A trip to see some dancing horses and pretty buildings in Wien. Vienna Austria
Written: Sep 15 '04 (Updated Feb 03 '05)
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Pros: Beautiful Buildings, great Coffee and cakes.
Cons: More than a tad expensive. Dislike Opera? - Vienna isn't the place to go.
The Bottom Line: Vienna is a great town. Lively bars, great cafe culture, and some wonderful buildings. Just bring your wallet!
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| travelgall's Full Review: Vienna |
Getting into Vienna involved a pretty easy train journey from Bratislava in Slovakia. The journey takes about 1 hour; they run frequently and get you within striking distance of civilisation. We arrived at the SudBahnhof in Vienna, and then took a 10 stop tram journey to the WestBahnhof where our hostel was. Don't even try to work out the tram map, I've seen more order the last time I tipped a tin of Heinz spaghetti into a pan, you will probably need to ask! On the other hand the tube system is simplicity itself, and pretty much gets you everywhere you need to go - which is the town centre. You also have the famous horse drawn carriages if you're in to alternative methods of travel (and boy are they taking your wallet for a ride), and Austria has a clever system where if you give the council your credit card swipe (so you don't do a runner with the bike); you can take a free bike - or at least a cheap one - to ride round the city and drop it off at one of the many parking stops, at least I think that's how it works. Don't ask me how you get from the airport because I didn't fly in, but there seemed to be a bus and taxi service from the SudBahnhof; and either air traffic control were having a giggle, or the planes were coming in to land about 5 miles away.
The place we stayed in was a youth hostel called "Wombats", which was a different experience from the usual 4 star hotels we stayed in. The place was set up by Aussies for the backpacking fraternity, and i feel they have done a really good job. Yeah, it isn't the Savoy, but to be fair on the place it had all the facilities you would possibly need as a backpacker. Clean sheets, internet connections 1 Euro for 12 minutes, a reasonably clean bathroom and a bar. Unfortunately the rooms in the hostel all had feather pillows, to which I'm allergic. So I spent most of my time with a nose like Robert Downey Jr after a heavy night. The place looked like a license to print money as it was absolutely rammed with people from all over the place, from every corner of the civilised world and Australia. I was in the bar on Friday and the place had a really friendly feel, and seemed that practically everybody was trying to drink the place dry. In fact in places it was too friendly, as one of the chaps we were drinking with insisted very loudly about 18 times that you hadn't been drunk till you soiled yourself to me and the very unimpressed American ladies we were with. I believe he is now avoiding a hit squad from the Australian Ministry of Culture. Most of the guys in our little dorm, like the bar, were Breadstealers; but there were two Danish guys too who were in Vienna in business. This makes me realise there are companies in the world even tighter than my own.
The first thing to do when hitting town is soaking up the atmosphere of the "Ring", an area where the city walls were demolished and wide boulevards laid down in their place. All the palaces, theatres, operas and other bastions of culture are found in this small area; along with the city park which is really very pretty. I have to admit I only visited the palace and the Spanish riding stables; but for the culture snobs there is more than enough stuff to visit to keep you interested for a week. We were constantly harassed by chaps in Mozart coats and wigs, inviting you to get the artistic set meal of the city which consisted of a bit of Opera, some classical music and a couple of guys in tights so the ballet was covered too. I suppose if you're only in Vienna for a couple of days then this will do as a starter to fine living, but it's the equivalent of a "it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" coach tour. Make a decision, if you like Opera a lot, devote a night to it; if you don't just buy Aida on DVD and skip to the Coffee shops instead.
Vienna is famous for its Coffee and Cakes, believe me they didn't disappoint. The most atmospheric place, and one of the oldest, was the Cafe Central, which has hosted such famous mass murderers for tea and Tiffin as Hitler (to be fair he preferred the Sperl), Stalin and assorted loons like Trotsky. Better not point this out to them when they turn their noses up at you for arriving in t-shirt and shorts though, as you may find that they refuse you admission. The Coffee and Cakes were superb, and a nice break from pounding the Austrian beat. Other famous Coffee houses are the Landtmann which was the favourite of Freud and Dietrich and the Pruckel which is like a big living room. The modern ones are good too, and let's be honest practically all of them can beat chains like Starbucks into a cocked hat.
The next on the things to do trip was a visit to the famous Lipizaner Horses of the Spanish Riding School near the Royal Palace in the centre of town. The room where the horses strut their stuff is pretty impressive for a stable, and looks more like a huge banquet hall. There is a bit of a debate on the Lipitzaners as to whether it is an affront to the animals dignity (usually argued by people who pretend that plastic shoes are as comfortable as leather, and that hitting bongos incessantly will end poverty and injustice). The other side of the argument is the "My little Pony" set who think that horses are just there for being cute and pretty, an argument advanced by soppy women who have retained the emotions of an 8 year old despite being in their early 20's. Lets be honest, both arguments are but clenchingly annoying, so I'll simply say that the Vienna Riding school is a more advanced version of dressage.
I recommend that you to the Spanish Riding School later, in the semi-finals or something, at least in the playoffs, as we went when they were practicing to music. As far as I could see the horses were mostly practicing walking; something I, as a country boy have seen numerous times and felt I should not have had to pay 12 Euros for the privilege. As a result I got bored with this walking and the odd "Trick" pretty quickly so started trying to bet on the horses. I had 5 euros on the brown one, but they never got round to racing so we called it quits. The view you get unless you get there early is, quite frankly poor; and I hardly caught any "High ho Silver" action. I'm sure the show itself is good, but felt jaded after 10 minutes. After aggravating my nose even further with horse hair what I'd started with the feather pillows in the hostel, I decided I'd have a walk round the gardens to give it the total works with pollen. Much to my surprise it cleared it and I got to enjoy these lovely parks which were free of the construction sight taking place next to the palace and Opera house, which the Austrians were erecting to pray homage to root vegetables, wheat and other exciting agricultural produce. I'm sure the Austrian harvest festival is very nice; with lots of people admiring the size of the various farmers marrows and cucumbers; but it took me many years to get away from such discussions; and other than the odd pro-hunting march I steer well clear of Wellington Boots, Threshers and Border collies.
One thing that shocked me was the outrageous prices for entry into the museums of Vienna. Now I know London museums are "free" - you "Donate" £2, and that both the GBP and USD have taken a dive against the Euro - kind of handy if you want to export your unemployment - but even still prices were outrageous. We paid 7.5 eurines for a visit round the Imperial Palace; and the Museum quarter wanted a whacking 25e for a card that allowed you access into the museums and galleries of this little area. I will freely admit that the museums were in a lovely area, but Vienna is famous for music, not paintings. Infact the only Austrian painter of note was so poor he switched to invading countries instead. I can only assume with all this newly gained wealth the Austrians are gathering their forces for a shot at buying the next Van Gough on sale, but even so 25 euros is a bit rich. As a result I decided to walk round a bunch of huge aerial photographs that were being displayed showing various natural and man made phenomenon in the world. Beautiful photos and really quite impressive; if you could deal with the staggering hypocrisy of the photographer moaning on the posters about how we're messing up the planet, by taking a bunch of fuel thirsty military helicopters all over the world, to photograph it.
We then visited the Royal Apartments, and very nice they were too. The main part of the exhibit was devoted to the Empress Elizabeth of Austria. And no, I'd never heard of Empress Elizabeth either. Empress Elizabeth is the difference between an A- and an A in A Level History. The question being who was the Empress of Austria before the Empress Sophia, wife of the assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand's death started World War I. Her nickname was Sissi, and she was lionized by filmmakers as a sweet shy girl who had the mantle "Empress" thrust upon her (most famously played by the beautiful actress Rommy Schneider). She may have started out like that, but she more than made up for it by being a miserable middle aged woman who spat the dummy and hid herself away, rather than carry out her official duties. On the plus side she is lionized by Hungarians, because she pestered her husband until they were given a certain degree of autonomy in the decaying Austro-Hungarian empire. She was murdered by an Italian anarchist on one of her frequent trips away from the palace. Still, the palace is beautiful, especially the "Red Room", and is a well worth a visit. Seeing such beautiful buildings you can't imagine how the Austrians ever thought they would loose their empire.
I would say that Vienna is a great place to visit for a long weekend. It's beautiful and there is a great deal to do; especially for lovers of high culture.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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travelgall
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Location: London, Great Britain
Reviews written: 104
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About Me:
Ex Army Stockbroker who spend all his cash on traveling.
Corruptissima Republica, Plurimae Leges.
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