One delicious treat I had was a Milka egg, specially sold for Easter. It comes in an egg carton of four, all wrapped individually and a miniature spoon. Use the spoon to hit the top, or just eat the top off like I did. Inside is a chocolate or vanilla cream that you scoop out. Then you eat the shell, also chocolate. Such a rich treat, it is good they only sell them once a year!
In the wanderings around the city, we stopped by the graffiti walls of the canal. There was also a fisherman across the canal, although I am not sure I would eat anything coming from that water!
We also visited the Hundertwasserhaus, which reminds me of a building right out of a Dr. Seuss book. I felt sorry for the residents of the apartment, because they have no privacy, being a main landmark in Vienna.
Monday and Tuesday were my main travel days around the city, visiting the tourist attractions and reverting back to my childhood at the arts museums. Starting in the morning, I ventured down the roads I traveled earlier in the weekend, stopping for a bakery fresh breakfast of cheese bread and cappuccino, a much tastier combination than it sounds. I wandered past the opera house, ending up at St. Stephansdom cathedral. The outside was absolutely gorgeous with sharp peaks and bright colors, plus horse drawn carriages lining the sides. Inside it was a bit dark and damp feeling, but there was a fascinating swirling staircase that caught my attention.
Next I visited the outside of Mozart's house, it really is just a tall apartment style building.
Then the main courtyard and the Museum Quartier. Here I enjoyed a relaxing break on a bench, just taking a breather after walking for a few hours. The trees were so intriguing, I really liked the look to them, like someone had drawn them scraggly with a bit of spook to them. In the Museum District there were colorful chairs and a few murals, one with a man in the yellow square.
In the Burggarten, a Mozart statue stood with a treble clef of flowers in front. Lunch was a traditional Austrian dish, baked cheese with cranberry sauce - very rich, but delicious.
The Theatermuseum was full of opera facts and costumes, plus a flying cello. The other museum I spent a few hours in was the Haus der Musik, a hands on music museum. Some of the exhibits were a bit too loud for my taste, as to block out all noise around you, but overall it was a fascinating museum, well worth the visit. Following my visit there, I was treated to a free concert by a group from the Czech Republic.
All of that traveling was on Monday, Tuesday I made my way to the summer palace, Schonbrunn. I spent a good three hours here with the help of the expansive gardens and the Easter markets selling sweets and giant pretzels. One very odd statue that caught my eye had two faces, I am not sure the story of him, but it was very comical to see. In front of the palace I was treated to another free concert, this time by The Wausau West High School Concert Chorale from Wisconsin.
After a pretzel lunch, I hopped on the train to Prater, the historic amusement park. It was such a neat place to visit, I wandered down different streets and alleyways, stopping to enjoy a corn-on-the-cob carnival food. At the entrance, the statue is playing classical music as guests arrive. Some of the rides were running, but the tickets were super expensive, ranging 3 to 4 euros per ride, so I kept my feet on the ground just enjoying the scenery.
After getting my fill of the carnival, I went to Danube Island, catching views from both sides. I saw giant trampolines across the river, wondering how I could access them without swimming across the river, maybe I will figure that out on my next visit to the city.
The last stop of my visit was to another Easter market. Here they had a spectacularly painted egg, displaying scenes from the city, including the ferris wheel.
On my train ride to the airport, I was introduced to a new marketing style. There is an electronic square on the floor and a screen at the front, changing displays after each passing train. Here I managed to capture the octopi swimming; as people crossed the square bubbles appeared in rhythm with their footsteps. This new marketing experience ended my trip to Vienna, what a wonderful time.
