We passed the museum quarter on our way to the palace. We were told of an imperial palace somewhere near the museums. Only the map we got free from the hostel wasn´t very good. None of the streets corresponded It took time to find the palace. Once we did, we passed under the large white arches.
The outside areas was filled with grass and statues. Yet it was a vast luxurious space, it´s boundaries marked out by the palace itself. The building was a regal masterpiece. There were columns and statues as far as the eye could see. The largest was a man on a horse, standing guard over the entrance.
Through more arches we went to another open space with more statues. This time a large green piece in the centre of a paved courtyard. The rest of the statues had a strong theme. Men in battle with creatures and with each other. Large violent dogs and serpents, sometimes even fish or birds. Most the statues were violent or in pain.
We didn't end up going inside the palace. Apparently there is a lot of silverware and decadent rooms. I didn't really feel the need to but tickets to gawk at the hedonism of past leaders. So we walked through to St Marks square. More monsters on the other side.
We weren´t sure what to do after that. We decided to see St Stevens Cathedral. We walked down the crowded pedestrian shopping street Graben. On the way we passed another church half hidden behind buildings. This was St Peters I think. Then a huge ornate fountain. Old churches and random fountains are everywhere in Vienna.
St Stephens was very, very big. With green and gold shimmering rooftops. One of the towers was under construction. Apparently the cathedral has been under construction since the 1100s. Impressive none the less. Inside, only the first section was open to walk around. The rest needed tickets. It was very much like every other church we had and will see in Europe, so we gave the rest of the church a miss.
We walked from there down another shopping street. More tourist shops and international brands. We got lost briefly before finding ourselves outside the Albertina. We walked around to some benches, conscious of the gray clouds now hanging notoriously over our heads. We sat outside the Albertina for lunch. The turkey slices and rolls we bought earlier made for a tasty meal.
If there was to be rain, a museum would be good cover. We walked quickly to Museumquartier as drops started to fall. There was a small exhibition of old computer graphic and demo sharing culture around it. Spend a few minutes there. Then suddenly a down pour. We ran for the cover of a staircase outside the Leopald Musem. Museum Quartier is a large open compound with a hand full of exhibition areas and museums. The largest being the Leopald and MUMOK (modern art).
We ducked into the Leopald and bought tickets to go in. We started at the Egon Scheile exhibit. He was an expressionist who painted from 1910 to 1918, when he died of Spanish flu at the age of 28. I had never seem much of hi9s work before, or much other expressionist work for that matter. I was really impressed. The way he conveyed ideas and emotions was extraordinary. I specially liked his nudes and some of his landscapes.
Upstairs there was an exhibit of modern art from the Faloe islands. They are tiny farming islands under Danish rule, between Scotland and Norway. There were books laid out read about the work. Knowing the cultural and political history of the islands made the pieces much more interesting. They explored the idea of identity, which is always good.
It was still raining, so we headed to the Leopold´s café to pass the time. We sat outside but protected by plastic walls and a heater. The seats were bright red. We ordered tea and cake. There was a cake called zimpairfait und cherry triffle. It was this sort of ice cream that was like cimmanon ice cream, halva and rocky road mixed together, But all tasty. It was covered in fresh cherries and this amazing cherry sauce. With little pastries on the side. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The rain was gone by time we were done, but still threatening to restart. We left the museum for the journey back. We once again passed shops and busy crowds. Back at the hostel we went down to the lobby to relax. The chairs and tables were interesting.
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