We zipped down the Sud Autobahn-A2 from Vienna International airport taking in the sights and sounds of the Austrian countryside. As we drove into Baden on an early Sunday morning of a glorious European summer, I simply fell in love with the town. A picturesque place hemmed in by lush green hillocks, verdant meadows and vistas of vineyards. Baden transports one to eternal bliss…

To distinguish their town from Baden-Baden of Germany and Baden of Switzerland, Austrians refer to the place as Baden bei Wien (Baden near Vienna). The town located 26 kms. south of Vienna, is at the base of Wienerwald mountain range and surrounded by 120 vineyards. The name, Baden originates from its thermal springs and warm public baths as in German, Baden means to bathe. The town is home to thirteen such warm baths with their sulphate of lime rich water gurgling at 22 to 36 deg. C. The history of Baden can be traced back to the Roman era and the town’s fame was linked to its warm baths. The town was attacked several times by the Hungarians and Turks in olden days. Baden became a preferred destination as the summer residence by many members of the Austrian royal family and several villas and castles were built by them. Many times the most famous Austrian composer, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), lived in Baden staying at seven different houses. The town was headquarters of Austro-Hungarian army command during World War I and that of the Soviet forces after World War II for the allied administered Austria till 1955. As the town hotspot, the casino opened its doors in 1934. Baden gradually emerged as the best spa town of Austria.

We stayed at Hotel Schloss Weikersdorf, an erstwhile palace and now converted to a 4-star hotel with all its old world charms preserved with care. The hotel was located right next to a large rose garden, known as Rosarium in Doblhoffpark....quite naturally, the hotel spa chose rose and wine as its USP...the rose water with its fragrance wafting in a relaxed and harmonious ambiance...rose oil working wonders with its anti-depressant and aphrodisiac actions on harried souls...grape seed oil improving the circulation and strengthening collagen fibre for a youthful skin...the spa promises utopia on earth! After the ethereal spa experience, one may choose from the sauna available in its various forms and trappings for improved metabolism and cardiac health. The hotel also has a well equipped gym for its guests desperate to cut the flab of over indulgence. We saw many tourists driving in from Germany and other parts of Austria for that much desired break! Schloss Weikersdorf boasts of two in-house restaurants, Rosenkavalier and Schlosskeller complete with Lippizzaner bar well stocked with exotic wines from the thermal region of Austria. The breakfast served in Rosenkavalier was simply a lavish affair with a veritable spread of fresh fruits, large variety of breads, croissant, pancake with honey, cornflakes, porridge, mashed potato, eggs the way you like them, salamis, bacons, sausages...after gorging on such a feast, one has to dash off to the gym to remain in shape!

Without wasting much time, we proceeded to Vienna...we ambled across the rosarium watching the colours and forms of varieties of roses. Such beautiful blossoms all around the huge park attracted a sizeable gathering of local Badeners enjoying the sunny Sunday. We passed through cobbled roads, small eateries, delicatessen, chapels...we walked along narrow lanes with shop windows displaying local curios and finally reached the 'down town' Baden, Josefsplatz, named after the powerful Austrian Emperor, Kaiser Franz Joseph I (1830-1916). The central plaza, built around a hot spring gushing with a sulfurous smell, housed the tram station and its ticket office…the tramline, known as Badner Bahn, links Josefplatz with the State Opera in Vienna. It takes about an hour and costs €4.50 one-way for a 30 km. journey on the two-coach electric tram. We positioned ourselves on window-side seats to enjoy the canvas of nature that unfolded during the journey…the tram meandered through small hamlets with picture perfect homes, pensions (B&B guest-houses), vast vineyards kissing the horizon, distant mountains, rivulets and fields aglow with bright yellow rapeseed flowers. After covering such naturally endowed countryside, the tram approached the peripheries of the big city and went underground as it reached the busier inner precincts of Vienna.

Thanks to internet, I knew about the cruises on the Danube (Donau in German), the great trans-European river flowing through ten countries. Around 10% of the 2900 km. long river lies in Austria and the city of Vienna has grown on both sides of Danube. What could be a better option than taking a river cruise on a Sunday afternoon? We got off the tram at Karlsplatz and changed into U-Bahn (underground metro) to reach Schwedenplatz, the starting point for the cruise. DDSG Blue Danube operates four double-decker boats for the local river cruise and also catamarans and hydrofoils for the inter-city trips to Bratislava and Budapest. We boarded MS Schlogen, a boat with a capacity of 230 passengers in her two decks...ticket for the round trip lasting for three and half hours with a stop at Reichsbrucke cost us € 21.00. Schlogen left the jetty at 2 PM and cruised along the Danube canal unfurling Vienna suburbia with its old Gothic buildings carefully conserved, modern offices, town houses, villas and chalets, water front summer homes with fishing nets. We sailed into the main flow channel of the wide Danube and soon reached the barrage constructed for the hydel-power station at Freudenau. Our ship along with two others entered the water channel secured by lock gates on both sides. We had approached the barrage from the downstream end and the water level at the upstream end was around 70 ft. higher. The downstream lock gate was closed and water was slowly released into the channel. The ships floated up and as the channel water level matched that on the upstream side, the lock gate was opened and we crossed over.

The catering services on board the ship MS Schlogen are offered by the restaurant Anton Pyringer. The menu was not so elaborate but a comprehensive one; a few of the items on offer are soups (soup with semolina dumplings or onion soup), salads (leaf salad with ham/turkey strips and garlic/herb dressing), main courses (barbecued turkey fillet with buttered rice, fried brook trout with parsley potatoes, roast beef with coloured pasta, grilled chops with bacons and potatoes, captain's barbecue with chips and veg), followed by desserts (choice of cakes, pastries, whipped cream...) along with hot and cold beverages, beer and wines.

Floating along Danube and watching the Viennese enjoying their summer on speedboat rides and water-scooters, we reached the mid-point of our journey...the ship stopped at Reichsbrucke jetty, built close to the famous bridge...Reichsbrucke (Empire bridge in German), first constructed in 1876 and reconstructed in 1937, was the only bridge, which could be prevented from being damaged by the retreating German army after the World War II...unfortunately, the gigantic bridge collapsed in 1976 and was built in its present form in 1980. The Reichsbrucke linking the city centre at Stephanplatz with Donaustadt on the other side of Danube is the busiest bridge with six lanes of traffic used by 50,000 vehicles daily and U-Bahn tracks. After about 10 minutes stop-over at Reichsbrucke, MS Schlogen started off on a circular route...we sailed along Donauinsel, 21-km. long artificial island in the middle of Danube known for its recreational facilities...on our right the skyline of modern buildings housing the UN & other corporate offices appeared across the river...252-m high Danube Tower, used for cellular phone, VHF radio & other communication services and now a popular bungee jumping site, loomed large in the horizon on the north of Danube...all steel & glass over 200-m tall Millenium tower, opened in 1999, could be seen on the left bank of the river...we crossed the Nussdorf lock-gate, designed to maintain the difference in water levels between canal and the river and we entered Danube canal once again to head towards Schwedenplatz.

As our cruise came to an end, Vienna was getting ready for a glitzy Sunday evening...we trudged along to home into Baden with the everlasting memories of a mighty river, which has flowed through the annals of history and witnessed the triumphs & tribulations of mankind!
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-Soumitra Biswas is a Chemical Engineer by profession and works as an Advisor in the Union Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. He dabbles in photography and travel writing in his spare time. Soumitra lives in New Delhi with his wife and two children. The photographs for the article were also taken by the author. The views expressed in the article are totally his own. Soumitra may be contacted at soumitra03@hotmail.com