Playful Rooted

This is part three of our Christmas trip. If you missed them, check out the recaps of Munich and Salzburg!

Ben and I arrived in Vienna, Austria on Christmas Eve. We spent four awesome days in the beautiful city and really reveled in all the Christmas spirit and cheer. It was a very different kind of holiday this year with no family, presents, or feasting, but we made some unforgettable memories. Here are the highlights!

Christmas Eve Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral

This is one of the most beautiful, adored cathedrals in Austria, and it was beyond amazing to spend a midnight mass there. We’re not Catholic, but the service was really inclusive. They had the main service in German, and then they also gave a short message in English followed by one in Italian. It was very cool, but really long! There were several thousand people there, and at the end of the service, when it became clear that they were going to do communion with all those thousands of people, we decided to duck out just before the end. But right at that moment, the choir started singing Oh Holy Night, and it was so beautiful that we had to stop and listen.

A breathtaking experience.

Walking tour of Vienna

On Christmas Day, since everything was closed, we decided to do our own little walking tour of Vienna.

Albertinaplatz

The square called Albertinaplatz includes the Albertina Museum and several World War II memorials.

On top of the Albertina Museum, covering the staircase, is this titanium structure that critics call the diving board. It’s controversial among locals. Some people say it wrecks the aesthetics of the square. (I tend to agree.)

These structures make up the Monument Against War and Fascism.

This wall records the places where 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed during WWII.

Albertinaplatz is a really moving and evocative square, and I’m glad we visited. It provides an important reminder, and the monuments capture Austria’s darkest days in a really beautiful way.

Shopping district

On the main stretch in downtown Vienna, there are tons of shops and plenty of great people-watching opportunities.

Festive!

Architecture and statues

One of the things I liked best about Vienna was the stateliness. The architecture is so polished and beautiful.

And there are tons of statues, busts, and fountains commemorating so many things.

This is the Hofburg Palace, a centerpiece of Viennese culture and wealth. We didn’t spend a ton of time here, although we did go to the Imperial Treasury to ogle the vast array of jewels, crowns, tapestries, chandeliers, and other finery the Hofburg family possessed. It’s overwhelming to say the least.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

There are so many buildings in Europe that are impossible to get a good picture of. You just have to go there and see it for yourself to truly experience it. This is the best I could do with St. Stephen’s.

Loo’s Loos

In the middle of the city, there is an underground restroom called Loo’s Loos. The name alone sealed the deal for me, and we had to visit. Let me just say, it was quite an experience.

Basically, you enter the restroom and Loo (or an associate, but I like to think it’s Loo) is waiting there, looking anxious. He demands 50 euro cents then points you to a stall and locks you in. You spend a while feeling awkward, knowing Loo is right outside your stall, waiting. Luckily, you can unlock the stall door yourself when you’re done. You wash your hands and try to say danke, but now that he has his 50 cents, Loo’s no longer interested in you. So you just leave, feeling rather bizarre and wondering what just happened. I’d recommend the experience to anyone!

Orchestra concert at Hofburg Imperial Palace

On the evening of Christmas, we returned to the Hofburg for a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the Imperial Palace.

The wait to get in was insane, but the experience was definitely worth every minute. The group played a collection of Strauss, Vivaldi, and Mozart, and it felt completely effortless and beautiful.

Museums

By the third day in Vienna, Ben and I were both ready to see something other than cathedrals, palaces, or monuments. So we decided to hit up some museums, and that ended up being one of the best parts of our trip.

Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History)

We had a great time exploring the Museum of Natural History. They had several different types of exhibits – minerals, space, zoology, dinosaurs, gemstones, and more. (And a Christmas market out front!)

Since Ben has the longest neck in the world, I made him pose for a picture with his ancestor. 🙂

Haus der Musik (House of Music)

You can’t visit Vienna and not experience classical music. Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Haydn, Schubert, Mahler, and other musicians all spent time living, working, and performing in Vienna. The city is just inundated with it, and the Haus der Musik is an excellent place to go to listen and learn.

Inside the Sound Museum, there’s a whole floor dedicated to the masters of Viennese musical tradition. It’s fascinating, but the really fun part is the second floor, where you experience sound in a new way. There are several interactive stations where you can experience sounds from the environment and human body, and you learn about how the ears and brain process sound.

You can even create your own unique waltz using a pair of dice. 🙂 It’s a really fun experience!

Technisches Museum (Museum of Technology)

I officially found my favorite museum in the world (so far, at least)! The Technisches Museum has a straight-up fantastic assortment of exhibits. I was completely engaged from the second we walked in. The museum contains so many hands-on activities that are really informative and make science fun. (Who knew?)

Here’s Ben, generating the energy to power those electronic devices. Harder than it looks!

I wish I had taken more pictures here, but I was just captivated. From the website, here are the permanent exhibitions:

• Nature and knowledge
• Locomotive adventure
• Transport
• Heavy industry
• Energy
• Everyday life
• At work
• Media works
• Musical instruments

My favorites were Nature and knowledge, Everyday life, and At work. But they were all great. I could have stayed there for the entire day and not gotten bored at all. I highly recommend this place if you visit Vienna!

Language barrier

Like in Salzburg, the language barrier in Vienna was very small. Practically everyone spoke English, and with those who didn’t, we were still able to understand each other. As always, I’d recommend learning some basic German expressions (hello, goodbye, please, thank you, etc.) and the old standard I’m sorry, I don’t speak German. But it was really a very easy city to navigate speaking only English.

Don’t ever be stopped from traveling because you don’t speak the language! Go, travel, and make Vienna one of your stops. It’s worth it!

I have just one part left to the EuroChristmas recapping. Check back tomorrow for the story on Prague, Czech Republic. 🙂