USA Today - in the news today....Vienna!

Greetings World Travel lovers!

I'm posting an article excerpt from USA Today's 7 AUG 2014 issue on Vienna written by Larry Olmsted.  The place to go! Lucky you....we'll be on our way next year!  This "not to be missed" event is on our itinerary. So pick up an issue or go online to read in its entirety.

In 1857 Austrian Emperor Franz Josef ordered the city walls surrounding Vienna torn down, an unprecedented move for a European capital. After eight years of construction, a grand boulevard replaced the former ramparts. On May 1, 1865, Josef presided over the gala opening of the Ringstrasse, today a loop just over 3 miles long that the Viennese proudly refer to as the world's largest open-air museum, thanks to its wealth of important buildings and cultural sights. For the 150th anniversary of "The Ring" next year, the city is once again undergoing transformation.

Almost all of Vienna's major attractions sit within or just on the edge of the Ringstrasse, a concise historic city center that is largely pedestrianized and offers one of the most extensive car-free zones in Europe, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is ideal for strolling, as virtually every major museum; the Hofburg Palace complex; Austria's grandest cathedral; the famed Spanish Riding School, home to the white Lipizzaner stallions; and the top shops, restaurants and world-renowned Viennese cafes are all close together and easily visited on foot.

It requires at least a long weekend to really appreciate the city, but longer if you like art, music and museums. The marquee attractions start with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, really several museums combined into one vast neoclassical building. Its heart is one of the world's great art collections, with an amazing collection of classical works from many countries and eras, including Rembrandt's famous Self Portrait. 

Other must-visit attractions include Stephansdom, or St. Steven's Cathedral, freely displaying its Gothic architecture and underground catacombs. The endless spiral staircase of the South tower rewards you with the city's best views, with the possible exception of those from the famous Ferris wheel in the Prater area. With large capsules like an early London Eye, it is a skyline icon so venerable it played an important part in the most famous novel and film about Vienna, Graham Green's Third Man, brought to the silver screen in 1949.

The indoor and outdoor Hofburg Palace complex sprawls over several blocks just north of Stephansdom, and includes the home of Austria's President, various government offices, gardens and several museums, and takes the better part of a day to fully explore. The liveliest parts of the pedestrian core are the interconnected plazas directly in front of Stephansdom, full of crowds and a litany of ice cream and gelato shops – everyone in Vienna seems to carry a cone. Running north from here is Kartner Street, downtown's longest broad boulevard, with outdoor cafes down its center and shops on either side, reaching all the way to the Ringstrasse.

For those less inclined to spend the whole day walking, a whirlwind way to take in the best of the city is with the Ringstrasse Tram Tour, a hop-on/hop-off sightseeing tram that does the entire loop with 13 stops at key sights plus informational video and audio on board (about $10). Vienna also is renowned for live entertainment, with three famous attractions including the Vienna Boys Choir, which has been wowing audiences since 1498. Their normal venue is the Burgkapelle church during Sunday Mass from September to June, which requires tickets, along with special performances elsewhere. Another must is the equestrian dressage marvels performed by the white Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School, typically on Sundays from February to June, and late August-December, with less frequent shows other days. 

Vienna was Mozart's town, and opera here is huge. While some performances sell out in advance, you can usually buy tickets on short notice from one of the Mozart-attired reps working the sidewalk in front of the Opera House.

But the real specialty is relaxed lingering. The Viennese coffee house is such an integral part of the city's social fabric, UNESCO named it to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, describing them collectively as a place "where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill."

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