Many of the great classical musicians are Austrian and lived in Vienna. Here are just a few.

Opportunities to attend classical music concerts are almost endless in the city. While there, we enjoyed 2 evening concerts. The first performance was in the opulent Schönbrunn Palace. Sitting where Kings & Queens sat many years ago, our ears listened & our hearts leapt at the brilliant written music from the anniversary listed men.

On our way back to our hotel, a couple musicians who were in the orchestra that entertained were on our subway car. Their large carrying cases for their instruments gave them away.

The second night was a smaller venue where the concert was devoted to The Waltz King, Johann Strauss. This evening, we had front row seats to the small orchestra that accompanied an opera singer & two dancers.

There are many things to see in Vienna; but, we only had 2 days, so we focused on a few highlights.

Just like Berlin, Vienna is filled with history. The city has many beautiful buildings ranging from the 15th to the 19th Century to marvel at while you walk the city.

One only needs to be aware of how powerful the Habsburg Monarchy was before WWI to understand how this was possible. Unlike past empires that grew by raging war, the Habsburg often did so through marriage.

Even though we had visited Schönbrunn Palace in 1985, it was worth another visit even though it was a cool rainy day.

Just like many European palaces, the extreme opulence is on full display. One can easily see Marie Antionette growing up in this palace… which she did.

We enjoyed touring Mozart’s apartment where he lived with his wife Constance & their child while he wrote “The Marriage of Figuro.” There is little to see in the apartment; but, it was nice to have an idea about his life where he lived with his wife, small children, a dog, a bird, & a few servants in a very small place.

Fortunately, we were able to get tickets one morning to see the Lipizzaner Stallions perform at the historic Spanish Riding School.

Before going to the show, we both read this amazing book about how the US Army went on a secret & daring mission behind Nazi lines to rescue these magnificent animals from being captured & destroyed by the Soviets in WWII’s final days.

We saw 22 ea. Lipizzaner stallions perform. They are born with black hair that turns pure white as they mature.

No photos or videos were allowed during the performance; but, here are some photos.

Ever since seeing the movie “Woman in Gold”, I have loved paintings by Gustav Klimt.

Most museums only contain 1-2 of his paintings, if they have any at all. Knowing that the Upper Belvedere Museum had the largest Klimt collection along his most famous piece “The Kiss,” it was a must see.

Even though the main reason to come to the Belvedere was to see Klimt’s paintings, the building & grounds were also magnificent. Even though it was once a palace, it has served as a public museum since 1736.

Our time in Vienna was much too short. Places like Beethoven’s home were missed along with having coffee in one of their famous coffee houses. Hopefully we can come back again in the future.