Welcome to Our Picture Gallery (Click on each picture for a larger version.) |
Vienna
For our morning departure to Vienna, we were greeted by bountiful sunshine. In spite of our early departure, our inveterate platoon was on time and ready to roll. The ten-hour journey took us south across Germany, through Dresden where we could make out the the brightly shining, golden cupolas of numerous restored and rebuilt historic buildings. When the language and signage around us turned very "consonant," we knew we had entered the Czech Republic, which we crossed from north to southeast, around and through the cities of Prague and Brno. |
Fun and games on the train |
Our private coach to Vienna |
Now that we are seasoned travellers, arriving in Vienna in the dark posed no difficulty as we schlepped their luggage and hopped on public transportation like the natives and made our way across the city to our hostel. Sunday, the day of our scheduled "walkabout," saw a return of winter which delivered cold, wind and rain, but, undaunted, we, nonetheless, oriented ourselves to our surroundings and to Vienna's historic, shopping and museum districts along the Ring Strasse and the Kartner Strasse, viewing St. Stephan's Dom and the Staatsoper (opera house) along the way. Visits during our first week took us to the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History), the Leopold Museum (art nouveau and expressionist) and the revolutionary fin de siecle Secession exhibition building. The free weekend was not wasted as many of us explored the outskirts of Vienna, walked in the "Vienna Woods" and the hills of the Kahlenberg overlooking the "Beautiful Brown Danube." Some of the more adventurous, struck out for Budapest in search of authentic goulash. |
During our second week of winter, we were treated to a backstage tour of Vienna's grand Staatsoper, a visit so inspiring that 18 of us returned that evening for a spectacular treat...Adams' popular ballet, Giselle. An afternoon tour of the Imperial rooms of the Schonbrunn Palace and a chance to pay homage to Vienna's much acclaimed Venus of Willendorf (the "queen" of the Natural History Museum) were additional highlights of the week. And, of course, a visit to Vienna would not have been complete without a chance at a "Harry Lime" sighting and a ride on the "Big Wheel" at the historic Prater Park. So with windblown, zithery refrains of "The Third Man" theme wafting through the rickety coaches (along with snow and wind), we slowly made our way around...once...once too often, for some. |
...and yet...another cupola... |
Venus of Willendorf (Vienna's Mona Lisa) |
Backstage at the Opera
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.. You only go around once...
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That one looks safer than this one |
Exam Time |
After two weeks and with high hopes of warmer weather, we said auf weidersehen to Alt Wein and boarded our "night train" to Rome. Our great expectations for a good night's sleep were immediately dashed when we realized that a "couchette" is another name for a sardine can into which we were compressed along with tons of luggage... and absolutely no other accommmodations as alternatives. Ugggg..... |
