26 | July | 2024 | The Cannon Family's travel blog

We awoke quite early today after an amazing night’s sleep. Being in a place with a comfy bed and windows that actually open and that you aren’t afraid to open means a lovely cross breeze that allows for great snoozing.

We had our Wednesday breakfast a day late – mostly because we couldn’t find a good avocado in Tesco in Prague but the Billa here had one that worked fine. So scrambled eggs and avocado toast was our morning sustenance before heading out to see how many sights we could take in today.

The weather was partly cloudy which suited us just fine. It’s nice not to sweat so much you smell like a zoo animal before 10 am. Our host recommended getting to the Schonbrunn Palace early to beat the crowds so we boarded the number 10 tram at 8.30 and headed out. To find the crowds were already forming. The palace was the main summer residence of the Habsburgs and it is ginormous: more than 1400 rooms in the place and gardens to rival Versailles in scale. Of course we hadn’t planned anything in advance so we stepped up to the ticket machine to purchase tickets to see all the lovely sights and were presented with 5 options: from the “State Apartments” tour (roughly 25 minutes) to the whole shooting match (roughly 2.5 – 3 hours). Well there is just too much to see in this city to spend even half a day here so we thought we would pick one in the middle – only to find out that we would need to wait 3 hours before we could start. WTF? We’re here at ten after 9 in the morning and you are telling me we can’t get in the building until 12.20? I have no idea how that works but I did figure out that choosing the quicky tour meant you could go in right away.

So we got to see the main 5 rooms (out of 1400+) for about £18 each. For 5 rooms. And they got the time right: it took about 25 minutes. Yes, even with the forming crowds and umbrella bearing tour guides, it didn’t take that long. Don’t get me wrong: what we saw was absolutely impressive. And I can imagine the same would be true for the rest of the place but because I didn’t want to wait, I don’t know. So we wandered around the grounds and chalked up some of today’s steps. We climbed up to the Gloriette, a beautiful building on a hill that seems to have no other purpose than a large dining room. We didn’t climb up to the observation platform (costs extra, natch) but did spring for fancy coffee and cake at the cafe.

Then it was off to see something at the other end of the tourist spectrum: street art!!!! There were a few pieces we learned about in Prague that we didn’t get to see so we weren’t going to miss the ones here. We found a map showing about two dozen spots and took the U-bahn to an area with a concentration for murals. Some were quite impressive BUT I have to say that street art is something Aberdeen does much better than Vienna. I don’t think they actually give out prizes for such things but I know where I’d put my vote!

Then back to the typical tourist trail, stopping for the obligatory visit to St Stephens Cathedral. Unfortunately, we go there during midday mass where the tourists outnumbered the worshippers about 4 to 1. No matter how quiet people tried to be (and really, they didn’t try hard), you could barely hear the priest saying mass even with the mic. Stupid tourists.

We found a place down a side street with great reviews for their GF burger buns so off we went. And boy were the reviews right! I can honestly say it was the best burger I have had since I was diagnosed 16 years ago. So I ate the whole damn thing. And spend the rest of the day with a stodgy lump of meat in my tummy. Still, it was worth it.

Time to walk off the mass of mince so we wandered around the main shopping area joking about the relative merits of shopping at Cartier versus Tiffany’s. (We might as well be comparing rock samples from Mars and Venus for all we know about high end jewelry!) We stopped by the Opera House, knowing there were no performances in July and August and hoping to get a tour. But alas, it is restoration season there too so no joy.

One last item on the “oh you have to visit” list from friends: the Hofberg Imperial palace. It was the winter palace for the Habsburgs because of course living in the same palace all year round wasn’t the done thing. We found Austrian capitalism at work here again with various parts of the palace housing various exhibits and charging various fees. Not really feeling the love at this place, we decided to go off the beaten path and so something crazy: go see the Danube River! Yes, we thought we should take a look at the body of water that inspired the trip so we jumped on the air conditioned bus (love the 3 day transport pass!) and headed north west. To find a wide, fast flowing river that nearly glowed green. Not the Chicago-at-St-Paddys green but an unattractive sludgy colour. Not something to inspire poets and song writers.

So a bit of an anticlimax. One more thing to investigate before the evening repast: the Nachtmarket. We have the tip that on Saturdays it is more than a food and restaurant space – a flea market sets up there – and we have plans for that event. But as we were recommended to get there early again, we thought we’d see what the evening held at the market. It was interesting: the usual keich plus spices, candy, and olives. Lots of restaurants including the seafood spot we eventually dined at. My turbot with scallops and mushroom risotto were excellent. Frank very much enjoyed his king prawn (with the head on!), monkfish, and tuna with risotto. Throw in some cocktails and a good Gruner and the meal is complete.

And then off to home and bed. Tomorrow we are breaking the cardinal rule of holidays: no alarms! But we have a big day planned that includes…. Wine! So we’ll get a good night sleep and be ready to imbibe.

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