Day 13: Vienna

Friday

Since we were staying right in the Old Town, we simply walked from our hotel to see some of the sights of Vienna. Again, our guidebook led us through some of the more popular sights. Basically, we just wandered around all day until our feet hurt.

The Kaisergruft is a church under which about 150 dead Hapsburgs lie inside elaborate and eerie coffins. It was very dark down there and rather creepy. Apparently, only their bodies are there. Their hearts are in the Augustinian Church, and their entrails are in the crypt below St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Bizarre.

Kartner Strasse and Stephansplatz were abuzz with tourist and vendors and old-world charm. We walked all over (and took the subway) visiting the Opera, various churches, monuments, houses of state, the Hofburg Palace, and a multitude of “Platz”s. We were down so many back alleys, turning corners to find more monuments, statues, and churches, etc. that I can’t remember them all.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum was awesome. Beautiful architecture and tons of art. It really rivaled the Louvre in my opinion. Egyptian era artifacts, Greek statues, and lots and lots (and lots) of paintings. We spent hours there. My feet were so sore.

That evening, we ate at the coolest restaurant. It was one of the “wine cellar” restaurants where you can eat down in, well, a very old wine cellar. Stone walls and floors, dim lights, worn wooden tables… The guidebook said it was Tolkein-esque and indeed it reminded me of what I envisioned the “Prancing Pony” (in the Fellowship of the Ring) to be, only much smaller. The server lit a candle on our table and it was a good thing; otherwise we couldn’t read our menu. The food was great and we were the only ones down there (everyone else was eating on the first floor), so we had a quiet (finally) dinner and good atmosphere.

Since it was our last day in Vienna, we took a “victory lap” around the city that night, relishing the lighted buildings and monuments. We stayed out late, needing to get up around 4 the next morning, but what can you do when it’s your last day of vacation?

While packing that night, I thought I’d lost my passport. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I tore everything apart and still it was missing. I actually went so far as to call the consulate, who told me to call back in 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, Jared decided to go through my pack himself, and, lo and behold, he found it tucked inside a pocket I’d failed to check. What a relief!






Coffins in the Kaisergruft.






I really don't get it, but these things were everywhere.






A particularly ornate coffin.






A typical day in Stephensplatz. This is a long way from the bucolic pastures of Gimmewald.






Gardens.






A street in Vienna.






The Kunsthistorisches Museum.






The main dome inside the Museum, looking up. The dome continues higher than you can see.






A beautiful mural on one of the ceilings in the museum.






Hercules statue at the top of the main staircase in the museum.






Inside St. Stephen's Cathedral.






This is the "wine cellar" restaurant where we ate. I took this without a tripod, so it's a little blurry.






Another angle of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Notice the incredibly intricate stonework.






City Hall at night.






Charles Church at night.