*Update*
(It has been a month since Sally and I last posted on this
blog. During this time, we have finished our amazing trip in Europe and arrived
safely back in America. We’ve been rather busy the past few weeks visiting
family and working out logistics of life in America. We are also in the process
of starting new jobs with AmeriCorps in Birmingham. All of these exciting
things will be documented in this blog, as well as the transition back into
life in America, but for now I will pick up the story where we left off in
central Europe.)
After three days in Prague, Sally and I traveled by train to
our next city destination, Vienna, Austria. This time we made sure to spend a
few euros on securing seat reservations in the train and were able to travel
comfortably without losing our seats to anyone else.
St. Stephen's Cathedral |
We arrived in the cultural city of Vienna on the 8th
of August. Vienna has a well-functioning metro system that we used to find our
hostel which was on a different side of the city from the train station. Our
first evening was more laid back, and we enjoyed a nice experience at a nearby
Mexican restaurant for dinner.
We started our first full day in Vienna by traveling to the
city center and visiting the iconic St. Stephan’s Cathedral which started
construction in 1137A.D. Sally and I
climbed 370 steps of the South Tower to view the city and historic square.
We then walked a short distance to the house of Mozart where
the famous composer spent the most stable three years of his traveling life. We
returned to the Cathedral to take a tour of the catacombs. Some underground
vaults were filled with bones of plague victims that had died 500 years ago.
Mozart's House |
This day ended up being a day of Mozart, because in the
evening we went to a nice classical music concert at the House of Music Museum.
The musicians included a double bass, a piano, a viola, a cello, and two
violins, so many of the pieces we heard were played with some of the original
instrumentation. A number of pieces of opera were also played with signers who
illustrated the power of the human voice in the small theater.
Late in the evening, we made our way to a Mozart’s café where
we enjoyed traditional Viennese dumplings.
The next day we traveled to the south-western side of the
city to visit the massive Schonbrunn Palace. The palace was built in the 1740s
during the reign of Maria Theresa, mother of Maria Antoinette. It is elegant
and enormous. Sally and I spent an entire day touring through the massive
gardens and taking a self-guided tour through 40 of the most elaborately
decorated rooms I have ever seen. The shear wealth of the former Austrian
monarchy is awe-inspiring.
Top--Sally at the Privy Garden, Middle--View of the palace from the Privy Garden, Bottom--Sally in the center of the largest hedge maze in the palace gardens...yes there was more than one. |
After spending most of day at the palace, we traveled into
the city and ate at the historical Café Sperl which was a favorite for the
Archduke Ferdinand. We dined on a selection of sausages and schnitzel. After
dinner, we returned to the House of Music Museum and toured the interactive
displays.
Top--Sally standing before the beautiful Glorriette on the palace grounds, Bottom--picture of the rear of the palace |
Prater, Photo credit: http://esctoday.com/102308/discover-vienna-the-prater-and-the-giant-ferris-wheel/ |
We concluded our day with a free video concert of Lang Lang
on the piano. The concert took place in front of the Austrian Parliament
building as part of a summer concert series where it is possible to enjoy the
music of the most amazing musicians in a nice summer atmosphere with plenty of
food vendors.
Sally and I both really enjoyed Vienna and realize that we
will have to return. There are many things we didn’t get to do and a number of
things we couldn’t afford to do, but it is an amazing city. I have drawn
comparisons between Vienna and New Orleans, because it seems like the city
embraces its rich musical history and culture. Every night in Vienna 12,000
people are attending musical performances at various historical venues.
The next day, we left Vienna and continued our journey to
visit the beautiful country of Hungary.
~Caleb