Vienna, Austria
Our first morning in Vienna was reminiscent of many scenes from the movie, “The Third Man” which was set and filmed here. The fog was thick and mysterious. As we boarded the Riesenrad for a ride, we were reminded of the pivotal scene in the movie, where Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles confront one another in this same historic location.
After a welcome cocktail and a tour of the small museum at the Riesenrad, we made our way back to our bus for a tour of the Ringstrasse with our guides, Marietta and Elisabeth. We passed beautiful examples of Viennese architecture, including one of the homes of the composer, Johann Strauss. We viewed statues of Goethe, Mozart, and Strauss himself, along with beautiful museums, the Hofburg Palace, the Roman-inspired Parliament building, and the spectacular Rathaus, or City Hall.
The buses returned to the downtown area after our tour and we disembarked at Albertinaplatz. Our next exploration of the city was on foot and we made our way through the historic streets, in search of sites such as the Spanish Riding School and St. Stephens Cathedral. We reconvened at the quaint and charming Griechenbeisl restaurant for lunch. We were treated to a traditional pork Wienerschnitzel lunch, and finished with a delicious Sachertorte.
With full stomachs and minds ready to explore some more, we set off for the Liechtenstein Museum. The museum, in the palace still owned by the Liechtenstein family, is the princely collection of art. It is a fabulous look at many different eras of painting and sculpture, created out of a variety of media. The collection of pietra dura (cut and carved stone) furniture is, in and of itself, worth the visit. At the end of our visit, we descended the grand staircase, looking up one last time at the frescoes covering the ceilings and decided that our first day in Vienna had been a success.
Our first morning in Vienna was reminiscent of many scenes from the movie, “The Third Man” which was set and filmed here. The fog was thick and mysterious. As we boarded the Riesenrad for a ride, we were reminded of the pivotal scene in the movie, where Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles confront one another in this same historic location.
After a welcome cocktail and a tour of the small museum at the Riesenrad, we made our way back to our bus for a tour of the Ringstrasse with our guides, Marietta and Elisabeth. We passed beautiful examples of Viennese architecture, including one of the homes of the composer, Johann Strauss. We viewed statues of Goethe, Mozart, and Strauss himself, along with beautiful museums, the Hofburg Palace, the Roman-inspired Parliament building, and the spectacular Rathaus, or City Hall.
The buses returned to the downtown area after our tour and we disembarked at Albertinaplatz. Our next exploration of the city was on foot and we made our way through the historic streets, in search of sites such as the Spanish Riding School and St. Stephens Cathedral. We reconvened at the quaint and charming Griechenbeisl restaurant for lunch. We were treated to a traditional pork Wienerschnitzel lunch, and finished with a delicious Sachertorte.
With full stomachs and minds ready to explore some more, we set off for the Liechtenstein Museum. The museum, in the palace still owned by the Liechtenstein family, is the princely collection of art. It is a fabulous look at many different eras of painting and sculpture, created out of a variety of media. The collection of pietra dura (cut and carved stone) furniture is, in and of itself, worth the visit. At the end of our visit, we descended the grand staircase, looking up one last time at the frescoes covering the ceilings and decided that our first day in Vienna had been a success.
