Vienna, Austria

Greetings from Austria!

This morning (Saturday) started out with a bang . . . or rather, a poof!

Long story short, I couldn't find the hair dryer the hotel provided (it was hidden in a drawer), so I plugged MY blow dryer into the outlet using an adapter.  Not a good a idea. There was a pop, fire and all the lights went out. Oops! Apparently the outlets here are only 100v and my blow dryer requires 120v.  The facilities guy scolded me in German, moved the dresser and plugged the hotel's dryer in for me in front of the mirror so there can be no further excuses for blowing the electricity. Well, alrighty then.

Then . . . there was some confusion about where we were supposed to have breakfast. The Executive Lounge sent us downstairs to the main restaurant; the restaurant sent us back up to the Executive Lounge.  Apparently there was some confusion with our room numbers. Stan finally told the restaurant we would be dining with them and they could work it out amongst themselves. (These pushy Americans!)

Finally, we were getting ready to leave on our guided WALKING tour and I realized it was raining! I had to go back to my room and change into weather appropriate clothes and shoes and get a sweater.

Whew! Okay . . . ready to go.

Walking in the rain.

Our tour guide was great.  His name was Herbert and he was born and raised in Vienna. Perfect!  He told us that he had to complete a two year course at the university to become a certified tour guide.  He was passionate about his city and entertained us with interesting stories and jokes along the way. 

Herbert, our tour guide.

I cannot do justice to the history and architecture in this city. We covered a span from the 1200's to 1800's in two hours! Just to give you an example of the history behind one building - check this out:

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the most important religious building in Austria's capital and has been central to many important events in it's history. Here is a rough time-line:

• 1160 - The initial structure was completed in Romanesque style.
• Early 1200's -  They added to the structure and built the towers.
• 1258 - A fire destroyed much of the original building so it was rebuilt re-using the two towers.
• 1263 - Cathedral was completed and dedicated.
• 1304 - 1340 Albert I ordered a Gothic style three-nave choir addition to the structure.
• 1359 - Rudolf IV began another expansion which eventually encapsulated the entire structure!
• 1430 - The edifice of the original church was removed from within as work progressed on the cathedral.
• 1433 - The south tower was completed in Gothic style.
• 1450 - Construction began for the north tower but was never finished.
• 1474 - The vaulting of the nave was completed.
• 1511 - Construction was halted.
• 1578 - The north tower was originally intended to mirror the south tower but the era of Gothic cathedrals was nearing its end so the "stump" at the top was fitted with a Renaissance style cap.

St. Stephen's Cathedral
Vienna, Austria

North tower was never completed.
Renaissance cap added in 1578

This side is being renovated.
There is a screen over the section that is being cleaned.
Note the detail in the roof.

South tower.

Note: This cathedral was made of sandstone which is very porous and absorbs all the dirt and pollution so sections are always being renovated (cleaned). That's why some of the building looks light and other sections are black.

Pretty incredible, huh?  I am always struck with "awe" when I stand in a place that is several centuries old.  I can hardly take it in.  One cathedral that was built in three different styles over 400 years! I wonder about all the important political and social events that took place there. For instance, this is where Mozart was buried. Inside there are alters, a stone pulpit, chapels, tombs, catacombs, crypts and organs that are historical in-and-of themselves. It would probably take a whole year to absorb all the information and history of this single cathedral!  And the city is full of historical buildings like this. Can you imagine?

So, walking on . . .

Here are photos of buildings we saw.  I'll save the history lessons.  Enjoy!

I love the detail on the
corner of this building.

Narrow cobble stone streets.
Not good for driving!

Lunch break.

I love the size and detail in these doors.

Vienna at dusk.

I took this picture out of the restaurant
window while we were having dinner.

Travel Day

Today was a travel day.  Destination: Vienna, Austria.

Oh my goodness! I have always wanted to visit Vienna and now, here I am!

So, this morning we took our time getting on the road. It was hard to leave Salzburg and The Sacher Hotel but I was looking forward to the next destination.  As I was standing in the lobby waiting for Stan to bring Max around, I happened to notice a plaque on the wall.  It read:

On May 4, 1945, the city of Salzburg was liberated without combat by the 3rd Infantry Division and the 106th Calvary Group of the 7th U.S. Army.  General Robert N. Young accepted the surrender of the city in the Hotel Osterreichische Hof.

Wow. I was standing in a place of U.S. history.  I was so proud of our men and women who sacrificed so much for so many and I whispered a prayer for the soldiers who are serving right now.

As we traveled east we moved away from The Alps and the landscape changed from mountains to rolling hills, dense forest, and clearings of rich, fertile farmland. Everything is green and lush with little towns scattered along the way.  I noticed that every town had a church with a prominent steeple.  Churches still seem to be a central part of the community in Austria.  We noticed that the church bells still toll at certain hours throughout the day.  It's so charming.

After about 4 hours we arrived in Vienna.  Oh my goodness . . . you should see the architecture in this city! It is mind-blowing.  Tomorrow we are set up for a personal walking tour of the city center so I will have more information and, of course, pictures to share.  There is certainly a strong vibe of power here; not surprising given the fact that Vienna is not only the capital of Austria, but it is also where OPEC and the third headquarters of The United Nations are located. (The first is in New York, the second in Geneva.)

Lord, have mercy!

Gone are the flower boxes in every window and the gentle hospitality of Salzburg. Vienna feels more like a mix between New York and Washington D.C.  It's all about politics, the arts, and design all wrapped up in an old world package.  It's hard to describe.  (It's kinda like the two women in "The Sound of Music" ~ Baroness Shraeder vs. Maria.)

I'm a little obsessed with that movie, can you tell?

I did not know that Austria is surrounded by land on all sides.  It's neighbors are Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.  We are on the east close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary borders.

Learning my geography today. 

Okay, that's all.  Tomorrow we tour.  I'm so thankful for this opportunity.

Heaven On Earth

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. 
Psalms 19:1

When I look around and see the beauty of God's creation and the reflection of His glory, I am in awe.  Austria is such a beautiful place.  It takes my breath away. 

(I apologize in advance for all the times I will use the word 'beautiful' in this post.  I can't help it.  Also, the video's will look fuzzy if you watch them in full screen because they are compressed. Haven't figured out how to fix that yet.) 

Today, we had breakfast in the hotel's "coffee shop". It is so quaint I felt like I had stepped back in time.  If these walls could talk I bet they could tell some fascinating stories of times past.

Good Morning!

Hotel Sacher Cafe

Good Morning!

After breakfast we walked across the Salzach river into "Old Town".  The streets are narrow, the buildings are baroque architecture, there is a beautiful cathedral in the center, and shops and restaurants throughout.  It has the feeling of an alpine village only more sophisticated.  Old Town is situated directly below the Hohensalzburg Castle which is a prominent landmark in "The Sound of Music".  

Old Town
See the castle on the hill?

Old Town

I love these narrow streets.

Hohensalzburg Castle

I'm always interested in the local fashion.

Pretty flowers.

Stan being patient while I window shop.

We were privileged to see the Salzburg Cathedral which is magnificent and has quite a history.  In 1598 the original church was severely damaged and was ordered to be demolished. At that time a patron who loved Italian baroque architecture hired an Italian architect to build the new cathedral and in 1614 the first cornerstone was laid.  The project took 15 years to complete (which is amazing for back-then and the detail that went into it).  It is also the site of Mozart's baptism.

The alter.

Ceiling leading to side alter.

Front alter closer view.

Ceiling above the alter.

One of the domes.

Staircase leading to one of the pipe organs.

There are four pipe organs at each of the four columns.

Mozart gets a lot of press in Salzburg since it is his birthplace but unfortunately we did not have enough time to explore the historical places of the famous composer.  Next time!

After our walking tour of Old Town, we hopped in Max and drove out to the country. And what a country it is! Our first stop was that infamous spot in the opening scene of "The Sound of Music" where the aerial shots of St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgangsee were taken.  It is beautiful!

St. Gilgen, Austria
Opening scene of The Sound of Music

See the church steeple?

Very happy girl.

For years I have noticed the steeple of the church in those scenes and wondered what the actual church looked like.  Well today, I got to find out!  We took a spontaneous detour and drove into town and discovered a charming little town very similar to Old Town in Salzburg . . . and I finally got to see the whole church. I did not get a picture of the front because Stan was double-parked and I was trying to hurry, but I was able to get the side view.

Church in St. Gilgen

Church side view.

Cute hotel & restaurant across from the church.

Back on the road we came across a beautiful golf course.  We had to investigate.  We pulled in to the parking lot and found out there is a Sheraton property with a golf course overlooking the lake.  Stan is thinking the next "boys only weekend" should be planned at this location.

Boys only weekend destination.

Golf course overlooking the lake. Nice!

Driving on, we ended up in a town called Bad Ischl.  It has a weird name but it is another beautiful place in Austria ~ actually, it is a spa town.  Gotta love that! I did not know, but Stan had a specific reason for taking me there.  Most of my friends know that my absolute favorite dessert is lemon cake.  So . . . as it turns out there is a well-known pastry shop called Cafe Zauner which boosts the best lemon sponge cake.  In fact, it is said that Emperor Franz Josef used to visit every day for a slice.  So, we drove all the way to Bad Ischl for lemon cake.  And it was well worth it! Thanks, Stan!  The cafe was really cute - right on the water, outdoor seating and a piano player outside entertaining the guests.

Cafe Zauner - piano player.

Lemon cake at Cafe Zauner

On the way home I saw a patch of open field and asked Stan to pull over.  I just had to run over the hill ala Julie Andrews and sing, "the hills are alive" at the top of my lungs. Thankfully, no one heard me. I hope. It was hard to run in sandals. They kept slipping off my feet. LOL.

Salzburg, Austria

We got a late start today.  We had to check out, gas up, get permits, have lunch and we were finally ready to hit the road.  Destination: Salzburg, Austria! Yay! One of my most favorite places in Europe.

The drive from Munich, Germany to Salzburg is only a couple of hours.  It's a good thing too because Stan was testing out Maximilian's horsepower on the autobahn.  I cannot disclose how fast he was driving because my mother is sure to make a phone call, but let's just say Max can haul!

Yes, I named the car.  Maximilian suits him, don't you think?  We call him Max for short.

The countryside was breathtaking.  As we got closer to the Austrian border the mountains came into view and the contrast of quaint towns and farmlands against a backdrop of mountains was so beautiful.  I tried to take pictures but it was very difficult to capture anything more than a blur thanks to Max.  We did encounter some road construction for a few miles which allowed me to snap a few pictures but I assure you these shots (and my lack of photography skills especially when hanging out of the window) leave a lot to be desired.

Loved the flower boxes on this farm house.

Germany

Farm in Germany

See the red tractor next to the tree on the left?

Forest in Germany

We arrived in Salzburg late afternoon and found our hotel right in the heart of this beautiful city.

From the web-site:

The Hotel Sacher, formerly the Osterreichische Hof, was built between 1863 to 1866 by the hotelier and master builder Carl Freiherr as an "Austrian court" hotel. It enjoyed great popularity due to its position with members of ruling houses, noblemen, high clergymen and artists. With the beginning of the Salzburg festival, the hotel became the social center of the festival, housing great musicians and heads of European society.

In 1988, the Gürtler family purchased the hotel and I believe that is when it was renamed, The Hotel Sacher, however I'm not certain about the time-line.  In addition to renovating the hotel while keeping it's original historical style, another interesting piece of history revolves around a torte! The story goes that in 1832 a 16 year old apprentice cook, Franz Sacher, created a wonderful torte dessert at the court of Prince Metternich. It has since become world famous and the hand-written recipe is a well-kept secret of the hotel. You can bet I am going to have a slice!

This hotel is so nostalgic.  All the room keys (yes, old fashioned keys on large key rings) still hang on hooks behind the desk clerk and when you go out for awhile, you give the desk clerk your key to keep for you.  (I know security bells and whistles are going off in every reader's head, but hey, it's nostalgic.) The porter stands outside by the front door to assist guests with luggage (just like the movies). The valet, Klaus (who was adorable by the way) escorted me to my room and pointed out where everything was - the closet, the lights, the temperature control, bathroom, and my personal favorite . . . he told me my bath coat was hanging behind the door.  How cute is that?  I love that I have a bath coat!

I took some pictures of my room and I am also posting a few pictures from the hotel's website so you can see where I am.  The pictures from their site are a low resolution so they might look fuzzy when enlarged.

The Sacher Hotel, Salzburg

The Lobby

My Room

The Closet

Stan was disappointed he got the pink room
while I got the blue room.