Exploring Vienna

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Vienna is one of those cities whose name alone inspires visions of romance.  Like Venice and Rome it has a long storied history fraught with kings, artists, and composers alike.  I have to admit what I imagined about Vienna and the realities of Vienna were two completely different things.  That is not necessarily a bad thing.  After exploring so many old towns full of narrow passages and cobblestone streets it was refreshing to find something different.  We arrived in Vienna by a river cruise on the Danube River with Avalon Waterways River Cruise and we had a wonderful overnight stay in Vienna to give added time to explore the beautiful city.

Vienna’s old town is beautiful.  Do not get me wrong, it is stunning.  The Cathedral there is beautiful and the tile work on its roof is an art piece all on its own.  The old town is still mainly pedestrian traffic and wide enough for all the multitudes who travel there.  Remarkably, there are horse drawn carriages available to take a ride though the old streets.  Most of the other old towns that we visited were too narrow for such a luxury.  There are museums, monuments, and palaces to spare and they are all stunningly beautiful.  Definitely did not disappoint but it was different from what I was expecting.  The old town is not near the Danube River and to reach it we had to take a taxi, bus, or wait for the river cruise shuttle.  Not the end of the world but by this time I was a little bit spoiled.

We had the opportunity to visit the Mozart Museum.  It is actually located the in the building that he lived in while in Vienna.  That alone was worth the entrance ticket.  To know that you were walking in the rooms that he worked in, lived in, and composed in was a little surreal.  One downside was the air conditioning.  Being from the dry western part of the United States does not prepare you for the humidity of Europe.  As we entered each room we would find the air conditioning vent and stand by it while listening to the narrative in each room.  It is remarkable how the building is still there and by looking at the floor plans they could figure out how each room was used.  This was well worth the time and money.

We also visited the Freud Museum.  This was also interesting and housed in the building that he once lived and worked in.  The Freud Museum was slightly less interesting than the Mozart Museum but still fascinating to see.  Some of his belongings and photos are still available to see.  Although I enjoyed the Freud Museum, I’m not sure that I would say it’s a must see.

Vienna is famous for its chocolate cake.  You simply must stop in of the bakeries and sample a piece.  There are two places that claim to have the original recipe.  Believe it or not, it did get resolved in a court of law as to which bakery truly had the original recipe.  As far as I am concerned it’s a delightful chocolate cake, original recipe or not!  You simply have to try it.  You are in Vienna.

 

If you would like to learn more about our river cruise on the Danube River with Avalon Waterways River Cruise, click here.  If you would to see some of our favorite photos from our time in Vienna, click here.  When you are ready to take your next dream vacation, contact us, your land and cruise specialists.  We can help you find the perfect river cruise for you.