Ozbrecht 2017 - Europe's Rhine & Danube Rivers
Vienna, Austria
Day 15 - July 7
"Vienna waits for you"! This is St. Francis of Assisi Church, right across from where the Modi was docked
The Vienna Natural History Museum
The electrified streets of Vienna
As you might imagine (or know), Vienna is Austria’s capital. This is the Parliament Building
Parliament Building up close
The Vienna Rathaus (Town Hall)
Danube Canal graffiti. Graffiti is allowed along this canal. It works; you don’t see graffiti anywhere else in the city
Hofburg Imperial Palace
Hofburg Imperial Palace
Kaiser Maria Theresa, in front of the Imperial Palace. She was the only female ruler of the House of Hapsburg. When she became queen, the people were not happy - a woman to lead our country? By the end of her rule (40 years later), she was one of the most beloved leaders in their history. She was famous for advancing financial and educational reforms
A small Vienna church. Larger church to come
St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The mother church for Roman Catholicism in Vienna. Marvelous Gothic architecture
Many views of St. Stephen’s. The roof is striking
Notice the seats - no pews. A mulit-purpose facility
The High Altar is at the back
Organ pipes - notice the big guns at the back
Noontime at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Beethoven discovered the totality of his deafness when he saw birds fly out of the belfry and could not hear the bells he knew were tolling (video)
Stephansplatz, the huge market square that sits at the geographical center of Vienna. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is at the center of Stephansplatz.
Let the shopping begin!
Stephansplatz and St. Peter’s Church
We used Vienna’s subway to make our way around the city. That fellow in the center is Modi’s chef. He was on his way to the vegetable market
In Stephansplatz
Delicious - and famous - Vienna coffee
Some of Vienna’s modern architecture, across the Danube
Pretty night lighting
Our after-dinner excursion was to a Mozart and Strauss concert. A small string section, with occasional dancers and singers
Day 15 - July 7
Vienna, Austria
We awoke docked in Vienna. I have visited Vienna twice before, and loved it. It is a charming city, gracious, full of art and culture. Can’t wait to hit the Vienna streets again!
Our day started with the city tour, first on the bus riding along the Ringstrasse (Ring Road, which circumnavigates old town Vienna), with sights including the Opera House, Stadtpark (Vienna’s large municipal park), the Natural History Museum, Parliament and the Town Hall.
The walking part of the tour took us to the Hofburg Palace. It was the seat of power for the Hapsburg dynasty for centuries. It sits in Heldenplatz, or Heroes Square, named for the many statues of heroes found here.
On to Stephensplatz, the huge market square in the geographic center of Old Town. Anything you want to buy can be found here. It is known for its high-end shops, clothing, jewelry, etc. In the center of Stephensplatz is St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the largest Roman Catholic cathedrals in Europe, constructed in both Romanesque and Gothic style. The beautiful roof is yellow, blue, white, green and black tiling; 230,000 of them! Inside, there are 18 altars, not counting the small ones. The High Altar took 7 years to build.
In free time, we roamed Stephansplatz. Kathy and Sheila found a Pandora store and bought Austrian charms for their bracelets. We also stopped to taste world famous Vienna coffee. In the afternoon, we returned to the Modi. As with any large European city, municipal transit is a snap, this time on the subway.
From the subway it is about a ½ mile walk to the ship. When we emerged from the subway station, it was pouring rain. Soaked!
After dinner, we attended a Mozart & Strauss concert at a local concert hall. What a delight! A small stringed accompaniment, with dancers and singers for some of the tunes.
Vienna, Austria
Day 16 - July 8
Schönbrunn Palace, the baroque-styled summer palace for the Hapsburg royal family
We did not take an inside tour. Instead, we visited the vast gardens behind the palace
On the Schönbrunn Bahnhof. It took us on a leisurely tour of the gardens
Beautifully manicured
The gardens are huge, and include many sections, including a small zoo
At the back of the property, with a wonderful view of Schönbrunn Palace and Vienna in the distance
Back to central Vienna. St. Charles Church
Takes all kinds
Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain, near Belvedere Palace
Belvedere Palace, also called Schwarzenberg Palace. It was built by the princely Schwarzenberg family
We positioned this picture so that the tree behind Kathy hid a ghastly white marshmallowy building that looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Why would they put that there?
Back to Stephanplatz and the horse and buggy
Gelato for all. The best!!
The Danube, riverboats and St. Francis of Assisi Church
A bungy jumper. Yikes. One of our servers, Petra, did the jump. I would have had a headache for days…
Our bedroom on the Modi, balcony behind
On the Modi’s Sun Deck. This is the pilot’s control room, and is the portion that is hydraulically lowered for low bridges
Colorful drinks!
Andy & Sheila
Modi Captain Gabor Dulka. That’s our Canadian friend Benny next to the captain
Captain Gabor Dulka, Hotel Manager Claudia Gonzalez and Program Director Dawn Vago. We are coming to the end of our cruise (one more stop, Budapest), and so the executive crew is making a final toast
Tonight’s dinner - lobster!
We sat at the same table - at the back of the Dining Room - for every dinner meal. And we ate with the same company for every dinner. Janet and Benny are our new friends from the Niagara Falls area in Canada. They were a hoot!
Unbeknownst to us, Benny and Janet told the dinner servers that it was our anniversaries: Andy & Sheila’s 40th would be in a week, our 39th on this night. Delicious crème brûlée!
Vienna sunset
Leaving Vienna
Day 16 - July 8
Vienna, Austria
There were optional excursions available on this day in Vienna, but the four of us chose to make it a free day. But a full day.
In the morning, we subwayed to the outskirts of town to Schönbrunn Palace, the baroque-styled summer palace of the Hapsburgs. We decided not to tour the inside of the palace (we’ve seen a few of those already), and instead toured the massive grounds which surround it. Fortunately, there was a tram – otherwise, it would have been a 5-6 mile walk! At the back of the property, at the highest point, was a wonderful view of the back of the palace with all of Vienna behind it. A beautiful day offered fantastic views.
Next, a subway back into town, and a fairly long walk to Belvedere Palace. Built by the princely Scwarzenberg family, it is not nearly as large as Schönbrunn, but large enough!
Back again to Stephansplatz for some incredible gelato. The other three had something with chocolate in it; I had fruit flavored. All with 4 scoops!
Back to the Modi in mid-afternoon. There will be one more dinner after tonight, but the crew made this night the “finale” night. The Captain offered his farewell toast, the crew were acknowledged (well-deserved) and dinner was a highlight – lobster!
After dinner, the serving crew surprised Andy, Sheila, Kathy and me with anniversary dessert. Turns out our new friends Benny and Janet from Canada and with whom we ate dinner every night, told the crew about us. Delicious crème brulle!! For Andy and Sheila, they will celebrate their 40th anniversary the week after we get home. For Kathy and me, it’s our 39th – tonight. Happy anniversary, honey!!