Walking The Streets Of Vienna, Austria

There was a rather slow start to the day this morning, as I had not exactly worked out what I wanted to do. The only fixed thing on my list was a visit to Stephansdom (St Stephan’s Cathedral). However, by the time I arrived there this morning, my timing coincided with mass. So I decided to leave that tour until this afternoon and take a walk through the Museum District today.

Museum District

I did not realise just how big the area is, or maybe this is just how I thought it kept going. There are just so many magnificent buildings through this part of Vienna. I cannot even remember all the buildings I saw, but there was a mixture of civic buildings, museums and churches. Including the State Library, Parliment Building, State Opera, Albertina, and many others. Along with some of the different views of the city and parks along the way.

Karlskirche

The first building that I came across was Karlskirche; this was more so an accident after heading the wrong way. Not being use to the Underground I have been taking wrong turns frequently when leaving the stations. I mistakenly thought it might have been the State Opera Building, but realised my mistake where I had gone the complete opposite direction.

One of the highlights of this building is the two beautifully carved stone columns. These two columns along with a couple of other areas of the building have rather detailed carvings. I will be returning here later in the week to take a look inside and the tour.

State Opera Building

Once I had checked the map and realised my mistake, I was able to get going in the right direction. Soon after finding the State Opera Building I had been initially looking for. The photo below is of the back of the State Opera Building because it is a much better angle to get a picture from. Especially once I found a courtyard above another building, I get a better position.

Sacher Torte

Not far from the State Opera Building I spotted a sign advertising “Melange & Sacher Torte” for €6,00. I had wanted to try a more authentic Sacher Torte while I was in Vienna so thought no time like the present. Sacher Torte is a dessert that is famous around the world. However, it is often not made entirely in the traditional way, and often just a plain chocolate cake. Traditionally the cake is made with a dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam and coated in dark chocolate icing. The melange is very similar to a cappuccino, but usually with weaker coffee.

Neue Burg

Sometimes I find that I don’t quite keep going far enough. Yesterday I showed a picture of the Imperial Apartments and Spanish Riding School. Well if I had just gone a little further yesterday I would have discovered Neue Burg (New Castle). An incomplete palace wing built in the 19th century it now holds Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum collections, including armory.

Rathaus

The last building that I wanted to share today is the Vienna Rathaus, which translates to Vienna City Hall. Due to the size of the building, it is rather difficult to get a good image without some extra things in the photo.

Stephansdom

For the afternoon I took the time to visit and complete the tour of Stephansdom (St Stephan’s Cathedral). There is so much to this tour though that I would like to leave it for another day when I can dedicate a post to it. Which will probably be on one of the upcoming travel days.

The tour is rather comprehensive, including access to the main day to day areas of the church. Plus a guided tour of the catacombs and access to the top of both the north and south tour. I have plenty of photographs of everything but the catacombs where no photography was allowed. In total I think I spent around three hours here and the post will be worth waiting for.