Before we leave Vienna behind here are a few photos of sights that I have not previously posted. It would seem a good idea to make the first stop at the Opera House. The building itself was erected between 1863 and 1869 as one of the great monuments of the new Ring Boulevard. The Royal - Imperial Court Opera Theater. as it was first called, was designed by the architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null.
In the city centre there are many people dressed in costumes from Mozart's period trying to sell tickets for the night's concert. For some reason we were never approached. Could this be because we did not look like tourists or were we the wrong type of clientele?
Walking from the Opera House to St Stephen's there are over one hundred stars laid in the paved pedestrian thoroughfare of artists that have performed in the city.
Reaching St Stephen's Square and Cathedral, the former I have mentioned previously as this is where many of the street entertainers perform and is an area to relax and let the world go by. Below are a few images of St Stephens Cathedral and more information can be found here.
Finally it would be a crime not to mention the Danube before we leave Vienna behind.
All three of us enjoyed our visit to Vienna and would certainly like to come back some time, especially as it is possible to get a hydrofoil down to Budapest. Now there's an idea.
Arriving back in the city centre we trouped off to the tourist information centre, close to the opera house. Inside there were several people waiting to be served so we decided to see what we could find. Not too far away, 300metres from the opera, we came across the Burggarten(court garden). In the south western part of the garden there is a statue of Mozart and in the north eastern area there is a Jugendstil, glasshouse. Inside the glasshouse there is a Schmetterlinghaus, Butterfly Park. The park state that all their butterflies come from farms in various tropical countries and none are taken from the wild, nor are there any endangered species within the building. As all three of us were getting cultured out the peace inside the building gave us a period of relaxation away from the city centre. It was amusing to watch people charging round trying to take photographs of the occupants. We just either sat or stood in one place and waited for them to come to us. Once again thank you Guzzisue for the wonderful photos. The cheque's in the post!
Here are a few photos to finish our visits to Prater Park. The first set are of the oldest ride in the park. Sadly it is in need of some repair.
This group of characters look like they have had a mixture of too many rides and too much falling down water.
I'm not sure if this gentleman is being sucked into an abyss or escaping from it. I'll let you decide. Punch and Judy manage to climb to new heights.
There are different types of horse carousels within the park. The first is a classic design dating from 1895.
The other uses horses to pull carriages. Guzzisue was not too sure of the ethics of this particular ride, however the horses are taken away from the ride at quiet intervals for a little exercise.
This little scene was something we stumbled across. Beauty and the Beast or both talking about their Bad Hair Day. Just out of shot was a film crew, so this could have been a college class at work. These chair-o-planes are not for this Ted! The thought of loosing my grip and being slung off at a tangent does not "bear" thinking about. Terra firma for me.
Finally two more pictures of the Riesenrad, followed by another short film of Prater Park.
Having left the Kunsthaus behind us it was all eyes skywards to find our next destination. Vienna has a funfair at Prater Park and in its grounds is a very famous landmark, the Riesenrad. The Riesenrad was erected by Walter B Basset, a British engineer, in 1897 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I. The wheel itself spans 200 feet and rotates at 0.65 m/sec. The wheel has featured in several films, The Third Man being one of the most, if not the most famous. In 1914 the wheel was used for a film stunt in which Madame Solange d'Atalide managed to complete one round on horseback on top of one of the cabins. In 1944, at the height of WWII, the Giant Ferris Wheel burnt down, but was rebuilt in 1945. The Riesenrad is the only giant ferris wheel of its time which is still in use today. We thought the charge of 7.50 euros was quite expensive until we walked into a room with showcases resembling the cabins on the wheel with models inside each one. The models give a brief history of Vienna over the last two thousand years, from Roman Times, through the Middle Ages and up to the Second World War.
Once inside the cabin we slowly rose above the nearby tree line to view the surrounding area. We did not expect Prater Park to be the size it is, so a walk round will be necessary.
Here is the view from the top of the wheel.
Disembarking from the wheel we declined the tourist photo of us on the Riesenrad. Well it was a pretty poor mock-up of a cabin with Ian having an arm around Guzzisue and pointing to something in the distance (sic). Two other things we got with our entry ticket were discount vouchers to be used in the gift shop, 40 cents and 30 cents for the restaurant. These stayed in our pockets. During our stay in Vienna we had more than one visit to the park. Below are some shots of the wheel at different times of the day, finishing off with a small film clip I've edited.
Harry was nowhere to be seen so I assume he had already been on the wheel and was now hiding in the sewers.
It was Ian's fault! You know the feeling you get when having done something time consuming like cleaning your motorcycle and the weather changes? Well Ian, having had his beard trim, looked out the window and it's raining. The good news was that by the time we had breakfasted the rain had stopped. Map in hand and paw we headed across Vienna to
The Kunsthaus is a museum that was designed by the Viennese artist Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser. Although Hundertwasser started out as a painter, he became widely known for his architecture, ranging from an incinerator works in Vienna , public buildings, the Rognerat Bad Blumau and some public toilets in his adopted home of Kawakawa, New Zealand, until his death in 2000. Guzzisue had seen some of Hundertwasser's paintings in one of her many books and Ian had watched Billy Connolly'sNew Zealand Tour television programme in which there was a short film clip of the toilets in Kawakawa. Below are some shots taken outside of the Kunsthaus. On entering the building the floor is uneven and a notice explains why in Hundertwasser's words.
'The flat floor is an invention of the architects. It fits engines - not human beings.
We do not only have eyes to see and ears to hear and noses to smell. We also have a sense for the touch of our hands and our feet.
If man is forced to walk on flat floors as they were planned thoughtlessly in designers' offices, estranged from man's age old relationship and contact to earth - a decisive part of man withers and dies. This has catastrophic consequences for the soul, for the equilibrium, the well being and the health of man. Man's ability to experience ceases and he becomes disabled, mentally and organically.
An uneven and animated floor means to recover dignity of man which has been violated in our unnatural and hostile urban grid system.
The uneven floor becomes a symphony, a melody for the feet and brings back natural vibrations to man.
Architecture should elevate and not subdue man. It is good to walk on uneven floors and regain our human balance.'
And here is what the floor looks like.
It is quite difficult to see the unevenness in the foreground but by looking at the base of the right hand side pillar the uneven floor is more visible. Also on the ground floor there is a fountain in the reception area
and the design of the toilets is similar to their New Zealand cousins.
Make sure you have a strong stance when visiting the urinals as the uneven floor theme carries on here!We were not permitted to take photos in any other area within the museum due to the content, a large collection of Hundertwasser's works. Guzzisue enjoyed the visit more than Ian and myself. This could have been due to where we were going to go after here, however the design of the building did grab our attention.
During our stay in Vienna, we were once again kept entertained by the many street entertainers. None more so than this Rock and Roll Hound. There was a good crowd watching this particular act. The end of this small film is amusing. All I can ask is why did the girl come back?
In the city centre there are many people dressed in costumes from Mozart's period trying to sell tickets for the night's concert. For some reason we were never approached. Could this be because we did not look like tourists or were we the wrong type of clientele?
Reaching St Stephen's Square and Cathedral, the former I have mentioned previously as this is where many of the street entertainers perform and is an area to relax and let the world go by.
Finally it would be a crime not to mention the Danube before we leave Vienna behind.
All three of us enjoyed our visit to Vienna and would certainly like to come back some time, especially as it is possible to get a hydrofoil down to Budapest. Now there's an idea.
