Spanish Riding School

I will be in Vienna in Early January. I would love to see a performance at the Spanish Riding School, however, I have been unable to find information regarding times and tickets for performances. Does anyone know if they are open in January and are there practices/tours that are available if the shows are not?

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Look to their website

www.srs.at

I do not believe that any exercise or performances are in January.

However you should be able to tour the stables.

Also there is a store/ museum

The stable courtyard is now a big hole as recent excavations for repairs found evidence of former buildings at this site( 15th century and before I think) and the city has a look at former history there.

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Thanks for the info. Needless to say, I am devistated. We%26#39;re staying at the Hotel Capri any good moderately priced restaurants that you can recommend? Or things to do?

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Your hotel is between the city center and the Amusement area - Prater. Except for the giant ferris wheel - not much to see in the prater this time of year. Also some construction in that area for a new subway extension.

It is a short ride on the subway ( U-bahn ) U-1 to the city center 3 stops.

Using public transport is the best way to travel in the city .

A one day ticket is 5 euro.

It is also available for 3 days 5 days or 8. a bargain.

Sights look on this site.

Hofburg Palace, Schonbrunn Palce are must sees much other things depend on your interests.

Excelent art museums are liked by many.

No problem finding moderate priced places to eat. Almost every place will have good food.

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Sorry to see there will be no performances or training sessions early in January, Shannon, but there will be tours of the stables on some afternoons (at a glance, Tue/Fri/Sat/Sun). The English-speaking guide is great and very informative; you do actually get to go into the stables and see the stallions up close; definitely worth doing for a Lipizzaner nut. I just wonder who will be S. Mantua%26#39;s box now; it won%26#39;t be the same without him ... did you see them in DC?

Rol

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Ha! I thought a SRS question would flush you out, Roley?

So how was the trip? (Feel free to transfer the answer to another topic!!!! We (I) want details!

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Yeah, what can I say, I am a sucker for a Lipizzaner (thrilling news being the School are allegedly touring to the UK in November 2006!!!! Ugh, I%26#39;m so excited! Someone sell me a ticket already!)

As to the rest ... well, I don%26#39;t know - is there any utility in Roley-eats-more-cakes-in-Diglas? You%26#39;ve heard it all before!

Small tips ... Zotter chocolate is unspeakably good, but I draw the line at ant-flavoured (www.zotter.at)

There is a stall in the Freyung market (all year, not just at Christmas) selling amazing slabs of home-made cake - poppyseed %26amp; joghurt - mmmm!

The seats in the Balcony at the Staatsoper (except for the first row) are sheer torture if you are six foot tall or over - I had a choice of leaving or being crippled for life so I only lasted through two acts of Figaro which was lovely. I wanted a more expensive seat but the mutts at Culturall.com refused to sell me one. In future Roley goes only for 70 euros and up price bracket.

Fledermaus was fun but why are Strauss%26#39;s librettos so impenetrably complicated? Lehar or Kalman are much easier to follow!

The VO production of the Zauberfloete was - visually interesting but musically weak, so the papers said and I concurred. The Sarastro was good but couldn%26#39;t act for toffee. The female singers were particularly disappointing, after the Staatsoper production. Worth going to, and probably will improve as everyone had first-night jitters, but one sensed the budgetary constraints (forget puppet birds - every so often one of the orchestra popped a stuffed crow on the edge of the stage, for Papageno%26#39;s benefit!)

Food tip for the season: Blutwurst, in any shape or form. Roley needs to rememeber that Uberbacken is deep fried, not baked. Best Blutwurst: Diglas. Best Blunzengroestl (Blutwurst hashed with potato, onion and garlic) Hopferl. Percentage of funny looks when the dimwitted Anglo ordered Blutwurst = 100.

I observed the Christmas markets appeared smaller this year - for example, I couldn%26#39;t find the stall that sells Zinnfiguren at the Karlsplatz.

The EMI music shop on the Kartnerstrasse has a very good classical section (take the lift to the second floor).

Pension Christina, where I stayed, was excellent: cheap, but clean, convenient, and everything was in full working order. Recommended as an economical but central base for a visit to Vienna.

Note the airport bus to Schwedenplatz now actually stops at the Morzinplatz, under St Ruprecht%26#39;s. Still very handy for the Schwedenplatz Ubahn and the hotels around that area.

Rol, all tipped out

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Thanks Roley, it%26#39;s great to hear you had a good time.

I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;d love Blutwurst, it%26#39;s just the name. In England we hide behind euphemisms like Black Pudding and so on. I was buying my doggies some chew strips in Billa at the beginning of the month. In English they%26#39;re %26#39;hide chews%26#39;, I can%26#39;t remember the German but it sounded so much like %26#39;skin of dead cow chews%26#39; that I couldn%26#39;t buy them lol!

Alice (the hypocrite!)

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Thanks everyone! I am really excited to see the at least a little of what Austria can offer. Still disappointed about the SRS :( .... but will enjoy touring the stables and seeing the sights!