ELLA‘S VIENNA BLOG

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Aboard the Amadeus Queen

On 31st October 2018, I was lucky enough to board

Amadeus Queen in Passau, ready to sail the first four

nights of the Danube Rhapsody itinerary. While we

flew into Germany and disembarked in Budapest, this

blog is focused on the 24 hours that were spent in

Vienna.

After very peaceful afternoon spent in the Amadeus

Club, reading a book and taking in the scenic sailing

in the Wachau Valley, we arrived into Vienna in the

early evening. After a wonderful four-course dinner of

local cuisine, I was invited to the ‘Sound of Vienna’,

my first classical concert.

Located in the music hall in the centre of Vienna,

‘Kursalon Hübner’ has a great rooftop veranda to

spend the intermission. The concert included music

from Mozart and Strauss, opera singers, dancers and

some comedy thrown in. It really was a spectacular

evening and was rounded off with a small sightseeing

tour of Vienna by night, before returning to the ship

for a midnight snack of Goulash and bread rolls.

Looking forward to a full day of sightseeing in Vienna

the next day, I headed back to my stateroom.

After an early breakfast (eggs, bacon, cereal,

omelettes, toast, fresh fruit, continental, anything

you can imagine, all buffet style... one of the best

bits of the day), we were ready for our first excursion

of the day, a ‘City Tour of Vienna’. We left the ship

and all boarded the coach for the first part which

was a view of Vienna from the road along the famous

Ringstrasse, passing trams and horse and carts, as

well as buildings like the stunning opera house where

we watched our concert the previous night.

We were then dropped in the city centre and

continued the tour on foot, stopping by the Hofburg

Imperial Palace which was being set up for the

Christmas market. We continued sightseeing until we

reached the iconic St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We then

enjoyed some free time to wonder the shops, find a

souvenir or a cup of coffee, or take a walk further into

the cathedral. Meeting up with our tour guide once

more, we walked back to the bus and were driven

back to the ship ready for a fabulous lunch.

24 hours in Austria with Amadeus

The afternoon excursion departed at 2pm and we

drove a little way out of the city to the Schönbrunn

Palace, the imperial summer residence. Spectacular

fountains and lawns laid before a grand building with

four floors that looked as though it had been put

together like a child’s toy set. It was so symmetrical

with no difference in the colouring of the windows

and walls.

We were escorted around the building by our

tour guide, whose knowledge had no limits. The

Palace was home to the famous Habsburgs, Maria

Theresa, who married Franz Stephan and gave birth

to 16 children during her life time, being the most

prominent name mentioned. There was no doubt that

she wore the trousers in the relationship. Our guide

pointed out that, in a painting hanging in the palace

that shows her husband and eleven of her children,

her husband and eldest son are pointing in her

direction, suggesting “she’s the boss”.

This was followed with free time to explore the

gardens and, if time had permitted, the oldest zoo

in the world, which is located in the grounds. With

the sun setting over the lawns and gardens, I can’t

imagine a better way to have ended our time in

Vienna.

I loved Vienna. Our time there was short but so

much was packed in that I feel like we left no stone

unturned. And after a long day of shore excursions,

the ship felt like home. Although, I don’t get five-

course dinners at home very often!