The day was going to be very hot again and we had our first breakfast in Vienna. The residence bakes its own bread and the charming receptionist who greeted us the day before was on duty at the oven early this morning and we selected two nut rolls (really pain chocolate but with nuts in the chocolate ) and a bread roll.
Fully refreshed but aching and hot, we set off to catch a tram into the centre where we would pick up the underground as we had planned to visit Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs and the later Austrian royals. The trams work well in Vienna, so long as you do not walk in front of them. There is a special ticket for us which buys two full journeys to wherever you want to go. So, armed with such tickets, we arrived at the underground for Schonbrunn, along with many others. The Palace is now solely, we believe, a tourist attraction and it was heaving.
We had a timed ticket for the palace of about an hour after our arrival and so we walked around the vast grounds. The bulk of the grounds were laid out in a formal fashion with hedges and some limited topiary and just in front of the castle at the rear ( essentially their back garden) there were beds of annuals or bedding plants ( it may have been what they called the parterre). Whilst it was very striking, it was far too twee for the LLW who declared that it was not the way in which English gardens were designed these days - so last century. We managed the steep walk up to the Gloriette despite the intense heat and must have lost buckets in sweat during that hour in the heat of the sun.
We found some shade for a short rest and then visited the castle. The fashion these days seems to be to download an app but we did not manage that and in any event there was an audio device which was very easy to use and very informative. The interior of the castle was very impressive and filled with some striking paintings and furniture, The Emperor Franz Joseph seemed to have been a benevolent dictator well before his time who worked hard at the affairs of state. His wife, Princess Elizabeth (known as Sisi) seemed to be somewhat self centred and clearly found all the trappings of the court, including being married from the age of 15 to an Emperor, rather tedious ( she apparently had a difficult mother in law). She spent little time in Vienna and often did not turn up for meals in order to preserve a slim figure. There were some scales in her bedroom! Her hair which reached down to her ankles took some 3 hours a day of preparation. I rather think the royals in general have moved on quite a bit!
After the tour we made for the cafe and some light refreshment before heading back to the tube for our return to Central Vienna. We alighted at Karlsplatz and looked out for Elizabethstrasse which is close to the fine arts and natural history museums housed in magnificent buildings which are mirror images of one another. - I will give you three guesses what we were looking for! Yes, a bike hire place. We checked out the options and are planning go there to hire bikes for two hours from 8:30 tomorrow.
We then walked back to the residence and collapsed into a heap before having a cold shower. We were greeted with the news of Newcastle's loss to Arsenal and later the surprising news that both Chelsea and Liverpool had lost so we were in relatively good company.
Our evening meal was at a good Greek restaurant, Trilogie, close to the Hapimag residence. We enjoyed the food and wine and had a good conversation with the Greek owner who, originally from Halkidiki in the north of Greece, has been in Vienna for 21 years. We expressed the opinion that Austria was a pretty good place to live and whilst he agreed he still complains about the frequent grey skies in the morning! He must feel very much as if he is back in Greece with the current weather!
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