WIEN, OSTERREICH
This past weekend, me and the gang, along with Stephanie from Dallas and Minh from South Korea, went on an adventure to Vienna, Austria. We left by bus on Friday morning, and although we arrived in town with beatiful weather at only 1 in the afternoon, by the time we checked in to the hostel, unloaded our gear, and ate at Centimeter, an authentic Viennesse eatery where you order huge plates of meat by the centimeter, it was already sundown, so, sadly, there was no sightseeing until Saturday.
Saturday morning, I parted ways with the group (mainly because they waste too much time deciding on what to do next, they enjoy shopping more than seeing the world, and we had conflicts of interest) and headed off to Vienna’s center via metro. I started at the Museumsquartier, where about 6 or 7 museums are housed around 3 huge courtyards, then walked thru the courtyard of the Art History and Science History Musuems, until finally I arrived at the entrance to the Hapsburg Palace, where the many emperors of the Austria-Hungary Empire were seated. Inside this grand palace are now housed the national library, the armory museum, the museum of anicient musical instruments, and many other functions. The grounds of this building were very large, and I entered the courtyard of the Royal Chapel, which is where we attended a service where the Vienna Boy’s Choir performed the music for the service.
Entrance to Hofburg Palace
The Hofburg Palace in all of its glory
Vienna, city of the gold adorned rooftops
After the palace, I made my way to Stephensdom, a great cathedral which has been under continuous construction since 1147. I entered this cathedral, and afterwards, headed off towards the apartment building which once housed Mozart, but now has been cleared out and serves as a museum to the composer’s great life.
Rooftop 
My next item was Josef Olbrich’s Vienna Successionist Building. This was far out of the way of the downtown, so I thought I would have to walk the streets for quite a while to locate it, but I got off at the metro and popped out right at the front door. The golden dome was amazing just as I predicted, but the interior was simply one large gallery on the main floor, and some history, models, and one small gallery in the basement. I didn’t know this before, but the building was actually completely destroyed at the end of World War II because it was damaged during a bombing, then Germany troops burned it down on while they ended their occupation of Austria. So the building that stands today is a brilliant reproduction, done nearly perfectly to Olbrich’s drawings.
Me outside the Successionist Building.
The gold ornamented entry.
Karls Kirche, located near Vienna University and the Successionist Building.
Hundertwasser Haus
Schoenbrunn Palace
The gardens of Schoenbrunn Palace.
My first opera, inside the Stadtoper. (Performance in Spanish)
The Vienna Boys Choir in the Royal Chapel
Parliament
Parliament Closer
Votiv Kirche, my favorite cathedral, tied with St.Vitus Cathedral of Hrad Cany that is.
The interior of Votiv Kirche.
The monument at Scwarzenberg Platz, a bonus find while I unsuccessfully searched for Zentralfriedhof, which houses the graves/tombs of famous composer’s such as Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, andBeethoven
KUTNA HORA, Ceska Republika
Last friday, on Good Friday, I went with a few friends to Kutna Hora, a small town located about an hour by train to the east of Praha. Our main reason for going was to see the Ossuary, or “Bone Church”, which we heard, and then verified, has chandeliers, family shields, and even tiny shelters, made from the bones of the deceased.
We arrived by train at about 11:00 right outside of town in the suburd of Sedlec, where we got a not-so-quick lunch and then rode the nearby carnival rides. Then we made our way a few blocks over and saw the Ossuary. Below you can see for yourself what it was like and how you feel about it.
Next, our group split, because the majority of the group didn’t like the weather and felt like riding the carnival rides and heading home early, while TJ and I actually went to Kutna Hora and saw all the sites which we came to see. After about a mile hike, we reached the town center, and headed towards my favorite site in this town, St. Barbaras Cathedral. Everytime I visit a new town, it seems like I find my new favorite cathedral, but truly this one is at the top with St. Vitus and Votiv Kirche.
The Ossuary (Kostnice u Sedlci)
This chandeleir contains every bone of the human body in its construction.
This is a family shield composed only of bones.
The Italian Garden, now just a courtyard for some art exhibitions.
The approach to St. Barbara’s, with monuments mimicking those of St. Charles Bridge
St. Barbara, yet another cathedral experience marred by ongoing construction.
The church interior!
The Stone Fountain, where the whole town used to import its water.
Some new mixed with the old, thought some might find this interesting at the least
