Travel | The Travel Lady In Her Shoes

Schönbrunn; the Big Yellow Palace in Vienna

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria, Viewed from the Orangery

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Entrance to Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Not everyone can live in a big yellow palace. The Schönbrunn Palace has 1441 rooms once used for the summer residence of the Habsburgs. One can tour 22 rooms on the Imperial Tour or 40 rooms on the Grand Palace Tour, or you can ~~look~~ stare at the grandeur of the palace from afar and take the horse and buggy tour or the train tour of acres of grounds. Or you can sit and people watch in the indoor/outdoor cafe with a cuppa/beer/wine and piece of apfelstrudel or chololate torte cake. The choices are endless and the grounds of the Schönbrunn are very busy.

Acres and Acres of Grounds at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

In 1569, the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II, purchased grounds from the Klosterneuburg monastery, where a former owner had erected a mansion called Katterburg. The emperor ordered the area fenced and put pheasants, ducks, deer, and boar there in order to serve as the court’s recreational hunting grounds. In a smaller separate area he added the exotic birds such as turkeys and peacocks.

A Fountain at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

One of Many Fountains at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

From 1638 to 1643, Eleonora Gonzaga, the widow of Ferdinand II, made the grounds her residence after her husband’s death. She added a palace to the Katterburg mansion and started the orangery calling the grounds, Schönbrunn, or beautiful spring.

The Orangery, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Vine Enclosed Walkway Around the Orangery, Schönbrunn Palace

A View From the Orangery, Schönbrunn Palace

The Gardens at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Gardens of Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Gloriette, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Obelisk, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

“The Roman Ruins,” Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

“The Roman Ruins,” Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Neptune Fountain, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

During the 18th century, Schönbrunn represented the splendor of the Habsburg Empire with the ample baroque gardens and their buildings. The original palace building had been expanded and modified, since it was built, to suit the tastes and the requirements of the successive rulers. In 1740, Maria Theresa chose Schönbrunn as her permanent residence and a new phase began in the palace. Urgent repairs were made to the dilapidated buildings. In the third phase, work began on the embellishment of the gardens. Maria Theresa’s passion was the orangery, the longest in the world, where she cultivated exotic plants and also held festive events and performances. The zoo, built by Maria Theresa’s husband, in 1752, for the entertainment and the education of the court, is the oldest in the world. Also, included in the gardens were the Gloriette, the Neptune Fountain, the “Roman Ruins,” and the Obelisk. The Schönbrunn Park was opened to the public in 1779, part of Maria Theresa’s reform policy, making the garden a celebration from autocracy into a real democracy.

The Palm House, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Sculptured Trees, Schönbrunn, Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Sculptured Trees and Bushes, Schönbrunn, Palace, Vienna, Austria

No significant changes have been made to the structures themselves since the work on the facade commissioned by Franz I at the beginning of the 19th century. The park layout is original and original techniques are still used to trim the trees and bushes. The Great Palm House, erected in 1880, is an iron framed structure divided into three sections, using technology developed in England. Enjoy!

PS, To get there take the U-4 train on a 15 minute ride out to Schönbrunn Palace. From the train follow the Schloss Schönbrunn signs, a 15 minute walk.

KunstHaus Wein

Hundertwasser Haus, Vienna, Austria

On our travels there is always one place that intrigues me, that I don’t expect. It’s usually off the beaten path and something I stumble upon. It’s what makes traveling such an adventure. On one of our days in Vienna, we decided to take the Red Bus City Tour to another part of the city that we had not ventured to. Mainly, I wanted to rest my feet. I didn’t realize, until later, that there were different tours available, so it was just fate that this bus was there and we climbed aboard, not really knowing where it would be taking us. These are NOT HOP ON – HOP OFF buses. Imagine our surprise as we are moving right along, looking this way and that, when about 20 minutes into the tour, the bus stops and we are told to get off to see something. We are told we will be here for 1/2 hour and the bus will be back. I am not even sure what we were supposed to be looking at, I didn’t get that part, I was too focused on getting off the bus. We follow the crowd into a small lane filled with shops and cafes. The bus leaves. We walk a long block and come to a square where everyone is looking up and taking pictures of the building. What in the world? There are big trees growing sideways out of an erratic, mosaic-tiled, colorfully and spritely painted, apartment building with flower covered windows of various sizes. No two windows are alike.

The Hundertwasser Lane, Vienna, Austria

Quirky Restaurant in Hundertwasser Neighborhood, Vienna, Austria

Friedensreich Hundertwasser, (affectionatly called 100 H₂O) was a painter/environmentalist vehemently against concrete block buildings and lifeless streets. He became focused on architecture in the early 1950’s, writing a “Mouldiness Manifesto” and submitted models to a TV show to demonstrate his ideas of forested roofs, “tree tenants” and the “window right” of every tenant to embellish his own window. He also revealed a “high-rise” meadow house. He wanted housing in harmony with nature and man and appealed to the city of Vienna in 1977 to build a housing project based on his ideas. The search for a suitable building took several years and because Hundertwasser was not an architect he asked the city for a professional architect to develop his artistic concepts. Hundertwasser designed a forested tree house and the architect, Joseph Krawina, was found to transpose his architectural drawings into concepts. Krawina soon believed there was no way this was going to work. Krawina was replaced by Peter Pelikan. Eventually the house was built between 1983 and 1985 in the old Thonet Furniture Factory. Michael Thonet created the #14 chair, the famous bistro chair, in 1859, in response to a request for a cafe-style chair.

Chair #14

The seat was made of woven cane or palm, allowing the holes to drain spilt liquid from the chair! This chair, now called #214, is still produced today by the Thonet Company. Who knew?

The Hundertwasser Haus, Vienna, Austria

The Hundertwasser Haus, Vienna, Austria

The Hundertwasser Haus Neighborhood, Vienna, Austria

The Ceiling in the Tunnel of the Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria

Anyway, back to Hundertwasser’s design, the house was created with wavy floors and lack of straight lines. Bright glaring colors were used. In some areas the painting is shredded, revealing the original facade and foliage is present everywhere. In addition, uneven enameled checkerboard mosaic stones were used on the facade, all carefully arranged on the non-load bearing parts, creating an overall picture that concealed the boundaries between the floors. Floors and sidewalks were irregular “to stimulate the brain.” A winter garden and fountain were created in a nearby outdoor space through a tunnel-roof portico with the same enameled checkerboards and carpeted with wavy bricks and stones. The complex of 50 apartments, subsidized by the government to provide affordable housing, was built to bring a breath of fresh air to a city of boring, grey, blocky apartment complexes. Eventually all the original residents moved out citing “wobbly furniture and sprained ankles” and “no practical comfort,” but it was a hit with the general public and soon attracted visitors to this quiet neighborhood area. Now the building with no government aid, hosts 52 private apartments, 4 offices, 16 private terraces and three communal terraces, with a total of 250 trees and bushes. It’s one of the most visited spots and has become part of Austria’s cultural heritage in Vienna and was just soooooooo cool! Now back to the bus! Enjoy!

PS, I later found this advertisement for the KunstHaus. Must be the way to clean the floors! The Red Bus City Tour we were on was Tour #1 , Vienna Short and Juicy! Love it!

KunstHaus Advertisement, Vienna, Austria

The Burials; Kaisergruft, the Imperial Crypt

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

Kaisergruft Crypt Entrance to the Right , Vienna, Austria

Previously we visited the Augustinian Church where the Habsburgs’ were married so today we are visiting the Imperial Crypt or Kaisergruft, a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church located in the Neuer Markt Square near the Hofberg Palace. In 1617, Anna of Tyrol, wife of Emperor Matthias left funds for a Capuchin cloister and burial crypt. Today the bones of 145 Habsburg royalty, including 12 emperors and 18 princesses, plus urns containing hearts, rest here. Twelve friars continue their role as custodians and guardians of the crypt.

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

The free standing tombs are variations of a flat-topped storage chest or a tub with sloping sides and a convex lid. The most common material for the sarcophagi was a bronze-like alloy of tin, but the beautiful tombs of the baroque and rococo eras are true bronze. The cover of of the double tomb of Maria Theresa and her husband alone weighs 3800 pounds. In order to stabilize the tombs they have iron bracings and wood linings to avoid cave ins and the buckling of side walls from the weight of the cover. Within the outer case lies a wooden coffin that is wrapped in silk; black with gold trim for rulers and red with silver trim for others. Various techniques of metal working were used; full casting or hollow for decorative sculpture, with ornaments and decorative figures screwed on. The coffin usually has two locks, one key kept by the Capuchin Guardian of the Crypt and the other is kept in the Schatzhammer of the Hofburg Palace.

Emperor Charles VI, Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

Franz Josef and Sisi, Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

The chamber had increased over the years from under the nave of the church to the entire length and width and then beyond the church to include the monastery garden’s, creating a hodgepodge of tombs and chambers beneath the church. This made it necessary to create additional space and dehumidify the crypt. There have been serious deteriorating conditions. Changes in heat and humidity, the peeling of horizontal surfaces, broken base plates and decorative fixtures broken off or stolen made it necessary for major restoration efforts. In 2003 remodeling of the crypt allowed visitors to see the tombs in historical order and enter from one end and leave at another. There are now ten interconnected, air conditioned, Vaults of the Imperial Crypt. In addition, security measures were put into place to prevent damage to the tombs. The oldest and most recent person entombed here (16 July 2011) is Otto von Habsburg, aged 98 years and 7 months. Twenty five percent of those entombed here were five years of age or less when they died. A very interesting place!

Vienna; the Good, the Sad, and the Beautiful

Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Good. It is Sunday and we are going to one of the many concerts in Vienna. The choir and full orchestra are presenting a program at 11am High Mass at the Augustinian Church (Augustinerkirche), located on Josefsplatz. The church was founded in 1327 by Duke Frederick, the Handsome, with a cloister of Augustinian friars. In 1634, it became the parish church of the imperial church and is now part of the vast Hofburg Palace complex. Here the Habsburg’s wedding of the Archduchess Maria Theresa in 1736 to Duke Francis of Lorraine, the wedding of Archduchess Marie Louise in 1810 to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France, and the wedding of Emperor Franz Josef in 1854 to Duchess Elisabeth (Sisi) of Bavaria, took place. The church looks unremarkable from the outside, but the Gothic interior is exquisite. We get there early to get a good seat in one of the pews up front. Soon it is standing room only. Let the music and Mass begin!

Augustinian Church, Vienna, Austria

The Best. Coming out of Mass we walk over to St Peters Church. (Peterskirche) This church site dates back to the Middle Ages and was built on the site of the Roman encampment in the Graben. In 1661 the church burned down and a new church was built when Leopold I took a vow to rebuild this church when Vienna was ravaged by the plague in 1679. This church was the first domed structure in baroque Vienna and fashioned after St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Situated in a very compact space, closed in between the modern Vienna, once inside, the interior is rich with gold stucco. Today we are there as a wedding couple are exiting the church and we observe the church decorated beautifully for the wedding!

St Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria

The Wedding Couple, St Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria

St Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria

The Sad. Next, let’s see how Emperor Franz Josef and Sisi lived in the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg Palace. Going up a large marble staircase, turning and going up another set of steps we reach the royal floor and the Sisi Museum. Now, this is my short rendition of Sisi’s life. Franz Josef at twenty three, was engaged to Sisi’s sister, Helene, in a diplomatic marriage. However, once he saw Sisi, age sixteen, all bets were off and he defied his domineering mother and married Duchess Elisabeth (Sisi). Within ten months, Sisi gave birth to their first child, Sophie. Franz Josef’s demanding mother didn’t think Sisi was old enough or smart enough to handle royal life, so she took over everything that concerned Sisi; the children, and the royal household affairs. That included naming the couple’s first born after herself, Sophie, and taking the child away from Sisi, a decision that continued for all the children to follow. Sisi, bored with her non-existent life, except that of brooder, became obsessed about her weight and followed a rigorous workout regime, putting a workout room in her private apartments. Fixated on her appearance, after her ritual cold bath in the morning, she spent three hours daily having her ankle length hair washed, combed and braided. Every evening there was an oil bath and a slab of veal was placed on her face to prevent wrinkles. At five foot eight and 100 pounds she wore a leather fitted corset to keep her waist at sixteen inches and after four children her waist never exceeded nineteen and one half inches. Her weight at times would drop to 95 pounds after fasting for days. Truly her looks must have been the only thing she felt she had control of. After ten years of marriage and four children, Sisi chose to spend very little time in Vienna, frequently visiting Hungary. After the age of thirty she refused to sit for her portrait and have any pictures taken of her. She never smiled because she hated her teeth.

Tragedy struck 1889, with the death of Sisi’s only son, Rudolf, the Crown Prince of Austria, and his mistress, in a murder-suicide pact at a hunting lodge at Mayerling. Sisi withdrew further from court duties and traveled widely, unaccompanied by her family. While traveling in 1898 she was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist, who had missed his chance to assassinate another royal family member, Prince Phillippe, Duke of Orleans. Sisi had served as the longest princess-consort of Austria, at 44 years. Next in line of succession after Rudolf was Archduke Karl Ludwig, Franz Josef’s younger brother. However, a few days after Rudolf’s death Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights to his oldest son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who became heir presumptive. Franz Ferdinand’s assassination in 1914 sparked WWI. What a mess of lives all that turned out to be!

Imperial Apartments, Hofsburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

Imperial Apartments, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Horse and Buggies, Vienna, Austria

The Horse and Buggies, Vienna, Austria

Taking a break from all the sadness at the Hofburg Castle we pass the horse and carriage stands and decide to take a ride around the city and see what else is inside the Ringstrasse. I love the look of Volksgarten Park and make my way to the benches and find the BEAUTIFUL!

SEATS! Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Sisi Monument, Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Here the children chase the pigeons, the women talk and try to keep up with the children, and the men read their newspapers while enjoying a fine summer day. The flowers are in bloom and the fountains are overflowing. What contrast, what beauty! Enjoy!

One Word for Vienna: Spotless

Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

The Streets of Vienna, Austria

Walking around Vienna the first thing that I don’t see is trash, graffiti, cigarette stubs (although smoking in public places and restaurants is still allowed here), newspapers blowing around, signposts covered in a bazillion stickers, dog poop, or people begging on the streets. Vienna is spotless. The city is huge, there are tourists EVERYWHERE, and the city is spotless. Vienna does have large well maintained green areas, beautiful gardens and fountains, benches everywhere to rest, working elevators at public buildings, the metro, train station, and on the main thoroughfare sidewalks there are raised patches of rippled walkway to guide the seeing impaired. What is there not to like?

Pedestrian Strips, Vienna, Austria

The Streets of Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a city of elegance. In 1900 a local chemical maker needed a publicity stunt to prove that his chemicals really got things clean. He purchased two wine cellars under Graben, a ditch or moat originally used by the Romans at their military camp, now a pedestrian-only thoroughfare of great architecture, fine cafes, and fountains. Adolf Loos (1870-1933), a modernist style architect, believed less was more. He was convinced that unnecessary ornamentation was a waste of worker’s time and energy so he designed perfectly geometrical grid buildings with matching windows. Unheard of at the time! No statues, no plastered fake columns for him. Loos was commissioned to take the two wine cellars and turn them into fancy and classy public water closets. He did, complete with chandeliers and finely crafted mahogany walls, creating a very appealing place. They are so inviting, today they are sometimes used for poetry readings! Now we know why bathrooms are sometimes referred to as loos, who knew?

Loos Loo, Vienna, Austria

In the middle of the Graben is a 60 foot Holy Trinity Plague Column, (Pestsäule) a pillar of clouds sprouting angels and cherubs with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost at the top. in 1679 Vienna suffered from an epidemic of the bubonic plague, killing one third of the city. Leopold I (one quarter up the column), in public, begged God to save the city. His prayer was heard by Lady Faith, (the statue carrying the cross below Leopold) who with the help of the cherub tosses the old naked woman (the plague) into the wind and saves the city. Leopold erected the monument as a model for other cities ravaged by the same plague.

Holy Trinity Plague Column, Vienna, Austria

Graben, Vienna, Austria

Michaelerplatz is the square dominated by the Hofburg Palace. In the fountain the four heroic giants illustrate Hercules wrestling with his great challenges.

Michaelerplatz, Vienna, Austria

This is the complex where the Hofburg emperors lived except in the summer, when they lived in the Schönbrunn Palace a few miles away. I can’t wait to see the Imperial Apartments and the museum for the Empress Sisi, but during our walk, we stopped for an ice cream at the famous Demel, (Hofzuckerbäckerei Demel) a famous pastry shop and chocolaterie on the Michaelerplatz, where it has been located since 1857. Yummy!

Demel, Vienna, Austria

Demel, Michaelerplatz, Vienna, Austria

Having had a look at the fine architecture and the beautifully designed streets we have our itineraries marked for tomorrows museum tours. We will start the day early with Mass and a concert in Augustinian Church, and end the day, enjoying the activity in the Volksgarten Park and beautiful gardens of flowers. Meet you in the park tomorrow! Enjoy!

Hi, I’m C-A-D-Y and I have I-T-I-S

Mariahilfer Strasse Neighborhood

That would be arthr I-T-I-S. ( as in swelling of the arths or joints) You who follow me regularly know I have been hobbled (well I am always hobbled, but more so recently) especially the past few months due to increased travels and increased walking, so with the trip to AIT (Austria, Italy, and Turkey) coming up I sought the advice of my physician. I am on the strongest medication, she told me. Next step corrective shoes. Corrective shoes? I already wear supportive, un-flattering, old fashioned, old lady shoes and have for some time. I was ten days out from my trip and had no time for new shoes. This trip was one of the most extensive and varied yet of our travels and included several flights, connecting flights, train trips, bus trips, boat trips, LOTS of walking, exploring, and new experiences. Shoes? I would just have to suck it up!

I came home with Pharyng I-T-I-S. A sore throat, headache to beat all headaches, earache, cough, cough, cough, and complete lethargy. And over 3,000 pictures! So today I begin the tale of what we did in between the I-T-I-S’s. It was one of the best trips abroad! And so we begin!

This week the list for the Best Airlines was released. # 5 on that list was Turkish Airlines. There was no American airline in the top 20. We have never flown on Turkish Airlines, but booked it because the price was very reasonable and got us to our destination with the fewest stops. I was immediately impressed upon boarding to be met my a chef (big hat and chef’s attire and all) and to get to my seat which had a pillow, blanket, earphones, and slippers already placed in my seat. Did I mention our seats were not changed one time in the six months prior to departure and we actually boarded on schedule? When we were all seated (and we were in regular folks seating) we received a travel kit (which I can use over and over it was so nice) with earplugs, sleeping mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm and knee high socks. Right after they served the Turkish Delight candy and the hot wash cloths they passed out the food menu and the drinks menu. Need I say more? I will. There were a bazillion channels for music, movies, news, kids shows and learning. There were plugs for all your electronic devices. And the seats were big enough for your fanny. Following a smooth ride, very tasty meals, lots of entertainment and excellent service we landed in Istanbul on time and ready to transfer to another Turkish Airlines plane to take us to Vienna. It was one of the best airline experiences to date! Please, keep them in mind when booking your flights. You won’t be disappointed.

Twenty four hours later (including time changes and connecting flight times) we landed in Vienna around 8pm. Tired and ready for bed we entered Das Tyrol, a small boutique-spa hotel located in a residential area on Mariahilfer Strasse just barely outside the old town’s RingStrasse.

Mariahilfer Strasse Neighborhood

Das Tyrol Hotel. Vienna, Austria

The fresh invigorating spa fragrance as we entered the hotel quickly helped to rejuvenate us. What a relaxed feeling! Soon we had checked in, got a lay out of the land, ( including the spa area, breakfast area and lounge), and then took the tiny two people elevator to the Donald Duck floor. What a great room we had! We collapsed into bed and were asleep within minutes!

The next morning we were up early to the large buffet breakfast and then out the door to walk to the Old Town. The hotel’s location was perfect. Situated in the middle of a hill, at the top was the train station and metro station (inside a huge mall with great shopping and eateries) and at the bottom of the hill the tram that circled historic Vienna. We decided to do a Vienna City Walk that SB had mapped out for us before we left home. This way we we could get an idea where the major museums were in the area, before we decided which ones to go in. So we walked down the hill, turned right and crossed the street to the Opera House and Gardens.

On the Way to Ringstrasse, Vienna, Austria

Ringstrasse, Vienna, Austria

Here there were many men dressed as Mozart encouraging you to buy tickets to a concert, every few feet.

Opera House, Vienna, Austria

We walked on pass them through the gates and then backtracked past the Opera Museum and the Albertinaplatz and the Monument Against War and Fascism.

Mozart’s Garden, Vienna, Austria

Historic District, Vienna, Austria

Monument Against War and Fascism, Vienna, Austria

Finally we came to corner where the red tour buses were parked and decided we would see another part of the city from the bus on another day. Here also was the Cafe Tirolerhof, a classic Viennese cafe with chandeliers, marble tables, smoke stained upholstered booths and waiters in tuxes. It’s was like stepping into an old movie and it was my first chance to taste the famous Viennese coffee.

Cafe Tirolerhof, Vienna, Austria

Refreshed and relaxed we ventured on passing the Kaisergruft, a church filled with the crypts of Austria’s emperors, empresses and other Habsburg royalty, buried in pewter coffins. Check that for a come back to.

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

We make our way to Kärntner Strasse, a pedestrian only grand walkway, the same road that the Crusaders marched down as they left St Stephen’s Cathedral for the Holy Land in the 12th century. The street was bumper to bumper people, so many in fact that I could not see anything but the back of the head in front of me. What I thought would be a lovely old cobbled street was now a pedestrian mob of shoppers slowly moving along the shops of Gucci and Prada! There were people everywhere! It was Saturday I realized and the shops would be closed on Sunday so the shopping was a must!

Karntner Strasse, Vienna, Austria

I couldn’t wait to reach St Stephen’s hoping the crowd would thin out. Reaching the cathedral we have also entered the center of Vienna.

St Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, Austria

The church, built from 1300 to 1450, has a 450-ft tower and a colorful roof and is Austria’s national church. During WWII the stained glass window behind the high altar was dismantled and packed away. The pulpit was encased in a shell of brick. When the Nazi’s were fleeing at the end of the war an order was given to destroy the church upon leaving. Gratefully, the order was ignored, but the church did catch fire during Allied bombings and the wooden roof collapsed on the stone vaults of the ceiling. After the war each region of Austria contributed to the rebuilding of St Stephen’s, replacing the bell, the entrance portal, the windows, the pews and the floor. Today there is scaffolding where they are continuing to restore. Leaving the church I want to get off the main drag and away from the crowds. We find Dorotheergasse and a small grouping of tables outside Reinthaler’s Beisl where we sit and taste our first gulasch meal and apfelstrudel for dessert. The street is quiet and it is nice to sit and watch the world go by. We’ll stop here for now, but return soon to continue our walk. Enjoy!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Relics

As part of of our three week adventure to Austria, Italy, and Turkey (the AIT Tour) we visited Melk Abbey in Melk, Austria. Relics always intrigue me and Melk’s relics were quite something! Thousands of skeletons were dug up from Roman catacombs in the 16th century and moved to churches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on orders of the Vatican. The relics were sent there to replace the relics destroyed in the Protestant Reformation in the 1500’s. Mistaken for the remains of early Christian martyrs, the relics became known as the Catacomb Saints, becoming shrines, reminding the faithful of the spiritual treasures in heaven. Both St Clemens and St Friedrich were painstakingly decorated in thousands of pounds worth of gold, silver and gems, by devoted followers, before being displayed in the Melk Abbey niches. Won’t you join me as we adventure on the AIT Tour? Enjoy!

St Friedrich, Melk Abbey, Austria

St Clemens, Melk Abbey, Austria

A Lingering Look at Architecture: Open

It’s summertime and the bike shops are OPEN! This is Mojo Bicycle Shop, Matthews, NC. Check out other entries at “ A Lingering Look at Architecture.” Enjoy!

Mojo Bicycle Shop, Matthews, NC

Absinthe, Pirates, History and the NOLA Charm

St Louis Cathedral

There are two ways to get to the center of The French Quarter from our spot in Marigny; stroll the seven blocks on Chartres St to St Louis Cathedral or take the Loyola-UPT Streetcar that ends near us at the French Market.

The French Market Streetcar

During our stay we do both. From the French Market we get off the streetcar at Dumaine St and walk a couple of blocks to our first stop, the Cafe Du Monde, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

Cafe Du Monde

A large area of indoor/outdoor seating, the cafe is packed. The menus are imprinted on the napkin holders. The choices are coffee, soft drinks, orange juice and two sizes of beignets, either 3 or 6, smothered in powdered sugar. That’s it! I really can’t see what the hub-bub about the place is, but every time we passed by the cafe it was full. It’s been a landmark in New Orleans since 1862.

Jackson Square

Jackson Square, NOLA

Continuing on we come to Jackson Square and behind that the beautiful St Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating church in the US, built in 1720, rebuilt in 1789, becoming a cathedral in 1794.

St Louis Cathedral, NOLA

In front of the church on a wide band of street there are small booths of fortune tellers, ice cream vendors and musicians. Stepping inside the church we get relief from the heat and humidity which is quickly rising. Leaving the church and turning right and then right again we are on a small cobblestoned alley with St Anthony’s Garden behind the church. This alley is known to the locals as Pirates Alley. 600 feet long and 16 feet wide it is not listed on many of the maps of the French Quarter. The smell of New Orleans is more intense here, a smell of damp vegetation and a faint woodiness lingering with the latin rhythms, salsa music and blues coming from the corner. This corner was infamous for settling duels and debts of honor. Jean Lafitte, the famous pirate, who provided services to any country at war against another by attacking their ships, brought the booty to town and the goods were sold in the alley. Eventually the Spanish Colonial Prison called the Calabozo was built on this corner in 1769. Lafitte and his men were jailed here by Governor Claiborne of New Orleans. The prison was demolished in 1837, and the land was sold to make a long creole house which was the home of William Faulkner, where he wrote his first novel ”Soldiers Pay.” The creole house is now home to the Faulkner House Books. Now at the intersection of Pirates Alley and Cabildo Alley, where the prison was, is the Pirates Alley Cafe, known for caribbean drinks and absinthe.

Pirates Alley Cafe

Traditional absinthe was made of anise, fennel and wormwood (a plant) with added herbs and flowers making it green in color. The herbs and spices were soaked in alcohol and then distilled. The drink called la fée verte, (Green fairy) in French, was thought to be highly hallucinative also. Yes, drinking a couple of those today one might see fairies and pirates!

One afternoon, not far from Pirates Alley, we made our way to the Grape Vine Wine Bar and Bistro. We spent a lovely afternoon wine tasting and choosing cheeses from the cheese board. Then we were served large portions of appetizers. I had the crab cakes and they were fabulous. The ambience and service in this bistro is outstanding. With seating indoors or out this was our favorite spot in the old French Quarter.

Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro

Another highlight of New Orleans is the WWII National War Museum. Traveling by way of the Canal Streetcar, switching to the St Charles Streetcar, we got off at Lee Circle and walked the rest of the way to the museum. The large museum is separated into different buildings and exhibits. Upon entering the ticket building in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion we were greeted by veterans who are here every day and volunteer their services at all of the different venues. It was truly inspiring to see so many retired serviceman still giving of their time. Our first stop was the “Train Car Experience” where we boarded a train re-creating the tearful farewells and bittersweet returns of the men and women who went to war. Then we went upstairs to see the “America Goes to War,” “D-Day Invasion of Normandy,” “The Landing Beaches,” and the “D-Day Invasions of the Pacific.” All the exhibits were interactive and very interesting. One of the highlights of the museum was the short movie, “Beyond All Boundaries” produced and narrated by Tom Hanks. The movie is a journey of words and stories of actual WWII participants. The Solomon Victory Theater, where the movie is shown, has a screen 120 feet wide, with 9 digital cinema DPL Projectors. (a regular theater has only one) There are 27 surround sound custom speakers and 250 special effects theater seats that shake when the tanks are rolling by! Many of the props used to make the movie come alive are authentic pieces of equipment. There are 305 archival photographs and 517 film clips of actual footage shot during the war. You will not want to miss this special attraction.

Going outside the exhibits we looked at a WWII Victory Garden complete with posters!

The National WWII Museum

The Marine Corps Band, NOLA

Victory Garden Poster

Victory Garden

Victory Garden Poster

WWII Museum, NOLA

The other feature that I enjoyed was the “USS Tang” experience. Upon entering the submarine we are given actual sailors’ ID cards. Using the ID of the sailor, we were assigned to his station and duty in the sub.

Submarine Sailor ID’s

We had an interactive encounter recreating the last war patrol of America’s most decorated submarine in WWII! What a great time we had visiting the museum! There is the Stage Door Canteen and the American Sector Restaurant to eat in and then to wrap up our day we were entertained by the Marine Corps Band of New Orleans, part of the Memorial Day Concert Series. New Orleans has so much to offer; great food and drink, stunning architecture, history and perseverance. I think you will enjoy including NOLA to your list of “Not to Miss.” Enjoy!

The Little Things Change the World

I thought this was so beautiful I had to reblog it! Thank you Cee and MadlyInLoveWith Life!

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Travel, Gardens, Food, Photography, Books, Shoes

Posts tagged ‘Travel’

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The Little Things Change the World

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