After a few days of relative rest, Ellie and I said Ahoj to our Czech family and are back at the train station in Pardubice.
Today we’re en route to Vienna, a 3 hour ride.
Before we know it, we’re at Wien Hauptbahnof. Very nice to once again be able to take a direct train as this wasn’t the case for the last year and a half due to trackwork.
And then we arrive at the Palais Hansen Kempinski hotel, where we stayed last July on our most recent trip to Vienna.
We get a very nice upgrade again in this beautiful property.
This time, though, Ellie doesn’t need to sleep on the pullout in the living room.
There’s a little welcome gift for us.
We’ve not had lunch yet so we venture out through the historical center, passing by Maria am Gestade – one of the oldest churches in Vienna (completed 1414).
And this fun looking pub – delirious elephants anyone?!
Then the Johannes-Gutenburg Monument (the inventor of the printing press).
Now we’ve arrived at our lunch spot – the famous Figlmüller restaurant.
Their speciality is schnitzel – but not Wienerschnitzel – their signature is a pork schnitzel – and potato salad.
On the way back to the hotel we take a slightly different route, passing by Vermahlungsbrunnen “The Marriage Fountain” which unfortunately is dry today.
Closer to the hotel there’s a nice playground nestled amongst the historical buildings.
We’re tired after a busy week !
After a nap we go down to check out the pool in the spa. It’s a gorgeous and very relaxing setting. We’re the only ones in here.
The mood lighting underwater makes Ellie’s swimsuit glow in the dark, which she’s very happy about.
The great staircases in old hotels in Europe are always a hit with Ellie.
The metro station, not so much.
But the destination was worth it. This is an out of the way, but very, very good ice cream shop in Vienna – Eissalon Tichy.
Back down in the inner city, we get out of the metro at Stephansplatz which is a real treat at night if you come out of the right exit, because you come up the stairs and St Stephen’s Cathedral is literally right in front of you (you come out right at the left edge of the photo).
Not lingering too long amongst the crowds we take yet another route back to the hotel, passing by the Column of Pest, a monument to victims of the plague.
St. Peter’s Church (if you could hear Ellie, she’d be saying, no more stopping for pictures!)
So many of the buildings are ornately decorated regardless of their historical significance.
A look down a typical street in the central Vienna pedestrian zone.
I don’t think I’ve ever been in this square before. There’s a statue of the German writer Gotthold Ephraim Lessing of which the original was melted down for weapons in World War II, and recreated in 1968.
Aha! Glad I caught one of these – I wanted to get a shot in Stephansplatz but Ellie would have complained had I gone around to the other side where they begin their tours.
OPEC’s office is just around the corner from the hotel. Surprisingly there doesn’t seem to be any additional security here compared to any other office building.
Like many old European cities, the inner city street signs are beautiful.
After a restful sleep we head down for breakfast in the hotel. Ellie has a hot chocolate and some cereal, and I have eggs benedict.
Right across the street is a monument to the Deutschmeister Regiment of the military.
Many of Vienna’s underground metro stations are very close to the surface or even in an open ditch such as Line 4, but we’re going on Line 2 this morning which is much deeper but they’ve found a away to bring natural light all the way down almost to platform level.
We’re over at Prater now – a large park just outside of central Vienna of which the main attracftion is an amusement park with activities all owned and operated independenlty.
Ellie really wanted to go on the bungee trampolines again, just like last year.
But not on the famous Giant Ferris Wheel, 125 years old.
There’s another newer one further down the park.
And your usual assortment of carnival rides to induce stomach upset and screams (these aren’t for Ellie).
The world’s largest portable roller coaster, with 4 loops.
The big slide is more her speed.
It’s hot out so we take the little train around the park.
After a freshen up in the pool again at the hotel, we have another place to try for schnitzel this afternoon. We take metro line 4 over there, which has these outdoor stations that are really nice in the summer (much less nice in the winter).
Crossing one of the sections of Vienna’s grand central boulevard – the Ringstrasse.
We’ve arrived at our late lunch spot, a pub on a very, very quiet street.
Trying a twist on the classic – Briefmarkenschnitzel – which is your typical Wienerschnitzel, cut up into slices and served with a ketchup made from anchovies. Very good! But as Ellie was also eating schnitzel for the last few days at Grandma’s, she’s had enough now. Can we not have schnitzel again for a while, begs Ellie.
After our delicioius and peaceful lunch, we head back to the metro station. The station entrance and vestibule is preserved in its original form.
And grab our stuff from the hotel, off to the airport again.
I love Vienna. It’s so easy to get around, is compact yet full of sights and sounds, to mention nothing about the incredible classical music scene. It’s no wonder that Vienna is consistently ranked one of the best places in the world to live. Every time I visit I discover something new and interesting even though we’ve stayed in the same area numerous times. Won’t be long before we’re back again, I hope!
Ellie's Adventures 