Vienna Belvedere

We are taking City Train 7 from the Roman town of Carnuntum to Vienna, where dirty and smelly beggars stand out unpleasantly in the train. Along with the numerous graffiti in the city, they are the ultimate sign of a civilizational decline. I have never experienced both in the Metro in Beijing, Hangzhou, or Xi'an in China.

The journey goes to the Rennweg station, and we walk along the same-named street to the northwest. We pass by the Palais Metternich, which the Chancellor purchased after its construction. Metternich was one of Europe's leading politicians and played a significant role at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/1815 following Napoleon's fall, influencing the political and territorial reorganization of Europe. In 1908, the Italian government acquired the representative building, which is now home to the Italian embassy.

Our stop in Vienna, however, is the Belvedere Palace, through whose gardens we wish to stroll. The palace complex served as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy and was built between 1712 and 1723. It is divided into two palatial complexes, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, with a height difference of about 23 meters, which is overcome by the Shell Fountain and the Cascade Fountain. The figures displayed do not match my taste at all, and a sculpture ensemble in a fountain looks more like the aftermath of a heavy drinking night. The Sphinx figures even appear quite disturbing.

The palace garden in the Upper Belvedere leaves a neglected and desolate impression; during the prince's time, this part definitely looked more orderly. Even a small robotic mower seems to have gotten stuck on the lawn or has run out of battery. In contrast, the colorful floral arrangement on the other side of the Upper Palace invites photography, at least after a somewhat bewildered person finishes their walk on the lawn along the water basin. A seemingly mischievous-looking lion with the coat of arms of Prince Eugene of Savoy bids us farewell at the portal of the Belvedere complex. By the way, the prince kept a lion as a pet.

We leave the monarchic garden complex and walk through the modern ensemble of buildings from the “Erste Campus” and office buildings in front of the main train station, which express the cleanliness and modernity that a European capital should have.

Upon arriving at the station, our Railjet is announced with a 10-minute delay. Nevertheless, we stroll to the platform and board the provided train heading to Bregenz/Munich. I am not worried about the delay since we have a half-hour transfer time in Linz ahead of us. However, somehow the Austrian Federal Railways seem to have adopted the methods of Deutsche Bahn, as the departure time of the train is constantly being pushed back on the displays. At some point, our half-hour buffer for our transfer is also used up, and I search the ÖBB app for alternative travel options. And so we get off the train again and take the InterCity at the opposite platform, which at least stops in Wels, strengthening our onward travel options. Finally, we arrive at our destination, Schärding, an hour later, which now clearly proves that not only does DB know how to cause “delays,” but so does ÖBB.

Overall, it was a very successful trip to Pannonia, deeply immersing in the ancient Roman culture and tracing the former glory of the Habsburg monarchy. Those wishing to explore Vienna a bit further can do so here: Museum Stroll in Vienna