The Robbi Route

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 (4 miles)

Today I’m flying back to the United States on a direct flight of eleven hours and twenty minutes from Austria to Los Angeles.  I’ll get back to Washington mid July after a visit with Darling Daughter’s family, and I can hardly wait to be back with The Grands!!

If you haven’t already concluded that Vienna has much to offer for a visit after yesterday’s post, perhaps my circling back to our first tour with a local guide on Saturday will convince you!!

We had a little time to settle into our hotel after arriving from Salzburg and then had a brief orientation walk with Ruby.  It was late afternoon and 100° Fahrenheit!  But that didn’t stop us because then we met up with a local guide and walked together over to Hofburg Palace, The winter residence of the Habsburg rulers until 1918.  This Imperial “home” is graced with 640 years of architecture, art and history and grew with the family empire from the 13th century until 1913, when the last “new wing“ opened. The Hofburg  is still home to the Austrian president’s office, five thousand government workers and several important museums. The Habsburgs –  who ruled for seven centuries – transformed Vienna into the capital of sprawling empire with some fifty  million subjects. Empress Maria Teresa, who avoided war and ruled for forty years in the late 1700’s, was famous both for her astute leadership and for cleverly marrying many of her 16 children (including Marie Antoinette) into Royal families around Europe, giving the empire more allies and power.  

From the Rick Steves guidebook, “She taxed the Church and the nobility, provided six years of obligatory education to all children, granted free healthcare to all in her realm and also welcomed the boy genius Mozart into her court.  The empress’ legacy lived on in her son, Josef II, who ruled as emperor for a decade (1780 to 1790). He was an even more avid reformer, building on his mother‘s accomplishments. An enlightened monarch, Josef mothballed the too extravagant Schönbrunn Palace, secularized the monasteries, established religious tolerance within his realm, freed the serfs, made possible the founding of Austria’s first general hospital, and promoted relatively enlightened treatment of the mentally ill. Josef was a model of practicality (for example, he banned slow to decompose coffins and allowed no more than six candles at funerals) – and very unpopular with other royals.  But his policies succeeded in preempting the revolutionary anger of the age, largely enabling Austria to avoid the antimonarchist turmoil that shook so much of the rest of Europe.”

In viewing the exterior courtyard of this sprawling estate, we also saw the Gothic and Neo-Gothic Augustinian Church built into the Hofburg, where the Habsburgs got married.

The Baroque national library, State Hall. is next to the church and houses a collection of paintings and more than 200,000 old books. 

As we looked at these various wings of the palace from the outside, our guide pointed out where the drawbridge was once located and asked us to imagine its existence!  Also  within the complex are the lavish Imperial Apartments, where the Royals resided and meetings with dignitaries were held, and, the World Museum Vienna with its several collections including armor, musical instruments and ethnographic treasures.  Plus the Albertina Museum – a Habsburg residence with state apartments, a world-class collection of graphic arts and modernistic classics, and first-rate special exhibits.  Additionally, the Hofburg Treasury, with perhaps Europe’s best collection of Crown jewels in twenty-one rooms, Charlemagne’s saber – and a supposedly a unicorn horn! Here, too, is The Imperial Music Chapel where the Vienna Boys’ Choir sings at Sunday Mass.  And the Spanish Riding School, which I So Wanted To Get To, but alas, did not – with their famous Lupizzaner stallions.

We then went underground into the transit tunnel, and though we didn’t ride, we were able to beat the heat for a few blocks until we resurfaced at the Vienna State Opera House – “a 19th century building featuring a revival style – Neo-Renaissance – with arched windows, half-columns, and the sloping, copper mansard roof typical of French Renaissance châteaux”. (Rick) A wonderful feature is their rotating performance schedule enabling visitors to see a different opera every night for a couple of weeks!  

Very close to the Opera House we passed by a portion of the Vienna Technical University.

As in Munich, there were several fountains of drinkable water where we could fill up our bottles – Vienna is proud of its water, sourced directly from the Alps!  One fountain we stopped at was also the location of some below ground Roman ruins with viewing windows.

We strolled along lengthy Kärtner Strasse, a traffic free street seemingly dedicated to shopping, with designer after designer represented.  Many a confectioners store was pointed out as well, and believe you me, there are plenty! This is also the same street the Crusaders marched down as they headed off from St. Stephen’s Cathedral for the Holy Land in the 12th Century.

We concluded our tour gazing at the towering spires of the Grand and Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral.  Another “meant to get to” spot, with its high up viewing floor, glorious architectural and religious tributes to God and an opportunity to hear the organ play at set times.  Yet, I was anxious for a break (and also needed to finish weaving my basket for Ruby)…. I did not make it back.  

I was also sad to miss the Naschmarkt – Vienna’s outdoor market, which was closed on Sunday when I headed back out.  In addition to merchant tents and food vendors, apparently on Saturdays they include a Huge flea market!  

So much to see!!  I have been resistant of “tours” and “tour guides”, yet honestly, being a HUGE fan of efficiency, now truly question that position!  Both the curated Camino tour in Portugal and Spain the first part of this month AND the Rick Steves “14 Day Best of Germany, Switzerland and Austria” trip have exposed me to a zillion more encounters than I would have sought out on my own – or even known about!  Sure there’s a price tag associated with it, however I can unequivocally say the value added was more than worth it!  I have had success in my efforts to travel inexpensively yet I can see this perspective has true merit.

Other places that were highlighted in our guidebook worth mentioning that I didn’t see: 

Kaisergruft, near the Opera House – the Imperial Crypt.

Haus der Musik – a modern museum with interactive music exhibits.

St. Peter’s Church, the very Baroque worship house that Leopold I ordered be built as a thank-you for surviving the 1679 plague.  Around 75,000 Viennese died, about a third of the city. 

Kariskirche – Baroque church with an elevator into its dome.

Jewish Museum with its four stories of exhibits and a café.

Belvedere Palace – elegant Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy, with a collection of 19th and 20th century Austrian art, including Klimt’s masterpiece, “The Kiss”.  This lavish palace has sweeping views of the gardens and Vienna’s skyline.

The Natural History Museum with twenty million objects (featuring the ancient Venus of Willendoorf, believed to be 25,000 years old!)

The Leopold Museum, specializing in 20th-century Austrian modernists (Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, among others).

Besides the the Hofburg Palace in town center, the Schönbrunn summer palace located outside town has a “grand and regal garden”.  Some say it rivals the grandeur of Versailles.  Visitors can see carriages from the 19th-century, stroll the gardens and visit the world’s oldest zoo, built in 1752! 

Prater Park (Wiener Prater), former hunting grounds given by Emperor Josef II to the people, now a sprawling amusement park with a three mile, tree-lined main boulevard. There’s a 220 foot tall roller coaster in there plus other rides!

In addition to the myriad of sites to visit in Vienna, the city hosts many balls one can purchase tickets for to waltz your heart away, and of course, classical music concerts are always being performed.  Hanging out at a café drinking Viennese coffee and eating their famous pastries is a favorite pastime of many and tasty sausages are to be had most everywhere!  It sounds like they have a vibrant night scene, too!  Something for everyone!

I would have loved to stay longer – though for sure I am Quite Elated to be emptyinge my backpack for awhile!!