16th January Vienna

Trip Start Dec 26, 2008

Trip End Jan 26, 2009

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Where I stayed

Apartment Pension Sacher Vienna

(Vienna hotels)

Flag of Austria Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Friday, January 16, 2009

We had a bit of a late start this morning. Breakfast was at a different nearby cafe - coffees and pastries. Afterwards we went to the tourist information office to buy our train tickets to Budapest via Bratislava. We then caught the U1 from just outside the apartment to the Donau-Insel and went for a long walk along the New Danube, then just the Danube, then back over the island, past the UN city, and to the Old Danube, which was frozen over. Convinced by the many people walking on it, and the woman ice skating round and round pushing her pram, that it must be safe, we went for a walk too. It was pretty cool. It was a very nice way to spend the morning, particularly as the sun was shining and it felt positively warm.

We got back on the U1 to Prater-Stern with the intention of having a ride on the giant ferris wheel but realised we were within the two weeks of the year that it doesn't operate, and neither does the amusement park around it, which was a bit of a shame. Still, it looked like we could get much the same experience at Luna Park.

The next underground station we needed was handily near the Naschmarkt, so we went back for some kebab sandwiches before walking to the Museumsquartier to visit the Leopold Museum. Penny was looking forward to seeing lots of Klimt works, but there weren't really all that many. The building was fantastic, though, with nice views, and it was interesting to find out about the Viennese artists and architects around 1900.

We thought about visiting another museum but then decided to walk back to the apartment to do some blogging.

Coffee and cake

However, on the way Penny got distracted by the famous Cafe Sacher and suggested we go in. We had very nice coffees and yummy Sachertorte in the very elegant cafe, served by very elegant waiters, and Penny coped quite well with paying about $40 for two coffees and two pieces of cake - it was never going to be cheap, and Darren didn't see the bill, so that was OK - until we had to pay $2 each to pick up our coats from the (compulsory) cloakroom. What a ripoff!! Anyway it was quite funny and we're over it now.

So we did get back to the room eventually and sorted through the 5000 photos Darren has taken over the last two days, before heading out again for more food (!!) - dinner at the famous Figlmueller. Darren had what is supposed to be Vienna's best, or perhaps it's most famous schnitzel, which was very good, and Penny had pork medallions. Both meals involved salad/vegetables, which was exciting. Despite having had apartments in three of the places we've stayed, we have yet to cook a meal, which has meant not as many vegies as usual. But the weather has been good for stodge!

After dinner we took the U1 again to the Musikverein, where we picked up tickets we had ordered to see/hear the Wiener Symphoniker play Carl Maria Weber's Overture to the Opera Oberon, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and Johannes Brahms' Symphony no. 2 in D major. While not as roomy as the Prague Opera, it was comfortable enough and a beautiful concert hall, and we both enjoyed the music.

It was a quick trip "home" for cups of tea before bed. Staying right in the centre of town definitely has its advantages.