Final Vienna Posts: Other Vienna Destinations

I was very fortunate to have Catherine around to push me to get to the last destinations that I really just had to see before I left Vienna. Here is a list of those places that don't fall into the categories of the previous posts. Some writing, lots of photos.

Belvedere:

I had actually visited the Belvedere with an IES group earlier in the term when it was sunny and pleasant. The weather wasn't so nice and it was kind of dreary seeing the exterior this time. That said, however, one of the big attractions was getting to see the inside of the Belvedere and the art exhibit inside, which focuses on Austrian painters from the Fin de Siècle and Art Nouveau periods. The biggest attractions at the Belvedere were Monet's Garden Path at Giverny and Gustav Klimt's seminal works Judith mit dem Haupt Holofernes and Der Kuss. The last, of course, was amazing to see as one of the renowned paintings of Symbolism, of art history, and of Klimt's body of work. I got no picture of Der Kuss or really anywhere inside the Belvedere because it was tightly controlled. Also, it was just too awkward to kiss in front of Der Kuss. Too bad!

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Volksgarten:

There are several gardens and parks in Vienna's First District and I visited most of them during my time there. I had absolutely walked through the Volksgarten several times, if for no better reason than that it was a good shortcut to get to the more northerly parts of the district. It was great to visit with Catherine, however, and take a closer look at the garden. There are several monuments there, as well as a Greek-style temple. The picture of me to the left shows how imposing yet beauitful the Rathaus looks over the trees in the distance. Below, the Burgtheater served as a great backdrop for both photos of me and Catherine individually and also for a shot together. It was a bit of a chilly walk, but if I learned one thing about touring European cities, it's that the more you can do on foot, the better and more authentic the experience because it gives more of a "feel" for the city.

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OSCE:

This one is just brief: The OSCE is an international organization that is lesser known compared to brethren like NATO, the EU, or the UN. Nonetheless, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe plays an important role in international proceedings. I had the opportunity as part of Professor Neuhold's New European Security Architecture course to visit the OSCE and watch how it operated. On some level, of course, the proceedings weren't especially interesting - it wasn't a historic moment or anything. On the other hand, like everything in that regard, it was really cool to be let in at all and see how things went generally. Catherine got to accompany, which was nice for her. Another awesome fact: the OSCE operated out of the Hofburg, at least in part, showing how such a historic palace used at one point for the governance of an empire is now being co-opted to serve other governmental means. (I cannot say peaceful means, like NATO, the OSCE is not necessarily dedicated to peace, but like all international organizations the hope is that peace for their constituents will eventually proliferate and become worldwide peace.)
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Cafes:

Cafes are a huge part of Vienna's culture. While I was there I ate several times at some of the outdoor stations the cafes run in the middle of Kärntnerstraße in the warmer months. I also ate in a cafe with Attila Glatz, for whom I used to work. Finally, I hung out with Lorenz from Indochino-Review.com at a cafe, as well. I had not, however, had the opportunity to eat at Cafe Mozart or the Hotel Sacher cafe. Both were things I absolutely had to do before I left. Cafe Mozart does, of course, have excellent baked goods and beverages, as do pretty much all the cafes in that area of Vienna (and even chains have great baked goods, too). It's not known for that. The main reason to go was for the atmosphere and the history, and Catherine and I had a great time there.

The other place we made sure to visit, though, was Hotel Sacher. The atmosphere in the Hotel Sacher cafe was nice, also, but the main reason to visit is absolutely the Sachertorte for which the hotel is famous. At both Cafe Mozart and Hotel Sacher I had, of course, heiße schokolade ohne schlag (hot chocolate without whipped cream), which was fine. Catherine had an incredibly tea at Hotel Sacher, though. Catherine had some kind of pancake with plums that she thoroughly enjoyed. I bought a Sachertorte and we both tried it. Neither of us were thrilled. I'm not big on marzipan, I have to say, and its huge in Vienna (and for sachertorte, particularly). I'm glad I had the experience, though!

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Stadtpark with Johann Strauss II:

I had walked through the Stadtpark before (in some ways this post could have come with the earlier one about the Volksgarten). On one of Catherine's last nights (perhaps her very last night, if I recall right) after going to a concert at, I think, the Konzerthaus, though it could have been the Musikverein, we took a walk through the Stadtpark at night. We walked along the water and over a bridge, which was fun in that late Autumn, early Winter atmosphere. Of course I knew of the marble and gold gilded statue of Johann Strauss II and I'm fairly certain I had seen it before, perhaps at a distance. I never got a look at it up close, however. I will admit that seeing it in the snow, or with flowers around it and a blue sky, might be more typical times to visit it rather than a late-autumn night with recent rain. Still, it was awe-inspiring to stand beneath it, and magical to do so as a couple in love.

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Cathedrals at End Time:

After Catherine left I continued to tour sites in Vienna, trying to cram everything in that I hadn't taken advantage of during my time there. Some of that is detailed in earlier posts, of course. One thing I haven't mentioned though, was my time spent at cathedrals. Vienna, like many European cities, is a city of cathedrals, and while people do say that sooner or later European cathedrals can start to blend together, I saw no reason not to ensure I had seen the most monumental of the cathedrals in Vienna.

I revisited the Stephansdom one more time at this point. I had visited almost immediately upon arriving in Vienna and just took a general tour around the outside and the entry inside. I also returned with Catherine and we took some pictures outside of the building. I believe she toured the inside on her own. Countless times I walked by the Stephansdom through the square outside of it and it was a very useful landmark when I got lost and didn't know where I was because I always knew where the very center of the city was.

This time when I returned, however, I took the time to pay my way into some of the more reserved areas like the crypts and further back in the main hall of the cathedral. I also went all the way up in the tower and looked down at the square, out over Vienna, and at the iconic roof. It was exciting and I enjoyed the opportunity to see Vienna from on high one more time (I had several opportunities for this from several different vantage points previously).

The roof is truly beautiful and very unusual even among cathedrals with similar roofs across Europe. One notable thing, however, is the damage that was done to it during World War II, necessitating significant repairs. The style was maintained, but the image of the Hapsburg crest now bears markers detailing the year of the completion, not quite the same as the original. It was really fascinating and I was glad I took the time to actually go up before I left.

I also went to the Votivkirche. This was another place I had seen from a distance but at which I never quite had the opportunity to make a stop. Sadly, the Votivkirche is undergoing restoration (well, that part isn't sad) and had a huge coca-cola advertisement on the front to support the effort. What's neat about the Votivkirche is that, though it is smaller, it is essentially what the Stephansdom would look like had it actually been completed as originally planned, with all four spires. The inside was gorgeous, and had more of a blend of intimacy and grandeur, rather than out and out grandeur like the Stephansdom.

Finally, I visited the Karlskirche. I had seen the Karlskirche before, as well, but never stopped in. There was a Christmast market in front of it, but I didn't spend too much time there, it is smaller and considered less remarkable than some of the others I had already visited. The Church is significant because of its different style and almost Arabian or Turkish influence. Perhaps most remarkable, however, was going inside and climbing to the very top of the building's cupola. It was undergoing restoration so there were several halfway points. It was awesome to be able to get up close to the paintings though and also to look down and see just how far down it would be, especially in the era when the church was actually constructed. I think we sometimes take those kinds of vaulted ceilings for granted. I also got to look out at all the pennies people had thrown for good luck at the very tip-top of the cupola into the wells and then down through the dreary windows onto the cute Christmas market revelers below.

All in all, these were great experiences to end my time with. I very much enjoyed experiencing them with Catherine, and I was glad to have her as a driving force to make sure I did get out and get them all done even as coursework was closing in on me. I hope to return to Vienna in the future and revisit some of these places as well as those in other posts, and hopefully I will be able to share the city with someone else in the future. Indeed, I'm sure I will discover new places as well. This is the last really substantive post about places I visited. I'm sure I missed all kinds of things, especially in these posts to bring closure to my blogging over a year after the fact. Still, I wanted to do this exactly for that closure. My final post will be about IES' facilities, the end of my time in Vienna, returning home, and an attempt to synthesize my experiences as a whole.