Vienna-2nd day Museums

On the second day, we split up, as Brady and Finn went in search of some graffiti for Finn's project. Hector and the girls and I went to the Schmetterling Haus (Butterfly House) and the Museum of Natural History. Brady and Finn ended up at the National Art Museum.

 These are in front of the museums--in the courtyard of the Museum Quartier. (And here's one more gold guy to add to our collection.)

We stopped for a quick bite at a little stand on the road. Gyros, noodles, pizza--ahh the choices!

Vienna--Kaisersgruft (The Crypt of the Kings)/Rathaus/Zu den Leiserln

 We were able to get into the Kaisergruft before it closed...the Austrians take good care of their royalty. The crypt is housed beneath a small church--certainly of some significance, but don't know what it is..The caskets were all bronze with intricate (and sometimes huge) statues of saints and other creatures.

 Why so sad, queen?

 Here's one of the most ornate examples--on the casket of King Josef Ferdinand I, husband to Isabel

Someone's beloved is sleeping well here.

 Next we took a cable car on the Ringestrasse (the street that encircles the old town); in part, we chose this to warm up a little...

 Note the difference between these shots (taken only seconds apart), the blue comes from the Rathaus--the building where parliament meets. Tonight it was lit up (in blue/purple) for an iceskating fest.

 Pearl and Georgia REALLY wanted to rent skates and joint the skaters, but it was so cold that we opted to watch for a few minutes.

 There was a dj with a local music station and stands selling food and drinks. (Most of the drink choices were too strong for the kids...the music was techno and euro--Hector loved it!

 We armed up here while we pretended to consider which sausage we wanted (we'd already decided on a restaurant for our first taste of wiener schnitzel) and instead had...

 HOt CHocolate!!! MMM.

 I thought it seemed expensive, but wasn't yet used to euros. When we finished the people at the Kiosk had us place the cups back on the rack and gave us a $15 deposit back! Apparently I'd paid for the mugs.

 Here we are at the Zu den Leisn--a traditional schnitzel restaurant.

 The plate they served up was stacked with all kinds of meat fried in a delicious crust. We tried liver, turkey, beef, pork and other? served with some french fries and really good cabbage/root saladAustrian soda.  Even Brady like the cabbage/roots--and we all know that's saying something.

Initially when we ordered, the kids each selected a main plate and Brady and I decided to share a combination for two. The waiter informed us that the combination plate would be enough for us all. Boy was he right! We saved half of what our first order would have cost, and we were stuffed. Needless to say, thanked our waiter for his advice with a nice tip.:)

Vienna--Albertina

We wandered down the main thoroughfare toward the palace. It was a little bit cold but it didn't seem to bother anybody--especially not this guy. We're now collecting "gold men"; this is our third one!

 The kids were intrigued by this window of ball gowns. Pearl wanted to buy one for her junior prom, but alas, they didn't seem to be in our price range.

 We came upon Albertina Theatre--and got some shots of these statues/sculptures--not sure of their significance, but they are interesting.

Which one's the troll?

Lots of names--but the most interesting thing to us was what we found in the back of this:

A geo-cache!!! We signed and dated it along with 50 or so others from the past 2 years.

Proud discoverers!

Vienna--Stephansplatz (Stephen's Cathedral)

We left at 7 on a Friday morning (without a hitch--only two metro stops to the train station :)) for the 5 hour trip to Vienna (from there, we went on to Budapest.) Our first stop there (after our hotel, which was in a less than lovely area, but easily accessible from the Metro) was Stephen's Square/Cathedral. Behold:

 We were sorry that it was being renovated as it detracted from the whole effect of the exterior--we should have informed them that we were coming I guess, so that they could have had it completed...

 Brady managed this nice angle.

Here's the nave--very impressive! and the freebie of the cathedral. Actually, we'd hoped to see the catacombs (paid entry) below the cathedral but were too late ; we only had 30 minutes before it closed for the day. 

The wood of the pews is warm (not temp-wise) and rich. We loved being able to actually sit and be still for a few minutes. (At least I did.)

They're looking at a huge crucifix above. I love this shot of the oldest and youngest of the family. As an aside, we traveled really (surprisingly?) well as a family. The kids looked out for each other and joked and pointed out things to each other almost the entire time. We are happy backpackers:) I guess our biggest challenge was/is not being used to the constant crush of people (tourists and in big cities in general) and remembering to always be mindful of sharing the sidewalk, escalators, tram/metro-space, etc and staying out of others' way. Thanks Brady, for reminding us (with a gentle nudge and calm words) over and over.

Udalls in meditation...

This looks like a big birthday cake (chocolate, yum), but it's actually the stone "box" where you can pay to burn a candle. Unfortunately, we didn't have any coins, since we hadn't exchanges any koruna for euros yet, to burn one for those of our friends in need.

Here's a shot of the square--but what isn't captured is the crowds. We were surprised at the numbers  of tourists! Prague has nothing on Vienna for crowds in February. Even with four kids, which made us very conspicuous everywhere else, no one gave us a second look.

 Of course the horse and carriage was a big hit--even though we didn't take a ride. The girls were mystified by the feeding procedure. The horses are eating out of the red bags attached to their muzzles.

Lovely!

Lennon Wall/Kafka's 'hood

Hector and I took an afternoon to see the Kafka Museum. We also wandered by the Lennon Wall...

On the day John Lennon was murdered (in 1980) people began leaving messages of peace here. Secret police would white-wash it only to have the messages multiply within a few days. After the Velvet Revolution (I love that name), they stopped whitewashing, and you can see the results:

 

It's more colorful than a spring flower garden--and what a beautiful message.

The word "griso" is in 3-D lettering--looks official. Tried the dictionary and Google--still don't know what it means.

Finn's doing a project in graffiti in Prague, Budapest, Vienna, (Amsterdam, Paris)--good stuff here...Will add the project's message when it becomes apparent...

The wall is owned by The Order of the Maltese (in existence since the 1200s!) who repaired it in 1989 and now maintain it.

This says it al--maybe the theme of Finn's project?

Also near the French embassy, we saw this car. We really wanted a ride, but no luck!

The otherwise nondescript Kafka Museum--no photo allowed inside. This is another "whimsical" sculpture by Cerny--of baby fame. The Kafka Museum is a wild place. It attempts to create for the goer the forces in Kafka's sad, dark life and creativity. There's some bizarre imagery, music, distortion of space, time--but overall, Hector and I were both moved by much of the darkness in his life and the historical events of that time: we were stunned by how many of his family members, friends, and fellow writers (from the German-speaking Jews in his Arco-ist group) died in concentration camps and gas chambers.  Though Prague is a beautiful place (obviously), we see reminders every day of that dark time here.

This is the route to school...the Christian International School of Prague...

We catch the tram at Namesti Miru.

Then two stops: Sumavska, Vinhoradska Vodarna...

And finally, we get off at Perunova. The island where you alight is in the middle of the street. If you're not VERY careful as you land, you will get hit by a car!!! Motor Cafe in the background is a fine place for waffles topped with a thick layer of  whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate--one of the first things we discovered and a favorite with the kids.

 Our school...