I made a brief friend of Mathilde from Argentina, nice lady whose off to Bratislava this morning, she was nice company and nice to chat with someone my age! In the bigger hostels strangers talk a lot less!
Still I'm used to and comfortable with solitude.
I've plotted a few places to visit so I'm on to the nearest UBahn into town.... Keplerplatz-Karlsplatz.... I emerge into the daylight with eyes eager for the Vienna architecture it'll be nice to not see yet another museum to Davinci!!
As I'm briefly in another country my first need is to hunt down a souvenir and as is becoming the norm I've located a Numismatists shop luckily in the centre of town, I was hoping to find a coin from the early 1270's as this was the time period that Richard first earl of Cornwall was king of the holy Roman empire, not a lot of coins from that time in this shop but I did find a small silver Viennese Uniface pfennig hammered coin which was close enough for me!
zero added weight!
Away from the shop I head towards the cathedral of Saint Stephen, spired not domed a welcome change!
beautiful inside
and on the outside I see a remnant of the holy Roman empire.... The old coat of arms of Vienna with the double headed eagle....
At the time of the empire Vienna had been the Germanic centre.
A short walk and I'm following the steps royalty!
This is the Hofburg the palace of the Hapsburgs since the 1300's
Also home to the stables of the Lipizzan horses.... Who just happened past!
at this point I had thought that the glass building was an orangery and at one time it probably was but now it's the home of Schmetterling! Aka butterflies!
they were very used to nosey tourists, and their cameras! Occasionally landing on people's heads but always skitting around in the air with no apparent direction..... My moment of inspiration!
From here on my time wandering will be referred to as going Schmetterling!!
What a great verb!!
And what a calming experience!
Into the gardens, past the front of the palace is a statue to Mozart! With pretty and appropriate display of pansies!
Through the volksgarten at the rear of the palace and over the road is the Parliament of Austria! ..... I'm ashamed to say I hadn't realised at the time! I just thought wow pretty!
True Schmetterling!!!
Adjacent is the Vienna town hall and university, skirting these I head towards another church, the Votive Kirche.... So named as it was given to the people of Vienna by Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian brother of the emperor Franz Joseph the first who had survived an assassination attempt.... Hence the Votivekirche!
Quite an offering!
Heading north I come across a small brass plaque in the pavement a reminder of more recent and more horrible times
these people will always carry this weight I think.
Street crossings here give a nicer reminder to all who notice....
Pretty sweet!
I reach a canal it could have been pleasant but the graffiti did it no favours.
So I head towards the UBahn and back to the hostel for a kip, four nights of disturbed sleep with the cold have left me drained.
Rousing myself to get some food before giving into sleep again!
You are still producing some ace photographs despite your cold. Mum
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