Vienna Opera Tour July 10, 2016

 Of course there is no opera in Vienna in the summer. But this also means that the opera house tour allowed us to see back stage. The building and the history were impressive.

Walking up the grand staircase. This is the oldest part of the building that survived allied bombs during WWII.

The curtain on the apron of the stage is really a steel (fire proof) garage door. It is 11 meters high and can be raised to the ceiling. The painting on the curtain is changed once per year.

Back stage the ceiling is 25 meters high ceiling so sets can be raised and lowered. The floor under the stage is also 11 meters deep so sets can be lowered on hydraulic lifts. The orchestra pit can accommodate 120 musicians. Notice the person on the right side of the picture. There is a fire fighter on duty back stage 24/7. All the sets are warehoused and trucked in for performances. Some shows require 35 truck loads and up to 100 stage hands. This does not include dealing with costumes.

Having a box seat is not great. The sight lines to the stage are at an angle. From the back of the box you cannot see the stage. Back in the day, it was more important to be seen than to be able to see the opera. 

The intermission room, in marble, is one of many beautiful spaces in the building.

Some of the more recognizable opera stars....

Carmen

The Barber of Seville

Don Giovanni 

Vienna July 9, 2016

We walked 15KM today. In a nutshell...


Our first stop was at Albertinaplatz to see the three sculptures against war. This sculpture is a Jewish man forced to clean anti-natzi graffiti off the sidewalk.

After the uplifting anti-war sculptures we went to the food and antiques market. One of the larger markets called Naschmarkt.

Beer & Sausage, of course

Yummy street food

We needed a mid-afternoon break before heading off for the afternoon walk.

We went to see the Demel chocolate and cake café. Just a visit, no snacking today. The shop is located between Louis Vuitton and Dior, Rolex is across the street, you get the picture.

We visited the outside of the Homburg Palace.  Vienna has been on the wrong side of both world wars and the British and allied forces did a great job dropping bombs all over the city. But the balcony still stands where Hitler addressed the citizens of Vienna (I have much better pictures to share)....

Walked through the food court and giant TV in front of city hall where they will show the Euro cup final game on Sunday night.

Finally arrived at the University of Vienna so I could get my registration package and ID. A long list of impressive people taught here. Each of them has a bronze bust in the court yard. Rather impressive.








Everyone's favourite time of day... Dinner. We ended up just next to our flat at Kern Beissel. Jonah could only eat half his schnitzel.

Vienna July 8, 2016

With two taxi rides, two airlines, two terminals and five people lots can go wrong. But in Liverpool there was free Fuze-ball. Perfect.

Here we are in Vienna, city number four on our trip. 

No complains about the accommodations.

Here is the living room with huge windows onto the street.

From the living room window you can see the small street. You cannot see the ice-cream store around the corner.

Five happy people

 There are the stairs to our Vienna apartment. Not sure how old the building might be, but it was standing in 1912 in the photo on the wall. Look at how worn-down the stone stairs have become.













We got the recommendation for a nice grocery store. Loaded up our back packs and had fun shopping.

Dinner was back at our apartment. A cheese plate, schnitzel and a garden salad.

For a travel day everyone is tired, but very happy with our accommodations and food. It feels like we will enjoy the city. Stay tuned for more posts.

Liverpool a great little city

We had a great time in Liverpool. A great little city. We had an old hotel, fantastic decorations, large rooms, but crappy WiFi. The hotel was central to everything we needed and we mostly walked the entire four days.

There are many nice, little museums to visit. The city was once the centre of trade. Lots of cotton came here and with it slaves who were forced to build the city. I was working but Iris and the kids visited the slave museum.

Now, it seems to me, the city is recovering from a long rough period. With tourism the old industrial buildings are being transformed into pubs, museums, hotels and condos. The city also has a fantastic area designated Unesco Heritage Centre. Here are some of our highlights from Liverpool.

Original area of Central Library with dome roof an sky light

Re-built Central Public Library

Outdoor pizza food truck social after my conference

Fab Nine in Liverpool

Sam loves his breakfast at Moose Coffee. No meat? Wrong. The bacon is cooked into the pancake.

St. Georges Courtroom is 125 years old. The sitting judge is 11 years old.

Kids loved Fruit Punch tea. Yuck!

Friday we have an early flight to Dublin and a connecting flight to Vienna. The UK has been very kind to us.

Cuthbert’s Tea Liverpool July 7, 2016

Last day in the UK and we managed to find a nice place for a proper British tea. Formal and casual and most importantly, deliciously fun.

The tea tray had three levels. Sandwiches, sweats, and on the very top scones with butter and jam.

The kids liked the Fruit Punch tea. Iris and I did not.

Back to reality after the tea room. We found Pound World for some snacks.

Liverpool July 6, 2016

Liverpool is a great city. A dense city core and easy to walk around. While I have been at John Moores University at a conference Iris and the kids get to explore the city. Here are a few images.


Our hotel room is called the Macy's Room. You should understand the link. We are staying at 30 St. James, which was once the offices where the blue prints for the Titanic were drawn.

Have fun on our first night in town at the Manhattan Bar & Grill

Liverpool is home to the Beatles, as you can see, they love posing for pictures with their fans.

 The Cyclopes in the Wood is a little scavenger hunt at the Liverpool Central Library. Obviously we figured it out and found the book. What a beautiful facility.

The grand reading room at the Liverpool Central Library with vaulted ceiling and oak book cases.