Just wow! We arrived early in the capital, Vienna. The modern section of the city that is seen from the river belies the gem that lies further to the south. We all left the ship to tour: David on foot; Chris and Stephanie on bikes; everyone else on a bus. Our short ride into the centre of Vienna was loaded with marvelous architecture and our guide quickly, very quickly told us the significance of many buildings occupied by kings and noble people. As we heard yesterday in Hungary, the dual monarchy of Hungary/Austria was as much on display again today as it was a couple days ago in Godollo Palace, Budapest.
Dad was clearly impressed by the architecture as we walked slowly through the city centre but felt that it was so much and so large that it was hard to take it all in. He always knew that, with his diminished eyesight, he was not going to be able to fully appreciate the sights as the rest of us would, but I think he may have felt it more in Vienna that other places.
Right after Vienna we travelled a bit further into Austria to explore Durnstein in the wine and apricot region. The wine was ok but the schnapps, liqueur and jams were very enjoyable, well maybe not the schnapps. The little town in the picturesque valley of Lower Austria, with its very narrow streets and very few cars, was a very welcome change from the busy intensity of Budapest and Vienna.
Dad hasn’t been using the audio device on the tours because it doesn’t work for him. Instead, one of us tells him the highlights of the sights, architecture and history. It was fun for me to describe the steeps green hills surrounding this town. They were precariously terraced to accommodate the acres and acres of grape vines.
We ended our day just up the river in Grein, another small town tucked into a valley in Upper Austria. Without a doubt the excursion to Greinburg Castle was Dad’s favourite. It was immaculately restored and many rooms were furnished. The furnaces in each of the main rooms that we have seen in other palaces were also in this castle. We had been told that the furnaces were stocked with wood/coal from behind the wall or in the ceiling, generally by a child or small adult. This time, much to Theresa’s distress, Dad couldn’t resist and had to sneak in and crawl deep into an access hatch that was open, “just to check it out”. Thankfully nothing broke, neither the castle, nor my father. Everyone returned for diner and had lots to talk about.
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Your stories are wonderful,Heather! You’re a born author. So happy to hear of all your adventures.Thanks for doing this for us “stay at homes”.