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4 Oct 2010
The time finally came to bid farewell to the Czech republic and our friends. We woke up early in the morning to make our way to the Florenc bus terminus to catch the bus to Vienna, the capital of Austria.
Autobusove Nadrazi Florenc, the bus terminal. We had some difficulty locating it so early in the morning.
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We had to walk through the red building to get to the buses from Florenc metro station.
We are taking this coach to Vienna. About a 4hr 45mins journey
The U-bahn in Vienna (aka Wien), Praterstern station where we got off from the coach.
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We hopped on the U-bahn to get to Zieglergasse where we will walk to our hotel.
Austria Trend Hotel Anatol
We grabbed a Huge sausage for lunch for €2.60.
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Next we went to the city centre where the Hofburg palace is.
Volkstheater near Volkstheater U-bahn station.
Austrian Parliament building
Closer look at the statues in front.
Volksgarten ("folks' park") near the parliament and Hofburg Palace
Not very fresh looking flowers, probably Autumn is eminent
The Rathaus (town hall) in the background
The Hofburg Palace, Neue Burg section in the background. From 1400 CE to 1806 CE it was intermittently the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor. Then, the Emperor of Austria of the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire. It now houses some UN offices as well as the President's official residence.
Hofburg Palace Panorama of the Neue Burg section
The statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy, one of the most successful military commanders in mordern Europe, located in front of the Neue Burg section of the Hofburg palace.
National library in the Hofburg Palace
Spanish Riding school ahead
Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule). We went back inside the Hofburg palace to view the imperial service, a collection of items used for banquets in the palace. Then, we toured the palace quarters where the Emperor lived. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside the quarters.
Porcelain, a rather modern collection, the older collections were all made of metal that were melted down in times of war for manufacturing weapons.
Gilded (sort of gold plated) table ornament
Folded napkin Imperial style, only used for the Emperor and Heads of State, few know how to do it now
Greek Style plates.
Dolphin Insignia, used by Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) in Greece. She was the wife of Kaiser Franz Joseph I, born in Bavaria, and a famous non-conformist to court matters.
Some extravagant table pieces
A compressor, used to squeeze duck bone or meat juice
Elaborate napkin folding
More porcelain that became mainstream in modern times
A brittle basket of little practical use.
Emperor's Staircase, no pictures allowed inside his residence
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After visiting the Emperor's quarters we took the U-bahn to the Wiener Stadtpark (city park)
The Kursalon. A popular place for concerts and dance e.g. during the era of the Strauß brothers
The gilded bronze monument of Johann Strauß II
We walked back to Stephansplatz and had dinner in Nordsee, a German fast-food restaurant chain specialising in seafood
That ended half a day in the city of Vienna. Somehow with the gloomy weather, the Hofburg palace had a rather uncheerful feel to it. Tomorrow we will be headed to Schönbrunn Palace (the summer palace) and its surrounding gardens. Hopefully it will be a more cheerful place.
Check back for the next post soon.
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Check back for the next post soon.
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