The Vienna Marriott Hotel looked like a fine place to call home for a few days after my overnight Austrian Airlines flight from Washington. This seven-story downtown hotel is situated on the Ringstrasse, a grand circular boulevard that serves as a 3.2-mile long ring road around the historic city center. Originally constructed in 1985, but since renovated, the Marriott is a 4.5-star luxury hotel which lies in the very heart of Vienna. At check-in, I was upgraded to a king-bedded Executive Suite. The 646-square foot space featured a separate sitting room, an in-room safe as well as a good-size writing desk with adequate electrical outlets and USB ports. The bath had a separate tub and shower and robes and slippers were also provided. Evening turndown service was available, along with a complimentary internet connection. I was given access to the M Club Lounge, which was open from 6:30 in the morning to 11:00 at night. Breakfast service was available in the lounge or guests were invited to enjoy the all-American Buffet Breakfast served at the Parkring Restaurant. Evening service with small hors d’oeuvre plates was offered from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, along with a Wine and Beer Honor Bar.
Vienna is one of the most historically and culturally rich cities in Europe. From world-famous operas by the most influential composers to incredible imperial palaces and churches to its famed food and UNESCO World Heritage City Center, the city is a treasure trove for sightseeing and I was anxious to see some of it after the conclusion of my conference. The Schönbrunn Palace was tops on my list. This imperial palace, the former summer residence of the Habsburg monarchs, is the most-visited site in the country. The Baroque palace contains an astonishing 1,441 rooms and is considered one of Austria's most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments. The palace and gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and reminded me of the Palace of Versailles outside Paris. The Schönbrunn Palace dates back to the Sixteenth Century and has a grand entry court as well as two magnificent gardens filled with various sculptures, fountains, and pavilions. The palace also features an array of attractions such as the Imperial Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors, which contains over 60 Baroque paintings, and a natural history museum with dinosaur fossils on display. Our tour also included the Schönbrunn Zoo, which we were told is the world’s oldest zoo still in operation.
St. Stephen's Cathedral, about five miles southwest of the palace, is a symbol of Vienna and also lies in the very center of the city. At 446 feet in height, it’s the tallest church in the country. St. Stephen’s is not only Austria’s most important Gothic building, but also a landmark, a symbol of identity and synonymous with the reconstruction of the Republic after the Second World War. Construction of St. Stephen’s Cathedral first began in the Twelfth Century and its interior changed repeatedly over the centuries until it was finally given its current Baroque appearance. The tower room can be reached after a climb of some 343 steps (luckily an elevator was available). This room also offers an excellent view of the city, and a closer look at some of the cathedral's 230,000 roof tiles laid out to create the Royal and Imperial Double-Headed Eagle and the city’s Coat of Arms.
I was fortunate to secure a 40-minute guided tour of the Vienna State Opera, one of the most significant opera houses in the world. Built in 1869 and reopened in 1955 following the devastation of the Second World War, it offers its international audiences top-caliber performances on some 300 days a year. The tour was a behind the scenes peek of the world’s biggest repertory theater, which revealed many things otherwise hidden from evening opera-goers, including interesting information about the history, architecture and the day-to-day operations of the opera house. From the foyer, our tour ascended the Grand Staircase and then proceeded through the Ceremonial Rooms to the Auditorium with a view of the stage. It was easy to see why the Vienna State Opera has been the premier venue for the performing arts since its founding and continues to be a major focal point of Viennese life.
My colleagues had recommended spending a day out in the Danube’s Wachau Valley and the hotel concierge took care of all the necessary arrangements. The Wachau Valley is where the Danube River makes its way toward Vienna and is blanketed with vineyards and picturesque villages. And the 24-mile stretch of the valley between the towns of Melk and Krems is said to be as pretty as river valleys come. I would have to agree. It took about an hour on the comfortable high-speed Railjet Vienna-Salzburg line to first reach Melk.
This sleepy little town is overshadowed by its restored abbey, one of Europe’s great sights. First established as a fortified Benedictine abbey in the Eleventh Century, the abbey that stands today was built in 1702 and was restored in the Baroque style after a fire in 1974. The grand restoration project, financed in part by the sale of the abbey’s Gutenberg Bible to Harvard University, was completed in 1996 to celebrate the 1,000 anniversary of the first reference to a country named Austria. For more than 900 years, monks of St. Benedict have lived and worked in Melk's Abbey, during the Reformation (1500s), occupation by Napoleon (1800s), and the Nazis (1900s). This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a working monastery and school and is also now home to about 30 Benedictine monks.
I next found my way to the Wachau Valley sightseeing cruise operated by the DDSG Blue Danube Company. They offered Wachau Valley sightseeing cruises which provided an excellent glimpse of the area’s vineyards, fortified churches, small villages and apricot orchards. Just downstream of Melk we came upon the town of Willendorf. While cruising by, we learned it was known for being the town where the oldest piece of European art, a 30,000 year-old limestone figurine that’s one of the earliest known images of the human body, was found. Farther along was Dürnstein, a touristic flypaper of a town with traffic-free quaintness. Its one claim to fame (and fortune) being that Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned there in 1193. After meandering further down the Danube, we reached Krems. I found it to be a true gem of a shopper's-wonderland old town with more than 200 shops on one of the most lovely pedestrian zones in Austria. The beautiful historic city center was also home to several art institutions and numerous wine taverns, tasting rooms and traditional Austrian restaurants. Kudos to the Marriott concierge as my excursion from Vienna proved to be an excellent way to spend the day. By late afternoon, I was looking forward to the high-speed train ride back to the city. Sadly, my departure was scheduled for the next day.
Vienna has long been synonymous with history, art and culture and is well worth a visit. I thoroughly enjoyed my memorable time in the Austrian capital and its surrounding environs and look forward to a future visit.
Until next time…safe travels.
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