Friday, September 6: Today Vienna was on the agenda. The Porsches were lined up eagerly ready to go.
We left Salzburg through easy morning traffic and headed on the Austrian Autobahn A-1 to Mondsee’s rest stop. We gassed up all the cars in our normal F-1 procedure. Since you can’t pay at the pump in Austria, Germany, Italy etc. we have developed our highly efficient system of gassing the cars with minimum time wasted.
We had a smooth and quick trip to Vienna. Everyone was looking forward to the renowned 5-Star Sacher Hotel right behind the Opera House and on the corner of Kärtnerstrasse – Vienna’s elegant shopping street. However, like most cities in Europe parking in Vienna is challenging. Thus, we arranged parking outside of Vienna at one of my dear friend’s bus company great headquarters. They were ready for us and all Porsches were safely parked inside a cavernous bus garage. In the meanwhile, our luggage has already arrived with our luggage van and was waiting in the customers’ respective rooms at the Sacher.
Check-in was efficient and everyone was very pleased with their junior suites or rooms. We had an early dinner at the Sacher because we were slated to enjoy a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. After dinner we strolled across to the Vienna State Opera. Our man in Vienna, Hans was able to get spectacular seats, albeit at a hefty 140% premium. Even if you are not an opera buff, to attend an opera at this world-famous venue is truly a lifetime experience.