Today got off to a great start, leaving the hotel a little earlier and having a plan for the day in mind. The great thing about the plan is that I managed to stick to it for the most part. I end up being quite surprised that the walk I took last night for evening photos turned out to be very close to my first stop this morning.
Danube Canal
Since I arrived most of my trips between the hotel and the city have been on the Underground. However, this morning I wanted to walk so that I could have a look and get a photo of the Danube Canal. There is nothing that stands out about the canal but still a beautiful spot to walk along.
Museum Judenplatz
My timing this morning turned out to be rather good, arriving at Museum Judenplatz just 5 minutes before it opened. The museum is located on the side of a square named Judenplatz, the location of a medieval Synagogues. What is left of the ruins of this Synagogue have been excavated and is now on display in a room under the square.
The museum does not contain a huge amount to see and to make it worthwhile you need to get the audio guided tour. Also located in Judenplatz is a memorial dedicated to those people who lost their life in the Holocaust.
City Temple
It almost seemed like a theme for the morning as my next stop was at City Temple, one of the cities Synagogues. There is a tour available here, which was absorbing and had some confronting aspects as well. Firstly in gaining access to take part in the tour is the most security for a place of worship I have seen. But this is not a problem considering I have nothing to hide and no ill intent.
The tour turned out to be more of a talk, but it did allow us to see inside a Synagogue. From the outside, the building looks just like any of the houses or apartments that surround it. However, once you are inside, there is a rather beautifully decorated room. I found this visit to be a fascinating and informative experience.
Votivkirche
My arrival at Vitivkirche (Votive Church) was the first of two mistimed visits today. I arrived and was not able to visit the inside of the church, which was a little disappointing. But these are the things that happen; maybe I will get to visit it again another day.
The outside of the church is still rather interesting. The site is one of the most important Neo-Gothic religious architectural sites in the world. A significant portion of the front of the building is covered for restoration works. However, the sides of the church still are very impressive in the construction and decoration.
Dr Sigmund Freud Museum
A short walk from Votivkirche is a museum dedicated to the founder of the discipline of psychoanalysis. The Dr Sigmund Freud Museum is located in the house that he occupied in Vienna. For him, it was both a home where he lived with his family and space that he practised psychoanalysis. There is an excellent overview of his life in the house with great artefacts and representations of his life.
Danube Tower
My arrival at the last stop for the day was Danube Tower and the second issue with timing. As I found out when I arrived there is a private function being held here today, and the tower is closed to the public. While this is a little disappointing, I still have a couple of days in Vienna and will give it a look again tomorrow.
There are just a few more days that I am in Vienna and I will be heading onwards to Berlin. While I have a couple of ideas on what to visit tomorrow, I am starting to run a little thin on ideas. The biggest problem has been some tours that I would like to do are not operating until the beginning of next month. However, I think with a little research I should have no problem filling my time through to Sunday. I hope.
