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The Hofburg & St. Stephens

11/5/2018

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After a slow, relaxing start to the day we stop by the restaurant we know that serves bacon and eggs.  This time we are fortunate to get a table inside.  After a couple of coffee's and some good food we are ready to tackle the Hofburg.  The original building of the palace dates to the 13th century.  It's baroque architecture is complimented by many interesting statues.  Today it is the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria.  It also houses a number of museums, including the Albertina which we visited on Saturday.
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I have an interest in seeing a palace of earlier times and so we buy tickets to the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments.  Viewing the silver collection (essentially the tableware used within the palace over the years) is included.  I enjoy the museums, but William informs me that he considers them slightly less torturous than touring the interior of Versailles.  He should have just had a coffee in the courtyard café.

With coffee on the mind we go across the street to the Klimt Café.  We order coffee and a slice of the ubiquitous Sacher tort to share, then walk back to the apartment to do some online activities.

For dinner we find a Hungarian restaurant named Ilona in the pedestrian area of the Old Town. The restaurant was founded in November, 1957 and is still family-run.  Continuing my fowl trend, I choose the goose special which is only offered two weeks during the year.  William selects a meat plate which is topped with a thick piece of pork belly.  We both smile widely.
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After dinner we return to St. Stephens Cathedral.  The church has been rebuilt a number of times since the first structure was completed 1160.  The last reconstruction was completed in 1952 after a major fire which occurred as Soviet troops entered the city in 1945.  A Mass is underway, but the church is massive and it has been partitioned off so that visitors do not disturb the service.

It's 9:00 pm as we return to the apartment to do our pre-packing and relax in front of the TV before bed.  There is a taxi stand four blocks from the apartment and our plan is to walk there to catch a ride to the airport.  But I am worried - will there be taxi's sitting there at 6:30 am?  So, I stop to talk to the last cabbie in the line.  He says that there will be taxis, but offers to pick us up at the apartment. Sounds good to me - if he doesn't show up, we can still walk to the taxi stand.

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Vienna Hop-On Hop-Off

11/4/2018

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The small café in front of our apartment offers brunch on Sundays, which makes an easy start to our day.  After a leasurely meal we walk toward the Museums stop to catch the Hop-On Hop-Off bus.  Our plan is to complete both the Red Route and the Blue Route, listening to the narration to gain a better overview of the city.

The two routes take a little over three hours to complete, reaching from the Old Danube on the east to the Schönbrunn Palace on the west.  We see the historic buildings in the center including the Gothic Revival Votivkirche and travel just a short distance to the modern architecture of Uno City.  Many Viennese and tourists use motorized scooters to get around, but the Orthodox man riding a manual scooter provides a unique scene.
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Following the Hop-On Hop-Off routes we are ready for a snack.  As we wander the streets of the Old Town we stumble across Flanagan's Irish Pub. William's Guinness and my Grüner Veltliner along with some cod bites hit the spot.  There's a rugby match on the TV which keeps us, and may of the other patrons entertained.
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We wander along the narrow streets of the Old Town, doing window shopping as most of the stores are closed.  We spot Nathan's Bespoke Tailor and wonder if William could pop in, get a suit and join the Kingsmen.  St. Stephen's Cathedral dominates the sky on one end of the pedestrian zone.  They are preparing for a concert so we will return tomorrow.

Although the stores are closed there are still a large number of people walking around and enjoying the carry-out food stands and cafe's.  We sit down at a cafe to share a plate of bratwurst and fries.   As we walk home we pass Hofburg, the palace we plan to tour tomorrow.
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    Hi.  I'm Anne.  I wander around the world with William.


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Photo used under Creative Commons from A Vahanvaty