Final Notes and Trip Report

I need to put this wrap-up in perspective and explain how and why we decided to go to Vienna, which drove our expectations for this trip.   For the most part we had no expectations - we pretty much just let things happen.

I received my monthly statement from American Airlines, and realized there was a chunk of air miles that needed to be used.  Where could we go?

a)  Amazing Race finished at Schloss Schoenbrunn on Nov 3 after racing in Vienna and Tom thought that looked like a pretty fun city.

b)  Visiting Christmas Markets in Europe have always been on our bucket list.
c)  And it had to be somewhere neither of us had been.

Vienna became our destination for our pre-Christmas escape, and a month later we were there (Dec 4).  There was little time to study and pre-plan for our upcoming adventure so we just fell into things.   And boy did we have some great falls! 

 

 

One thing for sure five days is too short to take in everything the city of Vienna offers.  Albeit being a country boy, five days is about the right number of days to stay in a city… any city.   Will we go again?  I sure hope so!   Vienna is truly an international gathering point and has a mystique that is hard to describe.  Continually rated as one of the world’s best cities to live, one can still feel the vibe of days gone by.  From the great parties of the golden years to the surreptitious meetings in the alleys during the Cold War where spies exchanged nuclear secrets.  It is a place where one can stand on a street corner and hear many languages spoken at the same time... but do not fear English is widely spoken and communication was never a problem.

If you speak three languages you are considered International

If you speak two languages you are considered Cosmopolitan

If you speak one language you must be from the United States

 

 

Lodging:   Hotel Am Konzerthaus - MGallery Collection 

This hotel is part of the Accor Chain, which also includes Sofitel and Novotel brands.  The location was as the name refers very near the Konzerthaus (Concert House).  Located a couple blocks out of the center city it was a short walk to the Stadt Park Subway station and a pleasant walk downtown.

 

The rates for hotels outside the center city can be significantly less than hotels inside what is called “the Ring”.

The Hotel Am Konzerthaus offered a wonderful breakfast that can be included in the rate.  I highly recommend getting a w/breakfast rate.  There was something for everybody in the morning.  Food was plentiful and very good.  Another perk the hotel offered was a free (yep-free) walking tour of small streets of Vienna.  I am not sure which days the tour is offered, but our tour was on Saturday.   The walk was very informative and well done!  Of course if you read the blog you know Tom got lost or as he would say... left behind. 

Wi-Fi was free in the hotel and had a great signal.  We somehow ended up with a business class room on the corner of the fifth floor.  The room was spacious, clean, and had all the gadgets, do-dads, lotions, and potions that anyone could ever need in a room.  There were even umbrellas, which unfortunately we got to use.  The staff at the Front Desk we extremely friendly and helpful and always had a smile on when you entered or exited.  I cannot say enough good things about them.  The concierge was probably the only negative thing I would say about our experience at the Hotel Am Konzerthaus.  He always appeared wanting to be helpful, but never really was.  The front desk made up for any shortcomings we experienced with the concierge.

The rate for the room varied per night, but for us over the five days, with breakfast, and including all taxes the bill end up averaging to 140 Euros a night.  

Location:  Great |  Room:  Excellent  | Staff:  Excellent

Food:   We did not seek out the high end restaurants and pretty much just ate where we were when.  Usually food is a high priority on a trip from us, but this trip we decided to spend our fun money elsewhere.   We did not have a bad meal and some that were extremely good.  For local food, we enjoyed both the Lindenkeller, which is not far from St Stephan.  The GmoaKeller was also very good and is next to the hotel.

 

The one thing I would highly recommend is that you put time aside to go to a Viennese Coffee shop and spend some time.  No one is in a hurry, the treats are amazing, and of course the coffee is excellent.  It is a social event and just a wonderful experience. 

Transportation:  We used American Airlines frequent flyer miles.  40,000 miles per ticket plus $125 from Reagan in DC to JFK New York across the pond to Zurich and NIKI airlines for our last leg into Vienna. 

  

Our NIKI plane in Zurich

For the most part all went well on the way over, and unbeknownst to us we had a pre-TSA check in completed.  That sure made life extremely easy checking in.   I took a chance this booking the tickets and requested two aisle seats side by side.   My sweetie had three empty seats next to her and was able to stretch out and sleep pretty much across the pond.  Myself, I had the two seats window side and slept fine, but I always do when I fly.  Flight delays made things a little interesting, but nothing that was so bad to ruin the trip.  The way back was not as much fun due to the mystery snow.  We never saw any in NY or in DC, but we had to be bused from JFK over to LaGuardia.  US Airways, the new owner of American, brought us back to DCA.  A very very long day on the return.   Overall, I was pleased with our frequent flyer deal and the flights.  I would also definitely give big thumbs up to NIKI airlines – Great Crews and Service. 

Oh yeah and we did it with carry-on only which allowed us the flexibility to make quick switches when our flight appeared in jeopardy.  Or at least that was the plan.   See lessons learned.

Transportation in Vienna:  Vienna itself may have the best public transportation system I have ever used.  Whether you are above or below the ground there seems to be an option within a block of wherever you are.  We bought a three day public transportation pass (Wien Karte) for 19,90 Euro at the airport, which also gives you discounts to a bunch of venues in Vienna.  After traveling for better part of 24 hours we decided to walk the first day saving a day on our Wien Karte.  Remember you have to validate the ticket the first time you use it or big fines may follow.  There are little blue boxes everywhere to do the validation.  We activated our card for day 2, 3, and 4 and the last day bought a 24 hour pass for 7,80 Euro.  Money well spent indeed!  Although we ended up using very few of the discount passes, the ones we did made a difference of a few Euros, which adds up. Safe, clean, and convenient – what else can one ask for in a public transportation system.

Lessons Learned:

1)  The Fast Train from the Airport to Downtown Vienna is not part of your Wien Karte ticket.  Go ahead and just get the fast train ticket downtown and buy your Wien Karte at the hotel.

2)  We live in the DC area so we are lucky that almost all the museums are free to the public.  It was a little shocking how much some of the sights and museums did cost.  However, I never felt ripped off when I finished the tour, but yes there was some sticker shock.

3)  Bring really really good walking shoes.  The city has a multiple surfaces as you stroll around.  Many of which are still cobblestone and can be pretty slick when wet.

4)  Many of the traditional restaurants are very hard to get a table on a whim.   Make reservations as early as you can.

5)  ATMs work great and are probably the best way to exchange cash.  Do not forget there will be international charges depending on credit card.

6)  The Viennese are very nice and polite people, but can be very aggressive.  They will push or crowd you for position in lines and coffee shops.  Hold your ground and smile.

7)  In Europe carry-ons must be less than 12kg (~25lbs) and it is enforced!

8) Avoid Mozart's Balls!  There are much better sweets than these tourist souvenirs - Save the calories for the good stuff

9) Remember to dress warm is you decide to attend Mass - It is Damn Cold in that building

 

Conclusion:  Vienna was everything and more we could have wanted it to be for a magical getaway at Christmas time.  We were so glad we went in the winter.  The city must be beautiful in the spring and early summer, but I cannot imagine the size of the crowds.  (Remember I am country boy)  I can honestly say in our Five Day Adventure we truly kept moving no matter what the weather.  We did missed Phil at the finish line, but we gave it our best.

 

And yes Photoshop was used to add the Amazing Race Finish Mat

Rain, Wind, and Cold - Yuck!

The rain was coming down and the winds were blowing as hard as ever.  These would be the conditions we would have to deal with on our last day.  Oh well the die had been cast, and we set out on foot for the Belvedere.  A baroque palace built by Prince Eugene of Savoy, probably the greatest military leader in the history of the Austria-Hungry Empire called home.  We were sopping wet by the time we arrived at this beautiful edifice which is now an art gallery.   It is the home “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt, and of course no camera pictures were allowed inside, so you will have to trust me.  We killed almost 4 hours in the palace admiring the art and the building.

This is just half of Belvedere and is called the upper house

After warming up at the hotel from our walk back from the Belvedere we headed off to the only Christmas Market we had not visited.  And probably was the nicest one we visited, but the weather continued to get worst.  Even Christmas Punch could not warm our feet.  Run to the underground!  We popped up a couple times, but for the most part our last day was trying to stay dry and warm. 

Dinner was a traditional Austrian restaurant and oh what an experience.  It was less than a block from the hotel and we were lucky that our reservations were made on Friday long before we knew the weather would be so bad.  

Cream of Potato Soup with Mushrooms, Wiener Schnitzel, and Potato Salad.  Everything was wonderful and it was all washed down with an Austrian Chardonnay.  The wine was perfectly balanced and was wonderful with our meal.  I must admit I was surprised.  And then there was dessert… a pfeffernüsse mousse with fresh raspberries and blue berries sitting in a cranberry wine reduction.  It was so good that I forgot to take a picture.  Trust me it was good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So by looking at the weather we are returning to a wintery mess, but if all goes well we will sleep in our own beds tomorrow.  If not we will hitch a ride with Santa.

I will follow up with a trip report that will cover the hotel, lessons learned, etc…

Thanks for following along  

T & J

P.S.  It has been brought to our attention that the first ferris wheel was at the Chicago World's Fair and was dismantled in the early 1900s.  The one here in Vienna was built in 1897 and is still operational - so it is not the oldest one, but the oldest in operation.  Sorry for any confusion.  

Church Day!

One of the things Tom was looking for this trip was Sunday in Vienna.  It is a Catholic Holy Day, and the Cardinal of Vienna would be saying a high Mass at the Cathedral.   A high Mass means everything would be sung or chanted during the Mass.  

The Cardinal was backed up by 15 priests, a 100 person choir, and a 300 year old pipe organ.  The place was packed, but we had arisen early and were seated maybe 15 yards from the altar.  The incense was smoking, the angelic voices in harmony recited the prayers, and it lasted almost two hours.  It was all that Tom had hoped for, but damn it was cold in there and the pews never did warm up.   Following Mass it took us 20 minutes to get out because of the onslaught of people trying to enter for the next Mass were all fighting over the same entry way.

The main Altar you see in the pictures was completed in 1641, but the original work began in 1147.  St Stephan is also where Mozart took his marriage vows and was buried at young age (one should not draw any conclusions for having those two facts joined).  The Cathedral suffered greatly during WWII due to Allied bombing, but was rebuilt and still remains a magical place today.  If you like pomp and circumstance – today would have been your day!

So it is Sunday and you just went to an amazing church service… what should we do next?  Why of course - Why not go ride the oldest ferris wheel in the world!  We descended into the depths below the church and were whisked to our next destination “Riesenrad” (The Giant Ferris Wheel} at the Prater just a short subway ride away.  

Unlike ferris wheels you may have ridden before, this one has cars that are the size of train caboose.  It slowly goes around allowing you to look in all directions around the city.  Not necessarily a once in a lifetime moment, but we are glad we did it.  Check that one off the bucket list.

By this time in our trip we have adjusted nicely to the coffee shop thing.  Even though Starbucks is trying to take over the town they cannot match the intimacy and pastries at the traditional Viennese coffee shop.  Our lunch stop brought to a small shop named Aira, where a café latte with a ham and cheese toastie was called lunch, and a piece of an amazing sponge and cookie cake that was as light as feather.  There is no rush in these coffee shops.  Stay the day, read the paper, meet your friends, and for a moment remember simpler times.

It was back to the subterranean world to navigate across the city to our hotel.  Pretty much a drop run event as we wanted to be at the Music House Museum by 3:30.  Performing was group called “Pure Voices”.  A group of 20 women, whose voices are instruments filled a 5 story atrium with the sounds of Christmas.  So enjoyable!  From there we toured the museum.  I highly recommend this place for all who may visit this city.  With many interactive things to do the tour will take you from the science of sound to works of the great masters.   We spent over 2 hours in the museum and felt like we rushed it.  The most fun was an interactive display that allowed you to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.   Climbing into position with a light sensitive baton, Tom began with a slight motion with hand and the orchestra responded with Johann Strauss “Blue Danube”.  

Things were going great as the music filled the room, but with one fatal jerk of the hand things went badly and Tom could not recover.  Finally one of the musicians in the second row of strings stood up and said in German (close caption in English) that he had played this waltz for over thirty years, and each time he played the music made him cry.  What you have done to it Mr. Conductor is a scandal – please step down!   And the orchestra cheered! 

With a broken ego we departed the museum to a place Tom can excel.  A brewery named 1516, which is also the year it went into business.  They made a very nice pils, but it was very smokey and time for dinner so we did not stay long.

Dinner was more continental tonight.  We each enjoyed a small fillet with a peppercorn sauce and a baked potato accompanied by a bottle of Austrian red wine, Zweigelt.  Following our meal we just window shopped and strolled the streets.  Lo and behold we ended up at a Christmas market and participated in some outdoor drinking.  The winds had died from early in the day and it was absolutely beautiful night and this beautiful church was our backdrop to end a wonderful day.

Karlskirche a beautiful baroque church 

 Returning to the hotel we clicked on the TV to catch some world news, but instead watched about 30 minutes of the 49ers vs the Seahawks with German commentary. Very strange indeed.  Good Night to all those across the sea.

Roaming the streets lost and so much more...

The winds could be heard outside our hotel room to announce the arrival of Saturday morning.  It was still spitting snow and sleet, but today would be a special one… We have a walking tour at 10:00.  This was a free bonus from our hotel, and when we checked in it sounded great.  To see the backstreets of Vienna with a local would be a great opportunity.   So we bundled up and headed to a sister hotel of ours where we would meet.  Janet and I are pretty much staying in theater district and it was a short subway ride over to meet our tour group.  Only about 20 folks it was a good size to see the city.

The only Synagogue in Vienna that survived Kristallnacht in 1938

1000 year old St Rupert

We started in what was known as the Jewish section of the city.  Vienna before the big war was about 10% Jewish, which of course many lost their lives or were deported during the war.  Today the population is less than 1% however the ethnicity of the neighborhood is still apparent.   This neighborhood is also where you will find St Rupert’s Church.  The oldest Catholic Church in Vienna, it was built in 1000 AD.  St Rupert is the patron saint of miners.  The salt mines surrounding Vienna were very important in the early years of the city. 

The winds whipped down every alley, but the morning was extremely enjoyable.   We saw so many interesting things, but one of our favorites was the church that Franz Joseph built next to a monastery and the school where the boy’s choir attend.   With the Protestant influences creeping into Austria from Germany, Franz wanted to insure that Catholicism was part of their studies.  Austria today is still about 80% Catholic.   The fresco on the ceiling is an optical illusion of a grand dome, but in fact is flat. 

I do not care what you say the ceiling is Flat!

The statue for Lost Souls

Well enough educational stuff.  The tour was almost complete with just a couple more stops.  Tom whipped out the camera to snap a picture of this beautiful gold statue attached to the Cathedral.  He heard a guide explaining about the bell tower in the church.  Then he heard her explain it again and he thought,  hmmmmm that is strange.   When he turned around he realized that it was not our tour guide and my group was gone!  Now what?  Coast Guard training kicked in.  Tom stayed exactly where he was for 30 minutes.  He kept saying, “I told myself when the Cathedral bells announce the noon hour I would return to the hotel.”   On the 12^th Bong after a beautiful intro Tom began walking to the subway station.  And that is where he found his bride searching for him.  Ohhhhh did I get the look.  Those who know Janet – Know the Look!

After a wonderful lunch in a backstreet coffee house (earlier blog) we headed back to hotel to catch our breath.  

Somehow we came up with the idea to go to the Christmas Market at the Rathaus (Government Center – appropriate name don’t you think) for a late afternoon adventure.  What a zoo!  Thousands upon Thousands of Outdoor Drinkers were pushing and shoving for just one more gluehwein.   After walking all morning our legs were weak and the weather was getting colder. The Christmas Markets are special places, but we have found on the weekends they are absolutely insane!  There are people everywhere, but when you make to a booth there as some magical things.

We headed back to the hotel.  On a whim we stopped at the opera house to see if the 2 Euro tickets were available for La Boehme.  Yes 2 Euros!  Tickets go from 2 Euros to 400 Euros.  The 2 Euro tickets are standing room only but hey you get what you pay for.   Well we went in the same door we did for our tour yesterday, but it was the wrong entrance.  A nice lady got us pointed in the right direction.   We got in line and were only about 15 yards from the ticket booth when we decided we are just too tired and jumped out of line.  We opened the doors to go outside when we realized that there was about 1000 folks in line behind us outside.  Uh Oh, the gringos cut line.  It was good for a laugh as we headed to the underground to return back to our hotel.  I will expand on how to do this later on in my Vienna wrap up.  I had always told my children growing up, “Just act like you know what you are doing” and keep walking.  We had two ushers open up barriers and doors for us.  

Hungry and tired we went to a neighborhood restaurant for some local fare and enjoyed our meal with a wonderful Austrian Pils and then we called it day.

Have a great day - It is Gluehwein Time!

By the way is there anyone out there?  Leave us a note to say Howdy!

Lunch Time!

After a morning of a walking tour of the back streets of Vienna it was lunch time!  As the snow the fell we found an out of the way coffee house and settled into a warm lunch

Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Potatoes, with Mustard for Tom

Pumpkin Soup, Spinach Ravioli with a Beet Sauce for Janet

And yes that is two forks you see!

Tom shared his dessert!

More to come on our Saturday adventure later... including how Tom got lost on a guided tour.

Freezing Friday

This morning's adventure began differently in that we are determined to master the subway today and it is a good thing with freezing temperatures, snow flakes, and wind. On my it is cold here today!

So if you watch the Amazing Race, our adventure took us out of the city proper to discover the palace and gardens where Phil stood to greet the finishing racers.- Schloss Schönbrunn.  It was after that show a few short weeks ago that Tom decided we needed to go visit Vienna.  The view from the top of the hill looking back over the city was breath taking... as was the walk to get up there.

The walk down the hill was much easier and the Tom found the views equally impressive.  How could anyone wear something so short with 30 to 40 mph winds, 32 degrees temperature. and it spitting snow and sleet.  We could not answer that question and Tom did not have the nerve to ask so we just kept walking.Schloss Schönbrunn. takes one back to times of opulent living as you experience over 200 years of the Hapsburg rule over a large portion of Europe.  Not sure we ever completely figured out the lineage and which Franz Joseph went with his beloved Sisi.      

There was another great Christmas Market (outdoor drinking site) in front of Schloss Schönbrunn.  Tom gets a pretzel and Janet a bread bowl filled with the best potato soup ever, of course everything tastes good outside when you are cold.  Once again the booths contained all things Christmas or some special treat to eat.  

We jumped back on the U, we are experts now, jumping off and on the subway headed to our next adventure of the day, the Opera House - the Staatsoper.

Our tour through the Opera House began sitting in the "good seats"  We got a treat in that the tour guide was allowed to take us back stage and actually watch the setup for the night's performance, a ballet.  The great house does not show the same opera two nights in a row, thus complete set changes are required every day. The tour concluded by circumnavigating around the many rooms and halls that surround the great hall.  

Completing the tour it was time to find some of that Christmas magic drink.  Glühwein in a mug on a cold snowy afternoon warms the soul and provided us the opportunity to meet news friends from Zurich. A doctor in town for a conference and two handsome young men (Janet's Description) who are here for a Salsa competition.  Yep who would have ever thought that the Swiss would be Salsa dancers.  Our new friends refilled our Glühwein boots and we stood around a table laughing and telling stories with our new friends.

After a wonderful dinner of Wiener Schnitzel and the best potato salad ever, we headed into St Stephan for the Advent concert..   

Sitting in the cathedral and listening to music of the season in any language is a great way to end the day.  We also learned how cold a 13th century cathedral could be.  Mass on Sunday will be in long johns for this boy.

We head to bed with snow flakes falling and looking forward to what Saturday adventure brings with an angel watching over us.

What a Long Strange Day it was... Wednesday & Thursday

Well it was a blur!  We were up early Wednesday morning and had multiple things to do before we departed.   Arriving at the airport at Washington Reagan we found that our flight was delayed to New York.  The clock began ticking…  While sitting in the lounge I bumped into one of my students from 25 years ago.  Small world!   

It was getting to be touch and go if we were going to make our connection at JFK, but the mechanic showed up and we were rolling!

The flight from JFK to Zurich was extremely nice for Trans-Atlantic trip.  Flying on frequent flyer miles I took a chance and book two aisle seats, and the roll of the dice paid off.  Janet had three seats to stretch out and sleep and me two.  After watching the worst movie ever made, “The Wolverine”, we both faded away. Next time our eyes opened the sun was rising over a sleeping United Kingdom.

We breezed through passport control in Zurich and headed for a café for a morning cappuccino and pecan pastry to die for.  

With a three hour layover we strolled the airport, and the Christmas magic we were seeking began to
find us.  Time flew by as we waited for our flight to Vienna.  

Once again we found being in Zurich a very expensive proposition - 9.80 Euros for two bottle waters (not including tax).  I guess that is about $6 a bottle.  That takes bottled water to a whole new place.

Finally we arrived in Vienna shortly after lunch.  Since we were strictly carry on, we got our Wien Karte (public transportation pass) and headed into the city.  Well I can tell you if we were on the Amazing Race we failed miserably.  After arriving at the central train station we decide to walk to our hotel.  Yeah, it was a kilometer away, but we needed to walk.  An hour later and still going in circles, we accidently stumbled into the hotel after multiple people giving us bad directions.  However since it took us so long to get there our type of rooms have already been taken, so we got upgraded to corner room with lots of space.  So there is something to say for getting lost in freezing weather and pulling your suitcase.

We dropped bags and headed to our first Christmas market at St Stephan’s.  The city was alive with people walking the streets in the waning daylight at 3:30 pm.  The smells of chestnuts roasting, sausages grilling, and Christmas spices filled the cold crisp air and we returned to life from a day of travel. 
 

Each small booth offered some sort of Christmas item.  Below are ornaments made with cinnamon and other spices.

After a Turbo Punch we found a small Italian restaurant and had a wonderful meal.  When we finished dinner Janet and I slowly walked back to the hotel stopping at another Christmas Market for Gluhwein. Janet came to the realization that Christmas Market translated to English means “a reason for outdoor drinking”.  

By 9 pm we were dead and called it day.  We had not been in a bed for almost 32 hours – it was time to call it day.
 

I hear Vienna is lovely this time of year

Angelic strings of Strauss enchant crowds, while Bratkartoffel and Bratwurst roast on glowing coals; the smells of hot waffeln and gebrannte mandeln permeates the cold night air; children smiles beam as Oma hands them a piece of Lebkuchen and handful of Maroni; young lovers stroll beneath the lights clutching each other sharing a warm cup of Glühwein under the careful watch of her Vater sipping Punsch on a distant bench as the snow begins fall.

William Faulkner would be proud.   A rambling sentence that I think is grammatically correct, but way too long.  For me - e. e. cummings is more my speed.  Just stop reading when you need to take a breath.  Ahh but I digress.

The scene described above is the snapshot we hope to capture as a lifelong memory from our whirlwind trip to Wien (Vienna).  With the start of Advent, this historic city hosts multiple Christmas Markets in the shadows of grand places and government buildings.    The city is alive with festivals, music, and holiday traditions.   Both Janet and I long for a respite from the daily grind, and nothing could be better than a strong dose of

 Christmas Magic – Viennese Style!

So tomorrow we will try to get everyone caught up on our adventures Day One

Stay tuned and we hope you enjoy - Tom and Janet