Day 42 – Vienna (Friday 24th May 2024)

Armed with the second day of our 48hr travel pass we set off for the day. We thought we’d mix up a little and take the No. 62 tram into the city. Past Wien Meidling station we went only to come to the end of the line three minutes later! We were busy with our heads stuck in the travel guide when the driver politely asked us to alight. We didn’t even notice there was no one else on the tram. So we got off, asked the driver when his return journey was to begin (in seven minutes) and then promptly got back on again. This time we got off at Wien Meidling and caught the train.

 

At Kettenbrukengasse we alighted and proceeded to the famous Naschmarkt of Vienna, right at the station exit point. The market is a long and narrow permanent market built on top of the Wien River. The river disappears from view at the station and doesn’t reappear for some kilometers down at the Stadtpark. The market only has stalls on each side of the single pathway through it. A major, busy road forms its boundary on either side. All sorts of goods are sold in the stalls – fresh fruit and veg, fresh meat and fish, dried fruits (I bought some more figs and realised what a bargain I got in Rovinj!), leather goods (I bought a new belt), jewellery (of course Kerry bought a pair of earrings!), clothing and cafes (yes, we stopped for a coffee) and restaurants aplenty. It was a fun stroll down there over an hour or so. The Naschmakt ends at Karlsplatz, a major intersection of many streets where we caught the train down to the Danube, arriving at Vorgartenstrasse station. Via a bakery and through a park, past the huge St. Francis of Assisi church, we walked until we got to the river. Quite a disappointment. We had landed at the place where all the humongous river cruise ships dock! There were literally dozens of them there, some three abreast at the dockside. The place was busy with tourists coming and going from their respective ships via big buses. Even the Vienna “hop on, hop off” bus route comes via this place.

 

 

We found a piece of grass in a gap between the boats and ate the pastry we’d just bought at the bakery. We did have a pretty broad view of the river and the newer part of Vienna on the other side where the skyscapers live. From here we walked back along the road by and through a residential area. It’s always good to get off the tourist trail and into the parts where the real people live. Next on the itinerary was the Statdtpark where the much visited golden statue of Johann Strauss is located. The park is lovely and green with meandering paths lined with park benches, mature trees, large green lawns and a large pond. It straddles the Wien River, which has popped up again after it disappeared at the Naschmarkt. This part of the subway is the original part as indicated by the age of the station at which we alighted. All in very good nick, mind you, just old school, not modern. The same can be said for the Kettenbrukengasse station which is on the same line.

 

After the photo of Johann, a requirement to match the one I took in 1987, we walked past the Beethoven Park (got a quick photo of Ludwig) to Schwarzenbergplatz where a very large monument known as the Soviet War Memorial stands behind a very nice fountain called the Hochstrahlbrunnen stands. I don’t know why the Viennese continue to have this huge memorial to the forces who invaded and captured their city in 1945 at the end of WWII. I’ll have to find out. Anyway, we didn’t come here to admire the memorial but rather the Schwarzenberg Palace that stands behind it. By now the sky was black with rain-sodden thunderstorm clouds fast approaching the city. I’ve gotta say it made for a spectacular background to some of the photos. We quickened our leisurely pace to the rear of the platz trying to find the entrance to the grounds but failed to. Probably a veer to the right rather than the left back at the Platz might have worked.

 

But all was not lost. The rain was holding off as we walked down Renneweg. A group of people were gathering near an archway by the side of the street so we stuck our heads in there for a sticky beak. To our great surprise we found the magnificent grounds and gardens of the Schloss Belvedere precinct – two palaces for the price of one as up on the hill was the Upper Belvedere Palace and to our right, as we entered this hidden gem, the Lower Belvedere Palace. Lightning was crackling and thunder was rumbling as we raced through the gardens for a quick snap. Would have loved to have spent so much more time here in this oasis in the middle of inner urban Vienna. The story around the construction and use of these Palaces over the centuries since inception in the 17^th century by the Prince Eugene of Savoy is really interesting. I shan’t go into it here!

We donned our wet weather gear back at the arched entrance and continued our walk along Renneweg to the nearest station. As we were passing a Salesian church the heavens opened so we took refuge under the front porch of heaven’s house to wait out the deluge. A poor little nun made her way across the forecourt of the church clutching to her barely adequate umbrella as the heavy rain fell. After fifteen minutes the storm had passed and now only constant, but not heavy, rain was before us so we set off once more. The roads were somewhat flooded so avoiding the wash from the cars was our main concern. After a further fifteen minutes we made it to Wien Mitte station.

 

Down into the bowels of Vienna we went once again. It was good to be our of the rain. Gotta say, even though it was wet it wasn’t cold. I was still comfortably getting around in just a tee-shirt and Kerry just a light summer dress. Can’t say the same for many of the locals who all had their coats on. Anyway, pretty soon we popped up at Kettenbrukengasse station, the place where we started today’s travels. Nearby was the Cafe Sperl, an small cafe that’s been operating at the same site since 1880. It was recommended in Lonely Planet so we thought it would be worth as try as a place to have afternoon tea is a “Viennese Cafe” as one must do when in Vienna. It was no New York Cafe, Budapest by a long stretch but a quaint little place nevertheless. To be fair, it didn’t have New York Cafe, Budapest prices either! We enjoyed our pots of tea and apple strudel in a warm and cosy setting. The cafe was very busy but not obtrusively so. Being near the University I daresay it has been popular with academics across the ages.

Time to head home. Out 48-hour travel pass had just expired so we walked down to the Karlsplatz station where a very helpful and bright young man helped us choose the best ticketing arrangement to get us home legally tonight and from the hotel to the station in the morning.