On every main street and side street in every major city throughout Europe, massive wooden doors exist. The mystery behind them has always intrigued me, yet it is a rare occasion when, as a tourist passing by, the door opens just enough to catch a fleeting glimpse into the courtyard beyond as a person slips in or out. However, on the last weekend of June, Micah and I were honoured to enter this secret society by way of the Gastehaus Deutscher-Orden (a convent with rooms to rent for guests) in Vienna, Austria.
Micah went to Vienna on Wednesday for work and rather than fly home Friday evening, I flew to Vienna and met him there for the weekend! A non-English speaking Nun checked Micah into our convent guest room (modernized, but with original wooden beams and a wonderful courtyard feature!).
It was a fabulous place - one of the most memorable (Can you picture the Sound of Music here?) and most centrally located just one block from St Stephan's Cathedral in the historic center of the city.
St Stephan's Cathedral is the center of the historic city and its Gothic needle is so tall that it can be seen from just about anywhere in the city. While we were there it was covered with scaffolding (it was in desperate need of major cleaning), even so, it was an amazing site.
Much of Vienna was destroyed by bombs during World War II; however, the cathedral survived. Due to a fires from street fighting though, the roof did not. By 1952, the Austrians had rebuilt it to more than its original splendour. The tile roof is an amazing display of craftsmanship and Viennese pride.
Micah and I have both been quite busy with work lately, so this trip offered us an opportunity to leisurely enjoy a new city, admire the architecture, sip coffee, stroll along the water, and spend some time together.
Starbucks, Starbucks - EVERYWHERE!
We enjoyed a fantastic new coffee drink - Eiskaffee! It is vanilla ice cream with cold coffee poured over it, and topped with whipped cream! Delicious!
Horse drawn carriages clip-clop their way throughout the old city centre all day and through till dusk. We enjoyed the romantic sight of them, but preferred walking to riding!Mmmmm.... gelato! The best place to get it? Zanoni and Zanoni, just a block or two from St Stephan's Cathedral. So good!
This was a unique building (also a museum) called KunstHausWien. A local artist/environmentalist named Hundertwasser had painted a picture of a building with unique architecture such as this, and in honour of him, his painted piece of artwork became a modern piece of architecture!
Horse drawn carriages clip-clop their way throughout the old city centre all day and through till dusk. We enjoyed the romantic sight of them, but preferred walking to riding!Mmmmm.... gelato! The best place to get it? Zanoni and Zanoni, just a block or two from St Stephan's Cathedral. So good!
This was a unique building (also a museum) called KunstHausWien. A local artist/environmentalist named Hundertwasser had painted a picture of a building with unique architecture such as this, and in honour of him, his painted piece of artwork became a modern piece of architecture!
To mix with the locals, we went to Vienna's old market on Wienzeile Street, called Naschmarkt. Amazing flowers, fruit and veg, fish, bread, cheese and more called our attention. We settled down in a little cafe amidst the hustle & bustle to share an omelet, bread, and melange (coffee w/milk)!
Staatsoper: The Vienna State Opera
This is one of the world's top opera houses, with over 300 performances a year (15-20 different performances a season, rotating nightly).
Though we didn't go for a performance, we took a fantastic tour, seeing the opera house in all its glory, peering into the emperor's private intermission room, as well as all of the public ones. The opera house was built 130 years ago, though half of it was destroyed during WWII. It has been rebuilt in the same way.
Thanks to Rick Steve's recommendation, we had dinner at Gigerl Stradt Heuriger, where I tasted my first wiener schnitzel!
The evenings were temperate as we continued strolling the streets, and we enjoyed a pause at a WWII memorial.
One fantastic aspect of being in Vienna this particular weekend was the Eurocup! The major football (soccer) championship game was being played between Germany and Spain in Vienna on Sunday. The city was PACKED with fans!They provided some wonderful entertainment; however, the drums, chanting and singing lasted till the wee-hours of the morning!
There was a massive fair-type fun centre set up around city hall. Music, games, entertainment, and a massive countdown to the kick-off was set up with a backdrop of historic buildings.
What chaos, but what fun! Certainly an experience we won't soon forget! And the winner of the final championship match? 1-0, Spain.
There was a massive fair-type fun centre set up around city hall. Music, games, entertainment, and a massive countdown to the kick-off was set up with a backdrop of historic buildings.
What chaos, but what fun! Certainly an experience we won't soon forget! And the winner of the final championship match? 1-0, Spain.Viva Espanol!
6 comments:
Wow! What a lovely room. And what a lovey city. And what a lovely couple! Oh my goodness-so much lovelyness!
Speaking of love...WE love YOU!
Thanks for sharing pics! I travel vicariously through you. :)
We LOVED Vienna! So glad to see someone else enjoying that beautiful city.
Okay, so I love the sights, the buildings are beautiful, blah, blah, blah. . . . . but girl, I am going to Vienna purely for one of those coffee and vanilla icecream sundaes!!! Yum! Can you tell I'm on dieting?! :0)
Micah, it was so awesome to get your phone call on Friday telling me about your stay in Vienna. Now seeing the photos and fun galore, makes it even more special. Thanks for sharing with me about your week-end before it even started. All I can say is, "Wow!" Love you both, Mom
micah- I LOVE the point! Keep doing it!
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