Vienna, Austria

We arrived in Vienna at night and headed straight for our accommodations, the Pension Kraml. After checking in, we headed back out to the Altstadt (Old Town) of Vienna. We had dinner (wienerschnitzel, bratwurst and beer) at a bistro, and then continued walking around, admiring the old buildings and beautiful churches, as well as some Roman ruins, uncovered and on open display in a traffic circle.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast at our hotel, we visited the Schönbrunn Schloss, not far from downtown. The Schloss (castle) was the Hapsburgs' summer place, and the extensive grounds were home to a variety of birds and animals, some of which (especially the squirrels) were very aggressive in soliciting handouts. Alas, we had nothing to give. We walked the grounds and admired the landscaping, then headed back into the city to see some more sights.

Back in downtown Vienna, we went by the Staatsoper (Opera House), but not inside. We then went into the Schmetterlinghaus (Butterfly House) for a brief visit (it was too humid inside to stay long), where we saw a variety of colorful and exotic butterflies. Lunch was at the famous Hotel Sacher, where the entrées are just a formality before dessert, the Sacher Torte.

The rest of the day we spent wandering, to the Neue Hofberg (where Hitler announced the Anschluss, or annexation of Austria in 1938), to some more Roman ruins (foundations of houses underneath an office building), to the Danube (not all that blue anymore), and to the Prater amusement park.

That evening, we treated ourselves to a concert. The program featured Mozart and Johann Strauss, so it was a Viennese "Greatest Hits" selection. The small ensemble (four violins, two cellos, flute, bass, & piano) was accompanied by a pair of singers for the operatic pieces or dancers for the ballets. The whole thing took place at the Palais de Liechtenstein, on a small stage that made the dancers' skills even more impressive.

That night's dinner was a real find. The menu for Siebenstern opens "Liebe bierfreunde!" ("Dear friends of beer!"), and from that we knew it was the restaurant for us. They brew their own beer, and the food was also quite good.

The next morning, we departed Vienna by train for Bratislava, Slovakia.