A tale of two cities

We have just spent the past 3 days visiting two of, what for us this year, will be a record breaking number of capital cities - with first ticked off the list Vienna (Austria) and Bratislava (Slovakia). Our good friends at Ryan Air fly from Weeze to Bratislava and it is just 60kms (about an hour on the train) across the border to Vienna.

With the weather forecasters being "men" of their word, we drove along a VERY snowy and slippery freeway to the airport at 4.00am Saturday morning (leaving about an hour earlier than we would have normally!). But lucky we did. Being so early in the morning meant the road had not yet been salted or cleared of snow - it was just that little bit scary to say the least!

What can I say about Vienna? In a word it is magnificent. As the resident city of the Habsburg Dynasty since 1440 it is one BIG homage to baroque architecture. Literally everywhere you look you are surrounded by over the top, grandeous buildings bedecked with hundreds of lions, eagles, archangels and intricate stone lacework. At one point it was actually a bit too overwhelming!

Highlights in a nutshell were :

Schönbrunn palace - the former imperial summer residence of the Habsburgs and home to Franz Joseph & Elisabeth (Sissi). I can imagine that this place is designed to be appreciated in the summer months, when the gardens are at their best. But even covered in snow it was beautiful. The grounds are huge and the view from the top of the hill from the Gloriette, (see photos # 3 & 4 in the Vienna photos below) is stunning. The walk up the hill was the perfect opportunity for a snowball fight, and the coffee & cake in the cafe inside the Gloriette very welcome!

Spanish Riding School - Spanish because of the Spanish horses imported when the school was first established back in 1527. It has always been a girly, childhood fantasy of mine to see this place! It appears that it is almost impossible to get tickets for the actual performances so we had to "make do" with a guided tour :-) The tour included a behind the scenes look in the stables (and at those gorgeous white Lippizaner stallions!), a visit to the tackroom, and a glimpse of THE most beautiful dressage arena in the world. And although we were strictly forbidden to actually touch the horses or to take photos (except in the winter riding hall - when the tour guide wasn't looking that is!) it was more than enough to satisfy my fantasy! The horses were beautiful, the stable cats were fat, and the tackroom, even though way more fancy than anything I ever had, smelled exactly as I remembered a tackroom should smell :-) Oh, and since the beginning of 2009 you no longer have to be Austrian OR male to enter the school as a rider! Pity I no longer fall into the age group of 16-23 for apprentice riders ;-)

Sissi museum - for those of you who don't know Sissi (nickname for Empress Elisabeth of Austria) she became Empress at the age of 16 in 1854. A naive Bavarian country girl, she quickly became disillusioned with court life in Vienna and over the years became increasingly depressed and often had morbid thoughts of death (especially after her only son, 1 of 4 children, committed suicide). She took to wearing only black and her relationship with Franz Joseph became strained. At the age of 60, during a visit to Geneva, she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist. The "cult of personality" around Sissi ony became stronger after her death. And still now, every year at xmas, the 1950s Sissi trilogy of movies with Romy Schneider in the leading role, screens here on television :-) The museum is set in the royal apartments in the Hofburg (the winter residence of the Habsburgs in the Vienna city centre) and gave a wonderful insight into how Sissi lived, dressed, and amused herself day to day. Loved it!

Prunksaal (at the national library) - literally translated, Prunksaal means "splendor hall" and that it most definately was! The most over the top and beautiful library I have ever seen (see photos # 17 & 18 from Vienna below).

Definately worth another visit to Vienna some time in the summer! And in the very short time we spent in Bratislava on Monday we managed to get a feel for that little city too.

It too has its fair share of Baroque style buildings in the old city centre. Once outside this area though it is a typical old east block city, with those familiar square, concrete apartment blocks. Our hotel (Hotel Kyev) markets itself as "original 1970s retro style" !! And it is, original that is!! Original because it has never actually been refurbished since the '70s ;-) Wood panelling and ugly carpet everywhere. Back in the Communist era apparently it was very popular with dignitaries and businessmen from "friendly" countries to stay. Was a pity that Club Kiev, behind leather clad doors that looked like they came straight from the set of a porno movie, was not open! The last photo from Bratislava below, the one with me and the Trabant car, is in the lobby of the hotel!

On our last night, Monday night in Bratislava, we had THE most delicious meal. With the help of the local tourist guide found in our hotel, we managed to find a cosy little restaurant serving traditional Slovakian food - venison ragout with homemade dumplings for me, and veal in a sort of pancake with a creamy sauce for Jeroen - yummy!!! And the obligatory glass of slivovice (a fiery plum brandy) to wash it down with.

Alli xxx

Vienna photos

Bratislava photos