Where in the World is Sharon Daugherty2: Vienna, Austria Day One

Our hotel "The Hotel Katnerfhof is very nice and well located

within walking distance of most of the attractions

A walk to familiarize ourselves with the area and of course to find lunch

Horse carriages near St. Stephens Cathedral

Guttenberg

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the symbol of Vienna. Construction commenced in the 12th century. Today, it is one of the most important Gothic structures in Austria. St. Stephen's Cathedral defines the city centre and has been the heart of Vienna for centuries. It is one of the most famous Viennese sights and was built in 1147 AD. For a long time it was uncontested as highest building in Europe measuring almost 137 m.

On the roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral, colorful roof tiles were laid to create the Royal and Imperial double-headed eagle and the coat of arms of the city of Vienna.

The nave

and altar

the Altarpiece of Wiener Neustadt (Neustädter Altar),

a Gothic winged altar from 1147

the pulpit by Anton Pilgram (1514-15)

Anton Pilgram carved himself into the window below as his signature for the piece.

Spectacular and intricate pulpit

Little creatures crawling up the stairway

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor's tomb.. The construction of Emperor Frederick's tomb spanned over 45 years, starting 25 years before his death. The impressive sarcophagus is made of the unusually dense red marble-like stone found at the Adnet quarry. Carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, the tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in his coronation regalia surrounded by the coats of arms of all of his dominions. The body of the tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of medieval sculptural art.

beautiful paintings and sculptures in the Chapels

The 14-sided baptismal font was completed in 1481, and its cover was formerly the sound board above the famed pulpit in the main church. Its marble base shows the four Evangelists, while the niches of the basin feature the twelve apostles, Christ and St. Stephan.

Exploring the old town

The Sacher Hotel

and the Cafe Mozart

where one must enjoy

a coffee and the famous "sachertorte". We tried a mini trio

the chocolate is the original "Sachertorte", the red one was called "The Mozart" and I forgot what the green one was called. All very tasty

Sustenance for continued exploration of the streets

We happened on this little platz

and this beautiful Jesuit Church

Built at the time of the Counter-Reformation, this church is rich in baroque embellishments. This was the university church, dedicated to the Jesuit saints Ignatius of Loyola and Franciscus Xaverius. The high-baroque decorations -- galleries, columns, and the trompe l'oeil painting on the ceiling, which gives the illusion of a dome -- were added from 1703 to 1705. The embellishments were the work of a Jesuit lay brother, Andrea Pozzo, on the orders of Emperor Leopold I. Look for Pozzo's painting of Mary behind the main altar. Choir and orchestra services (mostly classical) are celebrated on Sunday and holy days at 10am.

I looked for a long time on google trying to firgure out an explanation of this egg-like piece of art hanging in this beautiful church. What I found says it all.

"I don’t know about you, but I can’t see any value in having this hideous thing in a church.

Need an explanation? I’ll bet you do. I’ll bet you all the money in your pocket that you can’t say what this thing represents without looking at an explanation.

“To be in limbo”.

This piece of… thing… is 8 meters high, weighs 700kg, and will stay there until 19 April 2015. So, rush to Vienna to see it.

It is meant – I am not making this up – to symbolize “faith and its menacing aspects”.