St. Charles's Church / Vienna

What I absolutely loved about Turkey was that there was a beautiful mosque at every corner I looked. I remember I tried to count all the mosques I saw during my trip and attempted to take as many pictures of them as possible. I think the number was twenty-something, which I think is quite impressive considering the fact that I was on a group tour and couldn't wonder around as I pleased.
I was reminded of this lovely little memory when I saw beautiful churches here and there while biking around Vienna.
My encounter with St. Charles's Church was a complete coincidence. The bumpy cobblestone road I had chosen was hurting my butt through the seat and just when I was about to take a smoother road to the side, I looked up to find a magnificent clock tower, which actually turned out to be the backside of the far left tower of the church.
It turns out I had pedaled towards Karlsplatz and landed myself just outside of one of the most outstanding baroque structured churches- which was an incredible stroke of luck, in my opinion.

Another reason why I was instantly reminded of the mosques in Turkey was because of the two tall columns adjacent to the dome.

After parking the bike outside the church and praying desperately that no one would take it, I took a look inside the church.

There was a lift inside the church, which took me near the ceiling of the dome. The frescoed ceiling was of the ascension of a saint, supported by the Virgin Mary. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was so terrified of the height and absolutely petrified of standing on a frail piece of wood that didn't look like it could support more than 2 people, that I could only manage to get two shots of the ceiling.
My fear really made me wonder how artists back in the 18th century managed to paint the frescos so up high, and made me respect and admire their courage, let alone their talents.

Bike Ride / Vienna

I was really exhausted due to the 18 hour plane ride, and my knees started swelling and really hurting, so I decided to take it slow the next morning in Vienna and rented a bike. I thought it would also be an easier and faster way to just take a quick look around Vienna and discover places I probably couldn't find by riding the subway or the tram.
Renting a bike in Vienna is pretty easy if you have a credit card. All you've got to do is enter your basic information and register your credit card number on to the machine. As long as you bring it back in one piece and within the time limit, you can enjoy your bike ride for free!

 

St. Stephen's Cathedral / Vienna

Stephansplatz is a square at the center of Vienna with two of the most famous and beautiful shopping streets in Vienna, Graben and  Kärntner Straße. The name "Stephansplatz" comes from St. Stephen's Cathedral, the most important religious building in Vienna and one of the tallest churches in the world. 
Its architectural style is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles, and it is so elaborately built that every angle one sees the cathedral from is stunning and majestic. The mixture of the different styles is most visible from the towers; the South tower, the highest point of the cathedral, was built first from 1368 to 1433, taking 65 years to construct. Although the North tower was originally intended to mirror the South tower, by the time the construction had began the Gothic era was nearing its end, making the design a formidable task. After a 60 year halt in the construction, towards the later half of the 16th century, a "renaissance cap" was placed. It stands about half the height of the South Tower. The West tower, on the other hand, are Romanesque.

I really like the roof of the cathedral because let's face it- it's a very unusual design for a cathedral. I love the mosaic tiles. The bright colors of yellow, green, and light blue are tasteful and in contrast to the rest of the building, the roof looks quite modern. Just like the striking contrast between St. Stephen's Cathedral and Haas-Haus (a modern glass and steel building that stands opposite the cathedral), the roof and the rest of the cathedral, while contrastive in design, seem to mix harmoniously. 

When I visited St. Stephen's Cathedral, I was simply awestruck. The first European Cathedral I visited was jackpot! After looking at pictures of the magnificent cathedrals and churches in Europe and dreaming over and over again of the moment I would look up and have my breath taken away, you can say I had quite a bit of an expectation. But reality didn't just live up to my expectations; it completely knocked me off my feet! It's so difficult to describe beauty because no matter how hard I try, I know words will not justify the grandeur of this cathedral. 

Though I do have pictures to remind me of how it looked like, I know I will never forget that feeling of being completely mesmerized by this beautiful cathedral standing against the skyline. 

Albertina / Vienna

The Albertina is a museum in Vienna, and houses about 1 million master prints as well as modern graphic works, drawings, photographs, and architectural drawings. The Albertina also happens to be the first out of the many many art museums I've visited during my trip.

Luckily, the René Magritte temporary exhibition was on display when I visited. René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist who challenged the observer's perceptions of reality. He frequently displays a collection of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things. Magritte called this La trahison des images (The treachery of images). I suppose a good example would be his painting of a pipe, and written below it "Ceci n'est paus une pipe" ("This is not a pipe"). What Magritte meant to say was that while the image does depict a pipe, it does not give emotional satisfaction like a real pipe would.

Magritte sounds an artist who has a great sense of humor. When asked what his painting was, he replied, "Of course it's not a pipe, just try to fill it with tobacco!"

"My paintings are visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery, and indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, they ask themselves this simple question, 'What does that mean?'. It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable." 

...so don't try to figure out what it means, just let your imagination take over.