autobiography and knew it was a big deal. The area for it was undergoing a refurbish and they weren't displaying it. What!? Why couldn't they have displayed it someplace else? The museum was big enough.
   We had an elegant lunch in the museum including an apple strudel.
   It also had an amazing collection of objects from Egypt, Rome and everywhere. Essentially no explanations in English, maybe the audio tour would have explained what we were seeing. We were pretty tired and skated through this section.

Back to our room for a nap.

We now went back to Museumplatz to take the #2 tram loop ride around the Ringstrasse. RS has an mp3 guided tour of going around the loop. As I mentioned before most of the tourist stuff is in inside this ring. The tram was a bit dumpy and jerky. We started from the Opera House. As we went along we listened to the mp3 descriptions. The tram then stopped for about twenty minutes while they changed drivers. When we finally got rolling again it appeared we had veered off the Ringstrasse. I wanted to ask the driver but delayed and delayed.

Finally when I asked about the Opera House he said the route had been changed and it was no longer the #2 but now was the #38! He said I needed to get off and take the #38 in the other direction! Damn! We jumped off and looked around. There was a U-Bahn station nearby so seeing we know it's fast and we are familiar with it we decided to take it. The station was an above ground platform with no maps or information so we didn't know if we were on the correct side or not. I asked a local and he didn't speak a word of English but tried to be helpful. He did what we all do when somebody doesn't speak our language - he spoke slowly and loudly and repeated his words. Of course we still didn't communicate. Meanwhile Debbie was having a "bathroom" problem which increased the pressure.
   We got on the train. I looked at the map there and found we were going the wrong way. But the U-Bahn in Vienna has about six lines so with a couple transfers we got to our stop. Whew! Screw RS and his #2 line. Apparently the change was done because there was a large neighborhood party someplace on the line causing the trains to have to stop.

Back to our room for a break.

We went to dinner at a different "7 Stern Brau". A really authentic brewery. It is huge. We hiked all over trying to find an appropriate place to eat. They have tables in a large courtyard and a good size place for smokers to eat. Back inside there are various rooms plus the rather large bar. We ate in a small room. The best dinner yet. I had pork with sauce, spatzel and the best sauerkraut I've ever had. Deb had goulash with a dumpling plus a couple beers as big as your head.
   On the way out we discovered they had a beer vending machine in their lobby so for a couple Euros we bought a .5l bottle of beer for the room. Very nice. We walked home and went to bed.

Day 5 Sunday Sept 18 -  Rode the U-Bahn to the Opera House. Did RS's walk through the inner loop. We had a torte and coffee at the Hotel Sacher or the famous Sacher Torte,  plus an apple strudel. Quite good in an elegant place though pricy (E22+). At the Albertina Platz we looked at the Monument Against War and Fascism. Took a look at the Kaisergruft church which holds fancy coffins of the Hapsburg's. We didn't go in. Saw the fountain of the four rivers of the Hapsburg Empire. Hiked up Karntner Strasse which is a shopping street. We looked at St. Stevens on Stephansplatz. Apparently we went inside. We looked at the plague monument. Many cities have plague monuments thanking God for sparing them. At the Kohlmarkt we stopped into the shop Demel, the ultimate chocolate shop. They make things from marzipan and chocolate which look like sandwiches and other things. Interesting.

We then did the Hofburg Palace first seeing the Kaiserappartements. Deb skated us through. I would of liked a little more time to see the rooms. Basically an elegant living area. Besides the rooms and furnishings there was a vast collection of household items including plates, silver, place settings, candelabras, etc. We took a few minutes for a small lunch of some hot dogs and beer in a little place near the castle.
   After much searching we found the Weltliche und Geistliche Schatzkammer or Treasury. RS says they are the best jewels on the continent and maybe he's right. 21 rooms filled with scepters, swords, crowns, orbs, weighty robes, double-headed eagles, gowns, gem-studded bangles and a unicorn horn. Plus Napoleons child's bed. Pretty amazing.

We went back to the "7 Stern Brau" for dinner. I had vienerschnitzel with German potato salad. Deb had another stew with gnocchi.  We bought another beer from the vending machine. They have a great smokey beer here. Deb says it tastes like smoked almonds. Then to bed.

Day 6 Monday Sept 19 - U-Bahn to the opera then a hike over to the famous Naschmarkt. It was cold and rainy. It was an interesting place but pretty empty. Probably because of the weather. It was pretty impressive with stands selling everything you could think of including a place that specialized in vinegars. Many various restaurants too.

We walked over to the "Succession" to see a Klimt piece and other exhibitions. The museum was built for the guys doing the succession movement. Klimt was one of the major guys. We were there mainly to see the Beethoven Frieze. I wasn't too impressed though I like some of the other stuff.

We took the tram over to Belvedere castle to see more Klimt and others. It was freezing cold and windy. This castle was built for the Prince of Savoy who conquered the Ottomans. He died with no heirs so the state turned it into Austria's first public art museum.
   This was a very impressive museum. We were mainly there to see Klimt's "The Kiss" and other famous paintings of his. We were not disappointed. We about fainted when we walked into one of the rooms and saw a famous painting of Napoleon on his horse in the winter Moscow campaign. There were many good things here.

We exited and went across the street to a small Greek restaurant. We were disappointed with the menu so got back on the tram where we met some Korean girls. Back home. We went to the upstairs "7 Stern Brau" for a light lunch. We went back to our room and mainly did little until dinner time. Back to the "7 Stern Brau" brewery for our final dinner and vending machine beer.

Also hit the ATM for money to pay our room tomorrow and save a few Euros.
At some point we went to Westbanhof and got our train reservations.

Day 7 Wednesday Sept 21 - Our final breakfast at the Corvinus Hotel. We U-Bahned to Westbanhof and took the 9:54am train to Budapest.

Comments -

- Something wrong with my time line here.
- The room was small but the shower made up for it.
- The WiFi only worked in the hall area. They had a public computer in the hall area. It tended to be busy.
- I should have had more sausages. Many are home made.
- The brewery "7 Stern Brau" was a highlight. There were two versions here. The one down stairs was the best. It may be a chain.