Hotel area:

Our hotel:

It seems like every building in Vienna was a palace, summer home for the rich, etc. There are still
some fountains on the grounds here:

Here's another:

And another:

There's also the view from the roof:

More:

More:

Before heading downtown with the group, we walked around the nearby streets:

More - they have trolleys on lots of the streets:

Not a lot of traffic yet:

Back at the hotel - time for a group shot before heading downtown:

Downtown - day 1:

In the bus heading to downtown Vienna:

Votivkirche - built by the Emperor in thanks to his survival of an assassination:

Was this a jail?

Older palaces, summer homes, etc. Now???

St. Stephen's Cathedral:

First stop is St. Stephen's Cathedral:

They're cleaning the stonework:

It's still pretty dirty on this side - note the roof has the coat of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria:

This tower is half way cleaned:

The choir will be heading inside to practice for the concert:

The pilgrims will tour the area while the choir is practicing:

Inside the choir is practicing:

Outside - Mozart House:

Not a lot of foot traffic here:

An old palace? Now headquarters for a company:

Statue of Gutenberg:

Back at the cathedral for the concert - sorry the audio isn't the best:

Concert Music:

See Gethsemane

St. Theresa's Prayer

Steal Away

Spirit of God

Pleni Sunt Coeli

Celebrate

The concert:

After the concert Ann was presented with certificate from the Choir Master of St. Stephen's:

A picture from the web of the cathedral:

Another - note the pews are simply removable chairs:

St. Stephen's isn't as ornate as other cathedrals - maybe because of the damage from World War II?

Though this pulpit is pretty ornate:

Time to look for a place to eat lunch:

This place was too packed:

This place was was nearby and fortunately wasn't packed:

Schnitzel with potato salad - just what we wanted. Joe had it with beer, Jane with wine - tasted great!

After lunch we had to walk back to the bus:

On the bus heading to our next stop. This is an observatory:

The Museum of Applied Arts:

A trolley and one of the many McDonalds in Vienna:

Local architecture:

Schonbrunn Palace:

We're at the Schonbrunn Palace. Pretty impressive buildings and gardens. It's takes up about 120 acres of land. The front is big to accommodate the
horses and carriages of visitors (the rich traveled pretty heavy back in the day):

A fountain to watch while you're waiting to get in:

Here's another:

We had a tour inside - it seemed like a bunch of rooms - we liked the outside better. Here's a garden
on the side of the palace:

Some statues in the garden:

I bet when theses bloom it smells great:

More statues:

Around back there are a lot more gardens, statues, and fountains:

A closer view - it looks like a palm tree near the middle:

Lots of trimmed trails to side gardens:

A side garden with a fountain:

A elaborate fountain and pool near the middle of the garden area:

Looking back from the middle of the elaborate fountain and pool toward the palace:

Walking back, another side garden:

And another fountain:

I'm lost. Can you tell me which way we have to go to get to our bus?

Not this way, it's a huge tree wall:

Back to civilization and another side garden with a fountain, we walked back to the bus:

Downtown - day 2:

The next day we visited the House of Music. There's a "virtual conductor" exhibit where you can
direct the Vienna Philharmonic and they speed up and slow down based on your direction. If
you're off too much they stop playing and frown at you. Here's Jane directing them - they were
happy at the end:

Outside, touring Vienna by foot:

Another fountain:

Architecture:

More:

More:

More:

Getting some information:

Another fountain:

Charge!

The memorial column for victims of the plague:

The first Austrian savings bank:

More architecture:

More:

More:

More:

Hofburg Palace:

The outer gate of the Hofburg Palace - Justice is the foundation of the rule:

Hofburg Palace:

Closer view of some of the statues there:

Some more:

I think this church was build on some old Roman ruins:

Some old guys:

More current:

Now:

Josefsplatz:

Belvedere Palace:

We then took the bus to Belvedere Palace:

The back:

The gardens out back:

A fountain out back:

At a gate:

Back in the bus, passing the home of Johann Strauss:

Viennese Giant Ferris Wheel in the amusement park:

St. Peter's Church:

Walking to St. Peter's Church for Mass:

Close up of the side of the Church:

View of the front:

I don't think he was one of the carpenters:

View when we walked in - very ornate:

A picture from the web:

The organ:

Picture from the web - view from the organ loft:

Picture from the web - looking up into the dome:

Close up of the pulpit:

Close up of the top of the pulpit:

Before the start of Mass. We were actually invited to move from here
up into the sanctuary to celebrate Mass. The Mass there was awesome!

After Mass:

Evening:

In the evening we walked back downtown to get a special desert. Here's St. Stephen's Cathedral:

Another view:

The memorial column for victims of the plague:

Graben:

St. Peter's Church - did I say Mass there was awesome?

Ah, we found Cafe Sacher and had a slice of their original tort with some nice Pinot Noir:

Vienna to Salzburg

Traveling from Vienna to Salzburg by bus.

Packing to bus for the trip to Salzburg:

Into the countryside:

Before going to Salzburg we're going to visit an Abby (you can see it in the distance):

Melk Abby:

We got off the bus and headed down the steps to Melk Abby (on the right):

In the Forecourt walking to the main entrance:

The alcove had great acoustics, so the group started singing:

On the ceiling:

Continuing on to the Prelates Court:

From there we headed to the portico on the left to this walkway:

And into a side door to the chapel where we'll celebrate Mass:

The entrance to the chapel:

The altar:

Part of the ornate ceiling:

Some of the furniture:

Ann practicing on one of the organs before Mass:

After Mass we headed to the museum:

There were lots of displays, and they seemed to use different color lighting in each room:

I think this was a heater:

I don't remember his name:

A small portable altar:

A cross and some artwork:

More artwork:

More artwork:

More artwork:

Ornate flooring:

A monstrance:

A re-usable coffin. At the grave site they flip a lever and the bottom opens and the body falls into
the grave:

A complicated mechanism for a lock:

A small travel breviary:

Artwork over the doorway to a room on the museum:

A gilded statue:

A miter:

A cherub:

Some relics:

More relics:

I don't remember what this is:

Model of the abbey:

Wooden clock:

After the museum we walked to the Marble Hall:

The orchestra played in the back room and the windows were adjusted for the volume into the hall:

A portion of the ceiling:

We walked outside and here's the view from the terrace:

The group at the entrance to the church:

Inside looking at the altar:

A view of the side of the church:

The ceiling:

Looking up the spiral staircase:

After lunch at the abbey restaurant we got back on the bus and headed to Salzburg:

It's getting overcast, but you can see some mountains in the background:

Moving along:

Some farmland:

Most of the fields have one of these towers that are used when hunting deer:

The Austrian Lake District near Salzburg. We'll be traveling here another day to get a closer look
at the area:

Getting closer to the city:

We're in Salzburg now:

Salzburg:

We typically walked from the hotel across the river to downtown
and Salzburg Cathedral. We didn't visit the Fortress Hohensalzburg, but you'll
see it in a number of pictures:

Hotel area:

On the street - they like Stiegl Beer in Salzburg (it's a local brewery that
was established in 1492):

Our hotel room:

The bathroom with a heated towel rack:

View from the window:

Salzburg Cathedral:

To get to the Cathedral you have to cross one of the many bridges:

At the Cathedral. The choir and the Cathedral Choir and Orchestra will be singing at the Mass:

Inside looking toward the main altar:

A picture from the Internet of the main altar:

Above the main altar:

One of the side altars:

The dome:

I was sitting under the dome and when the choir was singing the acoustics were awesome.
It sounded like the music and choir were singing down to us from Heaven.
Once again the audio samples aren't the best:

Choir and Orchestra Music during Mass:

Psalm of the day

Credo

Benedictus

Agnus Dei

A German Hymn

After Mass was over - the choir loft and organ:

Management:

The choir and pilgrims:

Looking down at the square outside the cathedral:

The choir up on cathedral walkway:

The view from the walkway:

Another picture of the choir on the walkway:

If you stand at the right place in the square you can see Mary crowned buy the Angels attached
to the Cathedral building:

City touring:

Time to tour the city:

Lots of shops and restaurants:

In the Christmas Store - lots of eggs:

They even had some for Halloween:

We stopped at the Café Mozart for sausage and sauerkraut with apples and Stiegl beer (with
the now familiar glass and emblem) and wine for lunch, and hot raspberry strudel for dessert:

Back outside - a fancy weather station:

A view from the river:

Antiques:

A house of cards?

More things to see:

University Church:

St. Andra Church:

St. Blaise Church:

Interesting door handles:

Very strict restrooms:

A garden at Mirabell Palace:

Puppets anyone?

The hills above Salzburg:

Hohensalzburg Castle on Mt. Festungsberg looking down on preparations for Oktoberfest where
they will be serving, what else, Stiegl beer:

Another view:

The tunnel that crosses between Mt. Festungsberg and Mt. Monchsberg:

After getting some rest at the hotel we went back out to see Mullen Fortification with protects the castle
from the north on Mt. Monchsberg:

We'll be crossing a bridge and heading up the hill left of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption:

Crossing a bridge - the town and castle in the background:

Heading up the stairs toward Our Lady of the Assumption:

The view from the steps:

The city view from the top of the steps:

We need to go up more stairs past the fortifications:

Closer view of the fortifications:

Another view as we're going higher up the hill:

A restaurant on top of the hill:

City view from on top - Our Lady of the Assumption on the left:

More - Salzburg Cathedral and the Castle to the right:

Our Lady of the Assumption Church:

On the way back down the hill we decided to see Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
This is at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Church:

A status of Jesus:

Heading up the stairs to the Church:

In the Church - the main altar:

A close up:

The pulpit:

The organ:

Augustiner Bräustübl:

Leaving the Church you can see the back side of the Augustiner Bräustübl and monastery:

A back entrance:

A walkway between the monastery (left) and Church (right):

At night we had dinner there:

There was plenty of food:

And the beer was flowing (no Stiegl here - they brew their own):

Austrian Lake District:

We took a day trip from Salzburg to a vacation spot for Austrians - the Lake District.
We first stopped in Mondsee where the Minor Basilica of St. Michael is located. It was
used in the movie Sound of Music. We then drove to St. Gilgen and toured the town.
We then drove to St. Wolfgang, toured and ate lunch, then drove back to Salzburg:

Mondsee:

On the way out of Salzburg for our day trip, we passed a bicycle station:

They still sell/drive cars though:

Colorful:

In the country now:

Some homes in the countryside:

More homes as we get closer to Mondsee:

I wonder if they still use the barn?

Welcome to the market town of Mondsee:

We start our walk to St. Michael's. In town a tractor is gassing up:

A home along the way:

A smoke and magazine shop:

A tax company: We planned their success!

More homes and shops along the way:

A shot of some of the colorful buildings and flowers under the windows:

Minor Basilica of St. Michael:

We arrived at the Minor Basilica of St. Michael in Mondsee:

Looking toward the main altar:

Close up of the main altar:

One of the side altars:

A Bishop:

Another side altar:

Abbot Conrad II:

A daily use organ:

The main organ:

Our group:

St. Gilgen:

On to  St. Gilgen:

Mountains, trees, buildings, green grass:

And a pond:

A nice looking barn:

A cluster of homes - we're almost there:

We're in the parking lot - you can see the red and yellow cable cars heading up the mountain:

The town is on Lake Wolfgang and they like Stiegl beer here too:

Since it's a vacation spot there are a number of restaurants and hotels:

A view of a park, the docks and water:

Someone flying in for a handout:

In the park - Theodor Billroth was an surgeon and amateur musician:

One of the few vagrants we saw:

Someone has a nice vacation home:

Church of St. Giles:

The tower of St. Giles Church:

Looking toward the main altar:

The ceiling near the altar:

Close up of the altar:

A side altar and statues:

The pulpit:

Another side altar:

The organ:

Back outside - a well kept cemetery:

Another view of the cemetery and church:

St. Wolfgang:

On the road again - this time to St. Wolfgang. Here's a house along the way:

Some cattle in the field:

Sometimes the houses are packed together:

Other times not so much:

A house down along Wolfgang Lake:

Even the campground is on the lake:

Out of the bus and time to explore St. Wolfgang:

Lots of colorful buildings and flowers to attract people on their vacation:

Pilgrim Church of St. Wolfgang:

A small fountain outside the Church:

View of Lake Wolfgang from the Church grounds:

Photography wasn't permitted inside (too bad for us), so here's a picture from the web:

Want a ride in a carriage?

We walked up this street and since it was time to eat we checked out the restaurant on the right:

The menu had lots of local game and they had deer antlers over the door
so we stopped here fro lunch:

I really don't remember what was on the plate with the deer medallions,
but I do remember it all tasted great:

After lunch a little more time for some shopping:

We picked up some hats at one of the shops and headed back to the bus:

Back in the bus and heading back to Salzburg:

A few larger building near the lake:

Some homes along the lake:

We're on the other side of the lake looking across to St. Wolfgang:

Another home near the lake:

Driving up the hill and out of the Lake District:

Back in Salzburg with our new hats to take one last stroll around the area
before eating dinner and then heading to the airport in Munich tomorrow.
I guess that's Auf Wiedersehen for now!

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Last modified: January 01, 2016 06:30:01 PM