Sunday, September 20, 2015
Vienna/Schonbrunn Palace
Wednesday, 9/16
Today is the day we go out to our favorite place in Vienna, the Schonbrunn Palace. We hopped on the subway just a couple of blocks from our hotel and managed to figure out we were going the wrong direction after just a couple of stops, so we hopped off and got on the train going the right direction ;)
We walked in through the main gate and into the ticket office. I wasn't sure what the wait would be like, but we practically walked right up to the ticket desk. There was a guided tour in English at 11 am, so we just had about a 45 minute wait. We always prefer an actual human guide instead of an audio guide because we find them so much more engaging, so a little wait was ok with us.
Our tour guide was John, British by his accent. He was very informative, and answered everyone's questions pleasantly and with good humor. Our group was only about 10 people, so that was nice too. We took the Grand Tour and saw lots of rooms in the Palace, something we didn't have time to do on our last visit. Lots of information about the Hapsburgs and their dynasty in Austria and Hungary. We're always amazed when we think about the number of people it would have required just to keep a place like that functioning every day during the 1700's-early 1900's. We finished the tour around noon and decided to have a bit to eat at the cafe.
After lunch we headed out to the gardens - our favorite part! The beautiful flowers and fountains, trees, reflecting pond and Gloriette, we think it's one of the loveliest gardens we have ever seen. The gardens also include a zoo and maze and cover 52 hectares, which equates to almost 130 acres. It was quite warm again today, so we took a break at the Gloriette for a cool drink and just enjoyed the view. Lots of people out doing the same thing, just enjoying the beautiful setting and clear sunny weather.
Today is the day we go out to our favorite place in Vienna, the Schonbrunn Palace. We hopped on the subway just a couple of blocks from our hotel and managed to figure out we were going the wrong direction after just a couple of stops, so we hopped off and got on the train going the right direction ;)
We walked in through the main gate and into the ticket office. I wasn't sure what the wait would be like, but we practically walked right up to the ticket desk. There was a guided tour in English at 11 am, so we just had about a 45 minute wait. We always prefer an actual human guide instead of an audio guide because we find them so much more engaging, so a little wait was ok with us.
Our tour guide was John, British by his accent. He was very informative, and answered everyone's questions pleasantly and with good humor. Our group was only about 10 people, so that was nice too. We took the Grand Tour and saw lots of rooms in the Palace, something we didn't have time to do on our last visit. Lots of information about the Hapsburgs and their dynasty in Austria and Hungary. We're always amazed when we think about the number of people it would have required just to keep a place like that functioning every day during the 1700's-early 1900's. We finished the tour around noon and decided to have a bit to eat at the cafe.
After lunch we headed out to the gardens - our favorite part! The beautiful flowers and fountains, trees, reflecting pond and Gloriette, we think it's one of the loveliest gardens we have ever seen. The gardens also include a zoo and maze and cover 52 hectares, which equates to almost 130 acres. It was quite warm again today, so we took a break at the Gloriette for a cool drink and just enjoyed the view. Lots of people out doing the same thing, just enjoying the beautiful setting and clear sunny weather.
Austria 2015/ Vienna
Sunday, 9/13
Arrived in Vienna today to warm weather! Quite a change from our last trip to Europe. We made the connecting flight to Vienna from Amsterdam- but just barely. Unfortunately our luggage did not make the flight, but I was prepared for that possibility so we had enough clothes to last a couple of days. We checked into our hotel and went out walking for a bit, getting our bearings as it's been several years since we last here.
On our second day in Vienna, it was overcast with possible rain so we decided to see some museums. We went to the Hofburg and saw the Sisi exhibit and the silver collection. The silver collection is mildly interesting but not something I would consider a must-see. The Sisi exhibit was more interesting, telling about the young Empress and her rather unhappy life. We have seen the Spanish Riding School practice session before so we skipped that and headed over to the Kunsthistoriches Museum, only to find that it was closed today. The Natural History Museum is directly across from there, so we decided to tour that museum instead. It was a nice museum but I find that most of them are very much alike although I have not been to the ones in DC or NY yet.
Third day is Stephansdom and the Belvedere Gardens. We climbed the 349 spiral steps up the South Tower of Stephansdom and had a look around from the top. Then we went back down again and circled around the main entrance. We made our way to the lift for the North Tower so we could go up and see the Pummerin, the giant church bell. It weighs over 44,000 pounds! It used to take 8 men to ring the bell! Back down to the main church and a look at the altar, then off to walk to the Belvedere.
On our last visit, we happened to arrive at the Belvedere during a (graduation?) ceremony for troops. At the time, there was a parade, a military band and lots of spectators- quite festive! This time around, there were just groups of tourists but the Belvedere was still lovely. I love the reflecting pool and the gardens at the Upper Belvedere and then walking around to walk the gardens and fountain down to the Lower Belvedere. The gardens between the Upper and Lower buildings are not very crowded at all as most of the tour groups just see the area at the top and then get back on their bus.
We wandered around the gardens for awhile, then decided to find the Heeregeschichtliches Museum (Military History Museum). We had a general idea of its location and there were a few signs so we managed to eventually find it. It is housed a really cool set of buildings and the main focus of the museum is WW1 history. The displays were quite interesting, including displays about the use of biological warfare (mustard gas, etc) and also some remains of bunker roofs showing the damage done by shelling. There were some replicas of the shells and I was amazed at the size and weight of them as well as the giant hole one created that hit a bunker but did not explode. One of the most important items in the display is the car in which the Austrian heir to the throne was riding when he was killed by an assassin in Sarajevo, setting into motion the events that would start the First World War in 1914.
Arrived in Vienna today to warm weather! Quite a change from our last trip to Europe. We made the connecting flight to Vienna from Amsterdam- but just barely. Unfortunately our luggage did not make the flight, but I was prepared for that possibility so we had enough clothes to last a couple of days. We checked into our hotel and went out walking for a bit, getting our bearings as it's been several years since we last here.
On our second day in Vienna, it was overcast with possible rain so we decided to see some museums. We went to the Hofburg and saw the Sisi exhibit and the silver collection. The silver collection is mildly interesting but not something I would consider a must-see. The Sisi exhibit was more interesting, telling about the young Empress and her rather unhappy life. We have seen the Spanish Riding School practice session before so we skipped that and headed over to the Kunsthistoriches Museum, only to find that it was closed today. The Natural History Museum is directly across from there, so we decided to tour that museum instead. It was a nice museum but I find that most of them are very much alike although I have not been to the ones in DC or NY yet.
Third day is Stephansdom and the Belvedere Gardens. We climbed the 349 spiral steps up the South Tower of Stephansdom and had a look around from the top. Then we went back down again and circled around the main entrance. We made our way to the lift for the North Tower so we could go up and see the Pummerin, the giant church bell. It weighs over 44,000 pounds! It used to take 8 men to ring the bell! Back down to the main church and a look at the altar, then off to walk to the Belvedere.
On our last visit, we happened to arrive at the Belvedere during a (graduation?) ceremony for troops. At the time, there was a parade, a military band and lots of spectators- quite festive! This time around, there were just groups of tourists but the Belvedere was still lovely. I love the reflecting pool and the gardens at the Upper Belvedere and then walking around to walk the gardens and fountain down to the Lower Belvedere. The gardens between the Upper and Lower buildings are not very crowded at all as most of the tour groups just see the area at the top and then get back on their bus.
We wandered around the gardens for awhile, then decided to find the Heeregeschichtliches Museum (Military History Museum). We had a general idea of its location and there were a few signs so we managed to eventually find it. It is housed a really cool set of buildings and the main focus of the museum is WW1 history. The displays were quite interesting, including displays about the use of biological warfare (mustard gas, etc) and also some remains of bunker roofs showing the damage done by shelling. There were some replicas of the shells and I was amazed at the size and weight of them as well as the giant hole one created that hit a bunker but did not explode. One of the most important items in the display is the car in which the Austrian heir to the throne was riding when he was killed by an assassin in Sarajevo, setting into motion the events that would start the First World War in 1914.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Making plans again!
Lots of planning going on here! We weren't sure if we would be able to take vacaton this year due to changes in our work schedules, but we managed to get the time off! This time we are going to..........Austria!
We liked Vienna so much on our Danube River cruise in 2009 and we have always wanted to go back so we could spend more time there. The area around Salzburg is so beautiful, too. So we're planning a couple of weeks touring around Austria, sightseeing and hiking and eating their wonderful breads and pastries (that's why you need to hike).
In just a few days' time I had the plane tickets purchased, a loose itinerary planned, and all the hotels booked! Whew! Now I'm deep into the nitty-gritty part of the planning- figuring what exactly we want to see and how best to do it, as well as helpful hints from other travelers about cool things to do that don't make it onto the "Rick Steves" type tours (thank you Tripadvisor and all the lovely people on their travel forum!).
I also buy one good guidebook, usually a DK Eyewitness guide, but this time I downloaded a Lonely Planet guide to my iPad. I also checked out some German language CD's from the library- hopefully I'll at least be able to understand a little bit of German before we go. I always try to at least learn some basics- hello, goodbye, please, thank you, etc. People appreciate it when you make an effort and do not assume that everyone you meet will speak English.
I just got a new camera for Mother's Day so I'm hoping to take some good photos. I always publish photos to my blog as we are traveling (no chance to photoshop anything) so I have to take as good a picture as I possibly can.
Hopefully the weather will be much better than our trip to Germany 2 years ago when we experienced record-breaking rain and flooding. We still had a good time on that trip, but it's nice to have a few sunny days!
We liked Vienna so much on our Danube River cruise in 2009 and we have always wanted to go back so we could spend more time there. The area around Salzburg is so beautiful, too. So we're planning a couple of weeks touring around Austria, sightseeing and hiking and eating their wonderful breads and pastries (that's why you need to hike).
In just a few days' time I had the plane tickets purchased, a loose itinerary planned, and all the hotels booked! Whew! Now I'm deep into the nitty-gritty part of the planning- figuring what exactly we want to see and how best to do it, as well as helpful hints from other travelers about cool things to do that don't make it onto the "Rick Steves" type tours (thank you Tripadvisor and all the lovely people on their travel forum!).
I also buy one good guidebook, usually a DK Eyewitness guide, but this time I downloaded a Lonely Planet guide to my iPad. I also checked out some German language CD's from the library- hopefully I'll at least be able to understand a little bit of German before we go. I always try to at least learn some basics- hello, goodbye, please, thank you, etc. People appreciate it when you make an effort and do not assume that everyone you meet will speak English.
I just got a new camera for Mother's Day so I'm hoping to take some good photos. I always publish photos to my blog as we are traveling (no chance to photoshop anything) so I have to take as good a picture as I possibly can.
Hopefully the weather will be much better than our trip to Germany 2 years ago when we experienced record-breaking rain and flooding. We still had a good time on that trip, but it's nice to have a few sunny days!
Hanging out in Monterey
I know it's been a few months since I posted anything, but we've been staying pretty close to home. We've made a few trips to Monterey and one to Reno for a concert.
Monterey was great, it always is. We saw Humpback whales from the shore! They were breaching and lunge feeding for a few hours and were not very far out in the bay at all. As a matter of fact, two of them swam inside the buoy markers that warn the boats to stay away form the rocks near the beach. I'll post a picture of those two. I only had my little point-and-shoot camera with me so I couldn't get super pictures,but you can see how close they were to the shore. The last time we went down there, in March, there were gray whales in the bay. Those are harder to spot and take pictures of because most of their body stays under the water- you just see the "blow" as they exhale air from their blowhole.
Monterey was great, it always is. We saw Humpback whales from the shore! They were breaching and lunge feeding for a few hours and were not very far out in the bay at all. As a matter of fact, two of them swam inside the buoy markers that warn the boats to stay away form the rocks near the beach. I'll post a picture of those two. I only had my little point-and-shoot camera with me so I couldn't get super pictures,but you can see how close they were to the shore. The last time we went down there, in March, there were gray whales in the bay. Those are harder to spot and take pictures of because most of their body stays under the water- you just see the "blow" as they exhale air from their blowhole.
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