Regal Vienna

The previous guests in the apartment we are renting left us two day tickets for the Vienna transit system.  Since the tickets expired today, we decided to take advantage of them and make a trip into the centre of Vienna on our first day.  After figuring out the bus and train (which was actually VERY simple once we did it) we were on our way.  Noah was riveted by his trip on the bus and then the train and if you know him you can imagine just how attentive he was to everything.  

Noah and Daddy on the train into Vienna.

 Vienna is simply a breathtaking city.  The Habsburgs ruled from here for over 600 years until 1918, when the last Emperor 'renounced participation' in state affairs (but was very clear that he did not actually abdicate).  With this much consistency and power in Vienna, the city centre is filled with jaw-dropping grand buildings.  Just when you think you've seen the last one you turn a corner and another stands in front of you.

The Vienna Opera House (Statsoper).

Vienna's main pedestrian/shopping street - Karntner Strasse.

 At the heart of the old town is towering Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral).  It was Sunday and when we walked in to take a look Mass was in progress.  Vienna is renowned for its music and composers and the church not only had a choir and organ but also an orchestra.  It was simply amazing to hear such beautiful music resonating throughout such an incredible church.

Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral)

Stephensdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral)

Inside Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) during Sunday Mass.

More pedestrian streets lined with beautiful buildings.

 Vienna is also known for its cafe culture and although we didn't stop at one of the more traditional cafes (we're saving that for later in the week), we did sit at an outdoor cafe in the middle of one of the pedestrian zones for an apple strudel and cappuccino.

Doug's first Viennese cappuccino. 

 We then made our way a few blocks further down the pedestrian zone to the Hofburg - the city palace of the Habsburg Emperors (their summer palace - Schonbrunn - is located towards the outskirts of the city).  The Hofburg's gardens and grounds have been accessible by the public for centuries, part of a move by the Habsburg Emperor to stave off revolution when it was happening in other parts of Europe.  It must have worked because the Empire lasted until 1918, after all.

Statue in the Hofburg with the towers of the Rathaus (City Hall) in the background.

The Hofburg is huge, with numerous large and small courtyards to walk through and a well-laid garden on one side.  Now the building is the official seat of the Austrian President and houses numerous museums, art galleries, concert halls and the famous Spanish Riding School.  We didn't visit any of these indoor attractions but instead wandered through the courtyards and into the garden.

Hofburg Courtyard.

The towers of the Rathaus (City Halls) from the Hofburg garden.

The Hofburg.

Part of the garden dedicated to Sisi - Empress Elizabeth - who is often referred to as a Habsburg Princess Diana.

The Hofburg.

Statues surrounding a doorway at the Hofburg.

The Hofburg.

At this point in the day I seem to have completely forgotten about my camera but we had a nice walk back towards the pedestrian zone where we ate Wiener (Viennese) Schnitzell for lunch.  We then made our way to Haus der Musik, a museum dedicated to music and sound.  It wasn't as interactive and kid-friendly as my research had led me to believe but it was really interesting and would have kept us fascinated for quite a long while if it had just been Doug and I.  Unfortunately, with the kids we didn't last long at Haus de Musik.

Instead we headed to Stadtpark (City Park) which runs along a branch of the Danube River and had a great playground where the kids played for a while before we hopped back on the train to our apartment.  Since we arrived back a little before dinner we had time to visit another playground.  About two blocks up the hill from the apartment we have rented is a green space with the most amazing playground we have found in all our trips so far - more on that (with pictures) to come later this week.