MATT RADIO

December 29, 2008

"A Cold, Grey Sky, It Fades to the Distance"

"Oh... Vienna"

Matt outside the Hofburg, Vienna's former Imperial Palace

(Click to view larger version of any of the photos below.)



the Rathaus Wein & Design hotel	The blankets/comforters are heavy and similar to x-ray smocks at a dentist’s office.	Dana insisted on photos right away, “before you have time to get your clutter everywhere.”

minimalist shelving	This is room 409.	Each room’s mini-bar and fridge is devoted to one specific Austrian winemaker.

This quickly becomes our favorite hotel room in Europe so far.	I can’t capture the entire shower in one photo, but trust me, it’s fabulous.	a section of the Austrian Parliament building

The Parliament building covers over 13,500 square meters…	…making it one of the largest structures in central Vienna.	Eight bronze quadrigas on Parliament’s roof are driven by Nike, the goddess of victory.

Just south of Parliament is the Natural History Museum.	Just north of Parliament is City Hall, with a magnificent clock tower.	We’re here an hour, and Dana’s already mingling with a pillar of society at Parliament.

a lion in winter	Dana prepares for navigation from the Parliament complex.	walking along the Burgring

Naturhistorisches Museum	Matt at the Museum of Natural History	3:16 pm

Kunsthistorisches (Fine Arts) Museum	Dana in front of the Vienna Museum of Fine Arts	The Hofburg, a sprawling, asymmetric complex, extends over 240,000 square meters.

It consists of 18 wings, 19 courtyards, and 2,600 rooms in which nearly 5,000 people still work and live today.	Originally a medieval fortified castle dating from the 13th century...	...the Hofburg was extended by each successive emperor, eventually coming to resemble a city within a city.

In 1938, Hitler proclaimed the annexation of Austria by the Third Reich from a balcony here.	Archduke Charles rears up behind Matt.	Vienna City Hall as seen from the Hofburg grounds

This is the Neue Burg section of the Hofburg Palace.	Archduke Charles beat Napolean near Vienna in 1809.	the arched passageway to the Michaelerplatz courtyard at the Hofburg Palace

Dana in the Michaelerplatz courtyard	The courtyard has no shortage of statues.	Marble statues struggle at Michaelerplatz

An angel slays a mortal with a golden sword…	…and the name of God in Hebrew on her shield.	Christmas decorations remain hung over Graben Street.

In 1974 Der Graben (German for “the trench”) became Vienna’s first pedestrian zone.	The plague column commemorates the epidemic of 1679.	Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral), Austria’s finest Gothic edifice

It stands on the ruins of a church consecrated in 1147.	Excavations to install a heating system in 2000 revealed graves 2.5 meters beneath the floor, which were carbon- dated to the fourth century.	This indicates that the 1147 church was likely built on a cemetery dating back to Ancient Roman times.

I’m struck immediately by this building’s resemblance to St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague	Mozart’s wedding in 1782 and his funeral in 1791 both occurred here.	Built of limestone, the cathedral is 107 meters long and 136 meters tall at its highest point.

	The north tower’s cupola (at top left) contains “Boomer,” the largest of the cathedral’s 23 bells. Boomer is rung at midnight on New Year’s Eve.	Stephansdom was saved during WWII by a German captain who disregarded orders to destroy it.

In April 1945, however, the roof did collapse in a fire. The cathedral reopened in 1948.	the most acclaimed (and largest) Schnitzel in Vienna	Dana slices her breaded fried pork at Figlmuller

Yes, folks, it's worth going in: the exterior of Figlmuller.	The City Hall of Vienna, the Rathaus (not to be confused with our hotel)	the plate of assorted breakfast cakes Dana ordered (at 6:30 pm) in the wine bar of our hotel