Vienna Part 2

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Wednesday morning we headed to Schönnbrun Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburg family.  This is a huge tourist attraction in Vienna, and was packed with people.  We had ordered our tickets online, and wanted to make sure we were there in time for our 11:30 entrance time.  We pressed through the mob to the entry gate, only to find that we weren’t allowed to take our backpacks in, and to learn that no photography was allowed inside the palace.  Annoying, but oh well.  We checked our bags and headed in for our tour, which was led by an audioguide.  We walked through 40 rococo style rooms of the, which is only a tiny fraction of the enormous palace, and we learned a great deal about the fascinating Habsburg monarchs.  After the 50 minute tour, we ventured out back to mosey through the massive sprawling gardens. 

Front of the palace

View from the rear of the palace looking up towards the Gloriette monument.

Large fountain at the end of the garden

The immediate area directly behind the palace included immaculately manicured flower beds inset in a carpet of green grass, flanked by lovely Greco-Roman style statues.  On either side of this flat field, were lovely treed walkways, with gravel paths winding their way through shady groves, tree branches arched to provide a canopy.  This woodsy area gradually inclined and we wandered up the hill towards the enormous decorative monument known as the Gloriette.  This hill offered fantastic views looking back down at the gardens, the palace, and the city beyond.

The Gloriette

View of the gardens, palace, and city beyond

After several hours exploring in the heat, we returned to our hotel to refresh and recoup.  Our plan for the evening was to take Ewan to the Prater, an amusement park housing one of the oldest ferris wheels, built in 1897, called the “Wiener Riesenrad” (Viennese giant wheel).  But before we took the subway to the park, we wanted to check out the nearby Naschmarkt, a popular outdoor market in Vienna, given we had enjoyed the Great Market in Budapest so much.  It was only a few blocks from our hotel and near the subway station that we would need to get to the Prater, so we left our room in the late afternoon to go see what we what it was all about.  The Naschmarkt was quite different in form factor from the Budapest market, as it sprawled along a very narrow strip between two busy streets.  At one end there were mostly restaurants and bars, with produce, meats, and cheeses further down.

Naschmarkt produce display

Dried fruits and other goodies

This market specializes in more exotic treats, and there were many Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants, shwerma and kebab stands, and shops where one could purchase teas and spices of seemingly infinite varieties.  There were baskets of delectable dried fruits and other interesting candies, as well as refrigerated glass cases full of other tempting morsels such as olives, stuffed peppers, and pickles of every kind.  The vendors were bolder here, and I dared not make eye contact with them, as I just wanted to browse and not be pestered.  Once we had a good mosey, we headed for the subway station and rode out to the Prater.

The Prater amusement park entrance

We were greeted by the dramatic profile of the Wiener Riesenrad, slowly spinning, its red gondolas sweeping across the sky.  This was the draw for us, as by now you must know how fond we are of climbing to the greatest height we can in order to get the best possible view!  But alas, Ewan spotted the bumper cars, and beeegggggggeeed us to go on the bumper cars first.  We indulged him, given we’d been dragging him around to so many “boring” grown-up destinations.  Gavin drove solo, and Ewan and I climbed into our own vehicle, Ewan thrilled to take the helm.  Let me just say, these were not Disney bumper cars!  I was hardly expecting the speed or the force that these bumper cars exerted, and with our first major impact with Gavin I practically had whiplash.  After the second crash, I was jolted forward and rammed my knee so hard into the dashboard and bruised it so bad that as I write this (four days later) I can’t touch it without wincing.  Ewan also suffered a bruise near his collar bone from the belt digging into his tender young skin.  At that point, I usurped the steering wheel from Ewan and spent the rest of the ride circling the perimeter of the rink, simply trying to avoid contact with anyone. 

The slow, peaceful ferris wheel would be a welcome contrast to that chaotic ride (yes, I realize this makes me sound old.  I don’t care.)  We bought our tickets, and were happy to find no queue at all, as we simply stepped into the open gondola at the bottom of the wheel.  The weather was perfect, and we ascended slowly, taking in the vast city panorama in the golden evening light.  We did have to contend with the gang of DSLR-toting-Euro-tourists who shared our cabin, aggressively vying for spots at the few small open windows, through which we all wanted to stick out our camera lenses.  Gradually though, through the 20 minute ride we all relaxed and were a bit and were more willing to share the space, even offering to take pictures of each other.

Ewan and Daddy riding the Dizzy Mouse

After we returned to the bottom of the wheel, Ewan begged to go on another ride.  Given my still-throbbing knee, I had no desire to be jostled around any further thankyouverymuch, so I sat with Gavin’s gear and watched my boys ride the “Dizzy Mouse,” a sort of roller coaster, but with a spinning carriage.  After this ride, we all had a drink and Gavin and I declared to a protesting little boy that it was time to head back toward our hotel, where we would find a dinner destination, as it was getting late, and our tummies were starting to grumble.  Originally we thought we’d eat at the park, but the options were rather dismal.  We took the subway back and ended up wandering the alleys off the main square near the Opera house until we found a quiet spot where we enjoyed one last meal in memorable Vienna.