Our Second Day in Vienna, Part 2, July 2012
By St. Stephen's Cathedral
The nave of St. Stephen's Cathedral
An altar inside St. Stephen's Cathedral
The Column of Plague on Graben
On Graben with the Column of Plague in the background
Getting some cold water from a public water fountain
Another place to eat Sacher Torte in a chichi place is DEMEL.
The DEMEL Store window.
I thought this was a bridal gown store. But, no. What appears to be a white wedding gown is actually edible and made of marzipan.
Another store window with a four layer wedding cake on display
The store is small but beautifully decorated and very colorful inside. It has impeccable merchandising. It makes all visitors to the store want to buy chocolates in elegant boxes. The boxed chocolates looked like works of art. This store was featured in Rick Steves's and Rudy Maxa's travel shows. Besides the Cafe Sacher, this is a place worth visiting. Keep in mind though that this place is uber expensive. If your objective is to taste the famous Sacher Torte, remember that it can be purchased everywhere and not just in these fancy cafes. Although we went to Cafe Sacher to try their most famous Sacher Torte, the best one I tasted was from a patisserie and cafe inside the main train station. It cost a fraction of the price and was twice as delicious.
Anyway, these were some of the cakes and pastries sold inside DEMEL.
Delicious sweet treats inside DEMEL
More pastries!
A local bookstore
It was so nice to still see bookstores in Vienna. In fact, we saw a lot of them everywhere in the city. Compared to many cities in the US, bookstores are now a memory.
Freyung Square in Vienna's Old Town
The Hofburg Theater
The Hofburg Theater from another angle
Vienna's Rathaus or City Hall
A side view of the Rathaus
In front of Vienna's Rathaus
As far as I can recall, the Bundesgarten was a short walk from the Rathaus where we saw a small Greek Temple. It was undergoing renovation indoors at the time and it was empty on the inside.
Theseus Temple at the Bundesgarten
I just had to take a picture of this Greek God. What a bod! I wonder if I will ever be able to have a body as sculptured as this in my lifetime. Given the amount of chips and cake that I eat, this wish is probably going to remain a dream.
Information at the stone base of the Greek God statue in front of the Theseus Temple
Art in public space by Daniel Knorr
Information about the art piece called Explosion by Daniel Knorr
The Votive Church
This church reminded me so much of the Episcopalian Church, diverse and all welcoming to everyone regardless of race, age, creed, and sexual orientation. I got that impression based on one of its stained glass windows depicting the extermination of homosexuals in concentration camps during the Second World War
The nave of the Votive Church
The main altar inside the Votive Church
A closer view of the altar inside the Votive Church
A picture of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe inside the Votive Church
I was quite to see this altar inside the Votive Church. As far as I know, the Virgin of Guadalupe is of Mexican origin.
Homosexual prisoners during the Second World War portrayed on the glass stained windows of the church
Middle Eastern food sold on the sidewalks of Vienna
After so much touring, Marc and I bought some of these delicacies from a sidewalk kiosk. They are Middle Eastern treats and we each had some with cheese on the inside. We definitely found Vienna very multicultural and this could be seen from the food sold just about everywhere.
Karlskirche or Karl's Church
Another view of Karlskirche from a different vantage point
The Winer Musikvereins
This is the site of the annual New Year's Concerts of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
A close up view of the Wiener Musikvereins
The Vienna State Opera
The Johann Strauss Memorial at Stadtpark
Stadtpark or Vienna City Park seemed to have a music theme. The park is replete with statues of famous composers erected practically everywhere.
A closer view of the bronze statue of Johann Strauss at Stadtpark or Vienna City Park
In front of the bronze statue of Johann Strauss at the Stadtpark early in the afternoon
I first saw this statue of Johann Strauss in a travel brochure years ago and I had dreamed of seeing it in person since. I sure was glad to finally see it after so many years.
Mozart in Stadtpark
A closer view of the statue of Mozart in Stadtpark
In front of the Statue of Mozart at Stadtpark late in the afternoon
The statue of Franz Schubert in Stadtpark
A closer view of the Franz Schubert statue in Stadtpark
The statue of Dr. Andreas Zelinka
Dr. Andreas Zelinka
In case you notice the change of clothes, that's because I had to go to the hotel to change into my long sleeve shirt prior to returning to Loden Plankl. I wanted to be properly attired when I tried on the Austrian jacket I had to decide whether to purchase or not later that day.
The Parliament Building along the Ringstrasse
In front of the Parliament Building
Marc in front of the Parliament Building
At the Albertina Museum
The Kuntsmuseum or Art Museum