Touring the old city of Vienna
A four and a half hour journey by fast train got me into Vienna from Innsbruck, a quiet mountainous corner of Austria. In the country, Vienna is spelt Wien. I was told that it’s the British who began calling the city by its present name a long time ago. Then it stuck. I had to […]
A four and a half hour journey by fast train got me into Vienna from Innsbruck, a quiet mountainous corner of Austria. In the country, Vienna is spelt Wien. I was told that it’s the British who began calling the city by its present name a long time ago. Then it stuck. I had to wake up by 4:00 am at Vomperberg where I was residing, and get into a taxi heading for the Innsbruck train station. I had arranged with the taxi company the previous evening. The driver was punctual and arrived a few minutes before 4:00 am. I was already outside in the slight early morning cold waiting for him. I noticed the car lights racing up the curving mountain road. Then the driver made a turn, and the bright lights picked me out. The train left Innsbruck at exactly 5:30 am. The only sign of trading on the journey was a staff of the train company, who used a trolley to sell nice teas, coffee and snacks. You just don’t wake up in these trains and start selling items from a ‘Ghana Must Go’ bag.
The traveller can read a good novel all the way, until the train rolls into the final terminal.There is splendid silence in the train,but you notice that the fellow travellers do talk. They don’t yell while speaking. They don’t have to. When I arrived Vienna I quickly checked the tourist map which I got at the Vienna train station,and decided to head for the old city of Vienna, since its location was fairly close to the train station, and would make a return to Innsbruck easier later. Also, the old city was described as a popular haunt for tourists in the booklet I had obtained. I did some shopping in the lovely commercial area which itself spanned a vast distance. After a while I boarded a taxi which quickly got me to the old city of Vienna.
On the way there I noticed many tourists in horse drawn carriages who were being shown the exciting sites. I made up my mind that when we got into the old city I would ask to be taken on a tour of the city in one of those horse drawn carriages. You are taken in a carriage for a fee. It is not free. I paid 80 euros for a 40 minute tour of the old city. The horseman and guide would keep drawing your attention to the historical buildings and sites in the old city. This is a nice way to treat a visitor, and give him/her a feel of your country’s rich history and culture. Soon I was shown the imposing St. Stephan’s Cathedral which sits just by the spot where the men with the carriages wait for customers to turn up. The cathedral goes back to the year 1137, and is a very awesome place. Its interior is lofty, and gently urges you to pray. You feel like praising the Most High when you enter this Cathedral. A few men stand outside attired in an impressive manner which was common at the time of Mozart.
Here are red coats, wigs, socks and wide friendly smiles. They are giving out handbills announcing a Mozart concert. Next, I was shown the fountain of Mary, which is the oldest part of Vienna, the horseman said. I thought this may not be so, since the one who carved the statue must have resided somewhere. His residence would then be the oldest part, I reflected, but I didn’t voice my thoughts.
No need to be too critical if you want to catch some fun while visiting. As we went by, I kept on taking pictures of the memorable sites. Soon, I discovered that many people were also taking pictures of me in the carriage from the sidewalk, as well as from some carriages in front. I wondered what the fuss was all about. Then we passed the University of Vienna, as well as the old walls of the city. There were several carriages both in front as well as behind ours, with all the visitors taking pictures of the scenes. This is a common feature of life in Vienna, and vehicles immediately slow down to allow the carriages to pass,and to give the visitors space to have fun. In Vienna, the carriages have right of way.
Then we passed a café. At this point the guide chuckled and said that it serves 60 different coffees.We went by the National Theatre, as well as the city Hall, which are all magnificent buildings. There is a garden in Vienna which grows 200 different Roses. We passed that too. There is a lot to see and report on in this city. We got to the Imperial palace, which is as Imperial as its name suggests.
It is the residence of the Queen, says the guide. It is truly a very beautiful place with statues, and elegant buildings confronting you at every turn, and some of the statues are so perfectly made, they almost seem alive. Then there are hundreds and hundreds of tourists admiring the sites, and taking endless pictures. Clearly, Vienna makes a lot of money from the tourists who flock to the city during this season. We also passed the front of the Natural History Museum, a very popular part of the capital. There is St. Peter’s church, the best baroque church in Vienna, the guide says. The president’s office is another popular spot in the capital. A museum dedicated to the life and times of Mozart, the famous classical composer, is to be found in Vienna. This, too draws the crowds.
One thing that makes the capital a very attractive place is the fact that the roads are neat. Again, there are numerous spots by the roadside where a visitor can stop to have a cup of tea or coffee. The marvelous architecture of the buildings is another major attraction, as well as the many shops and their warm shopkeepers. Above all, the people are very friendly, making the city a place that will always draw large crowds every year. I headed back to the train station, where I boarded the 3:30 train for Innsbruck, with one stop where I changed trains. I got back to Innsbruck tired, but happy that I had made the trip to Vienna, a city that has always and still attracts me. I will return.