Gallery » EUROPE/AFRICA/ MIDDLE EAST » Round the World 2019 - Europe » Vienna 2019 » 28 July: Musikverein & More
We decided to have an early breakfast so that we could leave early to walk to the 11:00AM Vienna Boys Choir & Choirs of the World Peace Choral Festival. We left the hotel at about 9:30AM. We had a big surprise outside. As we exited The Hilton, a young black man was running towards us. Then, he ran the opposite way towards the river. Suddenly, a black sedan came flying across the sidewalk. Out hopped one police officer who was shouting and running after the fugitive. The other officer turned the car around and headed back down the sidewalk beside us. We didn’t wait to see what else followed; we were just glad we got to the side of the walkway and avoided both the car and the fugitive.
After that excitement we slowly walked to the Musikverein. We arrived just before the building opened. Once inside we had to check our umbrella. Then, we were told seating would not open on the second floor until 10:30A. So, we waited politely by the entry and promptly at 10:30A, a young female usher let us into the main hall. We were some of the first to arrive and got excellent seats. The show promptly began at 11:00A and lasted until 1:30P. We saw various performances primarily by various Chinese student and choral groups. We also saw performances by one Russian group and one group from the Czech Republic. Of course, a highlight was seeing the Vienna Boys Choir, the “oldest boy band” in the world dating to 1498. It was a wonderful and amazing performance and we loved every moment!
After the concert, we walked down an avenue to the Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain in Schwarzeberg Platz. Behind a fountain was a monument built to honor Soviet soldiers. This part of Vienna was occupied by the Soviets until 1955 (the statue was built in 1946). The fountain and statue were beautiful but photography was a bit tricky due to blowing water. Afterwards we admired roof-top statues on nearby buildings. Next we went to Beethoven Platz and, of course, there was a statue of Beethoven in its center.
The clouds were clearing and it began to get warm. We returned to the hotel at 3:00PM after a full day of entertainment and exploring.
