Vienna Things to Do Tips by iandsmith

I'd sort of done what I wanted to do in Vienna and, on the last day, I simply caught a tram one way and a train in the opposite direction. This was the result of my tram trip.
Had I done my research better I would have gone here first and recommend that you do just that.

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Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen

As I got closer I noticed off to the side a small garden that seemed to be frequented by locals going on a stroll so I joined them.
The water features were somewhat out of place in the deep snows of winter but I enjoyed the experience.

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Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen

Sometimes in Europe I have to pinch myself to believe I'm seeing what I actually came to see. In Australia we don't really have seasons like Europe. Deciduous trees are thin on the ground (and in the ground for that matter) so what you see is what you get; generally.
In Europe the white velvet of the winter snows can paint a vastly different, though just as pretty, picture to that in your brochure.
Here the fountain might as well be an ice skating rink and the verdant landscaped lawns have disappeared.

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Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen

The Lower Belvedere was only just complete (1716) when they decided to build a more grandiose one up higher.
Though the decision was made in 1717, the bulk of construction took place in 1721 and 1722, though the fitting out continued past 1730.
This shot shows one of the side entrances.

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Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen

I mischeviously clicked on the "flowers and foliage" button for this one. Couldn't help myself really. You have to imagine it in spring colour with the lawn laid out in splendour rolling towards the original palace, now an art gallery and museum.
The European gardens are so unlike those I'm used to with their emphasis on clipped hedges and gravel paths interspersed with neo-classical fountains.
With the statuary beside me, the large dome of Karlskirche beckons in the distance.

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Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen

The wintry sky hung like a pall over the scene, lending atmosphere to the starkness of a fountain in winter. No water moving. Icicles hanging here and there. A thaw, however slight, reflecting the sun's yellow pallor in a small pool.
It was gloom personified and I looked on with a fascination that locals would have found hard to uderstand.
As the atmosphere enveloped me I revelled in it. A moody day in a classic garden. Wonderful.

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Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen

Though not the largest church in Europe by a long stretch, it is a bit of a photographer's delight. The outside lends itself to imagination and, talk about lucky, when I got inside restoration was under way................

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church

.............for there, just a short lift ride up the centre of the dome, was access to the Rottmayer allegorical works currently undergoing restoration. The scaffold-supported walkways allowed you to get up close and personal with the frescoes and, surprise, surprise, you could use your tripod! This God-sent opportunity to a heathen like me was not to be missed.

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church

It is timely here to remember why this church was built. In the 1713 plague over 10,000 people died and it was the second one in 20 years.
Charles VI thus dedicated this church to the town being rid of the plague, an act Charles Borromeo was given much credit for.
Allegorical paintings such as Faith, Hope and Charity are thus well in tune with the sentiments behind this building.

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church
Directions: Karlsplatz, where else?

It's a miracle (right place for that type of thing I guess) that this shot came out at all. Upon a sudden inspiration while going down on the lift I grasped my camera, took aim and blazed away, full well realizing that this shot would be almost impossible to duplicate in another couple of months when the work is finished.
It clearly shows the altar that features the Holy Trinity above St. Charles Borromeo, a bright feature in the otherwise subdued light of a church interior.

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church