I had already given her advice on where to go and what to see close to the city center, so the first morning that I got with Whitney and Leslie I took them out to Schönbrunn. I figure that's definitely a must-see, and since it was a little further out it was easier to get there via car. It was a little overcast and chilly that morning, but there weren't too many tourists there. We started with the abbreviated tour through the palace, hoping that the weather would improve a little over the next hour (no cigar). However the palace was, as ever, informative and interesting to walk through, and I think that both of them really enjoyed it. As an aside: the postcards in that giftshop are some of the better ones I've seen in Vienna (we were of course ushered through there before we could exit).
We then wandered the gardens a bit, although we didn't climb all of the way up to the Gloriette. I just adore the grounds of Schönbrunn, though; it's always so pleasant walking along the tree-lined paths and letting the dappled sun splash across your face and shoulders... Not that there was any sunlight streaming through the trees this time, but that's still something I enjoy. A lot was just blooming, too, which made the walk especially nice. I was also impressed at how much Leslie knew about the various types of trees we came across.
After strolling for about half an hour I took them to Schönbrunner Stöckl, the Czech restaurant that David had taken Anna and me to which is right at the corner of the Schönbrunn grounds. We had a great lunch and I introduced them to Radlers, a beer-lemonade drink which is especially popular in the Bavaria region during summers. Unfortunately after that I had to get back to work, but we figured out a good itinerary for the rest of their day before I left.
Saturday I was also able to spend some time with them, so after work in the morning I headed over to their hotel. We had discussed going out to the Zentral Friedhof, the Central Cemetery, if the weather was nice, which it was, so we decided to start out there and work our way back towards the center of Vienna. I had gone out the previous fall with my Dad, but we never did find the graves of the musical masters, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. However this time around I bought a map, a great 20¢ investment, and we wandered down the surprisingly scenic lanes until we found them.
Conveniently most of the great composer's graves were all situated in one plot, so we saw Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Gluck, all of the Strauss brothers plus Strauss Senior, and a cenotaph for Mozart even though he's actually in a mass grave somewhere in the nearby St. Marx Cemetery.
Mozart and Beethoven, respectively
Although the cemetery only opened in 1875, there are some beautiful gravestones and it still has a very old feel to it despite how well kept-up it is. We didn't even begin to see all of it even though we spent well over an hour there because it's one of the largest cemeteries in the world. Morbid as it may sound, I would love to get back out there and just wander aimlessly down the shady curving paths. I'll just have to make sure not to get lost and end up there permanently.
I took them back to the Naschmarkt after that, figuring they could pick up a Viennese delicacy or two and just enjoy the experience of wandering through the stalls and getting some free handouts. We stopped for a quick snack at the Zotter chocolate shop and I helped them choose a few things from the various stalls to try and to take home. I had to get back to work after that, but gave them a few more recommendations for their last evening there and said my goodbyes to Whitney until I see her again over Christmas. I think they had a really good trip, tough; I definitely had a blast showing them around!
No comments:
Post a Comment