Just back from the Danube!

[acwmom]

We left Salzburg early on a Sunday morning. We booked Railjet, in advance. We were assigned to the First Class "quiet" cabin. Very nice. I believe we only had 3-4 stops along the way, which was nice. Our top speed was 230km/hr.

 

 

We stayed at a hotel across from St. Stephen's Cathedral, DO & CO. This was our "official arrival" point in Vienna.

 

 

After we dropped our bags, including my good camera:-(, we were off to pick up our Vienna pass, and start seeing some sights. We started at the Albertina Museum. This is the Hall of Muses.

 

 

Next, a few shots of the National Library, my favorite building, by far.

 

 

 

 

Robin

[gymnast46]

Thanks Notamermaid and Acwmom!

 

I've copied your notes into a folder.

 

We do plan to spend a few days in Munich at the beginning of the trip. We'll be staying with a nice couple we met in the Australian Outback last November.

[jpalbny]

gymnast46, we've been to 3/4 of these places. IMO your itinerary is manageable.

 

Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee are easy to visit and a day in each spot is likely enough. Berchtesgaden looks small; we haven't visited yet but have researched it. Here, it also looks like a day would suffice.

 

Two days in Salzburg is probably enough. Venice, Vienna - you need more days as they are larger. We are looking forward to visiting Prague some day.

 

Save plenty of time for Munich. We spent 5 days there and left things undone...Though we did visit Herrenchiemsee as a day trip from Munich.

 

Robin - how much did you "donate" to visit Salzburg Cathedral? We didn't bother going in, because the side doors were open and we could see most of it anyway.

[acwmom]

Robin - how much did you "donate" to visit Salzburg Cathedral? We didn't bother going in, because the side doors were open and we could see most of it anyway.

 

I don't recall us "donating" anything. There wasn't anyone at the door, and it was open, so we walked in. Others did the same.

 

I'll try to post more pics later-pulling double duty at work....my MA quit abruptly:-(

 

Robin

[acwmom]

After touring the Albertina and National Library, we took in the Imperial Treasury and Imperial Apartments/Sisi Museum. No photos allowed.

 

We had worked up an appetite by this time, and decided we wanted to eat outside, because it was sunny.....never mind it was only 50 degrees, and breezy. No matter, they had heaters.

 

Bacon wrapped wurst, beer, and fries.....hit the spot, it was enough for the two of us to split

 

 

This gave us enough energy to wander around a bit more. Since it was Sunday, and an election day, there wasn't a lot open. We did see Mozart's apartment, on the way to dinner.

 

In both Vienna (and Salzburg) horse-drawn carriage rides are common. And, somehow, they seem much more "authentic" than in the states.

 

 

 

 

For dinner, we had reservations at Lugeck, a newer bistro style restaurant, owned by the Figimuller group. The food was above average, unfortunately, the service was slow, as the restaurant was understaffed, but I did get my wiener schnitzel fix, and they had an IPA beer. As we were finishing, we noticed another landmark right across the street, Zwolf Apostekellar. We enjoyed a beer here, before calling it a night.

 

The exterior of Lugeck, with Zwolf Apostekellar to the left:

 

 

 

My wiener schnitzel sandwich:

 

 

 

My husband, cellar dwelling at Zwolf:

 

 

Robin

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks for posting. Enjoying reading your commentary and viewing your photos.

[acwmom]

Thanks for posting. Enjoying reading your commentary and viewing your photos.

 

Thank you. I'll have some better material with the next day.....I can't believe I didn't get my "real camera" out all day! Maybe it was because I knew I couldn't take pictures at most places, and didn't want to lug it around.

 

Robin

[acwmom]

Our 2nd day in Vienna was interesting, as we had to check out of our hotel, drop off our bags at the Avalon "meeting spot," and then be back at the same "meeting spot" to be bussed to the ship. I'll go on record again that I don't like this process at all. I much prefer the Uniworld process of "come when you want, on your own terms, as long as you're present for muster drill." It made planning for the day very challenging, but, we managed.

 

Since our hotel was directly across from St. Stephen's, after eating breakfast (included with our room rate,) we headed over to do the various activities which our ViennaPass allowed.

 

First up, walking the 343 steps to the top of the South Tower. We made several rest stops along the way.

 

There were spiral steps:

 

 

There were straight steps:

 

 

And, when we got to the top (which really wasn't the top) we couldn't go outside.

 

 

But, the view was worth it. This is a close-up of the roof

 

 

A different part of the roof

 

 

And, the gargoyles. Unfortunately, this is the closest I could get to these, I was hoping for some close-ups, like I got at Notre Dame last year.

 

 

Robin

[acwmom]

After our climb, we wandered into the church for a few pictures:

 

 

 

Next, we visited the North Bell Tower. This one wasn't as high, had a VERY SLOW, VERY SMALL elevator, and, had exterior access......The day we were there was a bit brisk....snow flurries brisk.....But, the view from this tower, while not as high, was much better, since we were able to go outside.

 

 

 

 

 

Robin

[jpalbny]

Nice Vienna pics! We didn't do the north tower - guess we'll have to go back some time for the better views! I really like the decorative tile roofs that are so colorful.

 

I was catching up on your earlier posts and enjoyed the bacon-wrapped Wurst picture. The Schnitzel looks tasty too. Oh...and now I have to wait an hour and a half until lunch! :(

[acwmom]

The bacon wrapped wurst was definitely good. So good, in fact, we went back to the same restaurant the next day, though we ate inside.....can't recall if we ate the same thing, though.

 

After our North Tower excursion, it was time to meet up for the Catacombs tour. No pictures allowed. After seeing the Paris catacombs last year, this was a bit of a let down.....

 

We exited to a side street, adjacent to the North Tower, lined with horse drawn carriages. Without cars, it felt like we were actually living in Mozart's time.....I'm sure I'll have fun with these in Lightroom/Photoshop

 

 

 

The very modern building was our hotel for the night. You can see how close it is to the subway station (note the blue "u" just outside the entrance, and St. Stephen's (by the reflection in the glass)

 

 

Robin

[acwmom]

After our trip through St. Stephen's, we returned to our hotel, checked out, and headed off to the luggage drop off/meeting location at the Intercontinental. It was about a 10 minute walk, very manageable with our spinner suitcases.

 

We dropped off our luggage/signed in. We grabbed some water from the "arrival lounge," and then hopped on the subway to head for Prater.

 

The Vienna Card covered many attractions here, but we were only interested in the "Wiener Riesenrad," or, Vienna Giant Wheel. The amusement park itself was virtually empty the day we were there (probably had a lot to do with the snow flurries!). The wheel stands 212 feet tall, and has 15 cars. Some are set up for a candlelight dinner for two, others are set up for a private dinner for more people.

 

We did one rotation around, stopping several times. The inside of the cars was very.....primitive. A single wooden bench down the middle, with a common back for either side. There were between 8 and 10 of us in the car.

 

 

Halfway up:

 

 

From the top. Views of the park, and Vienna.

 

 

 

 

St. Stephen's, in the distance:

 

 

Robin

[acwmom]

After our trip to Prater, we returned to "downtown" Vienna, had some lunch, wandered around a bit more, then returned to the hotel meeting spot, so we could be "bussed" to the ship. Not a fan of that system, as outlined in my review.

 

The Panorama Suite did not disappoint in space, or view. The bathroom was also quite large. There was ample closet space, and shelving for clothes, but drawer space was lacking. There was also no US plug (we had one on both of our Uniworld cruises), so our adapters came in handy.

 

 

 

 

 

Robin

[Got2Cruise]

I don't think it's mandatory to meet at the hotel to be bussed to the ship. I had met fellow cruisers who went directly to the ship on their own. It might be something to look into if you sail Avalon again

[stonepebble]

After our trip through St. Stephen's, we returned to our hotel, checked out, and headed off to the luggage drop off/meeting location at the Intercontinental. It was about a 10 minute walk, very manageable with our spinner suitcases.

 

We dropped off our luggage/signed in. We grabbed some water from the "arrival lounge," and then hopped on the subway to head for Prater.

 

The Vienna Card covered many attractions here, but we were only interested in the "Wiener Riesenrad," or, Vienna Giant Wheel. The amusement park itself was virtually empty the day we were there (probably had a lot to do with the snow flurries!). The wheel stands 212 feet tall, and has 15 cars. Some are set up for a candlelight dinner for two, others are set up for a private dinner for more people.

 

We did one rotation around, stopping several times. The inside of the cars was very.....primitive. A single wooden bench down the middle, with a common back for either side. There were between 8 and 10 of us in the car.

 

 

Halfway up:

 

 

From the top. Views of the park, and Vienna.

 

 

 

 

St. Stephen's, in the distance:

 

 

Robin

 

Hi Robin,

JP has been wonderful in answering many questions for me. I'm hoping you'll answer too!

We are sailing Budapest to Prague 8/24 on Avalon.

 

It looks like the views from the North Tower of St Stephen's are just as good if not better than the Ferris Wheel. Is that the case?

I'm thinking of going up the North Tower at St Stephen's at night.

 

As the other poster mentioned we are planning to get to our ship on our own rather than being "bussed". I do hope that's possible because I'm counting on the full day in Budapest!!

 

Thanks,

Chris

[acwmom]

Hi Robin,

JP has been wonderful in answering many questions for me. I'm hoping you'll answer too!

We are sailing Budapest to Prague 8/24 on Avalon.

 

It looks like the views from the North Tower of St Stephen's are just as good if not better than the Ferris Wheel. Is that the case?

I'm thinking of going up the North Tower at St Stephen's at night.

 

As the other poster mentioned we are planning to get to our ship on our own rather than being "bussed". I do hope that's possible because I'm counting on the full day in Budapest!!

 

Thanks,

Chris

 

Hi Chris,

 

I thought the views from the North Tower were better, because it was right in town. Prater is in more of a residential area. However, I'm not sure how late the tower is open. I know many of the towers we climbed closed around 6pm, and I can't remember if St. Stephen's was one, or not.

 

Robin

[acwmom]

Overall, I found choices on Avalon limited, compared to Uniworld. I also found the quality to be lower. I know food is always subjective, and I know we did a lot of "climbing," but I came home not having gained any weight.....which is good:-)

 

First, the menus:

 

 

 

[acwmom]

The chicken galantine:

 

 

The creamy eggplant soup:

 

 

The pan-fried king prawn:

 

 

The veal tenderloin:

 

 

The ice cream coupe:

 

 

Robin

[acwmom]

For many onboard, the morning's activity consisted of a bus tour/walking tour of the city, in the morning. Since we were now on our 3rd day in Vienna, we decided to "do our own thing." Our ViennaPass was good for 3 days, so we continued to take advantage of its offerings.

 

We hopped on the subway, and headed to the Spanish Riding School Morgenarbeit. This is the morning exercise program, and lasts about 3 hours. Even with the pass, we had to stand in line for a ticket, then get in a separate line to enter. To say it was chaos is an understatement, but it was a controlled chaos.

 

We had seats in the "balcony", and stayed for the first session, and part of the second. I didn't realize I shouldn't be taking pictures, as many others were.....but, after an employee informed me, I stopped. Here are a few I took before putting my camera away.

 

I am not a "horse" person, but admit this was fascinating, and, I'm glad we did it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we exited, we headed to the subway station to continue our day to Schoenbrunn Palace. On the way, we were fascinated by the steps to the Albertina. we had come down these steps a couple of days prior, but couldn't see this coming down. We had to do a double take when we saw someone walking down. Unfortunately, the angle of my picture doesn't do it justice. This particular display is for the Chagall to Malevich Exhibition.

 

 

Robin

[stonepebble]

Hi Chris,

 

I thought the views from the North Tower were better, because it was right in town. Prater is in more of a residential area. However, I'm not sure how late the tower is open. I know many of the towers we climbed closed around 6pm, and I can't remember if St. Stephen's was one, or not.

 

Robin

 

Thanks Robin,

It is open Sunday night (not Sat because of a concert). I'm thinking of doing this instead of The Danube Tower or Prater...

We are only in Vienna Sat night to Sun and I don't know what time we will leave Vienna Sun night!

Someone sailing in June is going to try to let me know!

Chris

[acwmom]

Thanks Robin,

It is open Sunday night (not Sat because of a concert). I'm thinking of doing this instead of The Danube Tower or Prater...

We are only in Vienna Sat night to Sun and I don't know what time we will leave Vienna Sun night!

Someone sailing in June is going to try to let me know!

Chris

 

Good to know-I'm sure it's beautiful at night. And, with the subway right there, it's a quick and easy trip back to the ship.

 

I hope to catch up with my posting in the next couple of days. I've had a fairly urgent project that I needed to complete for work.

 

Robin

[stonepebble]

I've wondered where you were...

Hope it went well!

 

I hadn't even given any thought to the subway or getting back yet...

I'm thinking we may just sightsee for the day, grab some dinner, go to St Stephen's and the North Tower, and then head back to the ship.

 

Between Schoenbrunn in the am and the rest of Vienna in the afternoon, I think it'll be a pretty full day!!

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Chris

[luvn2cruzzz]

Hoping to find someone who is recently back from Gate 1 Monarch Empress to ask a few questions of.

Thanks!

[acwmom]

Avalon offered an optional tour to Schonbrunn, but since we had the Vienna Pass, we did this as a DIY excursion, and were glad we did. The people from our ship who paid for the tour felt very rushed, and didn't have the chance to explore the gardens and Gloriette.

 

We could have easily spent two full days at Schonbrunn. There was so much to see, which was included with the Vienna Pass.

 

We did the extended palace tour (no pictures allowed), the Privy Garden, and The Gloriette. I highly recommend this as a DIY, as the subway station is right across the street. It was maybe a 10 minute walk to the ticket counter.

 

The view from the main entrance:

 

 

The Privy Garden:

 

 

 

 

The Gloriette, from the Palace:

 

 

And, a closer view:

 

 

 

The fountain, on the way to the Gloriette:

 

[acwmom]

The Gloriette, from the reflecting pool, you can see people on top:

 

 

 

The Palace, from in front of the Gloriette:

 

 

And, from the top:

 

 

The Gloriette, with the panorama train which circles the palace complex:

 

 

And, my favorite, from behind the water fountain: