Maria am Gestade on Day Five Afternoon in Vienna
When I left the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in the early afternoon of my solo day in Vienna, I truly was at a momentary loss for what to do next. I hadn’t planned out the rest of the day. So I looked at my map, looked around and started figuring it out.
For a second, I thought of going further away from our hotel, to see the massive Karlskirche. I could see its dome from where I stood, and I knew that this would be my one chance to see it. But then I thought about the heat (once again, considerable and unremitting) and having to walk a greater distance to get back to the hotel, and I decided against it. Instead, I put together a wandering path across the city center that would lead me past some things I had not yet seen, some I had seen but wanted to see again, and ultimately take me back to the hotel.
Staatsoper
The first building I passed by was the grand Staatsoper, perhaps Vienna’s most famous venue for hearing and seeing opera and ballet.
Next I passed the Albertina Museum, or at least its eastern end. I witnessed a rather comical tableau – if you look at the photo above on the right, it looks like the fountain’s Poseidon statue is admonishing the homeless man not to wash himself in the fountain water.
Stephansdom
From that point just a little further north, I came to the Stephansplatz, and once again, the incredible Stephansdom.
The Graben
And the place I stood also happened to be the eastern end of the Graben shopping street.
Graben Fountain Sculpture
Walking west on the Graben, I encountered a fountain I had not seen the previous time we visited the street.
Schlagobers Fountain
Then I saw once again the ridiculous Baroque monstrosity I early dubbed the Schlagobers fountain, for its dollop of gold on a conglomeration of incomprehensible bodies. If you think I am being unfair in being so critical of this sculpture, just look at the words of scripture emblazoned in gold, “Deo Spiritui Sanctifitori” – the script was poorly planned out, causing the last four letters of Sanctifitori to be scribbled in smaller letters at the bottom, almost as an afterthought. I know this kind of thing happens all the time in medieval manuscripts, but to see it done here on a public sculpture where all will see it for posterity is ludicrous!
Schlagobers Fountain Medallion
My estimation of the fountain was saved just a bit by seeing the medallion at its base with the glorious two-tailed lion depicted on it. Magnificent.
Peterskirche from a side street
Heading down a side street, I got a view of the St. Peters Church from a different angle, looking very much squeezed in between the buildings of a narrow street. This reminded me that for all that Vienna is a grand city of wide boulevards and glorious open spaces, in its historic center it retains some of its medieval character with narrow twisted streets and monumental buildings with hardly enough space around them to be able to see them.
Stephansdom from Jasomirgottstrasse
Turning onto the street that leads to the Stephansdom from the west, I got a similar feeling.
Ankeruhr’s Back Side
Walking a few more blocks, I came up behind the Ankeruhr. I liked this view for its plainness and the two birds – they look like pigeons – perched on the top.
From here, it was just a few blocks to one of the aims of my wandering, the beautiful Renaissance church, Maria am Gestade.
We had seen Maria am Gestade on our first day in Vienna, but didn’t stop there long, because mass was in progress, and besides, we wanted to get to Stephansdom. I was thrilled to have a chance to see it at a quiet time – I pretty much had the church all to myself – and really take in all its beauty. After seeing so many Baroque churches, the Renaissance architectural details in Maria am Gestade seem simple and elegant by comparison. And it is so extraordinary to see a painting that is unidentified, but has all the stylistic qualities of a Flemish Primitive, perhaps from the 15th or 16th century, just hanging on the wall of the church!
Hilton Vienna Plaza
The heat, and all my walking, by now had made me quite tired and thirsty, so I was happy to get back to our hotel, the Hilton Vienna Plaza, for a bottle of water and a nap. But before I had my nap, a snack was in order. I decided to sample the raw vegan truffles I had bought two days earlier at the Simply Raw Bakery.
Wow, what a reward for all my day’s walking – my favorite was probably the mint truffle, rich creamy chocolate with peppermint oil added – so refreshing.
As I rested, Therese returned from her day with Faith. And later on, refreshed, we went for dinner to a restaurant not far from our hotel, Restaurant Momoya. I chose it partly because I felt like after five days of eating Austrian food, it might be nice to take a break and have some Thai food for a change.
Restaurant Momoya
Sure enough, we enjoyed ourselves. I had a coconut milk-based curry with chicken, which I loved, but I couldn’t finish it all. As we ate, we recounted the adventures we had had that day, and with darkness full on us, it finally cooled off just a bit, and we were quite happy and content.
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