Vienna ~ The City of Music, part 2

Our long weekend in Vienna was full of sight seeing, drinking Glühwein and visiting palaces; however,  their were two highlights for me during the weekend.  The first highlight was seeing a concert in the beautiful home of the Vienna Philharmonic. Musikverein is the concert hall of the celebrated New Year's Day concerts.  Former directors include Johannes Brahms, Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado and Riccardo Muti.  

back interior of the Musikverein.

Like the opera house, the lights at night on the Musikverein are gorgeous.  It has an intimate, beautiful interior and there's not a bad seat in the house!

looking at stage of Musikverein

Karlskirche is a Baroque church that dominates the square of Karlsplatz.  It was originally commissioned by Emperor Karl VI, who made a vow to build a great church during a terrible outbreak of the plague in 1713.  The two pillars in the front are modeled after Trajan's Column in Rome.   

alter of Karlskirche

frescos in the dome

You can climb up to the top of the dome for a close up look at ceiling frescos.  In 2004, scaffolding was constructed to do some restoration work and it became a way for people to get to the top of the dome and has beautiful views of the city.  

organ of Karlskirche

Anton Bruckner was just one of many classical music composers that was from Vienna.  His funeral was held at Karlskirche Church .

Vienna has their own "walk of fame".  Many composers stars are in the sidewalks around Vienna.

The Advent Market in front of Karlskirche church was one of my favorites.  Bales of straw were scattered in a play area and children were free to romp in the straw.  Mass produced items are not allowed and there were innovative artworks and unusual gifts. 

 some locals enjoying Glühwein at Advent Market

Girl with alpaca at Advent Market

sample of hand painted Christmas balls

The second highlight of our trip was a visit to the Spanish Riding School  or Spanische Hofreitschule.  We were lucky enough to be visiting when the performances were being held and we were able to get tickets to see a performance.  This is the home of the famous Lipazzaner stallions.  The history of these horses dates back to the 16th century and they are now attached to the school in Vienna were they demonstrate movements of classical dressage including "airs above the ground".  This is all done to classical music and it is truly a fabulous show.  It's horse ballet!  These are the horses that have been evacuated numerous times during war to avoid extinction.  The movie Miracle of the White Stallions is based on the true story of the United States Army under George Patton rescuing the horses from the Nazis.

front of the Spanish Riding School

before the performance

"airs above the ground"  image:Washington Post

The Royal Box 

our seats had an amazing view

After the performance, we took a tour of the newly constructed stables.  If you visit and do not get a chance to see a performance, it's worth seeing the horses in the stables.   

outside the Spanish Riding school 

Vienna is a city of beauty, history, the finest classical music and art museums.  We only had a taste of this amazing city during our long weekend and I would love to return.

Vienna~ The City of Music, part 1

Our greeting at the Vienna airport

During Thanksgiving weekend 2012, we traveled with good friends to Austria to visit Vienna and Salzburg.  It was a perfect weekend of palaces, concerts, Advent markets and exploring the city of all cities for Classical music lovers.  The first banner we saw in the airport was this picture of Strauss' Die Fledermaus score.
Even though Christmas was still a month away, much of Vienna had already begun the Christmas festivities, with Advent markets (or Christkindlmarkte), Glühwein and beautiful lights all over the city

The Ring hotel decked out for Christmas

Our hotel was conveniently located within walking distance of  Musikverein,  the home of the Vienna  Philharmonic and the Staatsopera, which is the Vienna State Opera. 

The city was lit for Christmas with small white lights hanging in the middle of all the streets as well as from buildings.

The Plague Column on Graben street, once the town moat. 

   Compared to London, Vienna is small  so it was easy to walk around the city. 

lights added for Advent to the front of the cathedral

St Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) was our first stop which is located in the inner city (Innerstadt).  St Stephen's Cathedral is the home of the Archbishop of Vienna.  The original church on this site was built in 1147.  

St.Stephen's Cathedral  is known for it's colored tile roof

Mostly Mozart~  a chain of souvenir stores with chocolates and any other type of souvenirs you might want to take home from Vienna.

The Belvedere district of Vienna is where the aristocracy of Vienna built their lavish summer residences during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Upper and Lower Belvedere palaces were the home of Prince Eugene of Savoy, an important military commander.  Upper Belvedere Palace now contains the Austrian Gallery with art from the Middle Ages to the present day.  Perhaps the most famous display is that of late 19th c. artist Gustav Klimt who was a symbolist painter and a prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement. 

The Advent Market at Upper Belvedere Palace was one of many that are set up around the city at various palaces and churches.  Bratwurst, pretzels, chestnuts, Christmas gifts and Glühvein are plentiful at the Advent Markets.  

Glühwein was a must at all of the markets!

pastries of all kinds were everywhere  

The advent markets were displayed in the front of beautiful palaces and made for a stunning back drop.

The Rathausplatz Advent Market with City Hall in the background. 

Vienna has plenty of palaces to visit. Schönbrunn Palace was built in the 17th century by Leopold I for his son. It remained incomplete until Empress Maria Theresa added another floor to accommodate  her 16 children and painted it her favorite color~Schönbrunn yellow.  It was once the summer residence of the imperial family.  It has been called Vienna's Versailles.

Advent Market around Schönbrunn Palace

Neptune fountain at Schönbrunn Palace

 We visited five different Advent Markets and every market was filled with unique handmade items.

The Staatshoper (Vienna State Opera) was located down the street from our hotel.  It is one of the world's best known opera houses dating from the mid-19th century. Toward the end of WWII, the opera was burned by an American bombardment.  The stage was destroyed as well as almost the entire decor and props for 120 operas with around 150,000 costumes.  It was eventually restored on the original site.  It has a history of famous musicians who have been the directors, including  Gustav Mahler,  Richard Strauss and Herbert von Karajan.  Today Franz Welser-Möst , director of the Cleveland Orchestra is also the musical director of the Staatshoper.

Grand Foyer of the Opera House

Vienna part 2~  Spanish Riding School, Schönbrunn Palace, Musikverein, more Advent Markets!