Vienna by Boat and Bus

It was raining . It was chilly , the weather not at all favourable for a walking exporation expedition, therefore we opted for a popular Vienna by Boat and Bus Tour. The boat sails down the Danube , and later enters the Danube Canal. The Danube is the 2nd longest river  in Europe at 2480 KMs. In the late 19th century a canal was dug for transportation and water supply and Vienna expanded on the sides of the canal. There is a height difference of 12 ft between the Danube and its canal and as result there is lock system which the boat enters and the water is pumped out to reduce its height by 12ft, and then the boat enters the canal.  The process takes about 20 minutes and by studying it one could imagine what happens at the Panama and Suez Canals where about a dozen locks have to be negotiated.

Boat On The Danube

We boarded the Boat and settled down for the ride.

Admiral Tegetthoff On The Danube,Vienna

The orders for the coffee and the snacks placed the boat was moving down the Danube with a running commentary in German,with which we were now becoming familiar. 
The Refuse incinerator was pointed out with the comment that it was the most good looking refuse incinerator in the world. Because of the clouds the photographs did not come out clearly and a printed copy of a picture of the Most Beautiful Refuse Incinerator has  been inserted here.

Vienna Refuse Incinerator.

 The boat stopped at the lock for 20 mins and then entered the Danube Canal and finally stopping at the City Centre where a Bus was waiting to complete the tour . Since the weather was bad we could see the sights of Vienna only from inside the bus. The bus took us around the city and up into the surrounding mountains so that we could see and admire Vienna from the mountain top. But it was not to be. Clouds obscured any view of Vienna from the mountain top.


Three famous Musicians lived and performed  in Vienna at the famous Opera House and this made Vienna the Music Capital of the world. Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven.

The Mozart Memorial

Strauss Memorial

Beethoven Memorial    

                                                

Opera House, Vienna

Albert Einstein also lived in Vienna for some time  before emigrating to the US in 1933.


I once read a very interesting story about Einstein in a Reader's Digest issue. A lady had invited a number of guests to meet Albert Einstein at her house. When everybody had arrived music composed by Mozart and Strauss was being played. Einstein asked one of the guests how he felt about the particular composition that was being played. The guest replied that he did not have an ear for music. Einstein took the guest up to a separate room and for the next 2 hours explained the basics of music leading up to the complex compositions of Mozart and Strauss and Beethoven . After 2 hours both came down ,the hostess  not  at all happy at Mr Einstein being monopolised by only one guest for 2 hours , but that guests life had changed. Not only ears but he had a life for music which he could REALLY appreciate. The story was in 1st Person narrated by the guest himself . Before the evening ended the charming hostess asked Mr. Einstein"If you were not a mathematician what would you havebeen?" The reply" Music Composer".

 Inside the Opera House

                            


                                     Video Of Opera House

                                     Vienna By Boat
Some photographs have been taken from a book which we purchased on the Bus. "VIENNA Sightseeing in 123 Colour Photographs"

Vienna-Schonbrunn Palace

Schnonbrun Palace ,Vienna

Schonbrunn Palace . Schonbrunn means beautiful spring. The day we landed at the palace it was raining and also chilly, and we were inappropriately dressed. But the sheer grandeur of the place and the building made us forget the discomfort and we moved ahead to take in the entire magnificence of the palace of Empress Maria Theresa. She inherited the palace and the Empire from her father Emperor Charles VI  who at the  time was the Emperor of an empire which was so vast that  the sun never set in it. A mother of 16 children (one of whom  was Marie Antoinette who was beheaded and another who was married to Napoleon ) she, despite her gender disadvantage ruled for 40 years facing many a political storms and building alliances through the marriage of her children. She introduced many reforms like abolition of torture, death penalty,  introduction census and records (which lead to more tax revenue) etc. WA Mozart also performed at her court at the age of ten. We were taken on a conducted tour inside the palace but photography was absolutely banned. Vienna is a top destination among places to travel in Europe and the beautiful Schnonbrun Palace has been a top tourist place for 4 centuries.

Gardens of Schnonbrun, Vienna

During WWII the Palace was hit by a bomb which went through all the floors but did not explode. There were several military buildings of the Nazi Army close by.

Schnonbrun Palace Gardens,Vienna

When we visited the renovation/restoration was in progress in many parts inside the palace. There were no toilets or bathrooms inside the palace although there was no shortage of Chinese and Japanese style rooms.

Scnonbrun Palace Compound, Vienna

In one of the paintings a monkey was shown taking lice out of the hair of people for a charge levied by the owner of the suitably trained monkey. People used to have a bath once in a month and get by using copious amounts of perfume. In such circumstances the monkey was not only needed but also assured of a handsome income.

Statues at Schnonbrun Palace

The Hapsburgs who ruled Austria lost power at the beginning of World War I and despite efforts could not come back to power. The Austrian people did not want them. The present day Hapsburgs are still around, not in power, but extremely wealthy.

Flight from Vienna to WA Mozart Airport

DASH -800  Austrian Arrows

The aircraft taking us to Salzburg was Dash 800 a twin engine turbo prop and the passengers could all it into one  bus.  After flying in jets the propeller driven aircraft did not inspire much confidence but there was no choice. The engines started one by one with lot of fluttering noise and soon the plane was speeding down the runway. The take off was smooth and slowly the fear of flying in a small aircraft went away even though there was some turbulence in the morning air .

Inside DASH-800

The flight was of 45 minutes duration with flying time of 30 minutes. Shortly after take off the plane headed into the mountains-eastern Alps of Austria which looked magnificent in the rising sun. Off and on we could see some snow capped mountains and we were wondering whether we would be able to reach the snow and touch and feel it. Hot coffee and cold drinks were served quickly before the captain announced that the plane was landing at WA Mozart airport at Salzburg. 

Barely Visible Alps Between Clouds