This is a beautiful city and one that we definitely need to visit again. We often don’t go back where we’ve been because there is so much that we haven’t seen, yet. The morning was spent in a bus and walking tour of the central city. Even with that, we probably only saw a tenth or less of the area we were in. The picture accompanying this entry was taken near the city center and is of the monument erected to the plague that ravaged Europe in 1347 and 1348. About a third of the people in Europe died during this epidemic. Many cities pledged to erect monuments if the suffering would cease. This is Vienna’s monument commemorating the suffering of the plague.

I have learned a lot about the Hapsberg monarchy that I never really learned about before. Our tour guide was very well informed and quite passionate about her country, city, and heritage. I think that kind of passion causes learning to happen and knowledge to transfer.

It has been quite cold here today with a pretty stiff breeze. There were a few snowflakes falling earlier. The guide said it was unseasonably cold. Next time we come either in May or in September. The afternoon included a tour of the Schoenbrunn Castle. What a magnificent building. We had the “short” tour of 22 rooms. This castle, the so-called Summer Palace, should be on everyone’s agenda when visiting Vienna.

Tonight we’re going to a Mozart / Strauss concert. That should also be well worth our time. We’ll sail away from here about midnight.

Some thoughts:

The language on the Danube is German. All signs, instructions, and radio traffic is in German. This is a remnant of the Austrian Empire.

All of the buildings in downtown Vienna are four stories tall. None taller. I don’t know why.

There is construction everywhere downtown to renovate and extend the subway lines in preparation for the Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Vienna in 2008.

The UN has a huge facility on the other side of the river from downtown. Some 4,500 people work at the Atomic Energy Commission alone. No wonder it costs so much.

Later on in the evening:

The concert was absolutely delightful. It was kind of like a Mozart and Strauss Pops Concert – about 40 minutes of the most popular music from Mozart, a ten minute intermission and about 40 minutes of the most popular Strauss music, ending with the two most famous waltzes in the world: The Blue Danube and the Radizky Polka.

We were told in our initial briefing when we got on the boat to remember that other boats are on the river and sometimes boats tie up next to each other, so be careful about curtains when coming out of the shower or getting out of bed. Tonight as we were eating dinner, a boat came by right next to us maneuvering to dock behind us. Suddenly the dining room erupted in laughter — a fellow in the other boat had just come out of the shower, naked of course, with the curtains wide open. It took a few moments for him to figure out he was putting on a show. He waved, and ducked out of sight. The folks in the dining room are still chuckling about the incident.