Old Vienna

St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the heart of Vienna. It was important that Turah also got to see this magnificent gothic church.  Since the rest of us had seen the church back in March, Liam volunteered to take Turah on the guided Catacomb tour and into the center part of the sanctuary.  It was lovely to see the main sanctuary again and also hear the choir practice for Mass. The rest of us went shopping in the main square while Liam and Turah took the tours. She enjoyed the tours and special time with her brother.

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We hopped onto the subway towards the Hofburg Palace and Museum Quarter.  Our first stop in this district was the National Art Museum. The museum contained masterpieces by Van Dyke, Rueben, Dürer, Holbein, and Raphael. My favorite was a portrait of “Rest on the Flight to Egypt”. Not only did we see great works of art, but also there was an exhibit with artifacts found in and around Vienna within and the last 2,000 years. I liked the solid 2,000 yr old crystal pitcher, the backgammon board from the 1400’s, and the 16^th century musical doll.

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The National Treasury was next on our list. The jewelry, robes, and tapestries of the Hapsburg Empire were visually stunning. The largest single emerald in the world is there. It’s roughly 2600 carats. It was made into an unction vessel. Supposedly the museum has the crown and sword used at the coronation of the first Christian Emperor Charlemagne. Holy relics were also present with supposed splinters from the Cross, fabric shards of the burial linen, and the spear that pierced Christ’s side were on display. These items have never been authenticated, but stand in good favor purely on historical tradition. The treasury was full of richly embroidered herald and clerical robes and stunning jewelry pieces, including a magnificent opal set with flanking Hapsburg Eagles.

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From the National Treasury we walked through the various courtyards of Hofburg Palace. In these courtyards were iconic sites like the church where the Vienna Boys Choir sings every Sunday and the Lipizzaner Horse Stables, which are the homes of the horses used in the Spanish Riding School.  As we left the Palace grounds we took a moment to admire the small Roman ruins excavated right outside the majestic portico where guests were received at Hofburg Palace.

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A few blocks from the palace brought us to the Abbey of the Scots market. I purchased a handmade shopping basket in the style commonly used in Austria. Nearby an open pedestrian walk was alive with people enjoying open-air cafés and shops. There was even a brass band playing in the square!

At 6:00 we arrived at our favorite restaurant in Vienna, the Augustiner Keller. Built in the 13^th century it is charming and serves traditional Viennese food. Our accordion friend, Mr. Peter, was there and he remembered us from two months ago and immediately was singing duets with Faywen and the family. He tried wooing Turah with French love songs, played Sinatra while Robert and Liam sang, and even got Seamus to clap along to a traditional Slovakian folk tune. But Faywen loves Mr. Peter the most, and they sang several “Sound of Music” selections. He’s always been impressed with her singing voice and musicality! He is a Professor of Accordion at the Vienna School of Music, but is originally from Slovakia.

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In order to walk off dinner we headed toward the Stadtpark. The kids wanted to show Turah the “golden statue of the six nippled man” a.k.a. the statue of Johann Strauss Sr. in a six buttoned waistcoat! We crossed the Nose Statue Bridge over the stinky canal and the kids enjoyed playing on Viennese “danger” playground equipment. As the sun set the buildings cast a creamy glow on old Vienna!

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