I know, I was doing it every time i thought of it. (Don’t know why. It meant nothing to me)
But we took the train from Prague to Vienna, a very nice run through Czech and Austrian countryside. Lovely day too, and the quality of the grub and coffee was incredible.
Into Vienna, Out of the really nicely appointed railway station and out to the taxi rank at the front, loaded up and away.
Driver wasn’t local but he chatted away about the new right wing government. ‘I like living in a democracy. I know they don’t like us. I know they don’t want us here. But we’re legitimate, we have all our papers and they can’t touch us’
Big Smile.
We arrived in the City centre at the hotel in Stephensdom. Billed as disabled access friendly, theres a step at the front door.
Hmmmm. Man comes out, grabs our bags, looks at the scooter, disappears and open the side door.Right beside the main door. Completely flat. Straight in, through the utility area and into reception. They had a chap assigned to let me in and out. We gave it about half an hour and they showed Paddy how to let me in and out which worked a treat. As we were back and forward on the first evening quite regularly.
Coz it was cold.
Usually we go in early September where we get lucky with the weather. Its still warm and for the first time in years while packing for this run. I didn’t pack out my thermals, thick socks and fleece. I didn’t even pack a hoodie.
I froze, which made getting battered by a non suspension scooter on cobbles was really painful. And uncomfortable.
The Stephensdom is a whole shopping, pedestrian area and it was bunged. People were suited and booted. there were no city centre gangs of hoodies and trackie wearing types hanging around. Indeed in the entire week we were bouncing around Europe. we were only bugged once, That’s bugged, not mugged.
When I say we, I mean me and I had to borrow 50 cents of the woman who was with me. The grateful recipient sodded off at speed in that strange ship in a gale, rocking side to side, weeble sort of way. It was very strange. Obviously she didn’t want to get lifted or something.
in Vienna where it says pedestrian, it means it. Cyclists push bikes along, and the cycle rickshaws get walked along also. And there are police around the place quietly enforcing what’s going on.
It seems to be where everyone goes to eat and shop, (shops open late and stay open late) all the upmarket stuff.
At the top of the area where the pedestrian area ends and the road begins. There were steel bollards, probably dropable to allow delivery vehicles in. But I couldnt get a time or a date when they were installed. They didn’t look like they had been there for a long time.
Pavements were smooth as were a lot of the streets, dropped kerbs everywhere, and lights at junctions. Mostly wide and flat too. We went to the jewish museum, full access, very German and really quite weird. definitely a bygone age, long gone.
Although Austria seems somewhat conflicted about its role in ww2. Theres a thoroughly disturbing piece in the Jewish museum where a returning Jew, resettling in Vienna after the holocaust. Greets his neighbours where their past is glossed over and conveniently ignored. The ex prison camp guard who’s the barber. It really is weird and was apparently shown on Austrian tv after the war. As a comedy.
Very polite, awfully well mannered and truly freaky.
Museum time, we’ve attempted the big museum in Prague which was going to open in 2018 (not as yet though) there is the Museum of Military History in the Arsenal. Vienna.
It does the Hapsburgs from the 1600s to post 1945.
Fully accessible, lifts etc it shows what troublesome lot the Austro Hungarians were.
Starts of with statues as you go in of Generals and other people upstairs, there are dioramas huge pictures, uniforms, weapons, information in English and has loads of paintings
Including that one. Whereas the rest of the paintings are all devilishly handsome, bloodied, wounded and well, er, dead.
Someone has the hand on the flag and manages to look noble.
The above painting . ‘The Uhlan’. thats what it looks like when someone, somewhere in a wet cold field wants you dead.
Cracking museum covers, as I said everything from the mid 17th to the mid 20th Century. The first world war is well represented and manages to mention the bits the Allies don’t. No ones actually admitting responsibility, but you don’t get the idea it was their fault.
As you go through the gift shop. Lots of books and a €99 tin stahlhelm. Had i been thinking straight I’d have bought a couple for Christmas pressies.
It covers the difficult Anchsluss
A really good museum and its alleged theres more stuff, tracked vehicles and cannon outside.
As I say the Austrians are attempting to portray themselves as occupied. (i think they mean invited)
Whereas nothing like this is seen in Berlin or Germany, this little bit of embroidery just sits there in one of the display cases.
I know. This is Vienna. Nothing like this would have been seen (or allowed) in Germany. And it just sits there, shouting volumes. Especially when you think someone, sat down and made that.
Yes I know, different times. But I don’t see myself sitting down and the dame telling me that what the sofa needs is a bit of needlework eulogising the local despot.
As I say take some time, We did three museums in the short time we were there. This one which was excellent and the two jewish ones.
The jewish museums had both overt and covert security. Everyone got the wall eye on the way in and armed guards at both and no bags inside. . The second one had interior blast and ‘just in case’ doors.
Underneath is the archaeological dig of the first synagogue in Vienna. The main one in Dorotheergasse has a shop. A Jewish museum in Vienna lead for the dog.
Back out as i say the mixture of cold and cobbles was getting to me so we headed for the american bar. Lous American bar for a couple of hot ports.
The outdoor cafes are all over the place, they have heaters on, don’t sit on the periphery,. Get in and get some heat. There’s two sitting side by side. Ones packed, the others empty.
The packed ones got better heaters
People are perfectly nice, helpful and the foods much better than Prague or Budapest. We had schnitzel and house beer. I had the veal.
Ordering away to our server, he made some crack about the German language being difficult, I told him ‘Dutch was difficult, i had just arrived and was still getting my head out of Czech.
But everyone else was perfectly nice, except the weird old bats at check out which almost had us missing our train.
Lifting the chill, there’s hot port which is done differently and Rum and hot chocolate. I said it was cold. and i cant bounce up and down and get the circulation going again. she had Baileys and hot chocolate very nice.
Theres a hierarchy of taxi drivers theres the bog standard. Perfectly decent yellow cabs and the undertaker (black suits white shirt, black tie) Mercedes drivers which run about in unmarked cars and seem like they own the roads.
Maybe they do.
Again hand delivered to the railway carriage (we were late. a coven of old bitches arguing about their separate mini bar bills)
Straight in, up on the door lift, into a carriage and off to Budapest.
I like the trains.
I liked Vienna, next time. I ‘ll pack like I usually do. Take the warm stuff.
ironside Travel 