Prague To Vienna

VIENNA

We left Prague on Tuesday and headed for Vienna. We took the train and all in all it took us 4 1/2 hours to travel between these two Sister Cities. The train was OK. While we were in First Class, it was not one of the newer TGV trains like you might ride from Amsterdam to Paris. It got us there though and for the €50 fare it was worth while.

The Prague Express

Austria was cold. It was 1-2 degrees every day and there was a pretty strong wind. The wind chill temperature was something like -10 to -15 degrees. We had a mini blizzard the last day we were in town. Here is some of what we did in Vienna and some pictures.



This is a main shopping street in Vienna. It is near the Opera and is one of very few "Closed" streets. It has a variety of shops but most were of higher end and designer shops. There were the obligatory "Mostly Motzart" stores that sold the basic Austrian Souvenirs.

St Stephens Church




Here are 2 shots of St. Stephens Church. Every city we have visited has a huge gothic church in its city center and Vienna is no different. We visited the church and took a tour of the Crypt where thousands are buried. During the Black Plague they dumped bodies by the hundreds every day into holes dug around the church.

The Hofburg Palace

The Hofburg Palace was our next stop and let me tell you pictures can not tell the story. This palace is as big if not bigger than Versailles in France and its in the middle of the city. Inside there are displays of the things the Royals used in every day life....and it was an overwhelming display of largesse. Need silver to seat 15,000, they have it on display. Need china for the same numbers, no problem and gold.....the Austrians favored it. Unbelievable table displays. Sets of china and gold plates to travel with....for 500 people! It also housed the Royal Apartments, State Treasury Building and the Spanish Riding School. It was a cool place.



The Palace










The Emperor's Cape




A Tunic made from Gold



Gold Pitcher and Platter


Crown and Scepter



A gold table setting



A portrait of Franz Joseph the Emperor


Horses

The Palace houses the Spanish Riding School and the Lipizzaner Stallions. We went to see their Practice Session. You were not allowed to take pictures and I got yelled at by some old lady for taking one that didn't turn out. I got back at her though...I took some video. Here is my clip from the practice session.




SCHONBRUNN PALACE


We went out to the Royal's Summer Palace, Schonbrunn Palace. It made the Palace in the city seem pedestrian. We wandered through about 40 of the rooms open to the public. The Gardens outside are huge and had it not been freezing we would have stayed a bit longer and explored.







The Opera

Our last big stop in Vienna was to the Opera. Our hotel was a block away and we had passed it about a hundred times. They have a 2PM tour and we went in and looked around. We were so impressed that we bought 4 tickets to the Friday Night show of The Flying Dutchman. We were in the first box in seats 1, 2, 3 and 4. We had a fantastic view, overlooking the Vienna Philharmonic and a perfect view of 95% of the state. We couldn't see the very back left....but nothing happened there so it was perfect. I had my camera confiscated by a very diligent wife who didn't want a repeat of what is now referred to as The Riding School Incident. We did get a few shots before and after though. It was a lovely experience.

All in all we liked Vienna, though it could have been 10 degrees warmer.

See you in a bit.