Vienna
When my friend Nan found out that I had never been to Vienna, she implored us to head down to the Imperial City and see it during the holiday season. Karl hadn't been since 1984 when he traveled there with the Youth Chamber Orchestra from the New England Conservatory. So he was game.
It doesn't take a lot of arm-twisting to get Karl and me fixated on a travel destination that's within reach. Even at the busiest time of year. We took a day to ourselves and made a quick dash southeast in the week before Christmas. We caught the 06:51 train and arrived four hours later, giving us more than six hours to explore Vienna before we needed to return back home to Prague.
As for the boys, wescattered some food on the kitchen floor left döner-kebab money on the table for them. It was early in their school holiday break, and the idea of a day at home left to their own devices (that is to say: iPod, Xbox, Nintendo 3DS) was almost as glorious to them as the knowledge that they were not being dragged around yet another European city.
Vienna did not disappoint! I so wished we'd had more time to wander and absorb. This post will be more of a photo dump with a little interstitial narrative. (Gotta move along on these things.)
With our thematic day trip focusing on — what else? — Christmas markets, we began at Stephansplatz (St. Stephan's Square).
Ducked into the cathedral to have peak.
Frankly, the most eye-catching feature of the dom is its roof.
Set out to see more.
The Am Hof market is divided in two parts: the craft market and the more typical Christmas market. Karl is surrounded by the craft market stalls here.
As this article notes, "This is not your run-of-the-mill craft market. Those wishing to sell their wares have to pass a jury-led selection process. Which means the items on sale have a certain level of artistic quality and are not mass-produced. So if you’re looking for some unique gifts, this is a good place to start."
The wares are lovely, but vendors (understandably) forbid any close-up photography of the goods. So you'll have to settle for shots of the more typical stalls.
Several colossal Hercules statues flank the gate to the palace from Michaelerplatz.
Decided it was high time we duck into a warm refuge for a hot beverage.
Into the palace grounds
A commander of the Austrian army, Archduke Charles was considered one of Napoleon's most formidable opponents.
Ice rinks appeared all over Prague in December.
But while the markets were up in Vienna, there were smaller areas for skating — more like ice tracks than rinks.
It's hard to show in these pictures, but the ice loops around almost like a maze. Seems like it might be more interesting than just going around a rink. (So long as you didn't crash into the wooden barriers on a turn!)
More snacks:
Enjoyed the folks on the street.
Admired architectural adornments.
The World's Best Krapfen (?)
This is the only market mug I've kept. I loves it.
Headed home with a small amount of loot
... and a vow to return to Vienna for a more thorough exploration.
Thank you, Nan! 🎄
It doesn't take a lot of arm-twisting to get Karl and me fixated on a travel destination that's within reach. Even at the busiest time of year. We took a day to ourselves and made a quick dash southeast in the week before Christmas. We caught the 06:51 train and arrived four hours later, giving us more than six hours to explore Vienna before we needed to return back home to Prague.
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| Snow en route in the Czech-Moravian Highlands set the seasonal mood. |
As for the boys, we
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| Stephandom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) |
Vienna did not disappoint! I so wished we'd had more time to wander and absorb. This post will be more of a photo dump with a little interstitial narrative. (Gotta move along on these things.)
With our thematic day trip focusing on — what else? — Christmas markets, we began at Stephansplatz (St. Stephan's Square).
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| Adorable wooden seasonal tchotchkes |
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| Luminous glass ornaments |
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| Darling, intricate, pewter figurines and ornaments |
Ducked into the cathedral to have peak.
Frankly, the most eye-catching feature of the dom is its roof.
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| Photo source here. Makes me wish we'd climbed the tower! |
Set out to see more.
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| Frieze on the side of Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) depicting Emperor Charlemagne identifying the site for the church to be built. |
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| Am Hof (At the Court) Christmas market |
The Am Hof market is divided in two parts: the craft market and the more typical Christmas market. Karl is surrounded by the craft market stalls here.
As this article notes, "This is not your run-of-the-mill craft market. Those wishing to sell their wares have to pass a jury-led selection process. Which means the items on sale have a certain level of artistic quality and are not mass-produced. So if you’re looking for some unique gifts, this is a good place to start."
The wares are lovely, but vendors (understandably) forbid any close-up photography of the goods. So you'll have to settle for shots of the more typical stalls.
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| Klimt-inspired votives |
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| Snacks and leather |
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| Olive-wood goods |
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| Sauerkraut-kielbasa-potato hash for lunch |
Moving on.
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| Plaques for the professional (and more) |
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| Polish pottery |
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| Market stalls at Michaelerplatz (St. Michael's Square) |
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| Originally built in 1221, St. Michael's Church is the oldest church in Vienna. |
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| St. Michael vanquishing the devil. |
Several colossal Hercules statues flank the gate to the palace from Michaelerplatz.
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| Hercules and Hippolyta |
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| Hercules battles the hydra |
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| One of the hydra's heads, looking somewhat puppyish |
Decided it was high time we duck into a warm refuge for a hot beverage.
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| Café Klimt |
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| Prost! |
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| Neue Burg (New Palace) houses the Ephesus Museum |
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| Charmingly chunky cherubs |
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| Museum of Natural History |
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| Erzherzog Karl (Archduke Charles) |
A commander of the Austrian army, Archduke Charles was considered one of Napoleon's most formidable opponents.
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| Rows of roses ready for winter in the Volksgarten (People's Garden). |
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| "It's lovely that you are. ~ Pauline Bücking" |
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| "For Sonja — the great love of my life, Toni." |
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| "Keep smiling, MOM! Kisses from your kids ~ L & J & T" |
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| "For the best man in the world, Karl Moser from Elzbieta" |
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| "Mommy, we love you! Carla & Anton" |
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| The Palace Theater |
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| Market stalls at Rathausplatz (City Hall Square) |
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| Hand-painted Ukranian ornaments, etc. |
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| Picked one up for our tree! |
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| Karl examines the various votives. |
But while the markets were up in Vienna, there were smaller areas for skating — more like ice tracks than rinks.
It's hard to show in these pictures, but the ice loops around almost like a maze. Seems like it might be more interesting than just going around a rink. (So long as you didn't crash into the wooden barriers on a turn!)
More snacks:
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| Krapfen & Schoko Hütt'n (Doughnut & Chocolate Hut) |
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| Brezels (pretzels) |
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| Choose your fixings for the chocolate fountain. |
Enjoyed the folks on the street.
Admired architectural adornments.
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| This Turk has an interesting backstory. |
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| Caryatid on the Graben |
The World's Best Krapfen (?)
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| No pulling punsches — if you've got the best krapfen, own it! |
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| Back at Stephansplatz |
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| Chocolate-Plum Punsch in decorative Christmas-market-boot mug! |
This is the only market mug I've kept. I loves it.
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| Stephandom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) |
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| Pedestrian zone on the Graben by day ... |
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| ... and by night. |
Headed home with a small amount of loot
... and a vow to return to Vienna for a more thorough exploration.
Thank you, Nan! 🎄
My krapfen brings all the boys to the yard.
ReplyDeleteRelated-ish: One of Roman Mars’ (he of 99% Invisible) sayings is: Always Read the Plaque. Maybe in your travels it should be: Always Climb the Tower?
Solid motto.
DeleteMy nugget for you: make sure the boys don't *leave* all their krapfen in your yard. Neighbors get twitchy about that.