Vienna- Day 1

13-06-2011

So much to see in such little time.

Did not realize that today is a holiday for the Pentacost. Arrived early morning to Stephensplatz, it was so quiet. The stalls were closed and there were a few pedestrians. Later in the day it was just the opposite with a open stalls and cafes along with the hustle and bustle of the crowds. There is a shriveled old tree behind a glass panel near a hotel, where craftsmen placed nails for luck when leaving Vienna in the 16 century, today there are mainly nails,minimal tree.

St. Stephen's Cathedral dominates the square, the inside is very different due to the lighting effect of the windows, various color hues play over the structures. Initially thought it was the glass that was stained in the colors but it is sheets of colored plastic hanging over the windows, innovative. We attended the mass later in the morning as a Mozart concert was being held along with it. Beautiful singing accompanied the lovely music. Vienna and Mozart go hand in hand.

Walked around at various stages through the day to explore Vienna. Passed by the finishing school for ladies (Savoysches Damenstift), no longer functional, I wonder why !

Saw the State Opera house, has a large screen outside where a passerby can watch the show being performed. Next to it is the Sacher hotel along with it's famous Sachertorte. We had one at the cafe there, a little dry for me, maybe the expectations were too high.

Went by Albertina, Lobkowitz palace, Josefplatz ( massive statue of Joseph II on a horse ) and Michaelplatz ( containing an interesting fountain, St Michael's Church and Loo's house) to reach the Hofburg palace.

The Hofburg Palace, the winter residence of the Habsburgs. It is quite an extensive complex. First visited the Silver linen rooms, the Sissi museum and the Imperial apartments ( Kaiserappartments). An audio guide took us through the lot. I was a bit skeptical about the first set of rooms but ended up finding it quite interesting. Gold , silver and porcelain tableware and cutlery were abundant and some of the sets had quite a history behind them . The centerpieces were gorgeous , even the napkins that are placed on the table are folded in a specific manner, only two people presently know the secret method.

Sissi museum gave us quite an insight into this melancholic but beautiful princess. Her dresses and jewelry , though copies, were gorgeous. Her life seems quite tragic, death of a daughter, only son committed suicide along with his mistress and it seems like she had depression and anorexia, lastly to be assassinated . When she was stabbed in the chest she did not even realize it and boarded the ship which set sail and had to return after she fainted.

Imperial apartments, the king's area was quite a contrast to Sissi's side. The picture painted through the rooms makes him out to be quite a well loved, hard working king very much in touch with the common man. His life seems even more tragic, deaths of his children, wife , brother and then World War I.

Next stop was the Imperial treasury ( Schatzkammer). Stunning jewelry ( an emerald of 2680 carats) , literally takes your breath away. The crowns , the paintings and the coronation gowns are marvelous. The swords were so well decorated, one had Arabic writing on it giving it a very magical look. There was an exquisite cradle that was made for Napoleon's son, an eagle is at the foot end looking to the top of the cradle, symbolizing the hopes on the son to surpass his father's success. Poor boy grew up away from fame, politics and his parents, dying at 21 from a lung disease. There is also quite a bit about the order of the Golden Fleece which is still active today.

The other half of the treasury contains relics associated with Mary and Jesus Christ. The larger the number of relics in a country, more it's power in the Holy Roman Empire. So obviously a little skeptical about the true origins of the relics but still quite fascinated. Each bit is protected with beautiful exteriors. There are bits of the cross, the lancet that pierced him, a nail from the crucifixion and the veil on which his face was wiped and his image appeared ( actually can see traces of a face on the cloth). Also bits of Mary's veil, an apostle's tooth and a few other things.

Admired the rose gardens surrounding Hofsplatz , then the parliament. Impressive
large white building with staircases on both sides, statues in the middle and chariots on both ends at the top, reminded me of Rome.

Spent the rest of the evening walking around the various squares. One has a plague column ( was expecting a sad monument but is very cheerful as it is thanking the gods for getting rid of the plague). We were following a walking tour plan and got to see quite a few non touristy areas, at one point of time we were in a courtyard. The entrance to it is through a small gate in a wall, on our own we wouldn't have noticed it. It was so quiet there, only a few local people and us, a pedestrian area right in the centre of the city.

Exhausted but what a great day, looking forward to a late start tomorrow.


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