I enjoyed this essay as I do all of yours. Excellent insights along with your photos. I was especially touched by the priest celebrating mass because it connected the history with the present.
I agree with your assessment of the visitor experience. The only time I visited it was so cold that I (uniquely) forgot to remove my hat, a small wool cap. Normally I remember that it's the Christian God who abhors hats and the Jewish God who abhors bare heads. As soon as I entered a repulsive little priest shoved his way through a crowd of baseball capped Americans to berate me for my act of sacrelage. 1 out if 5, would not recommend. Especially as Vienna contains so many wonderful monuments, from the Kaisergruft to the Imperial treasury.
That sucks. I still think it has to be visited, but sore sure Vienna offers an amazing amount of architecture, medieval to modern, and a world class set of museums.
I enjoyed this essay as I do all of yours. Excellent insights along with your photos. I was especially touched by the priest celebrating mass because it connected the history with the present.
Yes it felt very old school to see a private Mass being held at a side altar. I had to take a pic.
I agree with your assessment of the visitor experience. The only time I visited it was so cold that I (uniquely) forgot to remove my hat, a small wool cap. Normally I remember that it's the Christian God who abhors hats and the Jewish God who abhors bare heads. As soon as I entered a repulsive little priest shoved his way through a crowd of baseball capped Americans to berate me for my act of sacrelage. 1 out if 5, would not recommend. Especially as Vienna contains so many wonderful monuments, from the Kaisergruft to the Imperial treasury.
That sucks. I still think it has to be visited, but sore sure Vienna offers an amazing amount of architecture, medieval to modern, and a world class set of museums.