Wofford Travels – 2018-10-11 – Vienna, Austria
Day 2 – Vienna
We ended up getting a late start to the day. First, my wifi wasn’t working even though my setting showed I was fully connected. I went to the desk and inquired…early in the morning. I was informed that in the Internet address bar on my iPad, I had to insert “Google.at” and then add the code they gave us when we arrived. We were never originally told that first step (?) Interestingly, you are asked how many devices you have, and then are given a code for each device. No chances taken here.
Second, our safe wasn’t working. We had mentioned it the morning before, but it still didn’t work, so, we advised them again and were informed that we had to be there while it was being repaired. Makes sense. It was just a worn out battery, and soon it was up and running.
With all our issues straightened out, we were out the door, now at 11:10.
Our first activity was to try Rick Steves’s audio “ring” (ring around the old city)” tour via the tram. This could be downloaded on our phones, which we had already done. You were to start off with tram #2, for half of the ring (actually closer to 1/3) and then you changed over to tram#1 for the second half (2/3). Well, there are things you need to know when you do these “audio” tours. (This applies to audio tours which are available at any particular site, but it is especially critical when you are in a moving vehicle.)
Travel Tip: If you are using a downloaded (to your phone) guide to be used on a bus or tram, be sure to listen to the beginning of it before you are on your ride. Many, if not most, of these audio guides have introductions that can be a couple of minutes long. If you are not exactly where you need to be when the vehicle begins, you may never get caught up.
And…that is exactly what happened to us. There was a lengthy intro explaining how the audio worked and some history about the site in general, and before we knew it, we were passing things up and didn’t know what they were. Or, the audio was referencing things that were not there. We even did the tram change, but it was too late by then. This required more planning than we thought. It’s pretty much the same material that Rick Steves uses in his guide book, so we could read it, but there is an obvious advantage to, hearing about and, seeing the sites simultaneously.
Now, we had a totally different experience with our audio tour of Saint Stephen’s Cathedral which was our next activity. And, for me, that is the best use of the audio guide…and even better than a tour guide, because with the latter you are usually with a group of people and can have trouble hearing or seeing the subject being discussed. Of course, with the professional audio guides there is a fee. But, it’s a small price (pardon the pun) to be able to walk and listen at your own pace. This one was very easy to manage and informative.
The Gothic Saint Stephen’s Cathedral puts you at the center of Vienna. It was built over 150 years (1300-1450) and is known for its 450 foot south tower, it’s colorful roof, and it’s place in Vienna history.
When it was built, covering almost an acre of land, St. Stephen’s was a huge church for what was then a modest town of 10,000. The ruler who built the church was competing with St. Vitus Cathedral, which was being built at the same time in Prague. He made sure that Vienna’s grand church was bigger than Prague’s. This helped convince the region’s religious authorities that Vienna deserved a bishop, thus making Saint Stephen’s a “cathedral.” Politically, it helped Vienna gain influence and it soon replaced Prague as the seat of the Holy Roman Empire.
It would take a book, and there are some (I have one), to discuss all the features of this magnificent structure. For brevity, I will just mention a couple of them.
The impressive 450 foot south tower took two generations to build (65 years) and was finished in 1433. It is a rarity among medieval churches in that it was completed before the Gothic style – and the age of faith – petered out. If you can make it to the top (343 tightly-wound steps up the spiral staircase…and we did), you get a phenomenal panoramic view of Vienna.
The Gothic sandstone pulpit (1500) is a masterpiece carved from three separate blocks. A spiral stairway winds up to the lectern, surrounded and supported by the four church “fathers,” whose writings influenced Early Catholic dogma. They are Ambrose (daydreamer), Jerome (skeptic), Gregory (explainer), and Augustine (listener). The pulpit is as crammed with religious meaning as it is with beautiful religious carvings. Tom and I were pretty impressed with the quality and the detail of the work.
After that magnificent tour, we went to the Opera House to inquire about their tours: none that day or the next, but there are a couple on Saturday. And, you get the tickets before the tour.
At 4:30 we had dinner at Plachuttas Gasthaus Opera (opting for one of Rick Steves recommendations, who is our go-to for meals). We shared a pumpkin soup (they really know how to make their soups in Vienna). Tom had the traditional Weiner schnitzel with hot potato salad, and I had the goulash with two large dumplings. Another winner.
After dinner, around 6:00, we went for a brief Rick Steves “ring” walk. But, as it was getting dark, we decided to cut it short and head back to the hotel. (Remember, when we’re in town, we have to take the metro back and walk several blocks to get to our hotel. This runs us 30 minutes.)
Tita