It's not usually a good sign when your cabin phone rings minutes after getting out of the shower, and your tour director is on the line asking you to come to reception so you can discuss a situation together. Two hours of sleep does not help. Add in an early morning start because of the long drive to the excursion points, and it's a chaotic morning. That tour director stayed behind and the other and I ran for our cabins at the almost-last call to grab what we needed for the day. I can't say I slept on the three-hour bus ride, because I really do like to look out the windows, but I did close my eyes for a bit.
Despite the problems with the lock, the tour company was trying to keep as much of the itinerary as possible, so we were on buses to Vienna. Vienna is, of course, a highlight of a Danube River cruise, so the disruption was a difficult one. The capital of Austria, Vienna is also a capital of Europe, the 7th-largest city in the European Union. Its downtown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is renowned for its music and art. The famed Ringstrasse is but one aspect of the architectural design of a beautiful city also known for its quality of life.
There were two tours: Imperial Vienna, and Art & Wine at Klosterneuburg. More than half the monastery participants were from my group so I was off there. The monastery sits just north of the city of Vienna in the hills, right on the Danube. When we eventually went by on the river, the abbey was visible. And I'm glad I went because it was stunning.
The Augustinian Klosterneuburg Monastery is a mix of styles, with 12th-century foundations and a Gothic chapel, Baroque additions, and a neo-Geothic tower from the late 1800s.
The interior is quite striking.
All this marble....
Yay an organ!
Breathtaking proportions and art.
And beautiful stained glass in many hallways too.
Which look out onto this pretty courtyard.
We were on our way to this room, to see the famous Verdun Altar, made over ten years and completed in 1181 by Nicholas Verdun. There are 45 gilded and enameled copper plates arranged in this triptych style (the arranging from about 1330). Apparently the story and style is similar to one in Cologne Cathedral.
On the reverse are the oldest Gothic paintings north of the Alps with rich multilayered shadowing. (At least, I think that's what my notes say!)
Another view from the outside.
Lovely columns.
From here we went inside for a wine tasting; the grounds are also famous for their vines! Since the tour director and I both had missed breakfast, we were careful to consume plenty of bread with our wine. So so tasty! This was a very worthwhile excursion and I'm glad I was on it.
Our bus then brought us back down to Vienna, where we had a bit of a driving tour around the city. The Ringstrasse divides the city into three zones. Zone 1 is the historic center. Zones 2-9 are the first ring, and they are the inner districts. Zones 10-23 form the second ring and the outer districts. Technically, zones 21 and 22 are across the Danube.
We then met up with the other buses for lunch at the famed Augustinerkeller, where we had really wonderful wiener schnitzel with potato salad, and apple strudel. (And the answer is that I prefer the lighter pastry, the Hungarian strudel, although I certainly managed to eat all of mine.) I didn't finish the enormous portion of schnitzel but it was tasty and I was impressed with how light and not greasy it was. After, there was a bit of free time, not nearly enough of course. I was "kidnapped" by two of the tour directors for a coffee, then had two errands I wanted to run, as I needed some cards.
Bus 1 got off very quickly and we on bus 3 weren't far behind. But bus 2 got caught waiting for some folks; they gave up after 30 minutes but as they hit the edge of the city, they got a call from the ship which had received a call from the restaurant.... Yes, they were an hour behind the rest of us, making an already long trip even longer.
I saw a hawk from the bus!
Back on the ship, I had cards and invitations to write while we waited for the other bus for dinner. Although there were rumors of sailing today, we weren't yet moving, and Captain addressed everyone at dinner to say tomorrow, 1p. The tour directors arranged an excursion to nearby Esztergom for the morning, and the crew prepared some behind-the-scenes events, while we moved the Prague lecture to the next day. Some folks who didn't go to Vienna toured the little towns of Komárno Slovakia and Komárnom Hungary, and had great reports. Apparently Komárno recently won an award for best downtown rejuvenation. Some things were closed for a holiday, but I heard it was charming and really nice to have some time to just wander and explore an unexpected place. Not all travelers were this adaptable; some were giving the tour directors rather a hard time about the delays. I was grateful to get to bed by midnight.
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