Brian (and Toni) in Vienna

In August, Toni came to town for two weeks and we went to Vienna for 4 nights. Actually, 3 ½ nights but I’ll get to that.

We decided to take the train because of our long driving road trip to Prague. To me the train ride was wonderful. Since there were no 1st class accommodations we bought 2nd class seats which meant that we sat in a compartment w/ 4 other strangers. At least Toni and I had window seats.

The trains in Europe are different than the ones on Amtrak. Let me draw you a picture. You enter the train from either end, pass through a door and you have before you a hallway that runs the length of the train. The wall to the left of you is all windows. Then to the right are about 10 compartments, each holding 6 seats – 3 on each side. In effect, you face across from each other. Each compartment has a door, curtains, a window that opens, shelving for your luggage, lighting and a heater.

The trip was just 6 hours and passed through the Czech Republic before getting to Austria. At each border the train stops at a station and the border police come on to check our passports. Also, the lead car, the one w/ the electric motors, is replaced by a car of the country we are in. The crew changes also so this takes about 25 minutes. We whiled away the time by looking out the window, reading and eating some great sandwiches we had brought along. (Toni bought 2 sandwiches at her favorite Piekarnia (bakery) on St. Florianska Street in Krakow. She then augmented them w/ some more cheese and tomatoes.)

We arrived in Vienna about 7 p.m. and took a short taxi ride to the pensioner where we were staying. After checking in we went out to find a restaurant. Because there is little English on display in Vienna (they speak German) we wound up in a restaurant that was Middle Eastern. Not what we wanted for our first meal in Vienna. But we ate there anyway as we were famished. After dinner we walked around for awhile as to acquaint Toni w/ shopping opportunities for the next day.

On Tuesday we had a typical European breakfast of cold cuts and cheese on great-tasting rolls, cereal, OJ and coffee. The coffee is better in Vienna than in Poland. (Sorry.) After breakfast we headed out to see what Vienna had to offer. Our first stop was the TI (Tourist Information) office located near the State Opera House. We signed up for one of those open-air tour busses that make the rounds of a city as it was a good way to get a lay for the land before heading out. We next went to the Hofburg Palace then stopped for some Kaffee and apple strudel. Then we went to St. Ruprecht’s Church, the oldest in Vienna. Then dinner at an outdoor restaurant, followed by some wandering around. A good first day.



















(St. Rupecht's)


(Oldest stained glass window in Vienna.)

On Wednesday, the highlight of the trip for me was our visit to Karls Church. It is not the oldest (1713) or the largest (St. Stephen’s Cathedral is) or the prettiest. But what made it unique was that they were restoring the ceiling paintings and you could go up there to see it up close and personal. The tour included an audio guide that traced the history of the church and the significance of the various alters and chapels. But the last stop on the tour was the chance to take the service elevator up to the platform from which they are restoring the artwork. Once up there you could practically see the brush marks, we were that close. Then by ascending another 4 stories we were able to walk into the lamp of the cupola. (The lamp is that windowed dome at the very top of the cupola.) Once there we had a great 360 degree view of Vienna. This visit to the top was the highlight of my trip because I had always wanted to see the restoration of a church ceiling. I must have read something about it in Popular Science back when they were redoing the Sistine Chapel.

(The main altar in Karls Church)

Next to the Karls Church is the City History Museum where we spent the next few hours learning about Vienna’s history in chronological order. And of course it started w/ the Romans settling there first just like they did in so many other parts of Europe. (But not Poland.) In the museum they had the original sandstone statues from the exterior of St. Stephen’s Cathedral (c. 1400). During a later restoration of the church’s exterior they moved the statues indoors because they were being worn down by the acid rain of the day. (Caused by coal being the primary source of heat.) So here we were looking at statues that were hundreds of years old.

We next went to the Hofburg New Palace Museum because Toni wanted to see the musical instrument collection. (Toni used to play the clarinet.) There was an audio guide here also but what was really neat was that we could hear songs played by the actual instruments we were looking at. They had hundreds of instruments beginning w/ the earliest forms of percussion up to a PC for composing music. In between were things we had never seen before and enough keyboards to stretch from Vienna to Krakow. There was even the violin that belonged to A.W. Mozart’s father.

But that was only one third of what was there. A just as fascinating exhibit was that of the armor. I have never seen as many sets of armor as I had here as there were a hundred or so sets. And some sized to fit small children. And then there was the only surviving set for a horse. It was composed of a metal head piece and a large straw-filled sack that fit over and under the horse’s head. Picture an inner tube. The sack was filled w/ straw so it wouldn’t survive a lance thrust but it did offer some protection.

We ended this day w/ a great meal at a restaurant that author Rick Steve’s recommended.

On our third and final day we visited Schonbrunn Palace, which rivals Versailles in France. This was originally the home of King Maximilian II going way back to 1569. It is known for its finely-sculptured gardens, its large maze and its Neptune fountain. The rooms are adorned much like they were when the palace was last inhabited somewhere around the end of WWI. And they even showcased the first indoor plumbing of the palace. Picture an outhouse but inside.

(Brian in the rear of Schonbrunn Palace.)

(Neptune Fountain)

After leaving here we headed back o the city center where Toni ventured out to shop and I found a quiet outdoor café where I enjoyed a bit of reading along with a fine Austrian beer. We then met up at another recommended restaurant, this one outside, where we had some great food and local street entertainment. We then returned to our hotel, picked up our luggage, and went to the train station. You see, were had reserved a couchette for two for our trip home. The train was scheduled to leave at 10:30 p.m. and arrive in Krakow at 5:15 a.m.

The ride home was interesting. The couchette was as wide as two camp cots. It had 3 bunk beds but only two were set up. It had a table, cabinet, and a window. It was a muggy and slightly warm evening so the wind through the window was only partly satisfying. I did manage to fall asleep a few times but not until after the third passport check as we left the Czech Republic. It seemed so much like Soviet Russia to be awoken by a hard knock on the door and a shout of “passports” as the border police made their way through the car. We arrived late in Krakow about 6 a.m. (Very unusual for the always punctual Polish transportation system.) We then walked the ten minutes to my flat where we crashed until Noon. Although it was not the most comfortable night of our trip there is something to say for waking up in the city where you live and realizing that you don’t have a 6 hour train ride ahead of you.

All-in-all another great European city that I can recommend. Besides its beauty it has lot of history as well.

My Bicycle Ride with Tulio and Tracee

Several weekends ago I rented a bicycle, along with my friends and colleagues Tracee Walls and Tulio Bertorini. For $5.00 each we had access to the three bikes for 3 hours.

It was a great September day albeit with a strong wind. Since Tracee had not ridden a bicycle since she was a kid we let her get used to it by driving around the Planty. But she confirmed that old adage, “you never forget how to ride a bicycle”, as she soon was starting and stopping without falling down.

We next ventured down to the Wisla River where there is a great bike and walking path that runs for miles. It follows the meanderings of the river and darts in and out of several neighborhoods so it provides variety as well as sights. We did this for a few hours until we felt the wind change and the skies darken. That’s when we turned around and headed back to the center of town where we returned the bikes.

It was a great day for a ride and one that Tracee will long remember as she had forgotten how much fun a bike can be.