My down day and Albert’s day to shine!

 I woke up after Vienna and just had no energy at all. Today is a cruising morning so I opted to stay in bed and rest and Albert took pictures for us. He tried to explain each picture and believe me he did it well but my memory has forgotten all of it so feel free to invite him over with his pictures for a glass of wine and he will be happy to share his memories!

Vineyards on steep hillsides 

A statue of Richard the Lionhearted 

More terraced vineyards . Our US wine growers are so lucky to have flat vineyards!

Yes, that’s a nose

And an eye

Nose in profile 

The rabbit church. There are small rabbits perched along the ridge of the building 

After a morning of river cruising there was an afternoon tour of the Melk Abby. I again stayed on board and you are seeing Albert’s pictures . 

               entering the Abby Grounds 

The view from the Abby

The Abby grounds include a large beautiful garden. Only the beginning spring flowers were starting to bloom. Albert said he would like to see it in the summer 

Albert enjoyed the day and made it back to the ship in time for the Explorers cocktail party. 

Viking always has an onboard cocktail get together for Explorer members( means you’ve sailed with them more than once) surprisingly we have passengers who are on their 14th cruise with Viking! Talk about Brand loyalty!!Dani holding the bottle of Aquavit for our toast ( Vikings always drink Aquavit for every happy occasion). The aquavit is put into barrels and sent around the world twice to age it and give it its flavor. Each bottle lists the date it was sent and date it returned. Needless to say… it was delightful but would give you a massive headache if you over indulged.

While we were toasting our travels,the ship left the dock bound for Passau. 

``VIENNA theres lots more to see (part 2)

On the way back to ship I had a better view of the graffiti along the little Danube. It really is amazing artwork and I wanted to share with you.

I was ready for a rest time( I feel like l am in kindergarten again) so Albert went with Steve to get pictures for Susan and I of the last two items on our list from Atlas Obscura. If you’ve never used the Atlas you really need to take a look at it. It is a travel guide listing all the unique and different locations that you should visit besides the usual spots. For Vienna , Susan found the international butterfly garden and the Republic of Kugelmugle. The great thing about our traveling companions are they don’t mind having more to explore for us while we rest.. nearing the butterfly house 
 

Inside at a feeding station 

Al said the butterflies would fly right at you

 In this video the attendant is releasing new butterflies into the room that have just hatched

After that excitement it was time to visit the Prater park and the micro nation of Kugelmugel. What began in 1971 as a spherical art room became a struggle with the city since those shaped buildings were not allowed. The owner created his own township complete with street signs, taxes and stamps. ( of course he was an artist!)in the early 80’s Austria’s culture minister suggested it be relocated to Prater park in Vienna . The Lipburgers(owners) agreed under the impression it would get tap water, electricity and sewers- it never happened. It counts today 600 citizens and still sits in the park.

On the way to the park

This is the oldest Ferris wheel in Europe. Built in 1897. It has

15 gondolas since WWII . 

The park

Signs announcing the Republic ( surrounded by barbed wire)

How it looks today 

 While Adventurous Al and Stupendous Steve were sight seeing for us, Susan and I drank our hot Chocolate and watched the swans from the terrace of the Viking Vidar 

 And with that we are off again to see new and exciting stuff!

Vienna in the daylight part 1

 Entering Vienna today to walk through the old town. Right away we see “old world charm “. We expect to see Cathedrals and castles todaythis statue is at the harbor as we drive into town. The pillar is pierced by ships. It must be a monument to sailors and ships.

Notice the walls along the canal are covered with graffiti. The city has offered graffiti artists space to display their skills and it is kept safe. The catch is the artists can not paint anywhere else or loose the wall space. 

A stroll through a beautiful garden heading towards the palace of the Hapsburgs

The palace is a collection of five buildings all built one after another.

The first building and original palace entrance. Where ever you see the double headed eagle you know it is a

Royal castle 

In the courtyard ( one of five) there was this unusual clock- there is a very small moon clock,a analog clock face and a sun dial all in a row

Of course outside the palace is a group of ruins that are Roman, of course 

Those Romans really were everywhere!

Along the street from the palace the stores lining the sides often are marked with the double headed Eagle and the initials KoK which means it was an official supplier to the Royal Family 

At Michael’s church- a small church squeezed into the space available. 

The monument to honor those who were in the plague. 

Saint Stephen’s cathedral.

 Lots of spire work and details. We didn’t make it inside but imagine it is equally decorated. 

Along the side there are many of these posted-they are the gravestones from the floor inside. Quite ornate 

A bronze model of the cathedral 

Sculpture every nook and cranny 

Outside the cathedral there were many young men dressed in capes or opera costumes- ( called Mozart sellers) their job was to encourage you to buy tickets to the opera performances or other tourist attractions 

After walking around a bit, we found a wonderful caffe shop and stopped for a typical Vienna coffee. 

Along the street it looked like a pastry shop but walking inside and towards the back we found the most beautiful art deco/ nouveau caffe

Windows with Easter decor 

Treats galore

Amazing ceiling

Above our table

Entrance into caffe

Apple strudel with cream… it was delicious and so were the coffees! It  was a great way to end our old town adventure. Time to return to the ship. On our walk back we found the Air BnB we stayed at years ago and enjoyed the memories from then also. Vienna is a city I could visit over and over.