Day 17 Vienna

April 20, 2005. Another day of exploring the Imperial City of Vienna. As we move into the latter phases of our travels we’re starting to slow down a bit. We slept in until almost 9 this morning and after a leisurely Austrian breakfast in our room we set off to explore the Ringstrasse. Most of the ring is closed to traffic so we wandered along enjoying the shops until we reached St. Stephan’s Cathedral.

The cathedral is a basilica built on the site of a Romanesque sanctuary. Construction started in the 12^th century but the new cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1258. The ruins were replaced in the 14^th century by a Gothic building and this cathedral survived the ages, in spite of damage by the Turks in 1683 and the Soviet bombardment in 1945. Restored and reopened in 1948, the cathedral today is one of the greatest Gothic structures in Europe, rich in wood carvings, altars, sculptures and paintings. The steeple, rising some 450 feet has come to symbolize the spirit of Vienna.

The cathedral is 450 feet long and is full of Austrian history. It was here that the mourners attended Mozart’s ‘pauper funeral’ in 1791 and it was on the cathedral door that Napoleon posted his farewell edict in 1805.

You can climb the 343 step south tower, which dominates the skyline, for a view of the Vienna Woods, The North Tower, can be reached by elevator but it was never finished to match the South tower.

By now it was time for lunch, so we stopped at our favorite pasterie to buy our brunch of meat and cheese. After lunch I did some work while Nancy continued to work on her shopping in the Ringstrasse.

For tea today we had the famous “Imperial Tort” and a glass of chardonnay in the main lounge of the Imperial Hotel. Not cheap but tastes great. Tonight we’re off for more music this time at the Schunbrunn Palace. We’re getting the hang of the subway system so it was out the front door of the hotel, turn left, walk for a block to the main station and jump on the U4 subway for six stops. Then it was a five minute walk to the palace.

The dinner was in the west wing of the palace and was a superb three course event. We added to our enjoyment of the meal with a bottle of white Austrian wine. After a leisurely dinner we walked down the palace grounds to the Orangerie. This wing of the palace has been turned into a concert hall and we enjoyed the classical music of the Schunbrunn Palace ensemble. More music from Mozart and Strauss performed in the magnificent salon. Tonight’s program was more in depth and featured a 15 piece ensemble, 2 singers and 2 dancers. Hearing them play in the palace is an event we will long remember.

Tomorrow we’ll finish exploring the Ring area of the Imperial City of Vienna.

Stay tuned for Day 18 in my “Around the World in 30 Days” saga.

Alan Salmon
eClub One