Vienna: en Route

Rhine castle view from train

More sweet view

The departure from Koblenz, Germany to Vienna, Austria can be completed by taking an eight hour, scenic route along the two great rivers of the Rhine and the Danube. Similar to the Mosel, traveling the Rhine is like a passage through time with old half-timbered houses sitting in the shadows of castle ruins. Along the way we glimpsed castles like Pfalzgrafenstein which is oddly placed on a sand bar of the middle of the Rhine. The Rhine in October is coloured with its fall display- not with the familiar bright oranges and reds of the brilliant Ontario maples, but with yellow tones that blend nicely with the earth-toned architecture.

Hofburg Place statue Vienna

After passing Offenbach, we left the Rhine behind for an overland passing through the mountains and hills of Bavaria where the train takes a turn near the German headwaters of the Danube River. The Danube, which leaves German and flows through Austria, takes us to our next destination, the great city of Vienna, before passing through eight more countries on its way to the Black Sea. It is during one of these long stretches that we unpacked a picnic lunch consisting of a bottle (or two) of a locally produced wine, fresh baked, crusty, grainy bread and apple strudel, fresh cheeses, dry, spicy salami (for Rob), and seasonal fruit.  As we ate Beth would ritualistically lower her backpack with the wine hidden within and stealthy pour it into a used coffee cup, while Rob debated, “Everyone’s doing it. You don’t have to hide it.”  The food would be spread onto two seat tables while passengers venturing by wished us, “Guten appetite.” with a smile.

Vienna Pedestrian Street

Although we were unfamiliar with Vienna, Wikipedia assured us that it would be a great place to stay as it ranks high among the most livable cities in the world. Along with being the capital of the Europe’s great Hapsburg Empire, Vienna, like Paris, is a cultural centre for art and music, and hosts many great galleries and concerts featuring the great Viennese arts. Vienna’s greats include musical artists such as Mozart and Beethoven, visual artists like Klimt and Schiele, and the ever famous Sigmund Freud.

Vienna shopping 

One site view the Vienna Danube

As it turns out, the livability is quite evident, as we Canucks appreciated the ease with which we traveled around Vienna’s core. For travelers with suitcases the train and metro lines were well organized, labeled strategically, and easy to maneuver and we thankfully were never required to lift a bag or squeeze through a turnstile. The wide pedestrian walkways and shopping streets were very inviting and nicely lined with well-maintained buildings representing architecture of many eras.