31 October
Arrived at the airport in the evening. Weather colder than London! Found train to city centre. Confusion over tickets. No one around who could help :(
Finally managed to get the right tickets (EUR3.60). However, missed the stop and ended up at the last station, Flosidorf (think that's the name). Wouldn't have realised if not for kind Austrian lady who told us to leave the train in her language. She went to the extent of asking the train driver to help us. Luckily train driver speaks english. Took us to main entrance and showed us which platform to get on. We were about to make our move, after thanking him, when he turned back to tell us we missed the train and had to move to another platform. So very kind of him. At that moment, I truly think Austrians are the nicest people.
At last, we arrived at wien sudbahnhorf station. According to the direction given by hotel, it is only a short distant away. So, we walked. But we walked and walked and couldn't locate the hotel. It was cold and we were tired and hungry. Frustration set in. There were hardly anyone around. Shops closed early that day. Called the hotel but they weren't very helpful. We relied on ourselves before locating the hotel which we thought were the wrong one.
Luckily, hotel room was very nice. Ensuite. TV with CNN channel. Everything was nice except no breakfast provided. Also reception not very friendly.
1 November
Next morning, found out the nearest metro is Keplerplatz. There was a bakery and supermart around it. Very convenient to buy breakfast and water.
First stop was Schonbrunn Palace. Bought combined tickets for EUR22.50 (I think). Received discount vouchers for other places. DJ didn't get. Went to ask counter. Apparently, mine was a mistake but since given to me, I got to keep it :)
Learnt a lot about Sisi, Franz Joseph and Maria Theresa. Too bad can't take photo inside. Made a stop at the cafe to use one of my coupon to order Kaiserschmarren (imperial pancake served with apple jam). Quite nice but too sweet after a few more bites. Later walked up the hill and found the view breath-taking. Can't stop snapping photos. I pronounced autumn as my favourite season.
Next, went back to city to search for the furniture museum (incl in combined ticket). Nothing much but DJ loved the furnitures. Me no fan.
Lastly, headed to Stephansdom. Day getting dark. Interrupted by a man selling tickets for a mini opera. Claimed to be a student from Albania. Offered us a buy 1 free 1 for the EUR36 ticket (seat C) and upgraded us to seat B. Decided to try our luck.
Dine at the local fast food, serving only fish. Bought salmon baguette plus bottle of mineral water (EUR6.40). Baguette was nice but water was sparkling! What's with these people anyway?
Lucky for us, he was not a cheater. We found ourselves in a mini concert hall with many other people. Some famous composer (think Mozart) played there before. There were two sessions - compositions by Strauss and Mozart, accompanied by opera and ballet. Photographs allowed. Was very happy when the Austrian lady sitting next to me, commented that the concert is quite good. Not cheated (yay)!
2 November
Another nice day. Bought croissant (EUR0.79) for breakfast. Walked around Stephansplatz. Visited Hofburg for more stories on Sisi and her family. Found hundertwasser haus. Was not easy as it was not near metro. Had to rely on map. Kind Austrian lady offered to give us direction (noticed how many kind people are there in Austria?). Best part about the place is the nearby shops selling cheaper souvenirs!
Took metro in search of Strauss statue at Stadtpark. Didn't take so long.
At night, had dinner in cafe near hotel. As day still early (even though it was pitch dark already), went to buy train tickets to Prague. Most unfortunate, ticket was not prices EUR29 as expected. Was told that cheap tickets were sold out. Had to pay EUR59 in the end. Also decided not to go to Bratislava as there's till much to do in Vienna.
3 November
Rainy day! Plan is to spend most time indoor. Visited the Kunsthist. Museum (EUR10). While waiting in line to buy tickets, I was standing behind a Korean girl. As she made payment, the ticket seller gestured to me to put in my euro with her. I dared not refuse but I suspected he thought we were travelling together. The Museum housed some very interesting items. Enjoyed spending time taking photo of the magnificent staircase and photos of the paintings.
In the afternoon, went to the State Opera House for a tour (EUR6.50). Tickets to the shows could be very pricey. For example, tickets for tonight's show, Swan Lake, cost between EUR30 to EUR80. Seats at the side balcony can run up to several thousand euros while the main balcony is reserved for VIP. For poor tourists like us, might be better to invest in standing tickets. The booth only opens an hour before the show starts. So no reservation allowed. We were rather late when we returned to the opera house in the evening as DJ thought it will start at 8pm.
The ballet was 3 hours long. During the first session, I was standing rather far back. Yet, I still managed to watch the show as the people in front were standing on lower platform. Plus I am not really that short. After the first intermission, people began leaving. They were there just for the experience while I wanted to watch the whole show.
The composition was beautiful, the dancers were amazing. Everyone clapped at one point when the lead dancer spun several times continuously and elegantly. However, I was shocked to find the sad ending where the lead characters perished. I remembered clearly from my childhood cartoon days that they survived and lived happily ever after. It was hard for me to accept the ending :(
Summary of inner thoughts:
All in all, I enjoyed my experience in Vienna. The city is filled with characters and the people are generally nice. I was surprised to find the city so serene, unlike the bustling London. The minus point is the high cost of living. For example, travelling on metro is not cheap, costing EUR1.80 per way. Nevertheless, I remained impressed by how much faith the operators had on the citizens. There are no barriers. Payments rely entirely on commuters' sense of honesty to stamp their tickets whenever they used the metro.
4 November
Left Vienna early to board train to Prague. It turned out to be a long ride ahead...
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