The next morning I took the train from Bratislava to Vienna. It only took about an hour to get to Sudbanhof (the south train station). I entered the Vienna subway system and made my way to my hostel. It was the most expensive hostel ever (about 25 euro for a night). I looked for cheaper but there wasn't really any. On top of that, you had to pay 5 euro for blankets. That was annoying. I couldn't check in to my room, but they were willing to hold my stuff while I explored the city.
The city of Vienna is definitely a top European destination. Luckily, I already had an itinerary of exactly what I wanted to see while I was there. Dr. Karnes, my music history professor, typed out a whole description of exactly what I should do with only 1 day in Vienna. Because he had been there about a thousand times, I just decided to follow his itinerary with only minimal adjustments.
I started just as Dr. Karnes suggested in the center of town. My first stop was St. Stephens Cathedral (Stephansdom). The cathedral was magnificent (just as one would expect of any church of Europe). Haydn was a choirboy here; Mozart's Requiem premiered here. The inside was beautiful, with statues, paintings, and stained glassed windows. The size of these European churches never ceases to amaze me. I also walked downstairs to the crypt portion, where many prominent church officials had been buried.
After enjoying my time in the cathedral, I took a detour from Dr. Karnes' suggestions. According to the map, we were very close to Mozart's apartment in Vienna. The place had been converted into a museum tributing Mozart and his accomplishments. I decided it was worth a detour. The price to go inside was a a ridiculous 10 euro. I thought to myself, "this museum had better be good..." Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed. It did show the rooms where he lived and some information about his life as a composer but honestly it wasn't anything I didn't already know from the history books. I suppose this is why Dr. Karnes had not recommended it in his list of suggestions.
I returned to the street and headed down Graben St. and Kohlmarkt. I don't remember much about the walk (I am writing this entry a year later) but there was a fountain in the middle of Graben and it was a nice little walk to take even though there wasn't anything specific to see. The end of Kohlmarkt St. took me face to face with the Hapsburg Palace! The Hapsburgs, as many of you know, were at one point one of the most prominent royal families in Europe. Even though Karnes didn't suggest it, I could not help but take the tour. I knew it would be a long tour so I decided to go to lunch first and then return for the tour.
For lunch, I went to a Würstelstand which was located in front of the Albertina. I had been instructed to order a "Waldvierteler" and ein Glas Bier. I was assured that I would not be disappointed and indeed I was not. Although it cost 6 euros (not so cheap for street food), it was probably better than much of what I could find in a restaurant. I was being treated to the two things German-speaking countries are best known for: pork (in the form of sausage or weinershnitzel) and beer. Both were top quality at this place and I enjoyed my lunch.
I returned to the Hapsburg Palace to take a self-guided tour. The tour was long and took well over 2 hours to complete. However, it covered a lot, taking me from all of the dishware used in the palace to the quarters of Sissy (one of the last famous Hapsburgs to live there). It was a great tour with a lot of information. Throughout the tour, my legs were sore from walking and standing so long and I had to sit down several times. I would compare the tour through the Hapsburg palace to the tour I took of Buckingham Palace. Both were great and allowed you to see a lot about the lives of the people who lived there.
Afterwards, I proceeded to the Opera House, where Mahler conducted from 1897-1907 and where Richard Strauss conducted for a short time. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to go inside. I decided to keep walking and head to the Museums Quarter. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, the museums were closing for the day and I wouldn't be able to go inside and look at the exhibits. Instead, I decided to walk over to see the Parliament building. I knew I wouldn't be able to get inside, but at least I would get to see the outside and say I was there. It had a nice fountain out in front of it. After that, I walked to a park and relaxed for a little as it grew later.
I then decided that I was tired and it was time to return to the hostel. Before I would return, the nerd in me took over and I decided that I couldn't leave Vienna without seeing the United Nation's building. Vienna is home to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA is responsible for many things, including reporting the nuclear activities of countries that have nuclear power. I had read several articles and documents concerning the IAEA during my internship at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies the previous summer in Monterey, CA. I couldn't resist the temptation to take the subway across the river to see the building first-hand.
I arrived at the IAEA headquarters (just outside of all of the security stuff of course). A man walked over to me and asked me to identify myself and to give him my passport. I didn't think about it at the time, but realized that taking random pictures of the UN building could look very bad. I suppose the guy thought I could be a terrorist or someone planning an attack and wanted to confirm that I was not. He walked away with the passport, studied it for a minute or so and gave it back to me. At that point, I had decided that I probably had enough pictures and it was my time to leave.
I returned to the hostel to find that I did not have a roommate for the evening. That was a nice surprise. I went to sleep early because I was so tired from walking around all day.
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