Europe Day 8

This morning we set out to explore the city of Vienna Austria! First stop was St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Of all the Cathedrals and architecture that we have seen so far- this was by far the most DARK and depressing Cathedral. They mentioned how up to this point we have seen essentially Baroque style churches and this was a truly Gothic style. There was hardly any color inside there. Dark and black and tall and skinny.  The statues are all making very sad or distressed faces and it reminds you of the time they were built in. Fear was also an essential part of the religious intentions. I had felt uplifted and peaceful in all the other Cathedrals but this one was very different. We got to take an additional tour down below the Cathedral into the Crypt. Holy CRAP.  Won’t forget THAT! This is where they held prisoners to work as bone cleaners of those who died of the plague. Disgusting. For years and years they would pile people’s bones on top of each other. I’m sad it was so dark down there because it was hard to capture the true essence of it. But there were tiny little cave tunnels  make of brick and room after room of open graveyards down there. So you would walk by a room that had a gate door on it and right there in front of you were stacks of bones 6 feet plus high. There is no smell. They stopped adding to the piles in the 1700’s .. THE 1700’s!!! But I felt a little claustrophobic and a little creeped out. Ok.. a lot. Like…. These bones were victims of the plague!!!??? In some rooms you could still small bits of cloak that had remained intact. There were also stone walls divided into squares where they essentially slide new priests in coffins today when they die. There were lit candles and flowers at the base and some were only a few years old. As if this wasn’t shocking enough they took us into a room with gated shelves lined with urns containing priests organs. They said sometimes and even recently the urns leak so they get a bigger urn and just seal the smaller into the bigger. And of course that they know when one has unsealed because the smell lets them know real quick. There were also 6-7 coffins in the back of that room.. just chillin. Their theories are that how a body/organs are taken care of or preserved after death has post mortal implications. Fascinating. At one point Steve was explaining how that Crypt was used in his book and that when the lights are out you experience a sort of darkness that you can’t describe. So what did we get to do? They cut the power and let us feel complete and utter darkness down there. Surrounded by old plague bones from the 1700’s. It was crazy. We literally made our way back up through the tiniest of exit stairways and came out some creepy little back way- literally out of the ground. Like two cellar doors you would see on like a tornado storm shelter. The weirdest part about Vienna is the mixture of old and new. So we come out of this creepy crypt out of a hole in the ground surrounded by a small wrought iron gate and voila.. we are in the city center. And you can see everything from souvenir shops to coffee shops to a Tommy Hilfiger store and a string quartet playing music. Old buildings next to new modern window lined ones. We made our way over to a pastry deli to eat the famous {soccer} Sacher Torte. These famous tortes get shipped around the world right from here.They make as many as 3000 a day during the Christmas holiday! Basically tasted like a dry piece of bad chuck a rama cake!!!! hahhhahaha . But their hot chocolate was amazing. After that we went to possibly the most mind blowing museum I have been to. Therein lies what they call the "spear of destiny" It is the sword believed to have pierced Jesus's side. I couldn't stop staring at it. There it is in the case inches from me. Something that drew the very blood of Jesus. Mind blowing. Oh and what was in the next room? The Holy Grail. Like the real one. Not a small cup like portrayed in Indiana Jones but more like a giant bowl. Wowzers. Mind was blown again. 

Warren and I went back to the ship for lunch and after decided to venture back out on the subway. Vienna to me is a Europeon New York City. Old and new side by side. A giant melting pot of people. We saw EVERYTHING. And it’s a very big shopping district. Vienna is stinky and actually really dirty. There is a TON of graffiti. All along the river walls they actually ALLOW the graffiti because it’s easier then fighting it and they figure if they give them a place then they won’t do it to the more important buildings in town. The shops there are all WAY too expensive to even look in the window. Lol. Riding back to our boat dock on the subway there was a bum saturated in Urine smell. I almost vomited.

Dinner again on the boat. Such a delight. I am going to miss these butler/waiters waiting on me hand and foot. They know my drink of choice and bring it out to me as soon as I sit down. They also know Warren and I are the non drinkers so they exclude alcohol from the side dishes and ice cream. So the last picture is fun because I had no idea that they do this and thought it was fascinating the first time we did. Because there is limited dock space on occasion we have ported side by side with another boat and we literally walk through their reception hall and out to the other side to the dock. Kind of cool. So after dinner we went up on the top and sat in the hot tub for a while and then we went to bed. :) Tomorrow we are in Bratislava Slovakia!

Taisley and Warren