I left off last post right before our walking tour. We had an excellent guide, who had this instinct for balancing anecdotes, historical information, and architectural tidbits into this fascinating "lecture." I am normally not a fan of walking tours..I think it's something that's lingered from being a child and disliking all the walking. Oh, and I'm lazy. On the walking tour, I was trying to think of something that would actually make me like walking tours and to my surprise, Judi, our tour guide, pulled it off. We started at the Hofburg, not the oldest part, but the Albertina which features a film museum.
In front of the Albertina were Grecian-styled sculptures which I intend to capture on another day. We did the tour on a Saturday so the crowds were immense and thick, not suitable for taking excellent pictures. I particularly liked them though. I've always liked how skilled sculptors could create movement, expression, and emotions from something so solid, so cold as marble. I love the curls of their hair too. I could stare at a sculpture for hours, and have, incidentally.
To the left of the Albertina is a stone cobbled square with several more sculptures, though modern. It's remarkable open for a square. It is actually, a cemetery. During the bombing, the owner of the house that stood there, allowed numerous people to take refuge in his shelter underneath the house. Unfortunately, the structure was decimated and collapsed. The people beneath were crushed and killed. Also in the square, is a memorial to the beginning of the "cleansing" of the populations, mainly Jews, started in Vienna during Hitlers years living there (when he lived there, not ascended to the position you automatically think of). It features a Jew, prostrate on the ground, cleaning the street with a tooth brush. Tourists in past years not knowing what the sculpture depicted, used the memorial statue as a seat, which was viewed as inappropriate and desecrating. The barbed wire was placed over it to protect and defend the statue. Flowers are always on the statue, placed there by visiting Jews.
The following two pictures are of the other statues dedicated to the memory of the lives lost in the destroyed house in their very location.
On a lighter note, near this square is the Hotel Sachar, famous for the super sweet, dense, chocolate death dessert sachar torte. The story "goes" that Franz Joseph, the celebrated ruler of Austria (questionably as I am learning from my Vienna Arts and Culture class, he held a rather insensitive parade severely offending the multi-ethnic empire he ruled, and then Oh, he randomly annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina) would hold large dinner parties that were a privilege to attend even though they were considerably miserable to partake in. Sitting at a long table according to rank, the emperor received food and started eating first. Food would be passed down the table, taking quite a bit of time. Franz Joseph being a rather finicky and fast eater would often finish before anyone had gotten to eat a thing. As such, people invited gathered at the Hotel Sachar close to the Albertina to eat beforehand, in case they were not so lucky to get a bite of their food. And their popularity bloomed from there. Our faculty director had a bit of a spat with our tour guide, good-naturedly of course, as to where's the best place to get sachar torte in the city. He favored the Hotel Sachar, and she favored a smaller place called Demels. I didn't quite mind; just means I must try both.
In front of the Hofburg library, stands a bronze statue of Joseph II, son of Maria Theresa, and brother of Marie Antoinette. Our tour guide joked that Austria did not experience the violence and destruction of monarchy that France did, because they had enough revolutionary and modern notions in their ruler, Joseph II. Well, less modern, more practical. Joseph, who patented several helpful items, is most notably known for his involvement in the design of a re-usable coffin. It had a wooden latch, that dropped the corpse into a grave, so that the coffin could be reused. Regrettably, the two years these coffins by law had to be used included on the year Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died. Our tour guide surmised that this, amongst other reasons (like his inability to afford a tombstone) accounted for his exact, final resting place to be unknown. Though he found his invention to be genius, he himself was not buried in such a way. Like all important Hapsburg, his heart, head, and entrails were cut up and entombed in different churches, to spread about their importance and garner support and renown for the "lucky" churches. It's interesting that as modern and progressive as he was, Joseph II is depicted in a classic Roman military posture. Hand raised, featured on a magnificent horse. Odd.
The following pictures are of the earliest part of the Hofburg, though the original facade was covered in the Renaissance. It used to feature four towers in each corner of the courtyard and be more castle-ish.
The fresco is actually pretty well preserved. I wanted to know with what it was painted with. The older fresco paints would have never lasted this long. My faculty director said it was original to the 12th century, but I rather doubt that. Nonetheless, it was quite impressive.
The following pictures shows the balcony, supposedly built by Maria Theresa, to spy on her children. Having read nearly every biography I could on Marie Antoinette, I found this fascinating. Her mother, undoubtedly is more so. Another spectacular historical woman ruler I must read about!
Vienna flourished in three particular times in history: the Roman times, the Medieval period, and the present day. The original part of the Roman city has been excavated, in part. The old moat is now a street, featuring a stunning baroque church that was once the Christian praying room for the Roman camp and a disturbing memorial celebrating the recession of the Plague. Of course, the bubonic plague is embodied by an ugly crone, being stabbed by a male angel, overlooked by God, himself, and Jesus, as well as a Hapsburg ruler with their famous chins.
The Romans actually had heated water tunnels depicted here. I wish I had better information on that, but there were two far more interesting events happening at this stop on our tour. 1) A MOTHER LOWERED HER YOUNG CHILD INTO THE RUINS, you know, because that's smart, and also, you know, because ancient ruins older than Jesus are the optimal playground 2) An older gentlemen who himself was the incarnation of an 80s biker gang decided, with Walkman in hand, to boogie in the square right behind me. Hilarity and giggles ensued.
The baroque church has a stunning ceiling painting. I made it extra large so you can see it better. And you can't really see the dying the Bubonic plague memorial thingy but honestly, it was creepy so this view is fine.
After our very long walking tour, we had our first group dinner at a traditional Austrian restaurant. Sat outside at the wooden tables, secluded in this garden atmosphere with a little cottage nearby, nestled in a quieter part of the city, we loudly bustled and giggled our way through traditional cuisine. I wish I favored it, but honestly my favorite part was the bread--pretzel and rye! The company was excellent. There was even a puppy to love on, which I did copiously.
A picture of my dear friend, Nick and I, at dinner to close. We grabbed McDonalds McFlurries at our dorms later, a distinct contrast don't you think? I turned in early, since I knew we would be hiking the next day (though today is Monday, so yesterday =])
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