First Impressions

And boy, does Vienna give some very nice first impressions.

At the time this post is being written, I've been in Vienna for almost exactly 48 hours.  I may need 48 hours to write this entry, so wait until you've got some time to kill before reading.

The city of Vienna is beautiful.  Three straight days of sunny 70 degree weather punctuated by fluffy white clouds and light breezes helps.  In a nutshell, Vienna feels very much like a classical European city ... which is to say that it's exactly what you think of when you think of a major European metropolis.  There are narrow, twisting streets adjacent to modern highways.  There are unique and modern architectural constructions down the street from hundred year-old facades.  The pace on the streets feels calm; not necessarily leisurely but not hurried or stressed either.  People grab food or coffee outside at almost any hour.  The public transportation options are plentiful and efficient.  And most of all, it's just cool.

My DSLR camera is still packed away, so the following pictures are from my iPhone 4.  Some of these images were shot into the sun, which is bad form for a photographer, but the only way to capture some of the scenes for this post.  Also, I've reduced the size of each photo to a "medium/large" size for faster loading and a better mobile experience.  If the photos are too small OR if you'd like full size photos, just let me know.  If I get enough requests I may just open a public Dropbox folder or use another cloud service.

Anyways, this first set is from the area immediately around the hotel, in Vienna's 3rd District.  See what I mean about the very classical European style?

The Imperial Riding School - Renaissance Hotel, in Vienna's 3rd District

How did that get in here?  Me, at the corner of the Stadpark, adjacent to Vienna's 1st District

These next photos are in front of, and around, the area near St. Stephen's Cathedral -- one of the highest structures in Vienna, easily its tallest church, and the unofficial center of the Inner City: Vienna's 1st District.

 

Definitely not to be mistaken with Vienna's Inner City, here is where I'll be spending most of my quality time in the next few months.  I couldn't access the grounds without either a Visitor or Employee Badge, but give me a few days ...

The Vienna International Center, VIC, home of several UN Offices, and also known to locals as UNO City.

The view across the Danube River, from an area a few blocks away from the VIC.

Looks delightful!

Now, imagine for a moment that you live in a major city, and someone asks you where you live, and you reply "I live near the park."  What does that mean to us in America?  In New York, it probably means you live in Manhattan, near Central Park.  In Chicago, downtown near Millennium Park or in the South Loop by Grant Park.  In other cities, it means different things.  So then perhaps you can understand my surprise when, just a few blocks away from my hotel, and only just a covered doorway off a major street, I stumbled onto the Belvedere Palace grounds:

I promise that I'll be returning there with my DSLR in the near future for daytime and nighttime shots!

Today, I tried to explore more of the city, and took a surface tram to the area near Kalrsplatz, a central subway station located in front of St. Charles Church -- a gorgeous building:

Continuing the theme of just slowing down and relaxing, I decided to plop myself onto a bench and people watch for a bit.  After all, it was nearly 12 noon and it was (yet another) amazing day outside.  My inspector curiosity took hold when I noticed men in military uniforms beginning to gather.  I was further intrigued - and went in for a closer took - when the church bells sounded for nearly 15 minutes!  After keeping my distance from the far edge of the water out of respect, I noticed the uniforms splitting into two groups: dignitaries lining up for lunch, and a band getting ready to play.

I'm American ... don't they know that ropes don't apply to me?

... so, of course I snuck into perhaps the best vantage point possible, and enjoyed a lovely, impromptu concert courtesy of the Austrian National Army.

Apparently the tall American is enough to scare away the Austrian Army!
... or, at least, their band ...

I was joined by a delightful couple on holiday from London: Edmund (Scottish) and Mika (Polish).  They engaged a local school teacher who had come out from his office to see what the bells and the music were all about.  According to the teacher, the military and members of the Roman Catholic church hold a mass at this church every year to pray for peace.  The dignitaries, their families and guests, and members of the clergy then break bread together.  The band was playing as a special treat for the lunch feast.  Fascinating!

I posted two videos to YouTube, with my amazing vantage point and all:

For some reason Blogger isn't letting me simply embed my second video, so here is the link:
http://youtu.be/R2lHD1_A950


Here's a few more pics of Karlsplatz and the church, from different angles.

After all this exploring over a few days, I needed some local food.  I found a local schnitzel place next to the Vienna Institute of Technology.  Believe it or not, the Wiener schnitzel  (Vienna cutlet) is pretty good here.

Now where do I find the Vienna Beef hot dogs?