Around The World Without Flying: Vienna, Austria Part 1

Back to the river cruise . . .

Those of us on the river ship who had never seen Vienna before were really excited to go on our first tour of this famous city. And I must say it exceeded all expectations.

It is the most wonderful, inspiring city, with so many buildings that can only be described as great works of art, as well as stunningly beautiful gardens and sculptures and fountains everywhere. It is no surprise it is considered the most beautiful city in the world. So many of these buildings reflect its wonderful heritage and the devotion of its people to their cultural heritage - music, dance and art. Its parliamentary buildings were designed to celebrate democracy and its roots in ancient Greece. They were simply breathtaking!

The only drawback of our coach tour of the city was that we drove around too quickly to take many photos and to build memories that would do it justice.

After we hopped off the coach we were whisked through the very impressive Heldenplatz, or Heroes’ Square, which was first built to honour the veterans of the Napoleonic Wars, to the Hofburg just behind it. The Hofburg is the former imperial palace of Austria, and is located right in the centre of Vienna. It was built in the 13th century and has been added to since. It once was the seat of power of the Habsburg dynasty, but now is the official residence of the President of Austria, and still the home of the Spanish Riding School. Apparently the renowned Vienna Boys Choir also performs here.

The Spanish Riding School is where the world-famous Lipizzaner Stallions perform. This unique breed of horses was developed by the House of Habsburg, which ruled over Spain and Austria for over three hundred years. However, at the time we visited there, the stallions were at their summer riding school some distance from Vienna. Some of my fellow passengers went there the next day and saw some of these stallions in their stables.

When we walked through the the big entrance to the Hofburg and out into the streets just behind it, we saw sculptures celebrating these amazing stallions. We also saw several horses and very stately carriages, with the horses and their drivers formally dressed up in the old traditional way. It would have been a memorable experience to go for a tour on one. Instead we walked through to St Stephens Square for a quick wander around, though since our ship was staying overnight in Vienna, some couples elected to continue exploring the lovely city on their own. As I was staying in Vienna again when I made my way slowly to England, I went back to the ship and from there visited some IT experts to seek help for my bothersome Apple devices at a company our tour guide kindly recommended. I have mentioned them in an earlier blog.

Note: The first seven photos were taken from the coach with some difficulty.

A very impressive basilica next to the Danube river. The locals call it the 'Mexican' Church because of the support Mexico gave to Austria when it applied to be declared a sovereign neutral nation.

We saw very few tall modern buildings. This one apparently lights up from within at night.

One of the many stately buildings we saw.

One of the many beautiful parks thought the city. I gather this one has a statue dedicated to Mozart.

Yet another city view.

Vienna's tribute to the ancient Greeks and the beginning of democracy.

Vienna has trams as well as buses.

A statue commemorating the reign of Maria Theresa, probably the most well-known member of the Habsburg dynasty. This statue was located in a square opposite Heroes' Square.