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. 
No comments:
Post a Comment