Huh? Vienna you say?? Surprise – we spent the day in Vienna, Austria! It was a long day but worth it. Tim wanted to see 4 Eastern European capitals – Budapest, Bucharest, Prague, and Vienna. We saw two earlier this year, are staying in one currently, so decided to take the journey today to finish his “quad-fecta”.
We had a semi-private tour as there was only one other couple on the trip. So, rather than a big ol’ bus we were in a 9 passenger van. Much more comfortable and easier to navigate to some of the sites that were contingent upon the size of vehicle. Our driver, George, was quite a driver! Older gentleman, spoke little English, drove like a bat out of hell! Our guide, Elena, told us it would take 5 hours to drive from Prague to Vienna (which, based on research, we knew was a high number). Including the 20 minute “comfort stop” at an incredibly charming little Czech town, it took just under 4 hours.
Comfort stop…
Our first stop was Belvedere Palace, the former summer home of Prinz Eugen. We were dropped off on one side (the Lower Palace) and walked the length of the gardens to the other side (the Upper Palace). The Lower Palace has been used as a residence a few times and now houses art collections. The garden between the two palaces is spacious, well manicured, and has several water features/fountains. It is so beautiful in the fall we can only imagine what it looks like in full spring bloom!
George picked us up and whisked us away to our next stop, which was the last time we saw the minivan until nearly 6 pm. In other words, we walked all day…..all day….miles and miles on cobblestone streets in the cold. And we would do it again given the chance.
We walked to Hofburg, a building that has played a part in Austrian history for nearly 700 years and now houses a variety of things including the National Library, several museums, and the Federal President’s office, in it’s nearly 2500 rooms. One monumental event that took place at Hofburg was when Adolf Hitler gave a speech announcing the “union” of Austria and Germany in 1938.
If you want a peek at how dirty buildings get over the years as they age, notice how the Hofburg looks blackish in some areas, and whitish in others. This is not different materials, the whiter looking areas are where they’ve been cleaning the building. (They are working on the whole building.)
Another stop we made was at St. Stephensdom (St. Stephens Cathedral) which was once the tallest building in Europe. The current building was built in stages spanning a couple of centuries beginning in 1303. As with Hofburg, this cathedral has been active in the history of Vienna. Mozart’s body laid in state in St. Stephens, the catacombs contain the remains of many Habsburgs (arguably the most important ruling family in Vienna), and a multitude of artistic treasures are housed there as well.
The bell in the bell tower is the second largest bell in all of Europe and was cast from the metal of captured cannons during the Turkish siege in 1683. The interior of the cathedral is absolutely impressive, but the unique Baroque architecture of the exterior is impressive and amazing as well.
Mozart is everywhere in Vienna!! He was born in Salzburg but is very much a claimed son of Vienna. We made a quick stop outside of the last apartment Mozart inhabited in Vienna before his death. One of thirteen apartments…who time to compose tons of music and move thirteen times in their adult life?!!
We also visited St. Peter’s Church, another impressivce specimen of Baroque architecture. The dome contains a fresco of Virgin Mary’s Assumption, there is a magnificent organ in the back balcony, and when the church was overhauled many years ago many of the statues were redone in gold. The gold really stands out against all of the dark features in the sanctuary.
We walked through several pedestrian/shopping areas and were continually amazed at the beautiful buildings tucked in here and there – a spire seen between two buildings, a dome popping over the top of a shopping center, even Roman ruins in one place (oh those damn Romans were everywhere!! 🙂 ).
Sunset is around 4:30 so daylight was fading during the afternoon portion of our walk. It made for a cold afternoon, but a beautiful one. The city has started hanging their Christmas decorations and those that were hung were lit. One pedestrian area had massive chandeliers (well….light arranged in the shape of chandeliers), another had massive red Christmas balls supended over the walkway, and another area was setting up for one of the famous Christmas Markets that starts in a week.
Speaking of Christmas Markets, we did get to see one but didn’t get the chance to visit it. It was in the foreground of the New City Hall which is beautifully illuminated at night!!! The bright lights of the Christmas Market and the ice skating rink added to the festiveness.
Vienna City Hall
Our return trip to Prague was nothing like the trip down to Vienna. Snow was moving from north to south, Vienna is south of Prague so we travelled through the snow storm.
Traveling through the Austrian countryside during a snow storm was certainly a wonderfully unique adventure, but our bat-out-of-hell driver’s skills kept us on the edges of our seats a few times. Literally on the edge when he clipped the edge of the road! Aside from the “excitement” of the drive, it was absolutely beautiful to see the trees perfectly covered with snow.
