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!