Ice skating at the Rathaus

(Don't get too freaked out; this post and my day have NOTHING to do with rats!  "Rathaus" means "city hall" in German.)

The first place I wanted to go today was to the Rathaus, which is only 3 train stops away from me, to see the ice skating rink there that I'd been hearing about for the past few months.

This is the train stop to the Rathaus, which is on the right.  I had to walk in between these buildings to get to it.

I don't know what the pretty white building is on the left, but the ugly one in the middle is called MUSA, which is the contemporary art collection of the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna.  

(You can read more about it here.)

It was such a beautifully sunny day that I saw quite a few windows open.  However, don't be fooled by that sunlight, b/c it was SO COLD out!

Some pretty architecture on the Rathaus

No idea, but there are several in the area.

A statue for Friedrich Schmidt...whoever that was.

He must have been great b/c there's a street named after him.

 

A subtle and adorable reminder to clean up after your dog.  :)

This guy was under the arches at the MUSA.

He contains over 500,000 nails!

See?

At the MUSA

Back to the Rathaus

I stood up here to take some photos of everyone skating.

Isn't it just gorgeous?

There were a few rinks and several snack and beer stands set up here, which is also where the Christmas market booths were set up a few months ago.

The Viennese legend of the Basilisk

I'm beginning a week off of school called Energy Break.  Most teachers at school are leaving Vienna for the week, but I've voted to stay, mainly b/c I just want to chill, but also b/c there's just so much to see and do in this city.

As I wrote in my posts about the Museum of Military History, I began researching online several weeks ago for adventurous ideas for this week.  I randomly found this Viennese legend of something called the Basilisk. It's one of THE weirdest stories ever, and you can read it here.

I had a wild and crazy time trying to find the house where this alleged incident took place, but I finally did, and then I dragged my frozen self to the restaurant across the street that commemorates this legend.

It allegedly occurred in the year 1212.

Underneath the tourist sign is another plaque of Jews' names that used to live in the building but were deported.

 (No idea.  Something about its past renovations, maybe??)

These are murals depicting events in the story.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS!  Soooooo weird!

Here's the restaurant I was telling you about, w/ its logo of the Basilisk on the right.

Even though I'd eaten lunch an hour earlier, I was absolutely freezing, so I popped inside for awhile.

These 3 coffees have nothing in common, but it's smart to market a drink that's named after a creepy legend, right?

Guess which one I got?

I ended up getting THE best Apfelstrudel in the WORLD (I ate it before I remembered to take a photo), and I did order the Basilisken Kaffee.  Because I am that cool.  :)

I went home after this, having worn myself out from soooo much walking in the wind and cold.

Ruprechtskirche - St Rupert's Church

Today, I set off in search of St. Rupert's Church, the oldest church in Vienna.

You can click here to read more info about the church.

(It was either built in the 1100s or is about 1100 years old.  Not sure which...)

Views of the church and the saint mural from the Danube River

Taking a closer look

I couldn't go inside b/c it was locked, which is too bad, b/c it contains the oldest bell and stained glass window in Vienna.

Sadly and ironically, it's literally surrounded by bars in this square.  :(

Museum of Military History - Photos, Round 2

This cafe was in between the foyer and the final section of the museum.

I had Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) for the first time, along with some Milchkaffee (milk coffee).  They were both delicious and surprisingly cheap!  :)

The final section of the museum I visited was the WWII section.

Creepy propaganda!

Wide view of the museum as I was leaving

:-P