Monday 7 December 2015

007 Travel story: Vienna (AUSTRIA) 2015

In order to read our 007 Travel story of Bratislava and Vienna from day one, click here.


Thursday 19th of February 2015


We bought a 24h Wien ticket for today, and it was 7,60 EUR / person.

We were ready for 007 tour after Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights" (1987). We arrived at the Gasometers, located at Landstrasse, right next the metro station. 




We met our private guide Mr. Andreas Pöschek, who was with us during five hours Bond location tour. He is an inhabitant of the Gasometers and a chairman of the Gasometer Community and he had lots to tell and show to us.

"James Bond in the Gasometers" 

At first we took a tour inside of Gasometers and then moved outside. At the beginning of the movie Bond is in Bratislava to help General Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) when Koskov is about to defect to the west. These shots were filmed inside and outside of Gasometers. Gasometer B was the shooting location when General Koskov climbs the stairs towards the top of Gasometer.






Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC




Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Earlier in real life Gasometers were gas storage tanks and they were functional from 1899 to 1984. After this they were transformed as residential buildings and there are also all kind of commercial activities nowadays inside of them, for example concerts.




Mika / 007 Travelers






On our way to the next filming location, we took photos of The Vienna Hilton, which was the production's home base for the press conference.






Then we walked towards the next filming location, which was Sofiensäle (Sofiensaal), a concert hall, which burnt down in 2001, but it opened again December 2013. Some of interior opera scenes of "The Living Daylights" were filmed here. At the beginning of the movie, Bond follows a concert where Kara Milovy (Maryam d'Abo) performs and waits for 
Koskov to make his escape. Later in the film Bond returns here to investigate more things about Kara.











Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC



Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC



From here we went to the hotel, where Bond and Kara checked in in the movie, when arriving in Vienna. Previously splendid hotel Im Palais Schwarzenberg (Schwarzenbergplatz 9) has unfortunately been closed for many years now and outside of it is currently a common parking lot. In the movie Bond and Kara arrive in the hotel nicely by using horse carriage. The place has seen better days, but is still recognizable.


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Hotel Im Palais Schwarzenberg has been closed for many years now 







Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC




The parking area







After this Pirita had to stop the tour, because of her health condition. Fever started to rise and we decided that it is best to go back to hotel with Pirita, and then Mika continued with Andreas.

We went to metro again and the next stop was Volksoper opera (Währingenstrasse 78). This is the place where the movie continues after the title sequence. Exteriors of the opera house sequences are filmed outside of this building. In front of Volksoper there is a candy store "Zum Süssen Eck" (Währingerstrasse 65). Bond and Saunders (Thomas Wheatley) go through this shop to the apartment, where they see that Kara is planning to shoot Koskov when he is trying to escape.






Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


The window where Kara aims with her rifle


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

The window from where Koskov escapes


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


The entrance of the Volksoper


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC




Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

The window where Bond and Saunders watch Koskov escape



Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC







Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


Pictures of Timothy Dalton and filming of "The Living Daylights
at the window of "Zum Süssen Eck" candy store.







Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


Inside Zum Süssen Eck" candy store


Delicious chocolate from Mika to Pirita


From here Mika and Andreas moved towards the place where 007 gets off the tram and goes to the toilet, where he examines what is inside of Kara's cello case. This place where Bond gets off is at Kreuzgasse 73, where former tram depot is nowadays a Eurospar shop. And toilet doors belong to a music school, which is located right next to this Eurospar. Could it be the same paint on the doors is still the same as in 1987? It looks like it.





Former tram depot is Eurospar shop nowadays


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


These were the toilet doors in the movie. Still looks quite same as in 1987.





Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

After this Andreas showed where Kara Milovy's home was. And its address is Antonigasse 92, it is located off the beaten track, not any touristic area. Because in the movie this place located also in Bratislava it was appropriate to film those scenes outside of the fancy areas of Vienna.





Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Kara Milovy's apartment at Antonigasse 92


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC




Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC




Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Then we checked the crossroads which the tram passes in the movie and finally we took a tram, that Bond and Kara use in the movie as well. It carried us back to the city center.



The corner where the tram number 9 goes in the movie.




Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Before the tour ended, Andreas 
showed the Maria-Theresien-Platz, where is the Monument to Maria Theresa, which can be seen in the film when Bond and Kara rode with horse carriages there.



Monument to Maria Theresa




Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC


When the tour ended Mika thanked Andreas for the interesting and very professional tour and after saying when said goodbye to Andreas, Mika returned back to our apartment.
If you are interested in Bond location tour in Vienna, ask Andreas about it!
Contact here: The Gasometer expert and Bond location tour guide


Rest of the evening went more or less feeling sick and fever was rising. We had to stay quite close to the hotel.



Friday 20 February 2015


This was a "going home day" and we returned to Vienna Schwechat airport by taking a train. Our Finnair flight took off at 11.15 and we landed Helsinki airport at 14.40 just on schedule. 



Stay tuned for our Bond location tour in Italy and Switzerland and read how we met Mr. James Bond, George Lazenby and other Bond stars!


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