Vienna (Part 4)

Of course, like every European city we have been in, Vienna also has it’s monumental cathedral. In this case it is St. Stephen’s Church. It has a lovely multi-coloured roof and the composer, Vivaldi, was buried there in the 1700’s. We took a look briefly inside, but didn’t stay long.  I think along with castles, we were now “churched-out”.

Tucked away between a high-end clothing store and an even higher-end crystal shop was the Spanish Winter Riding School. Here is where the famous Lippizaner stallions train. Where we were just off the Graben Strasse was the rear part of the School with an open paddock. They had finished training for the morning but I was able to get a picture of the paddock and in the near distance a couple of white stallions in their stalls.

All in all, Vienna was actually the least favourite of the cities we had visited so far, a disappointment. My impression and how I describe it is “too Disneyland”. I would be hard put to explain exactly what I mean by that – just an impression. Being plonked down in the part of Vienna that is all about affluence and excess didn’t help, I suppose. Now I know from Saks 5^th Avenue – without having been in New York!

So, on to Budapest!

Vienna (Part 3)

Because there are so many statues, this is where we notice that they are all covered in see-through netting. We had originally thought this practice was to stop vandalism or to avoid parts of crumbling sculptures falling onto people. Instead, we were informed that the netting is meant to deter birds from settling on the statues and pooping. But aren’t statues meant to be festooned by pigeons and lovingly painted with their excrement?!? Is that not the raison d’etre of being a statue?? Not to mention the offense to a pigeon’s raison d’etre. My new photographic purpose was to find a statue with NO netting, and with a bird. And I did! – just one.

Vienna (Part 2)

We did get to the Graben Strasse – a large square surrounded by buildings representing a variety of architectural styles – from Baroque to Art Deco. It boasted an antique carousel in the middle, and tons of horse-drawn carriages. Graben (means ditch as this stretch of road was once a ditch, used as a moat by the Romans). The actual street is lined with stores (which you can’t afford unless you are into $40,000 Omega watches!) and wealthy apartments. Halfway up the street is the Graben & Plague Monument (Pestsaule). It is a monument to the more than one third of Viennese population that lost their lives to the Plague of 1679.

Vienna (Part 1)

Vienna. We arrived tired and over-stimulated from our previous days’ travels. Perhaps that is why I don’t remember an awful lot about the city. Aside from walking a bit around certain parts of Vienna we didn’t take in other events such as a concert or opera. It certainly is the city of music and art. Just about everywhere you turn there is a statue of some composer or another. In a museum that we did not get to is the death mask of Beethoven.

Though we didn’t actually make it to the Vienna State Opera House, we were constantly approached by individuals selling tickets to one opera or another – if not at the State Opera House, then another venue. It was rather strange to be approached by Mozart or Haydn, powdered wigs and all. In a couple of cases the affect was ruined by a lovely satin and lacy-shirted outfit ending in a pair of Reeboks but, overall, it was charming.

We breezed by the Albertina Museum, Albertina being the only one of Marie Antointette’s siblings that was allowed to marry for love. I guess this was odd and unique enough to warrant a museum to one’s self!

In the last picture on this page, note the little old lady in the lower left hand corner. She is wearing a lace dress, a ruff, and a tiara - and she is NOT in costume. I loved her moxie. 

Wachau Valley (Part 3)