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Austria

September - October 2021
A 15-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 2

    St. Stephens Cathedral

    September 18, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Stephansdom, as this church is known in German, is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. The 1st church on this site dates to the 12th century, but the Dom as it is today dates to the 14th century. Some archaeological work has suggested that the Dom is built on the site of an ancient cemetery dating to Roman times, suggesting that this site has had religious importance for as much as 2,000 years.
    The cathedral was undamaged in world war 2. However, just as much the Soviet army was entering the city, looters set fires that sent sparks to the cathedral roof that eventually collapsed, resulting in extensive damage. All of Austria stepped up to rebuild. People from across the country came to Vienna to volunteer to work. Every section of the country sponsored some part of the restoration. As one example, Vienna sponsored the roof of tiles weighing some 600 tons.
    The 1st picture is the cathedral looking from Stephansplatz. The 2nd is the front of the building. The 3rd is the main nave, and the 4th is a close up of the altar. The last picture is one of the side aisles.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 3

    Schloss Schönnbrunn

    September 19, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    This is the main summer home of the Hapsburg ruling family of Austria. This rococo palace of 1,441 rooms was built in it's current form in the 18th century by Maria Theresa.
    The pictures are all exterior as no photography is allowed inside the palace. There are lots of places on line where you can find interior pictures. I will say that the palace decor reminded me of some of the palaces in Russia that were built at about the same time.
    The 1st picture looks at the front of the Schloss. The 2nd picture is around back looking across the gardens to the hill with the Gloriette on top. The Gloriette is the 3rd picture. In general, a gloriette is a building in a garden on a hill. This dates to the late 18th century except that this is a reconstruction replacing the damage in world war 2.
    The 4th picture is of an archway built in the fashion of copying damaged architectural features of the ancient world.
    The last 2 pictures are more gardens. (There are lots!). In the 5th picture, the tall building houses tropical plants while the barely visible one story building behind it is houses desert plants.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 3

    Vienna 1st Impressions

    September 19, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Here are a few quick looks at one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There will be lots more posts from here.
    The 1st picture looks over the Schönbrunn Palace and the city of Vienna from the terrace of the Gloriette (see Schloss Schönbrunn post). The 2nd picture is the Wiener Staatsoper, the famous Vienna opera house. The 3rd picture is the statue of Mozart near the opera house with the G clef in flowers.
    The 4th picture is of the Demel Coffee House, dating to 1786 and was the pastry purveyor to the royal court. It is said to be one of the oldest coffee shops in Vienna.
    The 5th picture is the Art History Museum built to house the extensive collections of the royal family. Included are many works of cultures worldwide as well as the many curiosities gathered by the family.
    As Vienna is a center of the arts, there are many museums. For example, there is a mirror image building to the Art History museum that is the natural history museum. The last picture is a portion of another called Museumsquartier. This is a complex of a number of museums near the other major museums such as the Art History museum.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 4

    Hofburg, Vienna

    September 20, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This is the home and center of government of the Hapsburg dynasty who ruled here for about 600 years, ending only in 1918 as they were on the losing side of world war 1. The Hofburg was begun in the 12th century and remodeled, enlarged and otherwise changed over the centuries.
    The 1st picture is of the main entrance to the Hofburg.
    The 2nd picture is of the portion of the palace built on the 13th century foundations. Behind that wall is the "home field" of the Vienna Boys Choir. The 3rd picture is one of the few examples in Vienna of renaissance art. It is a gate into that section of the palace in the previous picture. The Hapsburgs were deeply Roman Catholic, and the Counter- Reformation was big here. So the baroque over took and replaced renaissance architecture.
    The 4th picture is in the main courtyard of the Hofburg. You'll notice one floor has larger widows. This floor houses the royal apartments. The 5th picture is the rotunda in one of the entries to the main courtyard.
    The last picture is of the last part of the Hofburg that was built and shows how this building's importance continues beyond the Hapsburgs. It is from the balcony in the center that Hitler gave the speech that incorporated Austria into 3rd Reich. The building now houses offices of the Austrian Presidency.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 4

    Spanish Riding School

    September 20, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This is the home of the world famous Lippizaner stallions. These pictures are of their stables, located as part of the Hofburg (see another post).
    In case you're wondering why it's the "Spanish" riding school, the Hapsburgs, at one time (for about 200 years), had 2 royal lines: one here in Austria and the other in Spain. When an Austrian king died without an heir, a Spanish Hapsburg was sent to take the throne. It is said he brought with him his favorite things, which included horses and all the related materials, teachers, etc.
    The flying horse in the last picture hangs over the center of the yard around which are the individual stalls for each horse. You can see an occasional head looking out of a stall here and there as it was dinner time when I was there, and the stallions where looking for their food.
    The riding school also includes a hall for training and shows that I didn't get to see. There are many sites online that show what these stallions are trained to do, all of which dates back to the days when these guys were warhorses.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 6

    Wiener Staatsoper

    September 22, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    These are pictures taken in the Vienna Opera House during a tour. Most of the building was severely damaged in world war 2. So, most of what you see is a reconstruction. However, the 1st 2 pictures are original. The 1st is the entry foyer. The 2nd they now call the tea room. This was the emperor's private room. There is a door to the left that accesses what had been the royal box. The 3rd picture is the view from the royal box. The tech crew on stage is busy setting up for Verdi's Othello. We only got to see the front of the house. There was much to much activity to allow access to the rest.
    The 4th picture is a look back into a part of the house from near the orchestra. The last 2 pictures are of 2 of the intermission rooms. The last one had been 8 separate rooms that were offices and apartments. This room is now called the Mahler Room as one of those 8 portions was Gustav Mahler's apartment.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 7

    More Viennese Impressions

    September 23, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    There is a lot in Vienna worth seeing. This post attempts to get some varied views of this city. The 1st picture is the Volkstheater located along the Ringstrasse not far from the Hofburg and Museumsquartier (see Vienna 1st impressions post). This was begun in the 19th century to extend access to these arts to more people.
    The 2nd picture is of the Graben. Graben, I'm told means ditch I'm German. This street is located on the filled in ditch/moat at the old city walls that are long gone. It is one of the most famous (and upscale) shopping streets in Vienna. In the distance you can make out the plague column, aka Trinity Column (with the golden statue on top). This was erected after the plague epidemic of 1679.
    The 3rd picture is of the Danube River. Vienna is one of the many major cities along the Danube. This picture looks upstream from one of the bridges. The river cruise port is on the left.
    The 4th picture is at the Naschmarkt, a popular spot in Vienna's food and market scene. This market traces its beginnings to the 16th century, and today has about 120 vendors, street food vendors and fine restaurants. I think I would describe it as a street market with a distinct, stereotypical Germanic feel.
    The last 2 pictures take us farther off the beaten path. Yppenplatz is an up and coming neighborhood, sometimes called the coolest neighborhood in Vienna. This area has become home to many immigrant groups and has attracted some creative types, too. The 5th picture is of the square with a number of interesting eateries. The last picture is of the Brunnenmarkt, less well-known but larger than the Naschmarkt, with 170 stalls stretched out along several blocks. This street market has a much less formal feeling. I do enjoy these markets.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 9

    Salzburg

    September 25, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Salzburg is best known for 2 things: this is Mozart's birthplace; and The Sound of Music was largely filmed here. This city is actually smaller than I expected, but there is a lot here. Look for more posts.
    The 1st picture looks upriver to the old town and the castle above. The 2nd picture is Mirabelle Palace and gardens, that probably look familiar from the SoM.
    The 3rd picture is the Mozartsteg, a foot bridge over the Salzach River that is said the be one of Maria vonTrapp's "favorite things".
    The 4th picture is the house where Mozart was born in the 2nd floor flat. (In the US, we would call it the 3rd floor.)
    The 5th picture is a typical street scene and in the last picture is the daily market (except Sundays) in the University plaza.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 10

    Salzburg Churches

    September 26, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    There are more churches in Salzburg than I can count. I'm sure somebody did, but given that this was a Roman Catholic principality, there are lots. In fact, I'm told there is only 1 protestant church in town, but I didn't don't find it open.
    These pictures try to show some of the variety here. The 1st picture isn't a church. It is an archway with a corridor above between the monastery and the Franciscan church. Unfortunately, the Franciscan church wasn't open.
    The 2nd picture is of the cathedral, looking over a bit of the St. Rupert festival. If it looks like a big church fair, that's no surprise. That's what it is, though the food is distinctly Austrian rather than what we find at fairs in the US (no surprise again). The 3rd picture is I side the cathedral, and the 4th picture is inside St. Peters, the Benedictine church of St. Peter's monastery.
    The 5th picture is of the Kollegienkirche, the university church. The church was begin in the late 17th century, and it is thought that Mozart's Missal Brevis in D minor was commissioned and premiered here.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 10

    Festung Hohensalzburg

    September 26, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Literally High Salzburg Fortress, this is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. It was begun in 1077, but built up at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg. If the terminology is unfamiliar, it refers to the leadership of a province of the church. Salzburg was not part of any other entity until it fell to Napoleon. As may be obvious, the wealth of "Salt Town" derived from salt mines nearby.
    The 1st picture looks up at the fortress walls from just outside the main gate. The 2nd picture looks through a castle arch out onto the main courtyard. The 3rd picture is of the side of the St. George chapel with interesting artwork.
    The 4th and 5th pictures are in the royal apartments. The 4th picture is in the main bedroom. Notice the open door to the left. This is an original garderobe (medieval toilet). The next picture is in the Golden Hall or entertaining chamber adjacent to bedroom. These are preserved/restored as original. Most of the rest of the castle interior has been modernized as museum space.
    The last picture is a rare exception to my last comment. This is in the castle chapel that has been excavated not too long ago. The items pictured preserve some of the original decorative artwork found during excavation.    Read more

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