Day 9: The capital of Austria: Vienna!

Day 9 of the Hom family's European vacation! Previously, we had been to relatively small, charming cities and towns: Regensburg, Vilshofen, Passau, Linz, Mondsee, Salzburg, Melk, Krems. Now, we were in Vienna, the capital of Austria! (Not to be confused with Venice, in Italy. Or Australia, a country on the other side of the world. Seriously, we Americans are terrible with geography.)

Our tour group. Auntie Nancy went with me, while Mary and Mom did another tour.

Starbucks! I need to take a photo!

Hey, from the photo you can tell I wasn't the only one!

Cathedral. I admit, I gotta look it up … it's St. Stephen's. I was totally gonna say that.

The front of the cathedral. It's called … St. Stephen's! See, I remembered!

This sign says, "Pimp your Burger!" Where was this? In a McCafe.

Actually, I was really happy to find the McCafe. I knew it wouldn't be overpriced, and they had Wi-Fi!

In the afternoon, I went on another bike tour. We would bike along one side of the Danube, then the other.

The Danube, it's really blue! Most of the way, the river was a, um, darker color. I think this part is bluer because it's isolated from the rest of the river. (They built a channel.)

A kid jumping into the Blue Danube.

It was a weekend, so many people were on the water. How many different types of transport can you see?

Yes, lots of people were enjoying the day!

Some people have private docks right on the water. How nice is that!

Waterskiing without a boat! If you look closely, you can see the skiers going in a rectangle: They're pulled via a track that spans the river. I recently saw a smaller version near Sacramento! Looks like fun!

My fellow bikers. Er, bicyclists.

We went through a GIANT park. Look how wide this bike path is! And how straight! You can see forever.

Forever.

Crazy architecture. This is part of the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Our bike tour. I feel like we need a break.

Yeah, sitting feels good.

Some had beer …

Mine? That's apple juice, maybe with some Sprite. Really!

A final group photo.

Whew! Long day! What's for dinner?

Months later, this dish strikes me as much plainer than our previous meals. However, I believe this was an Austrian delicacy.

And what's that drink on the left? I think I was mixing my drinks … maybe OJ and Coke?





Every night, I'd stay on the ship. But tonight, I had someone to meet in town!

The ship had chartered a bus to take people into town in the evening. I would be the only person, coming and going….

This is my friend Mariebeth. We met at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) years ago. What's funny is she'd always say, "Come visit me in Vienna!" And I'm thinking, "Never going to happen."

Ok, that probably is a beer.

Remember that "Geoffnet" word I saw on signs in Salzburg? I saw it again at our restaurant in Vienna!

I asked Mariebeth what "Geoffnet" meant, and she was like, "What are you talking about?"

"It's on the door of the restaurant. Go see for yourself."

"Really?" She went to look …

… and comes back laughing, of course.

"It's not 'Geoff-net'! It's 'ge-off-net.' It means when they're open."

Mystery solved!

Next time: Day 10: Bratislava!

Day 8: Biking from Melk to Krems

Last time, we had a full day in Salzburg!

Now, as we slept, the AmaSerena sailed to Melk, in Lower Austria.

In Melk, we had to dock next to another ship, as there was limited space. And when I say, "next to," I really mean it.

Mom enjoying breakfast. The bright yellow strap is so she can find her glasses.

Last time, I hinted that the ship left Melk without me, and I had to bike after it. That's true … but it was on purpose! One of the tours offered on the cruise was to bike along the Danube, from Melk to Krems!

There were a lot of us on the bike tour! In the front is Carol and her husband, Kurt. Carol's a travel agent and "Luxury Cruise Specialist," if you ever need one.

The road going up: It appears to almost disappear, doesn't it?

The route had some steep hills.

(Why did I stop and take this photo? Now I'm behind!)

Biking along the Danube!

Need water!

The countryside was so pretty.

If you look closely, you may see an ant. Are Austrian ants like American ants?

The Danube, in all its … width! How'd I take this photo? We were crossing a bridge. =)

This is Tom. I was really grateful that Tom was on the bike ride, because he was one of the few people who took photos beside me. (I don't think our tour guides liked it if we fell too far behind. But since there were two of us stopping to take photos, it was easier.)

We made it! The woman in neon in the foreground was one of our guides. The other guide was the woman in yellow in the background.

It seems like a short bike ride now. In reality, it was 24 miles! If you bike a lot, that's nothing. I think that was twice as far as I've ever gone on a bike in my life. Whew!

If I were at home, I would be so hungry that a Round Table pizza buffet would hit the spot! I wonder what the ship's serving …?

Hmm, this gourmet meal will have to do. =)

Next time: Day 9: The capital of Austria: Vienna!

Day 7: Linz, Mondsee, Salzburg

Three towns in one day! If I didn't take photos, I'd forget!

Our ship, the AmaSerena, arrived in Linz, Austria by morning. However, the "real" destination was Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for "The Sound of Music"! Salzburg is not on the Danube, so we'd have to take a long bus ride.

It'll be a long day! Better get our naps in now!

The ship had a tour guide not just for in the towns, but also for the rides along the way. This was a great idea. Our tour guide kept us informed and entertained all the way, even though the ride was a couple hours each way. He was very funny, too. Can you tell just be looking at his expression?

Before Salzburg, we stopped in the lakeside town of Mondsee. Ah...

In front of Basilika St. Michael. Why?

This is the inside. Does it look familiar?

How about now? It's the wedding from "The Sound of Music"!

I think this is called, "Baby's Breath" (Gypsophila).

Mom looking around the church.

The church's altar.

They have holy water! Good for "Sound of Music" wedding fans, and fighting vampires.

Mondsee's a beautiful town. This road goes right to the water.

Auntie Nancy hand-delivered this ice cream cone to Mom. We all scream for ice cream!

So green. Pretty homes, too.

I don't know if you can tell, but we were rushing to the lake. We had only an hour to explore the entire town. We didn't want the wheelchair to hold up the entire bus.

We didn't have time to paddle-boat, but at least we made it to the water!

From Mondsee, we got back on the bus and continued to Salzburg.

The Austrian countryside was SOOO GREEN! I feel like I'm looking at Windows XP. 

Windows XP's "Bliss" background.

In Salzburg, we divided into groups depending on level of activity. Mom was the only one in the "Gentle Walkers" group, so we had our own guide for the three of us! (Mary was on another tour.)

Our guide was very accommodating. I felt bad that we didn't have a larger group, for more tips.  

As Mozart was born in Salzburg, his image was everywhere. More importantly: Do you see the word "geoffnet" in the window? Geoffnet?!

We visited a church with four organs! Four organists can play a quartet together!

The organs are at the corners of the space ahead. (The raised platforms with the low fences.)

The four organs, from a side angle.

Mom and Auntie Nancy are really paying attention!

This is the outside of a building from "The Sound of Music." It was the concert at the end of the film. You can see the "caves" in the photo. It cost money to see the inside, and we were told it might not be worth it.

The outside of the building. Can't you imagine little grottos inside?

Mozart's birthplace. It's in the middle of a busy shopping street. All we did was see the outside for a minute. But we were there!

Mozart's birthplace. The sign from the previous photo can be seen to the right of the entryway. (We did not pull the strings, which I presume are doorbells.)

If Mom and Auntie Nancy ever release an album, they could use this as the cover. We'll call it, "Flowers."

This is "Kiosk Tomaselli," actually an outdoor cafe right in the heart of tourist Salzburg. You can click on the photo to zoom in. If you do, look at the top of the sign on the gate. It says, "Geoffnet" again! Is this a WiFi hotspot from a guy also named Geoff?! But it's such a permanent-looking sign…

Another strange sign. See the red sign that says, "Home of the Whopper"? What does that make you think of? Burger King!

But the sign is for something called, "Kim 168." And if you zoom in on the photo, you'll see the menu appears all Asian.

I really have no idea. =)

Mom relaxing at Kiosk Tomaselli. (Geoffnet!)

Gardens in Salzburg. In "The Sound of Music," the gardens were used for part of "Do Re Mi." (They run around this fountain.)

We should do our best Sound of Music impression.

Another view of the gardens. The fountain is in the back.

It was time to board the bus and return to Linz. So green!

Our guide kept us entertained all the way home. In the background, you can see our bus and our ship.

Isn't this a nice view?

Dinner time! Actually, this night was our turn at "The Chef's Table," so it was extra fancy. Honestly, I probably lack the experience and taste buds to appreciate this.

Yep. Over my head. I see part of a carrot, some greens, and foam. It's my loss, as I know the chefs worked really hard. On the other hand, nothing tasted bad to me!

This is Hazel, holding up her lovely dessert plate. Hazel is from the UK. We got along well.

The evening's entertainment. In the U.S., we rarely see a guitar-violin combo. They were really quite good. I'm sorry I don't have a video to link.

Whew! A fun and full day. But we left Salzburg without solving the mystery of "The Whopper" or "Geoffnet." I'd learn the answer to the latter in Vienna.

But first: What would happen if I was away from the ship too long on a rented bike, and they left without me? Could I catch up to them by biking along the Danube?

Next time: Day 8: Biking from Melk to Krems!