Vienna Hop-On Hop-Off

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.

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.

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.