Vienna, part 1, May 2-3

  We had another hearty breakfast in Wolfsberg. The owner gave us a bottle of schnaps as a parting gift which was very nice.

   Then, we drove to Vienna, about a 3 hour drive. We took our time as we knew that we were a bit early to check into the Homeaway we have on Wiedner Hauptstrasse by Karlsplatz. We found out that we could park for 90 minutes to unpack. (As always, just figuring that out was a challenge. A nice passerby told us that parking is paid for at the tobacco shops and there was one across the street.) So, while Mark stayed with the car, Barbara found the flat. We had been told by the owner that we could get in around 1. (And, it was noon.) When Barbara went in, the family staying there had not moved out and were quite a time away from moving in. So, we walked around a bit and then moved our things into the second bedroom and went to find the parking garage. It turned out to be much closer than we had thought. Whew.

    So - we moved in. The apartment is smaller than we had anticipated and the 2nd bedroom very sparse - no bureau, no closet. Pretty much just a bed and we worried about its suitability for Mike and Nancy. But - nothing we can do.
   Mike and Nancy flew in from Copenhagen (via Oslo) and made their way by train/subway. We went to meet them at Karlplatz (Karl's Plaza), but we each waited at different exits, so it took a few cell phone calls to locate each other.

    We all went to the local grocery store (Billa) and made some salad and pasta.
     The next day, our first full day in Vienna, we walked from our apartment into the core historic district. (District #1 in the Ringstrasse) We realized quickly how great a location we have. Wow - near to everything.
     The buildings here are huge/monumental on an overwhelming scale. I don't think we have ever been in a city with such massive buildings. They are too large to capture in a photo. Anyhow, we went to the Tourist Bureau and got maps. Nancy and Barbara got tickets to a concert "Strauss and Mozart" in the Kursalon concert hall.
     We basically just walked and walked to get our bearings. We went into the iconic St. Stephen's Church and walked through the Hofburg Imperial Palace. (Again - so so massive) From there we walked into the Museum District. By then, we were pretty hot and tired and wanted food and a sit down. We struggled to find the Nuschmarkt to eat, but failed and ended up at an okay cafe as we were past the point of hunger and fatigue.

   After a nice rest, we found the long open-air market only about a block or two away. Of course. So, we wandered it a bit and then went back to the apartment to rest before the concert.
     We walked to the concert through the Karlplatz, again marveling at the great location we are in. The evening was balmy and there were people of all ages out enjoying the air, sitting around the fountain.

     We had great seats at the concert, 3rd row, which was good because there were no risers. It was a very tourist-based performance - a smattering of opera and dance along with a selection of Viennese classical music, mostly from Strauss. The place was filled with tour bus groups. Having said that, it was quite delightful. We could see the 13-piece orchestra clearly and they played their hearts out. The opera singers were good and gave us all a glimpse of the comedy that is often part of opera. We all enjoyed it.

    Mike and Nancy went out for a beer and some goulash afterwards, but we went home to bed. For one, we are not night owls, and two, we are still battling this nasty cold.


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