New Year’s day and another incredible day on the Golden Eagle Danube Express.
After the high-energy, royal Rathaus city hall Silvesterer Ball, New Year’s morning found us in the same place but a far different experience. They arranged a tour in 19th century, horse-drawn carriage through the quiet, Empire-strewn buildings and cobblestone streets of Vienna…transported to a different era would be a gross understatement.
Where does it start?
Returning back by bus from the magnificent Rathaus city hall Silvesterer Ball by near 2 am, made the 9:30 am train departure on New Years day rushed but surprisingly not annoying. (I am not good in the morning, which is an understatement of massive proportions). But they had a festive array of croissants and the excellent bartender Pablink was masterful in making a fast cappuccino.
Off we went back to Vienna city center, inside the city “ring”which holds the majority of the older city and was originally the place where ancient battlements were — now a major road.
Once you cross the ring, the architecture and buildings reflect the grandeur of the Hungarian-Austrian empire, mostly built between 1700s and late 19th century. Neo Gothic was the term repeatedly used, but forgetting the nuance of architectural styles, we were surrounded by a forest of huge palaces, monuments and buildings that’s just reeked of “Empire”.
The tour bus parked in front of the city’s science museum, topped by an almost Roman bronze tableau of a horse and rider racing between two lions, all aged green with time but not but not losing their beauty.
Waiting for us were classic horse-drawn carriages, where we took a ride through the streets, passed all the great palaces, the opera, the Albertina (a stunning museum) among others.
Everywhere you looked was marble, granite and bronze. It was cold, and the clip-clop sound rang through the early empty streets. We even went by Cafe Central, the famous tea and deserts known around the world where the likes of Trotsky and Freud went for tea and sweets.
Transported to a different era would be a gross understatement.
Where were we going? For New Years brunch Vienna style — watching the national orchestra play in the opulent opera hall on large screens. This is what many Viennese do on New Year’s Day. Their love of their classical traditions is astoundingly deep and given the musical history, no wonder! So as we went into the redone brick basement of the luxury hotel, with a perhaps the most varied and sumptuous buffet we have ever seen, the orchestra began.
The lower level of the hotel was full, and tables all faced an enormous screen with a live telecast of the concert. The Golden Eagle, much like the New Years eve party, had tables reserved up front, to get the full experience.
Strauss, Mozart…on and on.
After 2 pm when the concert ended, came the gem of the day and one of the more seminal, memorable parts of the trip…the Holy Cross monastery.
Outspoken Traveler 
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