Greetings from our floating hotel room aboard the Crystal Mozart – due to river conditions on the Danube we have been docked at the schiffenzentrum Vienna for much longer than planned. Currently the voyage downstream to Budapest is not really possible due to a hot summer and a prolonged dry spell in this part of the world causing record low water levels in the river – our big boat is too deep for the shallow water.  So, our ten day Danube cruise has become more like six days in Vienna with a shorter trip upstream as far as Passau in Germany.

You can’t argue with Mother Nature and our cruise people have been working hard to arrange alternative amusements for us. We are glad that tonight the ship will actually move upstream to Dürnstein Austria; not that far really but it is movement!

So, for the past few days we have been able to see a good cross section of Vienna. A cross section only because culturally and historically Vienna deserves a much deeper visit.

An amble around the first district finds a lot of tourists in a very managed and almost car  free zone;  refreshing to not have to be continuously alert for traffic. A very bicycle friendly city with bike lanes and paths on all the major streets. Excellent public transportation system with trains, trams, subway and buses would make living here without a car quite possible.

Boat views from the top deck – sun is shining and 80 F. Looks good! Yes there is a garden up there.

 

The church at Mexicoplatz  by the river – seen from the boat.

Having a seat on the upper deck – while the sun shines.

Entrance to the Hofburg Palace complete with hordes and hordes but a nice tour and museum inside.

Some nice dishes and a bit of gold dinnerware from the royal collections. There are multiple sets of gold and silver for 60 guests. Full time job keeping that silver clean.

One of the Lippizaner horses at the Spanish Riding School. Gotta love this new zoom lens.

St Michael the archangel – destroying heathens.

Lunch at the Nachmarkt.

Coffee and a bit of cake at the Cafe Central.

Here is something you don’t see often – a chimney by Hundertwasser – this one is the municipal waste incinerator. We have a thing for garbage dumps and treatment plants!

A visit to Stephansplatz on Saturday afternoon finds all of Vienna out shopping, having a coffee and wandering about. The St Stephan’s Cathedral is the heart of this area and is undergoing a major renovation, so, half of the outside is covered in scaffolding and advertising.

Cigar store and a giant plastic skull – store display.

Now on to serious art and culture!