Vienna proved to be very much a modern city. The main walking street in the old part of town reminded us a bit of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. We went out in the evening instead of attending the opera. We were treated to some interesting street musicians.
A fellow and his girl set up a music stand and they pulled out a violin each. We were expecting Für Elise or something classical. After all, we are in Vienna! You can imagine our surprise as they started a duet playing Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer! What a laugh!
There was a rally in the square of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We asked a local artisan and he said that it was about Syria and in support of American efforts there.
While on board of the MS River Adagio, we got some pictures of people enjoying the Danube River. The people aren’t shy about bathing publicly in the nude. Still, we hid their faces. It must be nice to be so carefree!
During our last evening the captain, the crew toasted the guests and delighted us with a 6 course meal. As if we hadn’t eaten enough. The crew was wonderful and got a standing ovation. Freddi, the head of the dining room, did a great job.
We were sorry to hear that Sabin, the wonderful ship musician had left. However, the night before we had a good conversation with him and were delighted to hear about his family and life in Bulgaria. Marcus, another wonderful GCCL director, took us to see the Schonbrunn Palace.
Unfortunately, they don’t allow photography or video inside. But, we got a couple of nice pictures of the outside. There was a big stage being prepared in the courtyard.
The following day they will hold a rock and folk concert featuring local musicians. We wouldn’t know any of them but it looked as if it was going to be a very serious and professional event.
Before leaving we took a walk through the Sigmund Freud Park on our way to visit the 2019 Film Festival. They have one large screen there. This event goes on from now through September. Wow!
Anyway, at the Freud park we spotted a couple of musicians. They wore horse masks. Were they playing the classical music of Vienna? Nope! It was all Mexican folk music. “Bump-pah, bump-pah!” What a laugh. Yes, and what a great trip we’ve had!
