Vienna
Reminiscences of Orson Wells and the post-war film The Third Man were prominent in our minds as we arrived at the Giant Ferris Wheel of the Prater amusement park in Vienna. Built in 1897 with 30 cars (now 15), it was also today the filming scene of a new criminal movie. As our enclosed gondolas glided slowly above the sunny park in brilliant fall colors, we saw a vivid sky as backdrop for the many noteworthy buildings across the horizon. The shortest possible version of Viennese history was seen in the revolving museum below the Giant Ferris Wheel, from the Roman settlement called Vindobona to the founding of the Austrian Republic in 1955.
Making a full circle around the city, our bus tour on the Ringstrasse presented magnificent architecture dating from the second half of the 19th century, when the ancient walls of the city were demolished. The Greek style Parliament, the Neo-Gothic City Hall and Votive Church, as well as the imposing Art Historical Museum, Museum of Natural Science and reconstructed Vienna State Opera gave witness to the prosperity of Vienna in the 1870’s. We also passed the famous Burg Theater and the homes of Sigmund Freud and the composer Johann Strauss, the Younger, in addition to monuments representing the great masters Goethe, Schiller, Schubert, Mozart, et al.
A walking tour from the Hofburg to St. Stephen’s Cathedral was highlighted by the crossing of the white Lipizzaner stallions from their stables to the rehearsal hall, offering prized photo opportunities. Many guests took special note of the location of the renowned Demel’s Café, which in spite of scaffolding still revealed its proper title as K. u. K. Hofzuckerbäcker; that is, Royal and Imperial Court Confectioner. Others made plans for a quick, traditional, Viennese refreshment at Trzniewski’s with open-face sandwiches and a small Pfiff of beer.
After dining on Wienerschnitzel and Sachertorte (chocolate cake with apricot marmalade) at the Griechenbeisel, a traditional old tavern named for its location in the former Greek quarter, we proceeded to the Liechtenstein Palais and art museum. There our guides highlighted the historical library, Hercules Hall, seven paintings by Rubens, and others by renowned artists including Raphael and Bernhard Strigel. A large group attended a performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Others attended a concert of the Spanish tenor Jose Carreras at the Konzerthaus, where he gave eleven encores and left the stage over a sea of roses from admirers.
Reminiscences of Orson Wells and the post-war film The Third Man were prominent in our minds as we arrived at the Giant Ferris Wheel of the Prater amusement park in Vienna. Built in 1897 with 30 cars (now 15), it was also today the filming scene of a new criminal movie. As our enclosed gondolas glided slowly above the sunny park in brilliant fall colors, we saw a vivid sky as backdrop for the many noteworthy buildings across the horizon. The shortest possible version of Viennese history was seen in the revolving museum below the Giant Ferris Wheel, from the Roman settlement called Vindobona to the founding of the Austrian Republic in 1955.
Making a full circle around the city, our bus tour on the Ringstrasse presented magnificent architecture dating from the second half of the 19th century, when the ancient walls of the city were demolished. The Greek style Parliament, the Neo-Gothic City Hall and Votive Church, as well as the imposing Art Historical Museum, Museum of Natural Science and reconstructed Vienna State Opera gave witness to the prosperity of Vienna in the 1870’s. We also passed the famous Burg Theater and the homes of Sigmund Freud and the composer Johann Strauss, the Younger, in addition to monuments representing the great masters Goethe, Schiller, Schubert, Mozart, et al.
A walking tour from the Hofburg to St. Stephen’s Cathedral was highlighted by the crossing of the white Lipizzaner stallions from their stables to the rehearsal hall, offering prized photo opportunities. Many guests took special note of the location of the renowned Demel’s Café, which in spite of scaffolding still revealed its proper title as K. u. K. Hofzuckerbäcker; that is, Royal and Imperial Court Confectioner. Others made plans for a quick, traditional, Viennese refreshment at Trzniewski’s with open-face sandwiches and a small Pfiff of beer.
After dining on Wienerschnitzel and Sachertorte (chocolate cake with apricot marmalade) at the Griechenbeisel, a traditional old tavern named for its location in the former Greek quarter, we proceeded to the Liechtenstein Palais and art museum. There our guides highlighted the historical library, Hercules Hall, seven paintings by Rubens, and others by renowned artists including Raphael and Bernhard Strigel. A large group attended a performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Others attended a concert of the Spanish tenor Jose Carreras at the Konzerthaus, where he gave eleven encores and left the stage over a sea of roses from admirers.
