Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Day 12, Monday, July 10, 2023
Marc's Journal
We docked in Vienna overnight for a two day stay and awoke to a warm sunny day in a new city. I threw on my shoes and went for a run among the early Monday morning commuters.
Germany was incredible beer and white wine, but Vienna is coffee. Oh, the coffee! it is the best. Before going out for the day, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the ship and it was awful. More awful than normal. It's as though the diesel fuel was redirected to the coffee machine. The contrast with my experience later in the day was Poetic. Instead of a "pub crawl" I performed a café crawl. It was exceptional. For a coffee snob, this is the city.
We've spent a considerable amount of time in Germany, so disembarking in Vienna I was struck by two observations: first, the landscape felt much more like America. Graffiti everywhere, more homeless on the city benches, patches of weeds everywhere. In contrast, everywhere we visited in Germany was precisely cared for. Intentional. It felt like a postcard the entire time.
The second thing that stood out was the differences in symbolism. In Germany, every location was filled with statues of the saints, religious symbols, cathedrals, little cherubs, and scenes of Christ's crucifixion. In Austria, the symbolism is much more focused on the military. Warriors. Victorious emperors. Battle scenes. This country was forged in military battle, whereas Germany in its religious heritage. There are plenty of churches and religious art in Vienna too, but the focus on the successful rulers of the past is predominant.
Diane's Journal
We woke up in Vienna this morning and we'll stay here for two nights.
This morning, we took a panoramic bus ride through Vienna and began a walking tour, ending at Saint Stephen's Cathedral. Right away, I noticed a change in statues and sculptures. Germany had saints and angels, while Vienna has soldiers on horses and Roman sculptures portraying power.
After our tour, we ventured out on our own.
We tried a Vienna coffee at a café (the best coffee I've had this trip) and ended up eating lunch there too. I enjoyed watching the people pass by. It's hard to get used to the smoking around you while you eat. While we were eating, we had several beggars come by and ask for money.
After our lunch, we visited the catacombs under Saint Stephen's Cathedral. Oh my! The bones were one thing, but the Ducal Crypt room that holds 78 bronze containers with the hearts or organs of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty was another level of creepy. The small containers were for children. I was afraid I'd have crazy dreams after going through these rooms; it was hard to get the images out of my head.
Marc, being an experienced metro man, and I headed back to the boat on our own via the U-Bahn (underground metro system). It was a great way to navigate the city instead of dealing with traffic. Our guide said that Vienna always has ongoing construction they refer to it as permanent construction.
Our day was fun and relaxed on our own at our own pace. Since the boat is spending the night in Vienna, we didn't have to rush back.
Docking in Vienna, St. Francis of Assisi Church is on the far left. Our boat is on the far right. (Politics aside.)
Diane and I took a late night waterfront stroll and this was the view of St. Francis Church. Beautiful and late 1800's.
The Catacombs under St. Stephens
The St. Stephen's Cathedral was often compared to the Cologne Cathedral. Although the exterior had similar detail and appearance, it didn't compare in size or complexity. One difference were the catacombs under the church. In Cologne we went to the ethereal heights of the church, but in Vienna we descended in to the depths below. We joined the thousands of souls buried "under the altar," but fortunately, we did not stay. Although some of the burials were of nobility and those with status, by far the majority were those that died of the black plague in the middle ages.
Since none of the bodies were identified, those tending the skeletons started sorting them by bone type. All the skulls in one section, femurs in another, hands in another. Gruesome really. I hear the 10/31 tour is really exciting.
Exiting to street level from the vaults below the church. (Canned smile for Marc)
Diane's real expression, recognizing where she had just been. Between her face and the statue on the upper left, they sum up the experience.