Vienna was our last stop to see on our way home. It was very limited as we had to take turns making sure no one broke into our car and took the computers but it was enough to get the feel for this great city. This town has a wonderful history as far back as 881 AD, but you might be more familiar with the Family name of Hapsburg which brought this city into greatness in the 1700's. It was hit badly during the War but it has been rebuilt to its former condition. Vienna is unique in that it embraces the nearby cultures of Hungary, the Slavic countries and Poland. It is a very cultured city and considered the music capital of Europe. Composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Gluck, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler performed here. The Viennese Waltz has been adopted as an art form as well as Art Nouveau which transformed the face of Vienna. You might recognize the famous Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Boys Choir and the Spanish Riding School, known for the famous Lipizzan horses. If we had time and were free to walk around, we would have seen the Palace of Schonbrunn and The Belvedere, but maybe for another time.
As we came into Vienna we saw the Danube River which is beautiful and the countryside filled with neatly manicured vineyards and Apricot orchards everywhere. Too bad spring had not sprung yet or it would have been covered with little white blossoms (Popcorn Popping on the apricot trees).
We saw most of the unique churches as they are situated around the center of town. The first one we saw was the Herzyaborg Church. It looked more like a fortress because it was a more original church but out in the front was the Trinity Statue, very ornate.
The St. Stephens Cathedral was originally built in 1258. The Steeple which is over 100 Ft. tall is better known as "Der Steffl" and is one of the most beautiful forms of Gothic architecture. They were doing renovations on the outside so we saw a lot of scaffolding around the bottom part. The Interior was dark, not well lit with only a few murals and statues. The Main alter had a Statue of Christ and the Virgin Mary all trimmed in gold. Lots of gold. This holds one of Europe's largest Organs.
We did get to see one Palace from the outside, the Schwarzenberg Palace that is now being used as a hotel. Just got one shot of this one.
We entered the Catholic Cathedral of St Peters where a mass was being conducted by two Priests. It had such a unique oval shaped like an egg lying on its side. It was quite small but very well lit. We could see very clearly every painting and mural. The Organ was playing when we entered adding awe and wonderment to our eyes and mind. It was inspiring to see all of the religious murals telling stories of the old and new testament.
St Charles is a beautiful Baroque church with two 33 meter high columns designed after the Trajan columns in Rome. We wanted to go in and see this church but it was 10 euros a piece to get in and money was running low, but the pictures we have of the outside are gorgeous. In the front is a huge fountain with a big patch of tulips, which are everywhere by the way. It is a wonderful place to sit and listen to German music played on an accordion. We could have sat there all day and relaxed.
Near the center of town we saw a very unusually tall statue of a Red Guard soldier with an ancient gold shield. On his head he wore a modern steel Russian helmet. We read that the Russians dedicated it to their fallen comrades in 1945 when Austria was liberated. The fountain in front is a high jet fountain that is timed to coordinate with the number of the weeks, months and days of the year.
A street entertainer dressed as an Egyptian caught our attention. I dropped a euro in his hat as I took his picture. Strange outfit but eye catching. Another mime had a large picture frame sit upon a table, as he sat on a chair behind the frame. His face was painted white with a hat from the nineteenth century. Nancy said he was suppose to be Rembrandt. If you dropped a coin in his hat, he would let you take his picture. If you didn't, he would put up an umbrella to block your photo. It is outrageous how people just have to get something for free.
We drove around town and took various photos so you could get a good feeling for Vienna. We had a quick meal at McDonalds and we were on our way. We did not want to leave this beautiful town but we had a long drive back to Frankfurt. Just a little piece of information about travel in Europe, at least to the countries that belong to the European Union. You no longer get your passport stamped when you enter other countries but you do need to buy a vingette, if you are driving. They cost about 10 euros. The longer you stay the more you pay. This is for the use of their freeways or autobahns and restrooms.
This was an experience we never dreamed we would get. We were beyond thrilled and excited. Maybe the adjective hasn't been discovered yet to describe our feelings. Like the German searching for that eternal verb. Home at 2:00 AM, tired but filled with awe.
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