Vienna
On the trip from Venice to Vienna, the train passes a number of spectacular mountain sites. Within Italy, we encountered the Dolomites, and upon crossing into Austria, we came across the Austrian Alps. Once more, the train ride was quite long – approximately eight hours - but the views were impressive and very scenic. At times, the clouds were relatively low, and, as a consequence, the mountains seemed to be all the more mysterious and attractive to me.
My hotel, the Wandl, was centrally located and just a few minutes' walk from St. Stephen's Cathedral, which I really wanted to see. This church is an iconic building with a tall spire and colourful tiled roof, a historic interior, and serves as the main attraction of Vienna. It is a symbol of the city itself.
Right next to it was a frankfurter stand, and decided to lunch on one of their offerings while standing up in Stephansplatz - the central square of Vienna, and, of course, named after St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The weather was much cooler here, and I appreciated the respite from the 30-degree-plus heat I had been enduring for several weeks.
After taking in this entire area, I took a stroll towards the Schönbrunn Palace. This is one of Austria's most famous landmarks, initially built in the 16th century and serving primarily as a hunting lodge. It has served as the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors for several centuries. It features extensive formal gardens with fountains, statues, and flower beds, reminiscent of the Fontainebleau in Paris.
I next wanted to see the famous Spanish Riding School, one of the world’s most renowned institutions for classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses. I was able to get into the stables and see those wonderful horses. It is located within the Hofburg Palace complex and, therefore, its proximity allowed me to visit the palace itself.
On Sunday afternoon, I decided to visit a small restaurant that featured live musical entertainment. I happened to sit at a table with a couple from Cardiff, Wales. It turned out that he was very energetic and opinionated about communism in general. He asked me why the Americans were doing a variety of activities, and I reminded him that, as a Canadian, I shouldn't be expected to defend the American government. That was the end of that part of the conversation, but after all these years, I never forgot the conversation.
Terry arrived at my hotel in the late morning, and we spent an hour discussing our experiences since our last meeting. That afternoon, we took a tour of the opera house, which was most impressive. In mid-afternoon, I left him to take a tour of the Viennese Woods. This location, situated on the outskirts of Vienna, is renowned for its natural beauty, hiking trails, and cultural significance. I was surprised by its dense forests of beech, oak, and pine so close to the city. Along with being a reserve that protects local wildlife and plants, it is also popular for hiking, cycling, and other outdoor recreational activities. I thoroughly enjoyed my short stay here, taking in the beauty of the woods and their surroundings.
In the southern portion of the Woods is located the Abbey of the Holy Cross, where members of the first royal family of Austria are buried (the Babenbergs). This family ruled Austria before the rise of the Habsburgs and played a crucial role in the early history of the region. It is the oldest continuously-inhabited Cistercian monastery in the world. The monks (currently, there are over 100) are renowned for their Gregorian chant, which they refer to as "music for paradise."
I then visited Mayerling, approximately 24 kilometres southwest of Vienna, renowned for its tragic historical event—the Mayerling Incident. On January 30, 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and his 17-year-old lover, Baroness Mary Vetsera, were found dead in a hunting lodge there, under circumstances that have fueled speculation and intrigue for over a century. The Incident is remembered as a tragic love story intertwined with imperial politics, and its repercussions echoed through the Habsburg dynasty and European history.
I now understood that Europe is a bastion of history, which is quite different from my experience in North America.
I next decided to investigate historical sites outside Vienna. Melk Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Melk, Lower Austria, approximately 80 kilometres west of Vienna. Perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube River, it is one of Europe's most significant Baroque landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a thousand years old! Where were Montreal and Toronto a 1,000 years ago?!
Visiting that monastery, and in particular its library containing 100,000 books, was one of the highlights of my entire trip. The church is a masterpiece of architecture that has stunning frescoes. The trip to Melk took most of the day. But, it was well worth the effort. We then boarded a boat and rode it as far Spitz. Nearby is the Durnstein Castle where Richard the Lionhearted was kept prisoner. It is now mostly a ruin, we nevertheless enjoyed the panoramic views of the Danube and Wachau Valley. Since the rain had ceased, it was very pleasant to walk the grounds around the castle. We were able to hike up to the ruins and learn about Richard’s captivity and medieval history. As a history student and teacher, Terry found this particularly interesting.
Arriving back in Vienna, by early evening, Terry informed me that he had managed to make a reservation on the Johann Strauss boat, which was scheduled to leave at 11 PM. He made the reservation for two nights at the extraordinary cost of $1.80 each. It seemed like a good deal, so I agreed. We retired soon after the boat left and woke up the next morning to continue our boat trip. We arrived at Linz by early evening. We stayed on the boat for a second evening, and, in the morning, boarded another ship for the last leg of our journey to Passau.
