Walking in Vienna

Vienna, Austria

St Stephen's Cathedral.

Explore the Ringstrasse: Look Up!

Vienna is neat & clean, the transport system’s a modern wonder (of sorts) and everything is in German. It was language #4 in 5 months for us, so the brains, even collectively, are a might fizzy.  Clutching our pre-paid tickets, a useless tourist map, Annette’s hand written notes (for when we get lost?), and under strict instructions to look up, off we went, heading for Emperor Franz Josef’s Ringstrasse, which encircles the old city.  Our first day sightseeing was something of a self-guided walking tour, so you may as well enjoy it with us:

Perhaps this was the Cathedral's architect?
He doesn't look happy!

Interior St Stephen"s Church

Emerge from Karlsplatz (U2, underground) and immediately be impressed by the Vienna State Opera building.  Walk along Karntner Strasse (noting an Aussie Pub for maybe later) to arrive at Vienna’s best-known landmark, St Stephen’s Cathedral.  Stop to gaze in wonder at the decorative interior. Walk through a small arcade beside the Cathedral to discover a nice little antique jewellers (spend a few euros, oh ohh!) near Figlmuller.  Figlmuller restaurant claims to have served the best schnitzel in Vienna since 1905.  Keep walking despite the tantalising aromas.  Discover a tiny sushi place for more calorie conscious lunch! 

Walk down Rotenturmstrasse to the Donau (Danube) Canal trying not to get confused between the three Danube options.  Watch local ducks struggling in amazingly strong currents.

Proceed to the area around Ruprechtskirche Church (a Romanesque church dating from 740) known as the “Bermuda Triangle” (although we’re not quite sure why) and salivate at the various offerings of more local restaurants.  Keep walking until you reach Maria am Gestade (1414), a lovely Gothic church, one of the oldest in Vienna.  From here make your way to Wipplinger Strasse, following it through the Hoher Market (an old area) and arrive at the Anker Clock (figures parade at noon – oops we missed it by 15 minutes!).  Agree to try to do better next time, and so move on behind St Stephen’s (again) to find Mozarthause but making sure to sidestep those beautiful horses ready to take you on a fiacre ride.  Not being music tragics, we admire Mozart’s house from the outside before getting lost in the surrounding narrow streets of Old Vienna.

There was even a Teddy Bear Museum - with a few famous Steiff bears!

Buildings were decorated within an inch of their lives

Follow Brandstatt until you discover a classic Beer Hall (just at the wrong time) then find the Clock Museum display at the base of a very interesting medieval building.  Reach the Am Hof (meaning "at Court"), one of Vienna’s oldest squares.  Wonder how many royals lived in the area or was just anyone allowed to have a crown or two decorating their mansion?  The most striking building on Am Hof is the Kirche Zu den neun Choren der Engel (Gothic church with a Baroque façade).

Despite being called the Rathaus, this is Town Hall

Walk down Freyung, home of street traders (Jewish quarter?) to Schotten Stift (monastery) and then turn onto the Ringstrasse, to stop at the front of the very decorative Burgtheatre. 

 

Cross to admire the Gothic Rathaus, the town hall with its very tall clock tower, set amid a garden of exotic fountains, statues and trees. 

Walk through the Rathauspark to see the Houses of Parliament with its even more impressive Pallas Athene fountain and across the Ringstrasse, the Volks Garten to see a Statue of Empress Sisi. 

Pallas Athene Fountain in front of Parliament

Hop on the U2 at Volkstheater to come home – exhausted, dazed & confused!  Home though, to a beautiful roast lamb, cooked Danish-style courtesy of our very kind hostess.  Even here, lamb is something of a rarity, so we were very spoilt indeed. 

 

(If you can't make sense of the names, or locations then just enjoy the pictures...it was soooo hard to stop clicking away! And looking up!)

Vienna saw the last of the Knights. This statue was in the Rathaus Garden