Today was kind of a lazy day--we were slow getting started this morning, and it was about 10:30 by the time we left our apartment. Our plan for the day was to wander around the central Vienna old town area, just enjoying the beautiful old buildings. We took the tram over to the area, and walked up and down the pretty narrow streets. It was almost deserted in some areas, which was kind of nice! Sundays seem to be very quiet around here--all the stores and many of the restaurants are closed.
Here are just a few pictures I snapped during our wanderings.......
Right after we got off the tram--there are beautiful buildings in every direction:
A pretty church tower in the distance. There are so many amazing churches here, we can't possibly visit them all!
A pretty narrow street, almost deserted:
One of the main "high end" shopping streets:
After wandering for a couple of hours, we decided it was time for a "sit-down", so we chose a sidewalk cafe on a pretty pedestrian street. We weren't ready for lunch yet, but a couple of deserts and espressos were in order!
Traditional Vienna desert--Sacher Torte, and a fruit topped pastry. We were disappointed in the Sacher Torte--it was a little dry.
Can't beat the view from our table, though!
We were in the Stephensplatz area and the beautiful St. Stephen's Church was nearby, so we walked the short distance over that way. It's a huge church, and I couldn't get far enough away to get a picture of the whole thing!
The front:
Beautiful detail around the entry--loved the carved columns:
Side view:
The roof is tiled in an interesting pattern:
We went in for a quick look, but didn't explore the entire church, as services were just starting. The main part of the church is actually gated with two attendants standing by. I'm not sure how they tell the worshipers from the "gawker/tourists"--maybe a camera around one's neck??
Looking toward the altar:
It's really a pretty church, and the Gothic design reminded us of Notre Dame in Paris
We only had one "must see" planned for today--the Museum of Architecture. Chris, the nice young manager at our apartment, had suggested it to us as we are very interested in architecture. We had marked it on our map, so after we left St. Stephen's Cathedral, we set off in that direction. It soon became obvious that it was going to be a looooong and confusing walk to the museum quarter, and there was a taxi stand right next to us. Easy decision--we hopped in the cab and were dropped off right in front--perfect!
The museum quarter in Vienna is home to many different museums, from the Museum of Modern Art to the "Zoom"--children's museum. We walked around the huge inner courtyard that's lined with restaurants--it was definitely time for lunch now. We didn't find any appealing menus, so walked down the block and found a nice place for a proper sit down lunch. We each had a bowl of goulash soup and shared a plate of Schnitzle with capers--pretty good stuff!
Restaurant Raimond:
After our yummy lunch we walked back over the the museum and bought our "Senior" tickets for the Museum of Architecture. It was a small museum, just one room, and was geared towards students of design and architecture. It was very interesting, with detailed descriptions (in English--yaaay!) and photos of each era's architecture. Much of it was over my head, but we still spent almost an hour looking at the photos and reading about the famous architects of Vienna. I especially enjoyed reading about Otto Wagner, the very talented architect and designer of that amazingly beautiful Art Nouveau building I posted about yesterday. It was definitely a worthy stop!
After our time at the museum, we agreed that we'd call it a day. My poor old knees are just not having a good time today, and I want to make sure they are well rested for tomorrow.
Here are a few architectural highlights of the day............
These two men look soooo weary, and it's no wonder. I've seen them holding up building all around Vienna:
Pretty decoration on the Vienna Performing Arts Center"
Fountain near Stephensplatz, there's a story here, I'm sure!
And finally---these two charmers perched on the side of a building. They look like they're getting ready to jump!
They are actually kind of creepy looking close up:
We're dining "in" tonight--more sauerkraut, sausages and potatoes--delicious!
Tomorrow in Vienna: Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens--and we're hoping for no rain again!
Churches in Vienna are beautiful too...food sounds like something I could eat. Stay well friends...
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