Vienna by Day

 Thursday, November 14, 2024

In so many cities on this tour, I've been annoyed by the construction (and the accompanying forklifts and cranes) of little huts near the beautiful cathedrals and other important landmarks.  Now, stepping outside of the Schoenbrunn Palace, I stepped into my first ever European Christmas Market.  Similar to what we Americans call a bazaar, but more unique and festive.  In Europe, this is a big thing.  Trips and cruises are planned around their schedules.  I had thought them to be a silly new commercialization of Christmas, but I've found that they actually go back hundreds of years.  Quaint little shops were set up in the town squares, which was usually in front of the town cathedral.  Here at the palace, rows of shops, painted a creamy yellow to match, are partially shaded from the late morning sunshine, by that massive edifice.

 Handicrafts and goodies galore await late-morning shoppers.  Below, according to the wooden map, are some delectable meats, cheeses and oils from Italy.

This being their first hours of the season, the booths were fairly bursting with merchandise.  Many featured Christmas ornaments which may or may not have been handcrafted.

Below, a hopeful young face peers out from behind her intricately carved rolling pins.  She was sweet, and spoke very good English.  Though I rarely bake anymore, I bought a pretty flowered one.  She gave me a recipe to go with it, and tips on how to keep the dough from sticking.

Treats, both sweet and salty were available at many booths.  Here, marzipan, in a myriad of tempting flavors and a veritable rainbow of colors was being offered.  While one of my favorites, I opted not to indulge this time.  With dessert offered at every evening meal on the ship, I had to be selective and not fall for everything my eye fancied.

On the crisp, cool morning air came the unmistakable aroma of baking waffles, from this waffle-on-a-stick stand.  With every flavor and topping imaginable, this was something that could pass for an early lunch.  

I opted for a plain waffle with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.  There was no seating, but tall tables were scattered here and there to stand at and enjoy a treat.  This Christmas market was quite extensive, including a Ferris wheel and small carousel, which added to the festive atmosphere.

When I had finished my churro-like treat, I headed for the waiting bus, and a ride to the city center.  Only then did I spot this cute coffee cart.  A vanilla latte would have been so perfect with my waffle.

It would have been more than an hour walk to the downtown, so I was glad they offered the bus.  We went on a bit of a tour past many stately buildings. 

Even a ubiquitous McDonalds, crouching discreetly on the ground floor of this multi-storied building.

Disembarking, we continued through the old city center on foot.  Tall buildings on either side, and cloudy skies above, made for a rather gloomy walk.  As in many cities across the world, Christmas lights had been strung, but were not yet on to bring a little cheer. 

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire bespoke the coming holiday season.  I still have never tried this historic snack.

The large red spheres hanging above the street here were a landmark to follow when we returned to the bus later in the afternoon.  

Our tour officially ended in the Innere Stadt (Old Town) in front of the magnificent, gothic masterpiece that is St. Stephen's Cathedral.  

Here we had a few hours of free time to explore the city.  A Christmas market was scattered about the square, so I browsed a bit, but didn't want to carry anymore merchandise around.  Instead, I went into the church to have a look around.  First impression was obviously of grandeur, but the floor tiles and light ceiling panel lightened the expected dim interior.

To be honest, I found the checkerboard design and the addition of chrome and plastic chairs along the aisle not really in keeping with this late sixteenth century edifice.  But still, it was magnificent.  Gothic columns, sweeping up towards the vault of the heavens, a vast organ, brightened by the sun streaming through the stained glass.

Precious metals weren't used extensively here, and most of the stained glass wasn't pictorial, but the stonework was amazing.

Ancient pews, darkened by the hands of the ages.  Engravings and inscriptions all along the stone walls exuded the centuries of history of the lives of the faithful who had worshipped here.

But I was focused on finding the tiny booth-style gift shop, where I could buy a "cash only" ticket to the lift in the north tower.  Securing it with some of the few euros that I had left, I waited my turn for the ascent of nearly 200 feet.

Construction of the north tower began around the year 1450, with the plan to have it match the design of the south tower.  Due to financial issues, the construction took 130 years.  At that point it was finished off with a much shorter design, and capped with a verdigris dome.  In the photo below, the south tower is the tall spire on the right.  The shorter, north tower is hidden behind the roof.  

Below, a couple of photos that I took later, of the north tower.  As might be expected the north facing stone walls are blackened by perpetual dampness.

Stepping out onto the viewing platform at the top, one comes almost nose to nose with the impressive, colorful tile roof.  Following WWII there was a fire that destroyed much of the cathedral.  This roof was installed in the reconstruction.  

With a walking area around the foot of the green dome, one can see to the north, west, and east.  The west and east towers are fanciful, knobby turrets.

Though it was cloudy, we could see much of the city spread out below.  Buildings, both modern and ancient, rubbed shoulders along the streets.

There were only a handful of us that lingered at the chilly top.  Among them was a couple from Wisconsin that I struck up a conversation with.  We offered to take photos of each other.  And here you can see that safety precautions were in place to ensure we didn't tumble off the edge to the streets below.

And speaking of streets, it was so interesting to look straight down at all the bustle below.  Christmas market shops, bicycles, shoppers, horse and carriages, and a circle thing that I believe may be a parking garage.  On the lower left, a close-up of some of the stone embellishment that isn't really visible from the street level.

Back down on the ground, I had just a bit of time before I needed to find my way back down the "street of the red globes" to our waiting bus.  Since I'd only had the waffle stick for lunch, I was hungry.  Hungry for something very special, and very Viennese.

Following a steep flight of stairs down, the perpetually smiling maître d and red carpet drew me into this posh restaurant.  

It was beautiful, and, at only 3:00, rather empty.  But I was welcomed, and given solicitous service.

I'm not really big on fruity desserts but this apple strudel, so iconically Viennese, lavishly embellished, and served on a golden plate, was undeniably exquisite.

 

I somehow had neglected to jot down the name of the restaurant, but later was able to zoom in on one of my photos and then look it up.  Lindenkeller, the oldest "cellar restaurant" in Vienna, has been operating since 1435.  I sat in the same space as so many of the music greats, like Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Straus, and numerous political figures through the six centuries it has been serving up schnitzel and strudel.  A beautiful afternoon that I'll always treasure.

The Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna

 Thursday, November 14, 2024

Rivers are the life blood of a nation, with cities birthed along their banks, then growing to a sprawl on either side.  Salzburg, "the city of salt" straddled the Salzach River, which not a route for our cruise, required a many hour bus ride to visit.  Vienna, on the other hand, has the Danube River running through the heart of it.  We did board the bus right after breakfast this chilly November morning, but it was only for a short jaunt through the city to the entrance of the Schoenbrunn Palace.  A side note here.  There seems to be a dozen different ways to spell Schoenbrunn.  I'm sticking with this one, though there should be two dots over the "o". 

The Schoenbrunn Palace, with a tastefully matching Christmas market being set up in the foreground

Before we began our tour, we were offered a view through a wide window of what is known as the Glorietta.  Beyond a vast, sweeping lawn is basically a lavish viewpoint for the palace. 

As with every tour I've ever been on, we moved through more quickly than I could absorb the information.  Every photo required me lagging behind our group, and thus missing a bit of information regarding the next point of interest.  And it was all interesting, to be sure.  A study of the Habsburg family in advance would have been helpful.

Opulence is the first word that comes to mind when viewing the palace interior.  It would seem nothing was spared in time, money and materials.  The hues were rich and varied, fabrics were fine, and surfaces heavily gilded.  Everywhere was exquisite detail.

Frescoed ceiling in the Grand Gallery

Chandelier lighting the Grand Gallery

In the Carousel Room, there are two large paintings that depict important events from the reign of Maria Theresa.  The first, which gives this room its unusual name, is an event called the Ladies' Carousel.  A tournament of sorts, led by Maria Theresa herself, it is to demonstrate the carriage-driving skills of the ladies.  The second, I haven't found information on, but it looks like an important banquet.

Vieux Laque Room

Where every surface of wall and ceiling was lavished with fabrics, paint and gilt, the truly exquisite was underfoot, where exotic woods created intricate patterns like the strokes of a brush from a master's hand.

 

Oval Chinese Cabinet Room

Delicate blue and creamy white are hallmarks of the Porcelain Room, the relatively small writing chamber of Maria Theresa.  Decor is as it would have been in 1763/64, leans towards the Chinoiserie style favored by the monarch.  Chinoiserie: reflecting Chinese qualities or motifs.

Another striking room is known as the Millions Room, so dubbed due to its lavish use of sumptuous materials.  Walls are paneled in exotic palisander wood (also known as Madagascar rosewood) inset by more than sixty collages.  

These watercolor paintings depict the lives of the Mughal rulers in India during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Bright enameled flowers add a touch of color to the chandelier

The following room is simply called The Rich Room.  The bed is covered in a deep red velvet (though it looks black in the photo), lavishly embroidered in gold and silver threads.  This exquisite ensemble, which includes curtains and wall hangings, was created and installed in time for Maria Theresa's marriage to Franz Stephen of Lorraine in 1736.  Their portraits stand on either side of the bed. 

The walls and the furniture in the Gobelin Room are covered by rich, detailed tapestries.  The flooring, another intricately inlaid wood design.

The Napoleon Room, is so named for the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who resided here during his occupancy of Vienna in 1805 and 1809.  It was also the bedroom of his son, the Duke of Reichstadt, from his marriage to Marie Louise, daughter of Emperor Franz II.  In his portrait below, due to the gray wig, the duke looks like an old man, but he was barely of age.  I was really thrown by this and assumed the painting was of someone else, but with lots of later research found that it is indeed the young duke.

The Duke of Reichstadt

The young man was raised at the palace, and often called Prince Franzi.  His fondness for gardening and study of botany, is represented by this painting in the park at Laxenburg. 

Alas, at only the age of twenty-one, he contracted tuberculosis and died.  Here his bed is on display, as well as a bust of him on his deathbed.

There are forty rooms shown on the palace map.  I'm guessing that we toured most of them, though some were too crowded to linger in or take pictures.  To really get a sense of the palace, and the lives lived there through the ages, one would need days.  But even a basic tour would require hours that we did not have.  But the day was young and the rest of Vienna awaited us.  So after a browse through the ever-present  gift shop (which was heavy on the Princess Sisi merchandise), we made our way out into the sunshine.