January 09, 2005
Chapter 1: Vienna
So wanna know a secret? I've been working on this for the last hour,and somehow, I accidentally closed the window and lost it all. I'm a little disheartened, but I guess I'll persevere and try and retype this.
So, Vienna, the first leg of our weeklong journey through some of Europe's great cities.
We started our trip to Vienna with a five hour train ride. I really like riding on trains. They're comfortable (unless you ride in an enclosed room with someone smoking) and you can stare out the window at passing landscape. I brought my iPod and started a new book, but mostly just looked out the window and watched the mountainous, snow-covered land turn into the rolling hills of eastern Austria. I only took one picture from the train because there was a huge glare, and I often debated about whether or not to delete it. Even with the glare, I still like this picture. It shows a family in bright colored snowsuits sledding down the hill by a typical Austrian church.
We finally arrived in Vienna and made it to our hotel. After settling in, we went out to explore the city. Although it was only about 4:30, the sun had set and the buildings were lit up against the deep blue sky - my favorite time of day. I had studied up on Vienna before we came, reading from Rick Steves' Guide to Europe, but the only thing we really wanted to see right away was St. Stephen's Cathedral. Angie and I had seen paintings of it hanging in the Lenbachhaus, so we were eager to see the groin vaults and arches in person. We started on a tram and when we saw the building, we just hopped off. It was lovely - a tall, central spire rising against the sky. It had a huge Christmas tree in front of it and the remains of a Christkindlmarkt outside.
As I got closer to the front door, I saw a sign above the entrance – Rathaus. It wasn't the cathedral at all. So we looked down the street and saw two lacy spires. Aw. That must be it.
So we walked along the street, our excitement growing as we got closer and closer. I took a picture of the rose window and examined the detailed exterior.
Then I went to the entrance to see if we could go inside. That's when I noticed the plaque. This was the Votivkirche. I still went inside and wandered around for a bit. When Angie and Dan caught up, they were all compliments about the building, and I had to break the bad news that it wasn't exactly what we thought it was. This time, we pulled out a map to consult. We were on the ring that surrounds the city center and St. Stephen's was in the center of the city, so if we just found a street that acted as a radius, we would eventually make it to the cathedral. So that's exactly what we did. And I have to admit that when we first got to St. Stephen's, I was a little disappointed. It's undergoing renovations, which is common, but I think these renovations were sponsored by some companies because there were two huge banners on the central spire of the cathedral. Now that’s just tacky.
We went inside, but there was a concert for which you had to have a ticket, so we couldn't see much. We decided to come back the next day. Afterwards, we wandered around the pedestrian streets of Vienna. The Christmas lights were still up and people were busily preparing for the Silvester celebration.
There were street musicians all along the road. We stopped at some of them, but this trio was our favorite by far. I tried taking several pictures, but none of them could capture their facial expressions or the speed of their fingers. They were amazing.
I discovered that a great way to find out what you want to do in a city is to look at their postcards. In perusing some postcards, we were reminded that Vienna has a huge Ferris wheel and we wanted to ride it. So we got directions and found our way there and were just lucky enough to make it onto the last ride of the evening.
I was surprised that I wasn't scared or nervous. Normally, I'm not a fan of slow-moving machines that go high and that people can rock. I always feel like they're going to break down, but maybe because this was a completely enclosed capsule, I was okay with it. And we got to see the city lights of Vienna, including the towers of the Votivkirche, Rathaus, and St. Stephen's (which we could now identify).
Afterwards, we wandered around the little amusement park. It was completely closed except for the Ferris wheel, which made it seem eerie. An electric calliope sound for different games kept playing in intervals. In one way, I wanted to explore everything, hopping the fences and sitting in the cars of rides, but at the same time, it really wan uncomfortable.
I separated from Angie and Dan after this. I generally went off on my own and if you've ever traveled alone with a couple, you'll understand why. Luckily, I really like being on my own, and I felt safe enough in the well-lit streets of Vienna. I toured around the ring, looking at the Opera and the city buildings. Then I came upon the Hapsburg Palace. I'm sure Vienna is beautiful in the summer, and there were many times that I wished it were summer, but I was really glad right then that it wasn't. Mostly because I loved the way the stark trees showed up against the illuminated palace. I tried really hard to capture it's beauty, but I failed. Here, at least, is an attempt.
I found my way to the museums, which were all closed by now, so I just got some informative pamphlets and determined to come back. I also stumbled across this statue of, I think, Mary Theresa, the Empress.
As promised, in the light of day, we returned to St. Stephen's. This time, I was able to get some interior shots. While I didn't feel that the checkered floor and arches lived up to the paintings at the Lenbach, I still favored the carved steps.
And squeezed into the little, round elevator that lifts you up to the bell tower.
One of the problems with going on your own is that there's no one really to take your photo, so here I am trying to take a photo of myself up on the tower. It didn't really get much background, but you can get an idea of how incredibly windy and cold it was up there.
Here's a detail from the exterior of the cathedral:
And it wouldn't be a cathedral without some live statues:
From here, we tried to find the Hunterwasser Haus. It wasn't easy. We had to stop a couple times and unfold the unwieldy map to ascertain our position. Fortunately, every time we did, some kind older lady carrying a grocery basket would stop and help us. Eventually, we found our way. Here are some photos of the organic and whimsical work of Hunterwasser.
I think after a while, this might drive me crazy, especially as even the sidewalks are bereft of straight lines.
From there, onto Schönbrunn Palace. Being a thrifty traveler, I couldn't afford to enter the palace for a tour, and I think I missed out on some of its magic. Instead, I saw the exterior, which didn't feel quite as grand in the light of day.
The grounds certainly were impressive, though. Complete with reproduced ruins, mazes, a zoon, and lots of fountains and statues and statues in fountains. This is one of the times that I really wished it were summer. I also wished I hadn't worn my feet out by walking so much already. As it was, I couldn't explore half of the grounds as I would've liked. Oh well, another time.
From here, we went to the train station, completely exhausted and happily expectant for two hours of rest while traveling to Linz and Upper Austria, the next chapter.
Posted by kea at January 9, 2005 08:30 PM