Greater Vienna Bus Tour

Last Saturday our Austrian Art and Architecture professor (Dr. O) took us all on a bus tour of greater Vienna.  Our first stop was the Kahlenberg (first photo taken on Kahlenberg looking down on Vienna).  In 1683 forces from many of Vienna's allies began assembling up on the Kahlenberg waiting for the right time to swoop down on the Ottomans who were very close to claiming victory.  Soon after the arrival of a large contingent of Polish forces led by King Sobieski, word reached the camp that Vienna could not hold out one more day.  Early the next morning a mass was held at the church (that still stands atop the hill) and the forces swept down defeating the Ottomans and sending them off in a hasty retreat.  There is much made of the loot that was gained due to this hasty retreat.  The legend is that Vienna's first coffee beans were those left behind by these retreating Turks, but Dr. O says that coffee was already here. 



Our next stop was the wonderfully fantastical Hundertwasserhaus.  Hundertwasser was an architect who hated straight lines and buildings with windows of all the same size, who thought that architecture should mimic natural forms and incorporate nature (note the live roof).  He loved New Zealand, and designed a public toilet there.  He died on a cruise in NZ.  In the photos below it is hard to see the colorful tile work.  The kids especially loved this place.  It's a bit Seussey. 









Then, it was on to the Belvedere (many of the students had not been yet) where we learned that the name was coined by the Empress Maria Theresia and that the upper B was built in just two years.  Dr. O pointed out that the short time frame indicated just how rich and powerful this military commander was. We also saw and learned so much more that we did not stop and take photos of.  We crossed the Danube to the newer, more modern side.  The UN building is there, as well as the few high rises in Vienna.  There is a height ordinance against building higher than Saintstephansdom on the west side of the Danube.  We learned a bit about Otto Wagner, an architect and civil engineer who very much shaped modern day Vienna.  He made the plan for the Danube canal that flows through the city. There is more that I have already forgotten.




We ended our trip at a Heurigen- a wine tavern where the most recent year's wine is served and usually drunk with bubbly water (gespritzt).  There is a lot of meat involved, but also a case full of salads and spreads.  I particularly like a paprika-cottage cheese spread called Liptauer with fresh bread.  Yum!
Here is a photo of our RA, Brooke, the kids and a student, John having dessert.