Chapter 29 - St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna

St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen in my life. It is one of the primary symbols of Austria and is on the back of the 10 cent Euro coin. Construction began in 1147 on the site of an ancient Roman cemetery, and building continued until 1511 with renovations occurring almost continually to the modern day. Part of the cathedral is currently covered with canvas, and they've painted on the canvas the features behind it.

St. Stephen's, or Stephansdom as it is lovingly called by Austrians, has had a fascinating history. Not just a church, it was the main observation and command post for the defense of the walled city during the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and the Battle of Vienna [against the Turks] in 1683. A watchman ran a bell for fires until 1955.

Stephansdom was built of white limestone which the soot and air pollution of centuries has turned black. The most recent restoration is gradually returning it to its original white. It has 18 altars in the main part of the cathedral and six chapels. The main door is called the Giant's Door after the thighbone of a mastodon that hung over it for decades after being found in 1443. The cathedral is 351 feet long and 111.5 feet wide. It has been featured in many movies, notably the thriller, "The Third Man."

One of the most interesting things is the tour of the catacombs that Kate and I took - Bob decided to sit that one out but later wished he had gone along. It is a vast area of chambers and dimly-lit, winding tunnels. In the bishops crypt lie the graves of provosts of the cathedral. In the ducal crypt are 78 bronze containers containing body parts, mainly entrails, of 72 Habsburgs. That seemed beyond disgusting to Kate and me, but the guide explained that different sites want to be able to say they have the remains of Habsburgs. So the hearts are primarily in the Hofburg Palace, the entrails at Stephansdom, and the main part of the corpses in various places. I presume you noticed the same math that I did - 78 containers and 72 Habsburgs. I can think of any number of reasons for that discrepancy, all of them less than appetizing, and we didn't receive any official explanation.

As I recounted in a previous blog, there is a dungeon-like chamber with the skeletons of 600 Black Death victims. Then the guide told us how in the 1700s the smell from so many bodies buried beneath the church began to waft into the sanctuary itself, nauseating churchgoers. So the king ordered that prisoners open every tomb, clean every bone and fill another dungeon-like room with the bones. I tried hard not to imagine that task. That would not have been the year to commit larceny! The walls are stacked with cemented bones with skulls dotted here and there, and a huge heap of bones lies in the middle of the chamber. I was so disappointed they didn't allow pictures in the catacombs, but I later found this one of the bone chamber.


Today the cathedral is more than a museum; it is a living, breathing church. Masses and other services are held daily, baptisms are held in a special chapel. I imagine that weddings and funerals are also held there. The pictures are a mix of the two times we were there.

Standing in Stephansplatz, looking at the cathedral.


That's Ljuba and me in the foreground.




Bob and Kate in Stephansplatz.


Three pictures of the main altar area.






I'm standing near an altar from the 1500s.


Various pictures of the interior. The pictures are dark,
but then it's very dim inside.








The inscription says, "1513."


This is a tomb from the 1500s.


This is one of the side doors; this is the one we
exited from after the tour of the catacombs.


This is one of the many friezes on the exterior.

Chapter 28 - Fairy Tale Trees

Once upon a time there was a young girl who was in danger from a wicked stepmother or villain of some type. She would end up alone and frightened in the the dark and eerie forest. Close to Sigma on a road leading to the tennis courts is a row of trees that could fit into any fairy tale or the movies, "The Wizard of Oz," or "Lord of the Rings."

When I was a child, I loved Grimm's Fairy Tales. The two brothers wrote their stories from oral tales told to them by local residents, peasants and farmers, and don't forget - they lived in nearby Germany. I feel quite sure that these trees were similar to the kind described in the fairy tales. You can just see Snow White, Gretel, Red Riding Hood, and their fictional sisters being lost in the woods with trees like these!

After looking exhaustively online, my best guess is that these trees are some kind of willow tree. I know precious little about the trees of central Europe - most of them here look quite different from the East Texas Piney Woods. Of course I took the pictures in bright sunlight (my camera's not much good otherwise) so you'll have to imagine the woods in dim light, all silent and creepy.

Looking down the road the trees seem benign, don't they?


They have a nice shape and provide good shade.


The rest of the pictures show how the trunks near the
ground are eroded away (don't know how). You can almost
see a little leprechaun or ogre hiding in the crevice.
I would have loved trees like this when I was a child.
What fun it would have been to climb them and play in these
cavities!

Chapter 27 - Vienna Rosengarten

Vienna has the most parks of any European capital, and one of them is the charming Rosengarten, or Rose Garden. Ljuba took us there to rest up from walking all around the Ringstrasse, the inner ring of Vienna that encircles the old town area. From the garden you can see many old buildings, including Parliament and the Rathaus.

The park is spacious and surprisingly quiet considering it's nestled in between so many buildings, roads and the tramline. I love roses and enjoyed the fragrance of the many rose trees and bushes. I recognized the names of many of the antique roses.

Those who know me know how lazy I can be. It has been said by someone who shall remain nameless that I would drive the car down the driveway to get the mail if I could. I can't believe I've been slandered like that! Well, I've made up for it by all the walking I've done here in Austria, especially in Vienna. You can't drive in large parts of the old town so you can imagine how I relish the opportunity to sit down when I can. The benches in Rosengarten were irresistible!

Chapter 26 - Schonbrunn Palace

Schonbrunn Palace is the most popular tourist attraction in Vienna, and Bob, Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The name means "beautiful well," and it is an amazing place. It was originally built in 1569 by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II for use as a hunting lodge but was destroyed by the Turks in the siege of 1683.

The palace as it stands today is due to Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). After the death of her brother, Maria Theresa ascended the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the age of 28 and ruled for 35 years. Living in Vienna wasn't as pleasant back then with its lack of sewage and running water, especially during the summer so Maria Theresa decided to renovate the newly-built Schonbrunn for use as a summer palace. She wanted it to compete with Versailles and to that end restored it in the rococo style, added a zoo (Tiergarten, the oldest zoo in the world), an orangerie (conservatory), several gardens in different styles, a garden maze, a gloriette structure (belvedere) on the hill behind the palace, a picturesque created Roman ruin, the Schlosstheater that was popular in the 18th century. The palace has 1,441 rooms and is 3,900 feet wide and 3,250 feet deep. Bob estimated the whole complex to be about a mile wide and three miles deep.

Maria Theresa, whom I find to be a fascinating historical character, had 16 children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood. All of them, except her oldest son and one daughter, disappointed her. All her daughters had the first name of Maria, and she forced all but one into royal, often distasteful, marriages, ignoring their pleas and begging - which is odd considering that she had one of the few royal love matches. Her favorite daughter was Maria Christina, the only one she allowed to marry for love. She also blatantly favored that daughter with affection, money and gifts, which caused the other children to resent Maria Christina and to avoid contact with her in adulthood. She forced another daughter, 16-year-old Maria Josepha, to go to pray at the tomb of her recently deceased sister-in-law. The tomb was improperly sealed, and Maria Josepha contracted smallpox from the dead princess and died three days later, the second of Maria Theresa's daughters to die of that disease. The poor girl had been supposed to leave for her wedding to the King of Sicily in three days, so the next daughter, 15-year-old Maria Karolina, was sent instead. Apparently, one princess was as good as another. Maria Theresa named three daughters Maria Karolina - the first two died young. I don't think I'd want that name, but the third one lived the longest of all the children and died at age 73. Maria Theresa's youngest daughter was Maria Antonia, otherwise known as Marie Antoinette, and we all know how she ended up.

Schonbrunn is famous for events in later times as well. Napoleon Bonaparte used it as his headquarters from 1805 to 1809 while he was marauding around central Europe. During the occupation of Austria from 1945 to 1955 the British army of occupation used the palace as its headquarters. The famous meeting in 1961 between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khruschev took place there. The palace has been featured in such films as "A Breath of Scandal" starring Sophia Loren and the James Bond movie, "The Living Daylights." Today the palace is a World Heritage Site. Many concerts are held in the gloriette and gardens behind the palace.

The front of the palace.


I love this fountain in the main courtyard.


Three pictures of us in the main courtyard.






The view of the back of the palace. Yes, we took a tour
of the interior, but no pictures were allowed.


The gloriette on the hill behind the palace.


A more distant view of the garden as it ascends the hill
to the gloriette where concerts are held in the summer.


You can walk on several paths through the different gardens.


After walking all day I was content to rest awhile. This
pigeon was totally unafraid and kept advancing closer and
closer, pausing to cock its head. Clearly this had worked
in the past to secure a tidbit.

Chapter 25 - Kunsthistorisches Museum

The title sounds quite mysterious, doesn't it? It just means Art History Museum, and it is a wonderful place. It was built over twenty years from 1871 to 1891 and was intended to collect and display all the art treasures collected over the centuries by the Habsburgs. Directly across the square is the identical Naturehistorisches Museum, or Natural History Museum, which we haven't seen yet.

Inside the Art History Museum are some of the world's great art, including treasures from Egypt, Greece and Rome; the world's largest coin museum; and my favorite, paintings by the old masters. Included are works by Titan, Rubens, both Holbeins, Durer, Rembrandt, Raphael, Velazquez, and the Brueghels. One painting I was particularly eager to see was the portrait of Jane Seymour (third wife of Henry VIII) by Hans Holbein the Younger. It is so beautiful with such exquisite detail and humanity. I think you could stand there for hours just gazing at it.

Bob, Kate and I had a great time wandering through the various galleries. I don't think you're supposed to take pictures inside, but I saw many people doing it. We just took a few - sorry for how dark they are. (A new digital camera is definitely on my list - one that won't blink red forever and with a better flash - but that's another story.)

Two views of the museum. That's Kate in the foreground.




Kate and me on the first floor gallery (2nd floor
for us parvenu Americans).


Rule or not, I had to have a picture of me with the
fabulous portrait of Jane Seymour.


Bob and me on the grand staircase leading from
ground to first floor.


I think this is what Bob would like to do to me
for dragging him through another museum.


My fascination with doors continues. This is the front
door of the museum, and it's extremely hard to pull open.
But it's awesome, isn't it?


This statue of Empress Maria Theresa occupies the center of the
square between the two museums. She is holding the Pragmatic
Sanction of 1713, which allowed a woman to succeed to the
throne. All around the base are her various generals. I
think it's fitting to have the woman on top and the men on
a lower level, don't you? It didn't happen very often in
history.

Chapter 24 - Sightseeing in Vienna, Part 2

Just thought I'd show some pictures of buildings and other things that caught my eye.

I love the way a lot of buildings wrap around the
corner. I'd love to live in a flat that has one
of those round rooms. What a view!


This is a street near Stephanplatz. A lot of local
artists sell drawings of Vienna buildings.


Note the statues on top of the building.


Another of those wrap-around-the-corner buildings,
but look at the carving of the Greek-style vase.


Everywhere you look you can see these huge bronze statues.






Two big buildings near the Rosengarten.




There are sidewalk cafes on many streets.


I love the building in the middle.


A beautiful bronze fountain. Note the balcony on
the building across the street. Many apartment
buildings have businesses on the ground floor.
Wouldn't you love this view from your living room?