Day 11-16: Wien
Yes, we've arrived.
After 8 hours of train ride over night with several wake-ups in between (well, we were really worried we might overslept but turned out that there's this waiter on board who will wake you up and serve you breakfast).
The cabin we've reserved is 1st class cabin with sleeping beds. But unfortunately, it does not come with ensuite bathroom. When I first stepped into the cabin, I tried so hard to pry open an attached door only to realise it was a connecting door to the next cabin. The only toilet was a shared one, and of course, it's not a bathroom too. However, there's a small basin for freshening up for the new day with 2 fresh towels (which we didn't use, of course).
It was 9am when we arrived at Sudbahnhof, Southern Station of Vienna. At the train station, there are a number of self-made porters with a trolley readily to assist travellers' with their luggages (for a fee of course). We hopped into a taxi and reached the Ambassador Hotel in 20 minutes.
Sudbahnhof Station, Wien
This Hotel was arranged by an Austrian friend. We had arrived earlier but our room was already available. We were lucky to have our room upgraded to the junior suite but a pity it was a tad big for us to really enjoy because we were out most of the time.
The Ambassador Hotel, Wien
As it was Sunday when we arrived, all the shops were closed except for the souvenir stores. I took the opportunity to explore the vicinity while Mr Goh went for his much needed nap. I had my usual Mac's Test!
My ever Mac Test -
they have this nice Potato Strips which has real potato!
But no Big Breakfast though!
The Pestsaule at Graben -
this was constructed by Emperor Leopold I
after the Great Plague of Austria
St Stephan's Cathedral
Made of limestone, it is meant to be white but
constant pollution has caused it to turn black. Our Austrian friend told us
constant restoration work is needed to maintain it's white facet!
(Ok, tax here is as high as 50%!)
Our later meals were at a Chinese restaurant (we were really thrilled to see one!) and looked forward to spending the following day at the Palace for their National Day.
National Day @ Wien
The Austrians celebrate their National Day in a very different way from Singapore. The 3 defensive teams - Air, Sea and Land, gathered to organise a big carnival. There's food, fun activities, display of some defence technologies and even a tent selling their defence merchandise!
Usual displays - some aircrafts!
Check out the price tag! Uniforms for sale!
Crowds - I think we should have something similar for our National Day,
rather than just the 3 hours of Parade.
Some displays of olden day historic stuff
I had my delicious freshly made candy floss! This is one of the few things that I will not say no and looking like an overage girl eating it. I love candy floss, and pink please!
Delicious Pink Candy Floss in the making
Foodfare! They stick the baquettes into this rod to create
space for the bratwurst!
Mustard and Ketchup also doesn't get too messy!
After the carnival, it was back to exploring other parts of Wien and buying their famous Manner Chocolate wafer and all things Manner. (The Chocolates were so heavy! They took halved of my luggage meant for shopping, and weighed almost 20kg!)
The ever common scene (and sound of the horse shoe)
On the 3rd day in Wien, we finally met our Austrian friend! A short walk to visit the Spanish Riding School and the Winter Palace (where the Carnival was held the day before). We met up for lunch at a very cosy Italian restuarant which serves really delicious Italian food (no where compared to Italy - Italy's servings were HUGE and really not as tasty!). Dinner was traditional Schnitzel - deep fried thin-sliced pork or chicken in breadcrumbs.
Olden Roman Walls (which is underneath street level)
Interesting mix of the old and new transportation
Spanish Riding School - World's Standard
Ceiling Lamp of a piece of tradition.
The restaurant we visited is an authentic Austrian one where it is hidden way underground.
We understand in the past, most part of underneath Wien was connected.
This was just a small portion of it and recreated as a restaurant.
The next few days were spent exploring Schoebrunn (Summer) Palace and serious shopping!
The Schonbrunn Train Station
Schoebrunn Palace
Then it was back to the airport for our flight to Zermatt, Switzerland!
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