Parliament Buildings
Yet another church dedicated to Archangel Michael, this 13th 
century one being one of the oldest in Vienna.
The Baroque interior.
A popular way for tourists to see Vienna.
For those of us who used trains & buses this sign reminds people of their manners in the front seats. Mike thought one of these must be reserved for him as per the picture!
Crown of the Holy Roman Emporer. The Austrians had their crown too.
This nail is said to be from the Crucifixion.
The Quarter's courtyard is a gathering place for young people and these yellow loungers are painted a different colour every year.
Here we visited the Leopold Museum & particularly enjoyed the art of Austrians Gustov Klimt, Egon Schiele & Josef Auchentaller.
For those of us who used trains & buses this sign reminds people of their manners in the front seats. Mike thought one of these must be reserved for him as per the picture!Visiting the Hofburg included seeing the royal apartments (reminded us of home!), the royal household collection and the 
Treasury.
Treasury.
Dinner on these hand painted plates?
Gold table decorations. Such items were handy for melting down to make coins when the times got tough, as happened during the Napoleonic wars.
The Treasury contained an amazing collection of items from the Habsburg dynasty, religious sources, and the Holy Roman Empire - an old alliance of central European states dissolved in 1806 by its emporer, Austrian Emporer Francis I, when Napoleon won (though he was eventually defeated). Kay couldn't resist taking just a few photos!
Gold table decorations. Such items were handy for melting down to make coins when the times got tough, as happened during the Napoleonic wars.
The Treasury contained an amazing collection of items from the Habsburg dynasty, religious sources, and the Holy Roman Empire - an old alliance of central European states dissolved in 1806 by its emporer, Austrian Emporer Francis I, when Napoleon won (though he was eventually defeated). Kay couldn't resist taking just a few photos!
Crown of the Holy Roman Emporer. The Austrians had their crown too.
The cradle of Napoleon II, the son of Napoleon & his Austrian Empress. (He was brought up in Austria & died of TB at 21.)
This nail is said to be from the Crucifixion.
A gold bunch of flowers, an award from a pope.
The Austrian Empire was considerably larger than today's Austrian Republic. With all its wealth & power, occasional (unsuccessful) revolts by nobles & peasants were understandable!
The Museum Quarter caters for every age.
The Austrian Empire was considerably larger than today's Austrian Republic. With all its wealth & power, occasional (unsuccessful) revolts by nobles & peasants were understandable!
The Museum Quarter caters for every age.
The Quarter's courtyard is a gathering place for young people and these yellow loungers are painted a different colour every year.
Here we visited the Leopold Museum & particularly enjoyed the art of Austrians Gustov Klimt, Egon Schiele & Josef Auchentaller.
We had a huge dose of the old masters at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, purpose built 1871-91, with no expense spared, by the Habsburgs to house their art collection. We spent 3 hours on just one floor!
We also enjoyed just being amongst all the people & cafes in this main street. In the central background is the 17th century plague memorial.
We also enjoyed just being amongst all the people & cafes in this main street. In the central background is the 17th century plague memorial.
On our last night we went with Monika & Ernst to the free film festival held outside the City Hall for 2 months every year. Restaurant tents add to the flavour of this humming area. We ended the evening with a drink at the modern bar on the left side of this picture, contrasting with St Stephen's Cathedral across the street (only a small part is seen here). This picture also shows today's cultural contrasts.
Considering what we have seen lately we wonder how different tourism would be without royalty & religion! Vienna was certainly a special place to visit and Monika & Ernst were great ambassadors for their city.
Considering what we have seen lately we wonder how different tourism would be without royalty & religion! Vienna was certainly a special place to visit and Monika & Ernst were great ambassadors for their city.