CATHEDRALS

As if the arrival on the Orient Express was enough already...I will warn you, I was further seduced by the splendor of the city of Vienna, and helped me over the sads from getting off the train. This city was pretty neck and neck with my trip to Buenos Aires...as some of the architecture reminded of the same as I saw there, especially when it came to cathedrals. I felt guilty going in them, in fear they may crumble with my sinful ass walking in, but they did indeed withstand the minx!!! I'm far from religious....but the architecture and details of two of my favorite sights from Vienna were these two masterpieces...both with such ornate  decoration and touches....and the scale was jaw dropping. The first was St Stephen's Cathedral, and not because I share a name with it. 

From the very beginning, over 700 years now the cathedral has played an important part in Vienna’s spiritual and worldly affairs, and the country sees it as one of the most important and beloved landmarks. It's well worth the visit, and if you go , you'll be standing right where Joseph Hayden  sang as a choir boy and Mozart got married. The oldest remaining parts of St. Stephen’s (the beautifully Giant Gate and the Towers of the Heathens) date back to the 13th century when Vienna was growing in importance and significantly expanding its city limits. Duke Rudolph IV of Habsburg, in 1359, laid the cornerstone of the Gothic nave with its two aisles. From then on, it took over two hundred years for the building to reach its present shape. St. Stephen’s Cathedral houses a wealth of art treasures, some of which can only be seen on the guided tour.The magnificent South Tower, which alone took 65 years to build, is to this day the highest point in the skyline of Vienna’s inner city. The 343 steps of the tight spiral staircase lead up to the watchman's lookout 246 feet above street level.  The climb is well worth it, I made it worth while for Warbucks to do...he didn't think he'd make it! Once at the top, you’ll enjoy the finest view over the Old Town in all of Vienna.

The other cathedral we visited was the stunning St Peter's Cathedral. This one truly took my breath away.

This is the second-oldest church in Vienna, and the spot on which it stands could well be Vienna's oldest Christian church site. It's believed that a place of worship stood here in the second half of the 4th century. Charlemagne is credited with having founded a church on the site during the late 8th or early 9th century.The present St. Peter's is the most lavishly decorated baroque church in Vienna. Gabriel Montani designed it in 1702. Hildebrandt, the noted architect of the Belvedere Palace,  which we also visited, is believed to have finished the building in 1732. The fresco in the dome is a masterpiece by J. M. Rottmayr depicting the coronation of the Virgin. The church contains many frescoes and much gilded carved wood, plus altarpieces done by well-known artists of the period.

 Some of my fancy shaky video work.