On Monday we left from Budapest for Vienna. We were originally supposed to go by boat along the Danube River, but since the river was so high it was cancelled because many of the boats would not be able to fit under the bridges. Instead we traveled by bus and arrived around 1:00 pm. Our hotel was lovely and we were given the rest of the day to explore. I got lunch and gelato because its only 2 euros for 2 really large scoops. Basically I lived off gelato there. And breakfast. We also went window shopping in the main square of Vienna.
Vienna is the most beautiful city we have been in, despite having only clouds and rain. All of the buildings are ornate and the main cathedral, St. Stephen's, has been my favorite cathedral so far.
Now on to the hotel's breakfast. The hotel we were staying at provided the world's best breakfast. There were were 12378927409814893274 kinds of fresh bread. My personal favorite were the croissants. And there were 938437163 types of cheeses. And there was a lot of fruit and and yogurt and juices and eggs and everything. And there were individual packets of nutella so you could put it on ANYTHING. I woke up early just for this breakfast.
The first full day we were in Vienna we took a tour of the Sigmund Freud house. Sigmund Freud is thought to be the father of psychoanalysis. He started his own private practice in the apartment across the hall from his home. It wasn't until he started to have patients who were from the wealthy class that he was able to make a living off of it. He also introduced the idea of lying on the couch during therapy. Since the apartment had been lived in after Freud lived there, most of the original furniture was not there. The waiting room had the original pieces and the reception area had some of his luggage and hats donated by his children. All of his patients never saw each other to keep everything completely anonymous. He believed that dreams played an important role in solving/exploring a persons' issues. Ironically he believed cocaine was a cure for many physical and mental problems and would subscribe it to his patients, not knowing the actual side effects of cocaine.
In 1938, Freud began to make arrangements to escape Vienna due to the Nazis. He would reside in England and die of cancer as he was a heavy smoker. He would keep working until his death.
We were also shown the University of Vienna that day. That afternoon Katie and I went to the Mozart Museum and we learned about his life and achievements.
At 3:00 pm our group met outside St. Stephen's Cathedral and we took a tour of St. Stephen's cathedral & crypt. The cathedral was hosting an art exhibit at the time so the interior looks a little different than normal, but it was still gorgeous. Construction started on the cathedral in 1137 and was completed in 1160. Most of the original stain glass has been destroyed except for a few windows which were saved because they were removed before Nazi invasion. The cathedral had extensive reconstruction after WWII. There are four or five organs in the cathedral as well. The crypt beneath the cathedral is so extensive and crazy. There are thousands of people buried underneath the church including those of the Hapsburg family. There are victims of the plague buried there. It's really crazy and old and there are so many bones. The crypt really does belong in a horror film. It's dark and earthy and brick and damp.
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| Main alter at St. Stephen's, original stain glass windows |
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| Interior of St. Stephen's |
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| Exterior of St. Stephen's, main entrance |
