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Day 10
Saturday June 23
This part
of our trip was a vacation away from family visits. When I was
planning the trip, I figured after 3 days of intensive family time we
would need a break. Good plan , Ian!
We bid our cousins a fond & tearful farewell & promised to
return. A bit later than planned of course, but we were able to
get a 3 PM departure which would get us there in daylight - a big
pre-requisite for me. I hate arriving in a strange city in the
dark & trying to find places. So, we set out toward the M1 for
the short drive from Gyõr to Vienna. It was a no-incident easy
drive. Ditto crossing the border. Approaching Vienna - now
on the A4 - we realized that our maps sucked. I had Michelin point
to point directions but then I remembered that the hotel address
confused them so . . .
The highway turned into city roads (#227) & we paralleled the
Donaukanal. The streets are marked as in Hungary with corner
plaques on corners, so of course you can't see them. All was well
however, until we crossed the canal & got into the maze of streets
that make up the inner ring. Everything was one way - the wrong
way & so we looped around but none of the streets were on our silly
map. After 15 minutes of looping & cursing we got onto 227 heading
south & found a gas station to ask. Well, he gave us
directions to the Hilton & after more frustration we gratefully
pulled into the hotel's turn-around. No doorman was in sight, so
we helped ourselves to the luggage cart & went in to check-in.
We waited for 10 minutes while the 2 counter girls diddled - one was on
the phone & one was looking up an address - for 10 minutes! I
know, impatient North Americans. The icing was when a women walked
up to the HH area & a new staff member literally ran out to service
her. I blew a gasket at that point. But of course, as these
things always work out, after venting my rage, it turned out that we
were at the wrong Hilton - this one was on the south end of the ring
& our's was on the north. When we asked how to get to the
other Hilton, he told us it was difficult & that we should take a
taxi. Hmmm. Kind of hard to fit our rental into a
taxi. He gave us mediocre directions, we repacked the car &
off we went again.
After 15 more minutes of looping, we finally found the Schottenring
& our Hilton. Schottenring is one way heading out & you
have to access the north side buildings via a parallel access
road. I don't know if Hilton #1 phoned Hilton #2 to warn them
about the rabid customers on the way, but they could not have been
nicer. And the room . . . was a suite. Ahhh. With a
hallway! We collapsed & poured a drink. A little later
we wandered down to the hotel's restaurant for a quick bite.
Yikes. The prices are a wee bit higher than in Hungary.
Almost double. Even more than the inflated Buda prices. But
we didn't care. We ate. We collapsed.
Day 11
Sunday June 24
I was up early the next morning & realized I had done almost no
research on Vienna other than a few restaurant suggestions. I dove
into my Rough Guide & came up with a plan. We had decided to
relax in Vienna, rather than run around like demons & try to see all
of the sites. We were on holiday not a marathon & this
museum-rich & palace-rich city would take a week to see
properly. It was also still 30C + every day which tended to slow
things down. So I focused & picked a couple of must-see
highlights to form a very lackadaisical itinerary to keep us amused for
the 2 days we had. Since Vienna is a popular destination, I won't post
as many pictures as I have for the Hungarian portion. Many of you
have been there/done that so I will just go with our highlights.
After a pleasant breakfast on the 10th floor rooftop Executive Lounge,
we bought Vienna Passes from the concierge for 16.90€. Then it
was to the tram for the short hop to the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Just a quick note of praise for Vienna's fabulous transportation
system. We traveled around town on trams & used the subway for
a trip further out. It works tremendously well & is very
easy. And on time. The drivers even wait at stops so they
will arrive at the next one on time. This was a bit painful at
times since it was still swelteringly hot & no air moves unless the
tram moves, but it was efficient.
Now the Kunsthistorisches. Certainly one of the world's best
museums. The building is stunning in its own right - especially
the vast interior staircase & the 2 level dome. And the
collection? Wow. Hats off to the curators because I have
never see art so well displayed. The Egyptian art was superb &
the Roman bust collection is beautifully displayed. One of the
best I have seen. Bravo! So if you're in Vienna & you
want to see something truly outstanding, head to this museum. The
rest of their collection was also great - I mean, who else has 3
Rembrandt self-portraits hung side by side?
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