The Basics

So, I haven't been updating this as often as I would like, in the detail that I would like. I'll give you all an outline of what I've seen/done and where I've been, and add details when I have a few hours to sit down and bang it all out. Here goes:

Day 1 – Wednesday, May 17
Walked the Ringstrasse with a detour in the Stadtpark
Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of the History of Art)
Dinner with Tanya at the Asian restaurant down the street; Betsy and Beth joined us after we arrived

Day 2 – Thursday, May 18
Arenberg Park, which has anti-aircraft flak towers from WWII
The Belvedere Gardens
A music school courtyard; Betsy doesn't know the name of the school, but the courtyard is beautiful and you can hear lovely piano music
Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), the Stephansdom Steffl (spire) via a spiral staircase, and a Vigil-Kapelle (chapel) in the Stephansplatz U-Bahn station
The Roman Ruins in the Hoher Markt
Hofburg, a huge palace complex
The Volksgarten (People's Garden) and the rose gardens which were not yet in bloom
Back to the Belvedere in the early evening to see the interior, but didn't make it in time
The Botanical Gardens via the Belvedere Gardens

Day 3 – Friday, May 19
Walked along the Hundertwasser Promenade, which follows the Donaukanal
The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum)
Stephansdom North Tower, which holds the Pummerin Bell ('Boomer'); and the Catacombs under the cathedral
Minoritenkirche (Minoriten Church)
The Stadtpark again
Fernwärm Wien, which is the local incinerator with an exterior redesigned by Friedenreich Hundertwasser
Ausgarten, which has the oldest Baroque garden in VEEEN, is on the scale of Central Park, and has a couple of anti-aircraft flak towers from WWII

Day 4 – Saturday, May 20
Day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia with Betsy, Beth, and Tanya
Watched Eurovision when we got back

Day 5 – Sunday, May 21
The Prunksaal (Austrian National Library Main Hall) in the Hofburg complex
Zentralfriedhof, (Central Cemetary) where Johann Strauss I & II, Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert are buried; and the Dr-Karl-Lueger-Kirche
The Secession Building on the Opernring, which houses Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze
Betsy's show, Mozart's Zaide, opened at the Jugenstil Theater at the Otto Wagner Spital
Opening night party!

Day 6 – Monday, May 22
The Papyrus Museum, which is part of the Austrian National Library
Walked through the vineyards at Nussdorf, from which there are super views of VEEEN; we passed the Karl Marx Hof as we rode by on the tram
Grinzing walk-thru on the way back from Nussdorf
The Hundertwasser Haus, an apartment building designed by Friedenreich Hundertwasser
The KunstHaus Wien, which houses artwork by Friedenreich Hundertwasser, and also features temporary exhibits of other artists' work; an exhibit of H.R. Gieger's work will open the day after I leave
A fly-by, or more accurately, a U-Bahn by, of the UNO-City (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) next to the Danube Park
The Prater, a massive funfair; Coney Island is far better
Snacks and drinks hosted by Gabriel Berry with Betsy, Beth, Tanya, Diane Malecki, Wolfgang, and Stina Sigl