On the Edge of Communism

The past week was not necessarily filled with rest, but it was quite refreshing. While we are not ready to return to school tomorrow (we still have bad dreams about it) we are much more leveled and centered than a week ago. So much happened that it seems best to break things down into one day at a time.


Sunday

We got plenty of odds and ends taken care of on Sunday morning, had a nice lunch, went to the gym, and around four we hopped on our bikes and enjoyed the 10 minute ride along a peaceful, wooded bike path to the airport. We locked up our bikes and stood in fairly short lines to get our boarding passes and head through security. When we got to the other side, it was like we were walking into a fancy Starbucks with comfortable couches and real orchids, not an airport.

The flight to Vienna lasted about an hour and a half. The train ride to our apartment was easy and we were a 5 minute walk from the station. The apartment was a simple studio, adequately furnished by Ikea. For only 55 Euros a night, it was cheaper and much better than a hotel. We ended up walking a few blocks to grab a delicious pizza and Schitznel for a bedtime snack.

Rotterdam's cozy airport.

The amusement park from the train station - this was a short walk from where we stayed and also where we had our dinner out.

Monday

The day started with a bit of grocery shopping and figuring out how to get into town. The weather was cloudy but by the time we set off with our cameras the sun was peeking out. The rest of the day was brilliantly sunny and we took many magnificent pictures.

The buildings of Vienna make Amsterdam look like a ginger-bread city. They are massive and imposing. You can't ignore them and you can't deny their power. Our walk around part of the old city was followed up by one order of tea and apple strudel, setting us back 10 Euros. Ouch - but delicious. All the food we ate their was delicious.

Our apartment building.

St. Stephen's Cathedral - note the 450 foot tower is being restored.

Around the side of the cathedral was a line of horse-drawn carriages. 

Inside the cathedral - an impressively wide center archway.

A 'small' church that wasn't even noted in the guide books or tourist maps.

Holding up a balcony gets boring...

Italianesque sidewalks.

The city hall.

A little mind-bending the differences in angle from left to right...

View from the city hall.

A bit like a fairy tale?

Another palace...one of many.

Roman(?) Ruins.

Tuesday

We walked down the busy street on our way to Europcar. The Audi A3 we reserved was of course downgraded to a VW Jetta. Annoying, but typical. They say it is in the 'same class' but I would tend to disagree. The newer models of the Jetta have gone down in quality - my dad's is a much better car. This one surprised us as it shut off at stop lights though. That was rather interesting. It would start up when you pushed the clutch back in.

Stress levels increased as we tried to push our way out of the city filled with numerous one way streets and far too many vehicles. Eventually we were on the expressway winding through the fog and the foothills of the Alps. Garmin told us to ditch the freeway and make our way down a narrow, winding country road. The speed limit changed about every 45 seconds because there were so many little towns. When it was up to 100 km/hr it was impossible to go over 80 because the corners were so sharp and the fog so thick. The ride was exciting!

The fog cleared as we pulled into our destination - the mountain village of Ramsau. We took a few pictures and searched for the trail head. The plan was to hike a 5 mile loop along some logging trails. After some searching and map comparison, we found it. The trail turned out to be perfect. We didn't see another person for the entire hike through the woods. The fall colors were at their peak, the sun was shining, and the air was crisp. It was the perfect fall day.

The village of Ramsau.

Note the cloud of smog that hangs over Vienna.

We could hear the chainsaws in the background.

A most enjoyable hike in the foothills of the Alps.

Wednesday

The day began with a considerable amount of stress. We gave ourselves 45 minutes to drive the 3 km back to return the car, and to get gas on our way. A gas station proved impossible to find even with Garmin and the traffic was so bad that we spent 35 minutes on those 3 km. We barely made it to the garage in time and they ended up charging us more than double the pump price to put gas in the car. Good thing the Jetta got good gas milage.

We finished our tour of the old city. Tuesday was, unfortunately, the last we would see of the sun for the remainder of our trip. Bummer for the pictures. We did see some interesting military equipment (including a Eurofighter) set up on the palace lawn. Interesting contrasts of old and new.

We split for a couple hours as Naomi went to see the exhibition of one of her favorite artists: Gustav Klimt. It was displayed in a palace called the Belvedere. This magnificent structure was built by one of Napoleon's ugly generals who was really good at capturing cities. He got quite rich doing this, but as he had no hier, the palace was deeded over to the city, and the king turned it into a house for the arts.

Dinner was early and delicious. Naomi found a deal on Groupon, and as it turns out, this restaurant was in the middle of an amusement park. Needless to say, expectations were not high, but I was very positively surprised. We had pork that was falling off the bone and nice Austrian beer. For some reason that I cannot understand, Naomi didn't like the meat, so extra for me. I wasn't complaining.

After dinner we hopped on the subway and had a famous Viennese dessert - the Sacher Torte. The hotel of origin, where we sampled, was right next to the Opera house. We had purchased tickets for 7,50 each and found ourselves in a box right next to the stage. The seats were ok, but we had a better view of the crowd and the orchestra than of what was happening on stage. One of the nice things about the State opera is that it is accessible - tickets range from 5 Euros all the way up to almost 300. The story itself was translated, so we could follow it, but there was a strange mix of old an new. It was about an Emperor of Rome, but they used modern clothing and props. Overall, the experience of going to the Opera at a world famous theater was quite impressive, but I don't think I could handle opera on a regular basis.

The palace looks conquered...

Old and new.

Parliament.

The Belvedere.

Dinner!

The State Opera House.

The famous Sacher Torte.

Going up the stairs to the Opera.

Inside the Opera.

Our seats.

Quite the ceiling light.

Thursday

As it turns out, another European capital lies only 50 km from Vienna. We discovered that round trip train tickets only cost 14 Euros, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. As we crossed the border into Slovakia things started to look different. The fact that their average income is half that of an Austrian's became quickly apparent. Bratislava has a charming old center. Some of the buildings are in quite the state of decay, but others are fairly impressive. We did a bit of shopping and sightseeing and made our way back to the train station.

Being in a formerly communist country was interesting for us. Some of the communist statues and such still had prominent positions overlooking the city. The architecture, much from the communist era, situated on the other side of the Danube, was quite depressing. The whole experience gave us a very positive impression and we learned quite a bit about a country that we previously did not even know the name of.

This is where we had to transfer trains on the way to Bratislava.

A mix of old and new.

Strange little market.

The Netherlands are represented in Slovakia.

The top of this bridge is a restaurant. Also note the depressing architecture on the far side.

There used to be wealth here...

Notice the communist monument up on the hill.

Friday

I went to climb the 450 foot St Stephen's Cathedral tower while Naomi relaxed and cleaned up. I did enjoy the view, but the experience was disappointing. We only got to go up to the first level of the tower - the rest was gated off. In Delft, we were able to climb the whole thing, and the builders had the forethought to alternate directions of the spiral staircases - this way you don't end up with one leg longer than the other when you climb up every day. Not so in Vienna.

The subway station next to this cathedral had a fascinating element. When they were digging it out in the 70's they poked their shovels into a massive opening. It was the crypt of a church dating back to the 1200's that had been long since destroyed. This underground cavity was all that remained of the ancient structure. They left an opening so that people can look inside, and are trying to preserve the crumbling murals.

Copyright infringement?

Gargoyles.

Vienna from Above.

Naomi's favorite part of the cathedral - the roof!

Ahh, if only those Austrians knew what they printed on their subway tickets - 1 fart on the wiener line. Naomi kept wondering why I was laughing, but they print 'wiener' all over the city! (In German it means 'Viennese')

View from the subway station.

After the flight home we spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and doing a bit of shopping. Being able to settle back into things at home before jumping back into school was a great foresight. We just wish there was a bit more time!