Vienna, Austria (Part I) - Getting Started
Getting to Vienna is pretty easy, especially flying out of Atlanta. We took an afternoon flight to Paris that got us there in the early morning. We took a connector flight to Vienna that was less than two hours long. Wendy and I had a little difficulty on our flight, but every traveler should expect this and be flexible. Our flight was delayed, and after clearing customs, running through the hot mess that is Charle de Gualle Airport, we finally arrived at the assigned gate, only to be told the gate had been moved. When we arrived at the other gate the flight had already taken off. The airline put us on two later flights, which cost us a few hours, but in the end we made the best of it. After we arrived in Vienna, you have a couple of choices for getting into town. The airport is about 15 miles outside of town, and their very thorough subway system does not make it all the way out there for some reason. They do, however, have several train and bus options that you can check out here. The problem we found with most of them is they take you to one train station, and if you're staying on the other side of the city, you still have to get yourself over there after taking the train into town. We decided to Uber directly to the apartment we rented. The ride cost about $25, which was about the same as the train tickets would have cost us to get into town. If you are the kind of person who likes to rent from Airbnb, I would highly suggest renting the apartment we stayed in. The owner, James, is an American who lives in Vienna. He was amazing throughout the trip answering questions. The apartment is about a 10 minute walk from the city center, has a full kitchen, washer and dryer, is on the second floor above an American style supermarket, and is surrounded in every direction by great restaurants.
To understand Vienna better, you of course need to know a little history. Vienna has been a city for thousands of year. The Romans settled the city in the 1st Century A.D., and the region already had a Celtic name of Vindobona. The Holy Roman Empire, the vast network of Germanic lands created under the leadership of Charlemagne, conquered the land in the 10th Century, and the city we know today as Vienna has developed from that point. In 1278 A.D., the family that would rule Austria for the next six centuries rose to power, the Hapsburgs. When Rudolf I seized Vienna, he had a tenuous hold on the city, but that hold lasted. In 1438 A.D., Albert V was crowned the King of the Romans (the title all Holy Roman Emperors held prior to the Pope bestowing the Emperor title upon them), and moved the seat of the Holy Roman Empire to Vienna, where it would remain until the fall of the loosely knit empire in 1806 A.D. Now that you have all of that, you need to know that Vienna is truly one of the great cities of Europe. We've all heard of London and Paris, and believe me they are unbelievable, but Vienna ranks up there with them in grandeur. The city is filled with palaces and cathedrals meant to prove the Hapsburgs were the dominant monarchy they claimed to be. Vienna became a center for art after the Renaissance, and was the place the Impressionist movement was created. Their are more art museums per square mile than any city in Europe, and they all seem to have something intriguing to show you. And, if like us, you want Christmas markets, well you won't be disappointed. It felt like they had a massive market on the corner of every street. In between buildings would be 30-40 stands selling hand made crafts, hot wine (gluhwein), and all the pretzels and hot dogs you can dream of.
The first thing anyone visiting needs to do is go down to the historic city center. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the massive district is home to a unique blend of medieval sites and upscale shopping. Our first stop was the gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral. Built in the 12th Century, the cathedral is flanked by the massive tower that's over 450 feet tall. This church is one of the tallest cathedrals in the world, and can be seen from almost anywhere in Vienna. The exterior of the cathedral was under going renovation, which is common in Europe, but what was odd was that they had decided to put advertisements up on the church. Apparently the cathedral is brought to you by Breitling watches. The inside is filled with wonderful relics from centuries past, and is the final resting place for Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, one of the few emperors buried outside of the Hapsburg family crypt. Outside of the church was a small Christmas market that looped around the building. When you are done there, go over one street and visit the home of possibly the most famous composer in history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Mozarthaus is a large apartment that he lived in from 1784 to 1787. The apartment is small, but it's an impressive museum. They have actual handwritten sheets of music on display, and some neat hologram visuals of some of his most famous works being performed. This museum was fun, and could be done in under an hour. If you are looking for someone's home to visit, I would suggest this one much more than visiting the Sigmund Freud home. That museum was very small, was very crowded, and was outside of the city center so there was nothing else to do around it after we were done.
After leaving the Mozarthaus, go find two of the most unique places of forgotten history in Europe. Near the famous Albertina art museum is a cathedral most may just ignore. Known as the Augustinerkirche, or Church of St. Augustine, this very plain cathedral from the outside was the site of two of the great marriages of Austrian history. It was here in 1810, that Napoleon Bonaparte married Maria Louise, the Princess of Austria (never mind that he was already married), in an effort to end the war between his France and the rest of Europe. What makes this odd is that he didn't really attend his own wedding. Unable to attend because of war, Maria Louise actually married her uncle, who stood in for Napoleon. The marriage was a disaster for Napoleon, and did nothing to resolve the wars he was fighting on both fronts. More important to Austria though is the marriage that took place there between the famous Empress Maria Theresa and Duke Francis of Lorraine in 1736. The only woman to rule over Austria, Maria Theresa ruled successfully for forty years with her husband. They must have liked each other, a lot, since they had 16 children in their marriage. A short walk from there is another unique historic location. The massive palace that sits in the center of the city is called the Hofburg Palace. The former home of the Hapsburg Empire, it has been renovated and expanded for centuries. The newest, epic, addition to the palace was completed in 1913, just one year before the outbreak of World War I. You should take some time to tour the palace. The opulence this family lived under rivals any monarchy ever. What is unique though is to go to what is called the Heldenplatz, a massive square that faces the new addition to the palace. From the balcony of the Neue Burg (New Palace) addition, Adolf Hitler announced his plan to annex Austria into the German Empire in 1938. Remember, Hitler was an Austrian, so he understood the symbolism of standing on the balcony meant for Hapsburg emperors to announce he was conquering them with his own German Empire. Obviously, like Germany, the Austrians make no mention of Hitler, but you can find plenty of information that details the peak of his power when he marched back into his homeland as a hero, long before revealing himself as a monster.
Just a few hundred yards away is another example of the power and influence the Austrian Empire possessed. The Imperial Treasury is an impressive museum that contains the crown jewels of the Austrian Empire and many of the jewels of the Holy Roman Empire. Inside you will find crowns that once sat on the heads of some of the most powerful men and women in the world. Not only do they have crowns, but they also have weapons and other regalia that were used by these monarchs, bishops, and other royals for centuries. The Hapsburgs did not just collect crowns and jewels, they, like many of the Europeans of their era, loved their relics. Possibly the most impressive relic (please suspend disbelief here) is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus on the cross, known as the Spear of Destiny. I've mentioned this before. Do I think all of the pieces of wood from the "true cross" are real? Do I think this is the actual spear that lanced the side of Jesus? No, but if anyone believes it, and it helps to build their faith in God, then what does it hurt. If a piece of the cross doesn't get you excited, well how about a six foot tall unicorn horn? That's right, a unicorn horn. Either that unicorn was 17 feet tall, or I think someone may have gotten over on the Holy Roman Emperor. This museum also has some wonderful displays that outline the history of the Hapsburg Empire, and helps you to understand the influence they had on Europe, and the New World.
There is so much more that we need to talk about in Vienna, so we're going to break this trip up into several posts. One last thing before I wrap this long post up (thanks for sticking with me on this one) is you should all consider buying the Vienna Pass if you visit there. There are two cards you can purchase on your visit, the Vienna Card and the Vienna Pass. The Vienna Card is substantially cheaper, but there is a reason for that. The card only gets you discounts at attractions, and the discounts are not that good. The Vienna Pass, while more expensive, gets you into most of the major sites at no additional cost, and all of the locations but one (damn you Austrian National Library) have a fast pass line for people with the Vienna Pass. I can't explain how much time this will save you to not have to stand in line at each location. The pass also comes with a hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city, and a free guided walking tour. The cost may be a shock up front, but I promise you it will save you time and money, and on a vacation your time is what is really valuable. Okay, on to the next post.
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