2013-7-16 - Vienna - Austria

The Aegir arrived in Vienna at 6am. We were up early as the shore excursion to the city was leaving at 8:45 & returning to the boat at 12:15. How in the world can you see all of Vienna in 3 1/2 hours ??! (oh...silly me...I forgot-everyone wanted to back on the boat in time for lunch.) I had my favorite breakfast of scrambled eggs, 1-2 strips of bacon & a mimosa - sometimes, when I have time to relax, I have eggs Benedict- YUM!  

 

"Vienna, was once the seat of the Habsburgs, & the center of the Holy  Roman Empire....It is the capital & largest city of Austria, &one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.757 million (2.4 million within the metropolitan area, more than 20% of Austria's population), as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 7th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union."

 

City Square

 We found most of the statues in Europe are protected with a mesh-like wrap

 



 

 

 

 

 

"Viking" horses pulling tour carriages

 

 

One of the very few modern buildings before built before 2001 when regulations of 'no new buildings in the old city' were enacted

 

 

Across the Danube, construction of the tallest building in Vienna

  

Below: "The Wiener Riesenrad (German for "Viennese giant wheel)...It was constructed in 1897 by the English engineer Lieutenant Walter Bassett Bassett (1864-1907), Royal Navy... Its purpose was to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef I. The Riesenrad was one of the earliest Ferris wheels ever built. Bassett's Ferris wheel manufacturing business was not a commercial success, and he died in 1907 almost bankrupt.

A permit for its demolition was issued in 1916, but due to a lack of funds with which to carry out the destruction, it survived.
It originally had 30 gondolas, but was severely damaged in World War II & when subsequently rebuilt only 15 gondolas were replaced.
The wheel is driven by a circumferential cable which leaves the wheel & passes through the drive mechanism under the base, & its spokes are steel cables, in tension."



 

 

Picture from the web site

 



Below: "St. Francis of Assisi Church (German: Kirche zum heiligen Franz von Assisi), also known as the Kaiser Jubilee Church (German: Kaiserjubiläumskirche) and the Mexico Church (German: Mexikokirche), is a Basilica-style Catholic church in Vienna, Austria. Built between 1898 and 1910, it was consecrated in 1913...The construction of the church celebrated the 50-year anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.  A competition was held to select the design and was won by architect Victor Luntz. The four-bay, basilica-like brick building was intended as a garrison church; designed in the Rhenish-Romanesque style, its three red-tiled towers are visible several kilometres away."

 

 

 

Below: "The riding school was first named during the Habsburg Monarchy in 1572, long before the French manege of Antoine de Pluvinel, & is the oldest of its kind in the world. Records show that a wooden riding arena was first commissioned in 1565, but it wasn't until 1729 that Emperor Charles VI commissioned the architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach to build the white riding hall used today. Prior to that time, the School operated from a wooden arena at the Josefsplatz. For a time, the riding hall was used for various ceremonies, but it is now open to the public, who may witness the training and performances by the stallions...The Spanish Riding School was named for the Spanish horses that formed one of the bases of the Lipizzan breed, which is used exclusively at the school. Today the horses delivered to the Spanish Riding School are bred at the Piber Federal Stud located near the village of Piber in western Styria, Austria. One of the original studs used to develop the breed was Lipizza, now called Lipica, near Trieste in modern Slovenia, which gave its name to the breed...Traditionally, Lipizzaners at the school have been trained & ridden wholly by men, although the Spanish Riding School states that there has never been an official ban on women. In October 2008, two women, an 18-year-old from the United Kingdom & a 21-year-old from Austria, passed the entrance exam and were accepted to train as riders at the school - the first women to do so in 436 years."

 

 

 

 



  

While there,  taking pictures & reading all we could about this marvelous place, we heard the clip-clopping of hooves behind us. We were so pleased to see several of these youngsters being led past us & into their stalls.

 

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"The stallions are taught in three stages:

1. Remontenschule: ("forward riding") This stage begins when the horse is first brought to the Spanish Riding School as a 4-year-old. The stallion is taught to be saddled & bridled, & is started on the longe to teach him the aids, to improve his obedience, & to strengthen his muscles in preparation for a rider.
2. Campagneschule: ("campaign school") The horse is usually ready for the second stage after a year of riding in the first stage, although this time-frame is always adjusted to the individual horse. Young stallions are always placed with experienced riders during this second stage, to help prevent the development of bad habits due to incorrect work. During this time, he is taught collection, & is ridden in turns & circles at all gaits. The main purpose of this phase is to develop impulsion, improve the natural paces, promote self-carriage, make the horse supple & flexible, & gradually develop the muscles of the horse.
3. Hohe Schule: ("high school" or Haute Ecole) In this stage, the rider will gradually push the horse to perfection in straightness, contact, suppleness, collection, & impulsion, to produce improved gaits. Through this work, the horse will learn to perform some of the most difficult movements such as pirouette, passage, piaffe & One-Tempi-Changes. Many of the exercises first taught in the Campaign school are utilized in this phase, focusing on the quality of the work & using them to help teach the more difficult exercises."

 

Innovative, for sure...a floating swimming pool. We wondered what was in the floating structure attached to the pool - restaurant? We saw this from the bus as we crossed over the 'old' Danube.

Below: St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna...The current Romanesque a& Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) & stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Austria's capital, St. Stephen's Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in that nation's history & has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols.^"

 

St. Stephen's Cathedral

 

 

 



 Inside St. Stephen's

 





   We sure got to see many wonderful sites in 3 1/2 short hours, however, I have no recollection of what we did that afternoon??  Wayne signed up for the optional excursion to a Mozart & Strauss Concert that night. Because the tour group was leaving at 7:30 pm, we had two seatings for dinner - 6pm & 7:30. It was the only time there was peace & quiet during dinner. Wayne & many others were disappointed in the concert.

At 1:00 am, the Aegir left Vienna for Melk.