A Grande Finale to a Grande Trip

An amazing start of the day with a Mass with the Vienna Boys Choir aka Wiener Sängerknaben The Mass was held in the in the Imperial Music Chapel and we were very fortunate to get seats in the 5th row.  The Mass was  from Joseph Haydn Mass in B and it was extrordinary to say the least. Besides the heavenly boys choir there was a full orchestra along with a men's choir. mass was amazing. During the Mass the choirs were high above us in the choir loft so we couldn't see them. But at the end the boys came down and performed one additional song so we could see them. The homily was summarized in 4 languages with an emphasis on the family as Pope Francis is speaking so strongly about that at the synod... happy Feast Day St Francis. 

After Mass we floated about.... Not sure where to start our last day adventures after being so moved by the Mass.... Ended up at the palace rose garden and then a famous ice cream establishment Zanoni and Zanoni... What else do you do... Eat ice cream!
We then went to the Hofburg Treasury, which again was pretty amazing. The opulence of the royalty was in full display especially in the ceremonial robes,  gowns and jewels. There were also some very impressive relics.... A piece of the cross, tooth of St John the Baptist,..... Not sure how I feel about all of that but in that time these items were meant to bring you closer to God. There was an amazing bowl also on display from the 600's which supposedly held the blood of Christ. It all leaves one a bit awestruck.
Had to have one Starbucks in Europe so enjoyed that as we took in the final sights of carriages pulled by horses, massive vines buildings, plazas and people watching.  Back to the hotel to get boarding passes and pack the suitcases. Hard to believe it's almost over....  Got a great recommendation for dinner... Very authentic and good. Our little table was housed in a wine cask which was great ambiance. One last serving of pork, dumpling and sauerkraut. 

Grand finale of the Vienna Choir Boys after Mass

Hofburg Treasury, said to be a relic of the cross with a nail hole in it. 

Our final dinner in Vienna, Great food and ambiance. 

Saturday Night Live in Vienna

As if we didn't pack in enough culture in one day... We decided to take in the Mozart Requieum  performance. The night in Vienna comes alive around 8:00 as there are concerts and performances around every corner. We were a little worried as it started at 8:15 pm and we can be rather early birds especially after walking town all day. but one good shot of espresso and we were good to go. Before the concert we followed Rick Steves suggestion and hit a great restaurant... Traditional and contemporary Austrian food. Don had a grilled chicken salad and I had a yummy pumpkin risotto. Pumpkin is really big here now. 

The town was really bustling as some of the major "rings" we're closed for the refugee concert. Lots of honking horns! 

The concert was beautiful with 20 piece orchstra and about 20 member choir. Wish we knew more about the piece before we went. It was a delightful way to finish a delightful day.  The Mozart Requim performance.

The stage for the performance, how can one not come away inspired? 

Saturday in Vienna

Today was another day of exploration. We started off at the AlbertinaMuseum which houses many art galleries along with the Habsbrug Staterooms. there is anew temporary exhibit by Edvard Munch, Love, Death and Lonliness. he is a Norwegian artist, a bit dark and one of his most famous works is pictured, The Scream. We were also able to see many other art works by Monet, picasso from Impressonism to classical modernism. They also had some great black and white phtographic collections. 

Then we moved on to the Opera House. We were able to catch a guided tours since  it is the only way to see the Opera House without going to the opera. most of this building has been refurbished as it was bombed out during WW2 This is one of the few original areas with the busts of many famous composers. It is now an intermission hall. Pretty nice way to spend intermission. 

BeLow is a picture of the actual hall which seats about 1800 and also has standing room for another 500 so it is affordable for all with standing tickets starting at 3€. The performances change nearly every night so the great amount of costumes approx 2000 have to be stored across the street. Same with the scenery... It was all pretty amazing and hard to imagine. 

Even with all this amazing culture... One must shop and dress to impress. There are many high end stores along with some of our typical.. Such as Claire's and H and M... The window sets are pretty cool! Needless to say, didn't shop in any!

Good-bye Backroads, Hello Vienna !

Today was our last day with our Backroads friends but not before we climbed high above Durnstein to a castle ruin where Richard the lionhearted was imprisoned in 1192. The view over the valley and Danube was spectacular and a fitting way to bid this part of our trip farewell. 

Then we boarded a bus to Vienna . It was a bit of.a culture shock after spending 5 days in the countryside. Vienna is a very busy city, packed with people and cars. We bid farewell to our friends and continued our journey on our own. What an amazing journey our bike trip was riding 150+ miles that flew by because of the friends and beauty. One surprising element of the trip was the richness of history we were exposed to through side trips and guides. How blessed! 

Our very small hotel Hotel Zur Wiener Staatsoper is very warm and Austrian and the location is perfect as it is right in the central part of town with museums, opera houses, shopping... All within walking distance. Our first inclination was to rest a bit as the pace has been pretty packed but we soon  opened our Rick Steves book and headed out exploring the city. We were soon mesmerized and swallowed up by the sights! We were amazed at how easy it was to navigate the city with book in hand and managed to see quite a bit of the city although there is much more to explore. of course The cathedrals and churches are plentiful, each with their own character. We also found a infamous Vienna chocolate store, Demel.... Omg! 

Then  the streets opened up to the Hofburg Palace which is massive, plaza and courtyard and palace after palace. On chance we found the Imperial Music Chapel where the Vienna Choir Boys sing at Sunday Mass. Goosebumps!  More massive areas including the Heros Square where they were erecting a huge stage for a rally and free concert tomorrow for the refugees. Here is where in 1938 Hitler packed the square with 300,000 cheering people. 

As we started our walk back to our hotel, we stopped at the TI center to see if we could inquire about tickets for the Vienna Choir Boys Mass.... And as luck would have it they had two good tickets! to say the least I'm very excited to experience this! 

As we walked down the street we spotted two people from our trip having dinner so we joined them for a drink. it was fun to rehash the trip!!! A light dinner of salad and pizza and a early night to bed. More exploring tomorrow!

 The view above the Danube from the castle ruins. 

The Hofburg Palace in Vienna

Don enjoying a beer on a bustling street in Vienna. 

Sunshine on the Danube

Today was an amazing ride as we had a full day of sun and rode most of the day alongside the beautiful blue ( somewhat green Danube. We traveled the Donauradweg, the most famous bike path in Europe. This path originates in Germany's Black Forest and continues for about 750 miles ending in Budapest. of course we cut it short, 39 miles, traveling from Durenstein to Melk where an amazing Benedictine monastery is located.  The landscape was full of apricot orchards, vineyards, apple orchards, pretty villages and churches perched high on the hillside with an occasional castle thrown in for fortification. the path was most flat and lightly traveled which made for a peaceful tranquil ride,   Which allowed us to savor the sights. 

Melk was delightful. We climbed up a narrow path to the abbey and the museum was well done, sharing the Benedictine rules of work, pray and read. Not a bad philosophy. After walking the museum for a bit we enjoyed a lunch of bratwurst and very yummy sauerkraut. 

then back on the bikes for our ride back to Durenstein. At one point we took a ferry across the Danube which was relatively small and carried many bikers, a few cars and a tractor with a load of freshly picked grapes. Some doorways had small cartons of grapes for sale, 1-2€.. On the honor system, they were very sweet. 

Riding back on the other side of the Danube allowed us to ride through many vineyards where the grapes were being hand picked. 

At 6:00 we walked a winery where we met a wine expert who treated us to a tasting of four various famous regional wines.

Then on to Lanhouse Bacher, an acclaimed family run restaurant, one of the best in Wachau Valley for our farewell dinner. 

Does it sound like we eat a lot.... Sure feels that way.

The Beautiful Blue Danube

Our good friends Bill and Sally at the Melk Abbey. The four of us were more into a casual relaxing ride so we always picked up the rear. Our goal was to finish last every day which we accomplished. On this last day of riding, fresh fruit, wine spritzer a and apricot schnapps awaited us!

The terraced wine vineyards covered the rolling hills. If you look closely, you can spot the Danube!