Today’s post is 2175 words, 64 photos, an 11 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the looks and comments on the first post in the series from Austria and Germany. If you missed that post, click here.

This week the old farm boys will take you to an art gallery, a museum, a walking tour of the old town with Herbert, and more.

The Albertina

Wayne and I, AKA Two Old Farm Boys, were intrigued by The Albertina, an art museum near the Sisi that I described last week. Maybe it was the unique stairway that drew us in and want to see the exhibits within.

The Albertina was once a palace built in the mid-1700s serving as residence for nobility associated with the Habsburg royal family. The residents began  to collect artworks accumulating hundreds of important paintings and drawings. After World War I, the palace and artworks were confiscated by the socialist government. In 1921, the building was renamed The Albertina. During World War II, it was severely damaged by Allied bombing raids. After the war ended, it was rebuilt and expanded. Today it’s considered one of the great art museums in the world with a vast collection. Nearly a million people a year visit The Albertina.

The main exhibit is a permanent display is of classical modernism with works by Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Degas, and Kandinsky. Click on this link to learn and see more. I was most interested in the works by Claude Monet. I also like Matisse and a couple of others. I could do well without Picasso.

This is Monet’s House Among the Roses. The gallery was quite crowded, there were a couple of large tour groups that often blocked the view of other visitors. In the photo below, one of the docents is leading such a group.

I took two photos of this work for my Traveling Partner who stayed at home for this trip. I thought this would make a nice quilt.

Here’s one of the works by Matisse.

 

There was also some modern art through sculpture. 

Bitzinger Wurstelstand

Next to The Albertina is one of the most famous and best sausage stands in Vienna. I shot this photo from the deck outside the Albertina. Wayne and I lined up behind the pigeon for one of their sausages. I had a regular with mustard and dark bread. It was very good. A must stop when in Vienna and hungry for street food.

That evening we met Wayne’s friend Daniel and his wife Karin at their apartment near the impressive Austrian Parliament Building.

At the Parliament, there was a display supporting the Palestinian people. Immigration is an issue that continues to be of concern in Austria. In recent years, the country has received immigrants from Eastern European countries such as Romania, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia, Ukraine, and others. In addition, there has been an influx from the Middle East and South Asian countries of Syria and Afghanistan. The majority have settled in Vienna.

After some wine and finger foods, Daniel and Karin took us a traditional Viennese restaurant, the Gasthaus Rebhuhn  translated as the partridge inn. Thus the drawings of partridges on either side of the entrance.

I had the neck of pork with a bread dumpling and cabbage salad. It was filling and quite good.

I learned that Strum is a popular, seasonal drink of partially fermented grapes. It is said to be hazy, fizzy, and sweet yet acidic. At the time, I decided not to try it but now I wish I had.

A Night Walk in the Museum Quarter

After dinner, Daniel and Karin took us to the Museum Quarter, one of the world’s largest art and cultural centers. There are several museums, cafes, bars, and entertainment establishments in this area. With Daniel and Karin in the lead, we saw the Museum Quarter and Vienna from the top of one of the buildings.

On the way out, we noticed these passageways, now filled with art. Many of the buildings were the Imperial Court Stables that housed up to 600 horses. The passageway allowed entry and exit from the stables. These buildings suffered severe damage during Allied bombing and were restored after the war ended.

The MQ Art Box featured an installation of drawings by Christian Schwarzwald, an Austrian artist. The drawings were simple but expressive. Very enjoyable.

A walk with Herbert

The next morning began with a visit to a nearby coffee house for coffee and apple strudel with vanilla creme sauce. It’s a traditional dish in Vienna. It was served warm. My goodness the servings were huge! But it was delicious and very filling. 

The transportation system in Vienna is excellent. The streets are filled with cars and trucks during the daylight hours. The tram system is easy to use although I quickly learned to hang on to something when standing in the event the conductor had to make a sudden stop. I hope the young woman has recovered after I accidentally stepped on her toes while not properly hanging on.

More horse photos this week. I wonder what the woman in the carriage was looking at behind her.

We wondered why there was a statue of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Vienna near the Hofburg Palace. He was one of the great German writers and a scientist to boot. Apparently, he sent musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven and others poems that he had written. It’s likely that Goethe traveled to Vienna as it was one of the main cultural centers in Europe.

Meet Herbert, the tour guide we joined for a tour around some of the main sites in Vienna. Herbert is the ex-husband of Karin, Daniels wife. They share a son. Herbert and his son are rabid American football fans. Too bad their favorite team is the Chicago Bears. They came to the U.S. last fall to attend one away and one home game. There was a lot of trash talk back and forth about the Packers and the Bears.

Herbert shared a lot of historical background about Vienna and Austria. A lot of it centered on the Habsburg Empire. 

This is the dome in the passageway near the Sisi Apartment Museum. It’s quite ornate.

This  is Saint Michael’s Church located across the plaza from the Hofburg Palace. This church dates from 1217 and has remained unchanged since the late 1700s. The bell tower is one of the symbols of the inner city.

This photo reveals ancient ruins from the early days (1-5 AD) of Vienna. Unearthed in 1990, it’s likely a Roman military outpost.

The green copper dome of the Hofburg Palace sits a top the grand entrance to the Palace complex. 

While around the Hofburg Palace, Herbert took us past the Spanish Riding School where the famous Lipizzaner horses are trained and perform. This breed of white horses was developed by the Hapsburgs. We didn’t have time to attend a performance. If you plan to attend, it’s recommended to reserve tickets well in advance. There was a long queue to purchase tickets when we walked by.

I found this sculpture site fascinating. The Street-Washing Jew in the foreground is part of the Memorial Against War and Fascism. The bearded man is on his hands and knees covered in barbed wire. This memorial commemorates the humiliation of the Viennese Jews forced by the Nazis to scrub pro-independence slogans off the streets with toothbrushes after annexation of Austria to Germany in 1938.

Another profit center in Vienna are the crypts of the Hapsburgs. Members of the lineage still survive but the crypt is filled with about 100 members of the family. The last person buried was an Archduchess, she was 100 years old.

Herbert asked us a question about world history. I don”t remember the question but the answer was Adolf Hitler. He lived in Vienna for six years. As a struggling artist, he grew bitter at rejection and failure. He developed some of radicalization in Vienna especially antisemitism.

The Equitable building near St. Stephens Church has a large American eagle perched on the top. It was built in the late 1800s by the American based Equitable Life Insurance Company. It has lavish decorations and the interior is reportedly very ornate that symbolizes international expansion and American roots in Europe. 

We ended the walking tour in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We bid farewell to Herbert and thanked him for a good tour. I also said “Go Packers and #### the Bears.”

A few rain drops began to fall so we cleared security to enter the church.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

With the drizzle falling, the interior of St. Stephen’s was quite crowded. The noon mass was underway so that did limit some of our looking around. Some of the side chapels were occupied by those in prayer or resting during the rain.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the spiritual heart of Vienna and one of Austria’s most recognizable landmarks. The country of Austria is about 70% Catholic. The Cathedral’s origins date back to the 12th century, though the cathedral seen today reflects centuries of expansion and rebuilding, most notably in the Gothic style. The soaring South Tower rises nearly 450 feet above the city and long served as a lookout point over Vienna. Inside, the cathedral houses an impressive mix of medieval art, ornate altars, and the tombs of important Habsburg figures, underscoring its central role in Austrian religious and political life.

St. Stephen’s has witnessed many pivotal moments in the city’s history, from imperial ceremonies to wartime damage during World War II, followed by a remarkable postwar restoration. Today, it remains an active place of worship as well as a powerful symbol of Vienna’s resilience, history, and cultural identity.

If I recall correctly, these candles were being lit for peace in Ukraine. Note the people in the background praying.

Later that evening after dinner with Daniel and Karin, we walked by St. Stephan’s on the way back to our hotel. I snapped a few more photos of this majestic building.

Kunst Historisches Museum

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is one of the world’s great art museums, created to house the vast collections of the Habsburg emperors. Opened in 1891, the museum was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph I. The monumental building is crowned by a beautiful dome decorated with marble, frescoes, and gold leaf. The interior is a work of art, with its sweeping staircases and ornate ceilings setting the tone for the treasures inside.

The museum’s collections span thousands of years, from ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts to masterpieces of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It is especially renowned for its painting galleries, which include an unparalleled collection of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, as well as masterpieces by Titian, Vermeer, Rubens, and Caravaggio. Together, the building and its collections offer a vivid glimpse into the cultural reach of the Habsburg Empire.

Here some photos of the interior and exhibits.

This is a photo of the museum’s coffee house near closing time. It’s one of the many historical coffee houses in Vienna.

One of the galleries we spent some time in is the coin gallery. Here’s one minted to commemorate Johann Strauss.

I took this photo but missed the better one when we looking at this statue from the railing above. While this covered his privates in the front, the sculpted buttocks were exposed. That would have been a better photo, at least according to this old farm boy.

A Fond Farewell

Our time in Vienna was short. We had a grand time with Daniel and Karin at the Cafe Tinolenhof. This coffee house and restaurant has been around since the late 1800s. The ambience is causal and comfortable. The service is excellent.

I don’t remember what I had to eat but I do remember this tasty and refreshing pint of beer. Gösser is brewed in Austria and quite popular.

We said our goodbyes to Daniel and Karin, Wayne and I were leaving the next morning  for Germany. It was a fun being with them. Until we meet again.

On the way back to the hotel, we walked past one of the many busy night spots, the Loos American Bar. Loos was the architect that designed the bar. While all the outside tables were filled with patrons, the interior of the bar is quite small. It looks much bigger through the use of mirrors. I stepped inside for a look, it was packed with people, maybe 15-20. The American comes from the time Loos spent in the U.S. and modeled the bar after the places he saw during his visit. It does have an American flag hanging in the interior. It’s the same width as the wall.

And nearby was the First American Bar. I didn’t go in this bar that opened in 1996 nearly 90 years after the Loos. I though it odd to have bars in Austria with American in its name.

That’s it for this week folks. Join me next week when we take the train to Regensburg, Germany.

THE FIVE SENSES PLUS ONE

Saw – paintings, coins, the butt crack, St. Stephen’s

Heard – organ in church, traffic sounds, people talking many languages

Touch – braille markings on exhibits, audio transmitter at the museum

Smell – food cooking, horse dung near the stables

Taste – miso soup, schnitzel, beer, sausage, pork neck

Learned – a lot of history, culture, and a bit about politics

Until next week, happy travels!

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM