EPIC TRAIN JOURNEY - Part One (Vienna)

I love travel.  I do.  I promise.  But travel does not come without its trials and tribulations, indeed sometimes those trials make the best stories in years to come, but that does not mean that while they are happening one does not ask the question: "What was I THINKING?!".  

My train journey did not have an auspicious beginning.  I attempted to travel from Vaihingen an der Enz to Vienna overnight via Stuttgart and Munich.  My train from Vaihingen to Stuttgart was 20 minutes late, but the train before it was 40 minutes late, so I left only 5 minutes late.  I made it into Stuttgart fine, but then the train to Munich was 30 minutes late.  Unfortunately my luck/late trains did not hold, and the train to St Polten from Munich left on time, or at least before I got there.  As such DeutchesBahn put me up in a hotel. It is probably the swankyest hotel I will stay in this entire summer.  I stayed in the Hotel Eden in downtown Munich. So I then left at 7:30 in the morning and made it into Vienna around noon.  So my time table was a little shortened…. But alas, I will not die.  

I saw quite a few things in Vienna so here is the laundry list:

Stephensdom: unfortunately there were no lockers for my backpack at the train station, and I had to keep it with me, and as such did not go inside the Cathedral of Vienna.  From the outside however it is very pointy. 

University Church (left): This was my first taste of Vienna really.  I was busy taking pictures of the Academy of something or other and procrastinating going into the church.  I wish I had entered sooner!  Inside it was gorgeous, and I walked right into mass.  Luckily I was in time to receive communion.  

Heiligenkreuzer Hof: Originally this was part of an Augustinian monastery (part of the University church) but there isn’t much to see now.

Dominican Church: This one was also very beautiful, and here I said morning prayer.

On my way around I also saw a fresco of a baker who killed a basilisk (right). I also saw “Jew street” and “jew Square”, names that would never be kept no matter how historical in America.  Unfortunately Ruprecht church was closed, but I did take a break in a nearby square.   

Maria am Gestade which is a very unusual church in that its floorplan is very long and skinny.  It also has some strange relics which for the life of me I haven’t a clue what they were.  I also wandered past a bunch of really ornate buildings, most notably the old state house, and a big fountain before coming to the Church am Hof which was large and ornate.  That’s really all I remember.  I think this might have been the church with the large chairs, otherwise it’s the church I took a nap in.  

Peter’s Kirche: this Peter’s church, is still large and ornate, but out front I’m pretty sure there is a statue of St. Paul – I think its St. Paul because he has a giant sword.  It looks more like a saw.  In front of St. Peter’s was a street performer who was appearing to levitate.  Otherwise he was really good at balancing on a stick. 

Sankt Michael: this is the church just outside of St. Michael’s place and is closest to the Hofburg Palace complex.  Out front there are some ruined foundations, I’m not sure of what.

Hofburg Palace Complex:  I didn’t do too much more here than wander between some of the buildings.  I didn’t even go in any of them.  I did sit briefly in Heldenplatz, and admire the statue of Karl….

Augustiner Kirche: This church was rather small as well, and I think it’s the one with the pyramid sculpture in it, but honestly I can’t be sure.  There were so many churches!

Kapuzinerkirche: I wandered into this church just in time to catch the end of a Rosary and mass.  I also managed to say evening prayer.  Mass happened to be in Latin – an added bonus!

Neuer Markt: no longer an actual market, but it has a nifty fountain in the middle.  I was expecting something a little more grand to be honest, the snake being held by the woman was awfully small. 

Kärntner Strasse: one of the most popular shopping streets (or so I’m told) in Vienna, I walked up it as I headed back to the cathedral to catch the metro back to Westbahnhof.  Also on the street there were dozens of street performers most notable of which were a man playing the bagpipes and a group of what I’m assuming were either Muslims or Sephardic Jews.  Anywho they were singing some of the most lovely a capella I have ever heard. On this street I purchased two strudels, apple and apricot which I ate for breakfast the next day.  They were delicious. 

 Back at westbahnhof I made reservations on the night train back to Vienna from Venice, and then on the night train from Budapest to Prague.