Happy Thursday dear friends! Are you in preparation mode for Thanksgiving which is only a week away?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
Psalm 111:10 ESV
We are so glad you are here as we continue our cruise down the Danube River. Our stop today is Vienna, Austria’s capital city and Europe’s center of classical music. Strauss and Mozart composed many of their finest pieces here.
Vienna’s musical history is matched by the elegant, graceful architecture that lines the Ringstrasse, the wide boulevard encircling the Inner City!
Hofburg Palace is one of the biggest palace complexes in the world. It was impossible to take a photo of its magnitude. The complex extends over 2.5 million square feet. For more than seven centuries and until 1918 and the end of World War I, the empire of the Habsburgs (Hapsburgs) was ruled from here. It was the headquarters and main winter residence of the Imperial Monarchy. Today, the Hofburg remains central to the Austrian government, housing the offices of the President as well as state ministers and secretaries of state.
An impressive statue of Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia) who ruled over the Habsburg empire from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position. She gave birth to sixteen children in nineteen years, with only ten surviving into adulthood. In April 1770, Maria Theresa’s youngest daughter married Louis, Dauphin of France. You probably know them as Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI.
Most disappointing was the scaffolding on the exterior of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. On our first visit to Versailles, there was interior scaffolding and in our travels in Europe, we’ve often see it. We understand to preserve the marvelous architecture and the magnificent interiors requires constant care. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is Austria’s most prominent national symbol and is known for its intricately mosaic tiled roof covered with 230,000 glazed tiles and its nearly 500-foot-tall South Tower.
The first interior focal point is the distant High Altar that was built over a seven year period!
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is located in the heart of the inner city among shops, restaurants, and coffee houses. Do you spot McDonald’s?
The beauty of the inner city architecture, spacious, clean pedestrian walks, and friendly laid back shoppers and tourists made for a pleasant day to roam in Vienna! And great weather is always a plus.
A monument to Emperor Franz II/I, who ruled from 1792 to 1835, was erected in 1846, in a courtyard of the Hofburg Palace. He is notable for being emperor of two entirely different empires.
Being a coffee snob, I was extremely interested in Vienna’s cafe society and Viennese coffee. RM indulged me, he has never had a cup of coffee, (RM did go for something local and authentic in place of coffee, a coca-cola). For more than 300 years, people have flocked to the city’s elegant cafes complete with large well appointed rooms and string quartets. The first of the Viennese coffeehouses opened in 1683. By the 18th century, no coffeehouse would be considered complete without red velvet upholstery and magnificent chandeliers.
We visited Cafe Sacher famous for the original Sacher-Torte. Created by Franz Sacher, the torte consists of a dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam in between two halves, coated in dark chocolate icing and served with unsweetened whipped cream. We waited in a short line outside before being taken upstairs to a beautifully appointed room with red velvet upholstery and stunning chandeliers. The Sacher-Torte was delicious…it was a memorable experience!
One of the highlights of Vienna was an evening with Alma Deutscher who is a composer, pianist, violinist, and conductor! She is an amazing 18-year old who began playing piano at the age of two and violin at three. She debuted at Carnegie Hall at the age of 14. Critics have called her the new Mozart! We loved her performance, she is a brilliant composer, pianist, violinist, conductor, and dancer! It was definitely a night to remember! If you are a classical music fan or someone who simply appreciates music, check her out on YouTube!
Upon first look at Schonbrunn Palace, it was hard to imagine that it was once a hunting lodge. Various Habsburg rulers used it as a summer residence until Empress Maria Theresa enlarged the palace to its present form between 1740 and 1750.
With its neoclassical facade and pilasters, it has a distinctive paint color known as “Schonbrunn Yellow.” The palace boasts 1,441 rooms and reminded us of Versailles. We toured the opulent palace but weren’t allowed to take photos. There were no vacuum cleaners back in the day, can you imagine! We also wondered, how often did all these rooms and their contents receive dusting?
We weren’t able to spend as much time in the gardens as we had anticipated. But we hurried to grab a few photos. The garden axis points toward a 200-foot hill which is crowned by the Gloriette structure. A gloriette is a building in a garden erected on a site that is elevated with respect to the surroundings. The largest and probably best known is this one at Schonbrunn Palace.
Neptune Fountain, at the foot of Gloriette Hill, was designed to be the crowning monument of the Great Parterre. It was commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa and completed just prior to her death!
The Parterre with its strictly symmetrical beds occupied the largest open space in the gardens. With flower beds, tall formal plantings of severely clipped hedges on either side, and lined with 32 life-size marble statues, it was truly beautiful!
The south-facing side of the palace looks upon the Great Parterre, the Neptune Fountain, and Gloriette Hill.
As gardeners, we enjoyed seeing flower markets along the streets…King Protea, Sunflowers, and Hydrangeas, to name just a few!
The stunning Baroque Plage (Plague) Column also known as the Trinity Column is located in the inner city and was erected after the Great Plague epidemic of 1679, believed to have been bubonic plague, which claimed the lives of an estimated 76,000 residents.
We stopped by St. Francis of Assisi Church on our walk back to the cruise terminal. The church is located in Mexikoplatz Square near the banks of the Danube. We thought this was an interesting fact: it was named Mexikoplatz in 1956 to honor the support Mexico gave to Austria in 1938, when it protested the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.
Thank you for traveling with us and for your gracious comments. We have one final stop that was definitely a favorite! You can see the three previous Danube Delights here, here, and here. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
This looks absolutely fantastic. Rick has always wanted to visit Vienna, and when I see your wonderful photos, hear the history and all, I can see why. The torte looks fabulous but I would have been having a coke with Butch!
Jeanie, Rick would love Austria. Hopefully you both can visit!
The architecture is quite incredible, I can only imagine what it is like to see it in person~ such a beautiful country with so much history and sights to see! Thank you for sharing your trip and all the information about what you experienced!
Jenna
My pleasure, Jenna! European architecture is truly amazing!
What beautiful pictures! I love how all the cities have bustling pedestrian areas and flower markets everywhere. Why can’t we have that here? By the time we reached Vienna my feet decided they wanted no part of my trusty walking shoes. We ended up in the shopping area near St. Stephens where I purchased some black athletic shoes. I still wear them a lot and always call them my Viennese shoes! Will definitely check out YouTube for Alma!!
I agree, Roxanne! I remember you had to buy some rather expensive shoes in Vienna!
Amazing how royalty lived their lives. Queen Marie Antoinette had the time to indulge herself in such pleasures as designing gardens. Now that would be awesome. The sacher-torte looks delicious and I am with you Pam. Coffee all the way and it doesn’t Have the sugar. multi talented young lady. Must have been a very enjoyable evening. Wondering what you wore for such an event. Thankful for all the beauty that survived the war. Hitler didn’t destroy the cathedral. Amazing.
Alice, I am always amazed at the enormity of the palaces. I guess they had to get ahead of the royal Jones’s 😂
Pam I have never visited Vienna but thanks to your lovely photos I feel as if I am right there. Beautiful architecture and such history. Amazing. I had to laugh at the McDonalds…I remember when the Captain and I went to Egypt, The Sanai, and Dahab…and we went to see the Great Pyramids. The Captain wanted to take my picture in front of the Sphinx and as I positioned myself facing towards the front…to my dismay, a KFC and Pizza hut were facing these historic pyramids. LOL. Progress I guess. Have a great Thursday my friend. Hugs
Thank you, Kari! I think our fast food chains are all over the world! I will never forget a McDonald’s on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, at least they had a restroom 😂
Thank you for this wonderful tour! Blessings.
My pleasure, Maristella! I hope you are having a great week!
Delightful post of Vienna. I love that you got to attend a classical concert! Sounds fantastic as does your Sacher Torte and getting to dine upstairs in a special room.
I loved Schonbrunn Palace. I was disappointed they did not allow pictures. I’m so glad you got to see the gardens and you made beautiful pictures. I missed that part. It was a huge area.
You are a great tour guide and I enjoyed revisiting Vienna through your eyes.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Bonnie, I was so disappointed that we didn’t have more time in the gardens. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Have to again catch my breath in viewing the magnificent sites that dot Vienna.
The enormity of scope and the labor, funds and talent they required to come to
fruition. Oh to have been present for the concert in those halls…. sheer bliss.
Hold it all fast in memory and your beautiful photos….. Mary
Mary, we loved Vienna. The concert was splendid! Our blog posts and photos will help to keep the memories alive!
I have enjoyed your trip through pics so very much! The narrative is absolutely wonderful and the pics are gorgeous. I love the architecture. It’s fascinating and magnificent! I would have a Coca Cola too while my husband would be enjoying coffee! How funny! I had a good chuckle over that coincidence. This has been a fabulous armchair trip so I know the real thing was absolutely terrific. Thank you! Enjoy your evening. Clara ❤️
Thank you, Clara. Wishing you a wonderful weekend ♥️
The architecture is fabulous. Glad you got to attend the performance of Alma Deutscher. Happy rest of the week. Hugs. Kris
Thanks so much, Kris! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
I always marvel over the churches in Europe…such gorgeous architecture and history. Oh my…your torte looks so rich and decadent, I bet the coffee was amazing too! Thanks for my armchair tour this morning. ♥
Pam, I am so sorry I am late commenting. Somehow, I missed this post in my inbox. I have enjoyed reading about your trip to Vienna this morning while I drink my tea. It looks like such a gorgeous place, and the architecture is stunning. The Sacher torte and coffee looks scrumptious. Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. I have enjoyed each post so much. Wishing you a wonderful weekend, my dear friend!
Shannon, thank you for joining us in our river cruise. There is more to come. Happy Sunday, sweet friend!
Thanks for sharing a beautiful part of our world and of course I love this – ” . . . the torte consists of a dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam in between two halves, coated in dark chocolate icing and served with unsweetened whipped cream.”
My pleasure, Mary! Being a foodie, you would have loved the torte!
Pam
It looked and sounded so very good!
Oh Pam, these photos are fabulous! All the architecture and the history – it must be amazing to see it in person. I hardly know what to even comment on as it is all just beautiful. I did check out Alma on Youtube – she is amazing too and I’m so happy that you were able to see her in person. Just wow and thank you for sharing!
I have so enjoyed seeing your amazing photos of your trip! I can’t get over the age of the buildings and how they were built back when no modern tools were available. It is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing about your adventures here!
Cheryl, I am so glad you are enjoying arm chair traveling with us. Happy Sunday!
Wow that is a staggering amount of rooms! I remember feeling the same way inside Versailles and wondering how many servants and things it took just to keep the palace running. I am not a coffee drinker either but that torte looks incredible.
Oh yes, I remember Versailles and all of the stunning rooms! Thank you Joanne!