BIKE TOUR
To get a better understanding of the city, we hired a tour guide through the Vienna Tourist Board. Gerhard Strassgschwandtner (email: gstrassg@yahoo.com website: Stadt-kunst.com) charges 120� ($150) for a 2 �-hour tour. We saw a lot more than his usual tours, because we did this one on our rental bikes. Gerhard gave us a brief history of the city. We learned Vienna was where the Habsburgs ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and that much their beauty is still visible in the Inner City. The inner city once was fortified by a 3-mile wall, but it came down in 1870. It was replaced by the Ringstrasse, a 3-mile-wide boulevard that encircles the old city. Biking around it, you can see all the buildings built in the 1870's and 1880's. Gerhard was great, pointing out not only the important buildings, but showing and describing each museum and popular sight so we could decide which ones to go back to later time for a more in-depth look. (A good guide book can do the same.)

HUNDERTWASSERHAUS
We rode our bikes along a canal that led out to the Danube. Before we reached Europe's second longest river, we stopped along the way at a unique apartment house, called Hundertwasserhaus. It was built in 1983 named after its designer, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It features undulating floors ("an uneven floor is a melody to the feet"), and an earth- and grass-covered roof. Large trees grow from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows. The modern masterpiece is a popular tourist attraction, with souvenir shops all around. For more info, check out Hundertwasserhaus.at. Source: Wikipedia.org.

PRATER PARK/ AMUSEMENT PARK
We also rode through Prater Park. This used to be an imperial hunting ground, and is now a popular summertime hangout for all Viennese. The park -- 6 miles long and 1 mile wide -- is located on an island formed by the Danube River and the canal. There is just one main road for bike-riding. Nearby is an amusement park with an old giant Ferris wheel, and a merry-go-round that uses live horses (that's pretty cruel).

THE DANUBE
The city is similar to Paris, as it is composed of 23 districts. Paris has 20 "arrondissements"; here they are called "Bezirke." All have their own names, but they're numbered to make it easier (thank God). The further you go out of the Inner City, the higher the numbers get. The newest districts of Vienna are located on the other side of the Danube. This is also home to the International Center. This part of the city has a totally different feel -- more like South Florida without the nice beaches. But on a hot day the banks of the Danube -- dubbed "Riviera" -- are a nice escape.

MUSIC FILM FESTIVAL
It is said that at any time of the day or night in Vienna, someone somewhere is playing the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (This year marks the 250th anniversary of his birth). We found this to be true, in this city filled with theatre, opera, classical music and fine arts. Unbeknown to us, the popular Music Film Festival that began in 1991 was going on. It takes place every night from July 1 to September 3 in Rathausplatz Square (right in front of the neo-Gothic City Hall). Admission is free, and 3,000 seats are available to watch -- on a huge TV at dusk -- opera, concerts and ballets performed by international stars. This year, my boy Mozart was featured. Arrive early to enjoy over two dozen refreshment and food booths from around the world. Mike went to the Austrian booth, Matt visited Croatia, and I felt like some curry so I hit the Indian booth. (Of course I went back to the Austrian booth for dessert). For more info, log on to Music Film Festival.