Vienna, Hofburg Etc.

Trip is moving at such a blistering pace, I didn't have a chance to record some impressions of Vienna. Arrived Saturday afternoon via train from Budapest, pretty pleasant 3.5hr ride through the hills of Hungary into the flatter fields of Austria. First impression of Austria was how much more wealthy they were than the Hungarians. The additional half century without Soviet domination surely treated their economy well. Modern windmills dotted the sides of the railway, and large networks of rails and highways connected a sprawling suburb with the heart of Vienna. My hotel, Hotel Lindner, was adjacent to the Belvedere castle. This castle pretty much anywhere else in the world would be the main highlight of enormous tour groups etc., in Vienna it barely cracks the top 5 museums, let alone tourist sites. After checking in I paced down to the old city, which like Budapest resides within a "ring" like road system that adjusts against a river bend(or in Vienna's case a canal bend).

Hofburg Palace, seat of the Hapsburg family(primarily winter residence, Schonbrun was used as the summer residence) and various Austrian gov'ts since 1279, is certainly a majestic site to withhold. The palace holds innumerable attractions including the imperial treasury, residences, chapels, museums, a riding school, etcetcetc... To be honest, at a certain point these things begin to get a bit overdone. It's as if in NYC we were to start building 300 story skyscrapers just to look cooler than cities with 100 story buildings. Sure they would be a site to see, but would you really want to crane your neck that high? And how annoying would it be to work on the top foor? Anyway, that's pretty much my view of all of Vienna. Except, the Haus of Musik, and of course the musical tradition, Opera etc. In addition to the simple awe of seeing the Hapsburg's palaces and riches, a visit to Vienna is a chance to gain some insight on one of the musical capitals of the world, and this is a fact that the Austrian/Viennese gov't is not looking to hide.