Vienna

Murray and I took our first kid free vacation last week.  We went to Vienna, Austria for 4 days and then one night in Paris.  Isn't that the name of a song?  Despite the weather (in the 40's and raining) we had a great time and took some great pictures.

I could have done without the 10 hour plane ride to Paris, 4 hour lay over in the airport, and 2 hour plane ride to Vienna, but of course it was worth it once we got there.  Murray, the on-line research King, found a half price rate on our 5 star hotel located on the Ringstrasse across from the state Opera House.  Because it was off season (refer back to the weather) they upgraded us to the $750/night suite.  Sweet!  It was bigger than my apartment when I was single!  Heated bathroom floor, separate WC, large living room, 2 flat screen TVs, corner bedroom.  So sweet!  The first afternoon/night we just walked around and tried to find some place to eat that wasn't filled with smokers.  No luck.  Those people like to smoke.  We found the main shopping area and walked the pedestrian only streets and people watched.  Jet lag forced us to bed by 9pm.


View from our hotel

The next morning we walked to the KHM art museum.  We had to get an audio guide since nothing was written in English.  We breezed through the Egyptian artifacts, we enjoyed the Roman collection, but I was most excited by the art.  We saw paintings by Rembrandt, Raphael, Caravaggio, Van Dyck, Rubens, Durer, and Titian.  Definitely a high light for me.  That evening we went to the Opera to see Tschaikowski's Eugen Onegin.  It was a very modern staging and both Murray and I prefer traditional opera.  However, it was an incredible experience to attend an opera in Vienna.  The Opera House is beautiful, and it was amazing to be where Mozart conducted.  Just before the performance began a couple walked in and sat 4 rows in front of us.  It took me a second but I realized it was Shania Twain.  During the intermission they stood at a cocktail table having a drink and no one bothered her.  We were 5 feet from her.  After the performance it was raining and we stood next to them in the doorway preparing to head out.  She sang a line from a song (I didn't recognized) and then opened her umbrella which was from our hotel!  They were staying at our hotel!  I just couldn't get up the nerve to approach her.  I don't think anyone knew who she was, and if they did, they left her alone.  I'm sure that's why stars like living in Europe.


Opera Night

The next day we visited Vienna's 800 year old cathedral, Stephansdom.  Its 450 foot Gothic spire is the city's famous landmark.  Just behind the cathedral is Old Vienna with narrow cobbled stone streets and courtyards.  This is where Mozart lived when he composed the Marriage of Figaro.  After Mozart's house we walked to the Hoher Markt in the Jewish District.  Underneath are the ruins of a Roman settlement that's mentioned in the movie Gladiator.   Huge for Murray.

After lunch we toured the Hofburg Palace Treasury and Imperial Apartments.  We saw crowns and rare jewels, including the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and the largest cut emerald in the world.  Some amazing things.  The last Emperor of the Habsburgs was Franz Joseph and his wife the Empress Elisabeth.  She was vain and a little nuts.  She was obsessed with starvation diets and drank raw meat juice.  She also had her knee length hair brushed for 3 hours a day.  The Viennese love her and her image is everywhere.  One of the buildings of the Hofberg Complex is the Neue Burg.  It's where Hitler stood to announce Germany was taking over Austria.


Hofburg Palace


That night we went to the Symphony at Schonbrunn Palace, the Imperial summer residence.  It was a 6 piece ensemble that played Mozart and Strasse.  It was awesome.  They had opera singers and dancers performing ballet and waltzes.  And again thanks to Murray's on-line talents we had front row seats.  We enjoyed it more than the opera.  


Schonbrunn Palace

The next morning we saw the Vienna Boys Choir.  Again, we had front row seats.  Unfortunately we had to sit through an hour and a half mass in German with lots of incense.  Lots.  In the front row.  Lots of German and incense.  Afterwards, we walked around Kohlmarket, which is where all the high end shops are.  Gucci, Prada, Cartier, Bulgari.  Unfortunately it was Sunday and everything was closed or I'm sure we would have bought a few souvenirs.  Ha!

That afternoon we flew to Paris.  Murray (you gotta love him) scored the corner room with the best view of the Eiffel tower.  We walked there just as it was being lit up.  Wow.  There were hundreds of people waiting in line to go to the top, so we took a cab over to Notre Dame instead.  The cab driver was great.  He took us past The Arc de Triomphe, Champ D'Elysees, the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Pont Neuf, and through the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed.  It's almost a crime to see all those things and not see them.  We ate in the Latin Quarter which looks just like the French Quarter in New Orleans.  We had a great meal, our best of the trip, very good Bourdeaux, and awesome desserts.  Yes, dessertS.  Hey, it was Paris!  

Our final view of Paris was at 11pm when the lights glitter on the Eiffel Tower.  I still can't believe I was there.



We are back and still a little tired.  I was so ready to see the kids.  After only 5 days they looked different to us.  Alexander's face seemed fuller, Christian looked a little older.  My parents said they did great, but of course missed us.  

Yesterday was our 8th anniversary.  Murray apologized for not buying me a gift.  That Murray.

~J