Billy Joel Had It Right.... Vienna, Austria

Have you heard the song Vienna by Billy Joel?  It goes a little something like this...

 "Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you." 

Oh, was old Billy Joel right with this one.  Vienna is the prefect place to sit back, relax and enjoy the smaller things in life. How could you not spend an hour or two people watching in the Volksgarden.

 I have spent over twenty days wandering the streets of Vienna and in some ways I feel I know it better than I do my own city of Chicago.  It is almost impossible to cover this city in a single blog post but I'll give it my best shot.  Below I will spot light three or four of the best places in Vienna to sit back and relax and enjoy a minute...or hour...or  day or two....

Schönbrunn Palace

If you have been to similar palaces throughout Europe, my advice is to skip the interior tour, unless looking at old furniture and portraits of royalty is your thing.  The ticket price is also a bit on the high side starting at € 12.  The real treasures of Schonbrunn Palace are its immaculate gardens and stunning gloriette- which just happen to be FREE! ( Enter the gardens through a small gate to the right side of the palace.)   Either take a meandering hike up to the Café Gloriette and enjoy the views of the palace while sipping on cool drink. Or you might wander through the gardens, which include a maze, numerous statues and fountains. For an extra ticket fee, you can also visit the zoo.  

Look here for a more info.--- Schonbrunn.

Vienna Opera House

I am the first to admit I am not a fan of the opera.  I don't think the singing is all that pleasing to the ears, not to mention I don't for one minute understand what they are singing about.  But there is something about being in Vienna that makes a person want to enjoy and appreciate the opera. After all, Vienna is known as the city of music.   One night I happened upon a group of people quickly claiming seats in front of a large screen near the Opera house.  Somehow I found myself sitting down and about to watch a live opera performance being streamed live to the entire plaza.  Once the show began, I was entranced.  It no longer mattered that I didn't understand the words....the singing no longer seemed quite so bad! 

During the summer months, the Vienna (Wein)  State Opera House streams many of its performance live for the general public's viewing pleasure.  Chairs are set up approximately 45 minutes before the start of the show and get grabbed up quickly.  If you would rather see a performance live from inside the Opera House, you can get general standing room only tickets for roughly € 8.

For exact show schedules visit the Vienna State Opera House website.

St. Stephen's Cathedral and St. Peter's Church

If you get a bit warm and are seeking a break from the summer heat, look no futher than St. Stephen's Church (Pictured at left). Even if you are not religious, you can appreciate the beauty and grandeur of a few of Vienna's most well known churches.  Most churches are free to enter, but ask for a small donation.

From the outside St. Peter's Church looks small and unassuming.(Pictured at right)  Walk inside and and be in awe!   Daily at 15:00 (3:00 pm for those of us who don't use military time) St. Peter's Church opens up for a FREE organ concert. The acoustics are heavenly, pun intended!  Photography is allowed, but no flash is appreciated.

It has been hard to pick ONLY a few places to highlight.
 I'll be back in another post with more updates on a few more of Vienna's gems.