Vienna Day 1

After breakfast in the hotel we set off on a walk from my guidebook as the forecast was no rain. We were really close so went through the botanical gardens to Schloss Belvedere, the baroque palace built by the Prince of Savoy who had grown up around the court of Louis XIV. This is his answer to Versailles. There were long queues to get tickets but we bought for Monday then wandered through the gardens which were just beginning to come out though sadly the tulips were only in bud.

From there we went to Schwarzenbergplatz, a grand square flanked by a statue of The name himself, famous for leading the Austrian troops in the Battle of Leipzig. There was an also a splendid fountain.

From there we went to Stadtpark, busy with families enjoying the sun. The blossom was lovely. We wandered about admiring various statues of famous musicians. The golden one of Johann Strauss was particularly outstanding. We had our sandwich sitting on a park bench in the sun listening to a chap playing a cello then headed for KunstHausWien which I was keen to see. Since visiting the Hundertwasser toilets in NZ exactly 9 years ago I have also gone to his station in Ulzen. Now I could see his art work as well as his building which had his typical curvy ceramic pillars, mosaic detail, undulating tiled floors, and a chessboard facade sprouting plants. Apparently although Jewish he and his mother survived WW2 in Vienna. I thought he had fled to NZ. We saw rooms of his paintings, silk screen prints, etchings, stamps which he’d designed for the UN on the 35th anniversary of the declaration of human rights and even a tapestry. It was just wonderful. He had also designed an eco village with turf roofs but it didn’t come to fruition though a thermal spa in Austria is similar. We had a coffee there and Jenny indulged in a piece of carrot cake.

On our way to the Hundertwasserhaus, a block of flats typical of his style, we saw a sign Hundertwasser village - this was a mall of shops selling souvenirs- it was far more crowded than the museum had been. I didn’t buy a fridge magnet for €8. We walked through it all to see the block of flats then headed for Wittgensteinhaus, designed by a pupil of modernist Adolf Loos. It’s now the Bulgarian embassy. Its stepped design is reminiscent of Bauhaus.

We were beginning to flag so headed back for the hotel. However on the was I spotted the Russian Orthodox Church so we had a look inside. All of it was painted with lots of religious people and there was a moderate amount of bling.

We’d been out for 6 hours so we’re ready to put our feet up before heading out for food.

BTW Mr C says he has found the stamp in his passport. All that’s visible is the train symbol and a bit of the word Londres. So maybe mine is there somewhere.

So far we walked 12 km today.