Votiv Church and Green Spaces in Vienna

Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Kaisermuhlen, Vienna, Austria

Waning Gibbous
Partly Cloudy 72º
6:35 am. Yesterday was AMAZING! I learned so much about what to do better next time I arrive in a new place. And everything I’m learning also applies to life. 

Yesterday and today I am riding the “tourist” bus all over Vienna. I should have done this when I first arrived to  get a handle on what I might like to explore further. Next time.
We started at Votiv Church which was incredibly beautiful. There are countless sculptures just on the outside of the building of every imaginable religious figure. And there were gargoyles! A mixture of the catholic, gothic and pagan, which I found so fascinating.
Admission to this church was free and the inside was more the atmosphere I expected from a sacred space. There were workmen making a tremendous racket somewhere just out of site, but all of the visitors were reverent and quiet. Everyone walked slowly and treated the space as special. There’s a story in my head about this. Does money play a part? Do people think if they pay the price of admission, they can behave any way they like? 

Is there an energy thing going on in a free church where people feel like they pay admission in reverence and respect? 

As always, there are endless questions and wisdom to seek. 

I knelt at one of the altars and lit a candle for each of my three loved ones who are struggling with health issues. Taking the time to kneel and focus my prayers was so magical. 

There is a part of me that thinks I have no right to appropriate a catholic practice, when I am not a member of that religion. This is ridiculous, of course, as god doesn’t care, but it’s there in my brain. I’m so glad I didn’t let that stop me. I felt such peace and surety from this act in this space. The photos are wonderful and yet not enough to show the beauty.
We arrived at a very green space high on a mountain at Cobenzl, and I raced off the bus to get to the green! I miss the forest so much and spent time there communing with the trees and shared my prayers again with my forehead resting on a big strong tree. So wonderful. 

I hopped on another bus to travel further up to Kahlenberg (the tourist bus didn’t go that far). 

I wish I had known about this sooner as I could have spent a full day exploring the trails here. I got some beautiful photos of the cityscape and the Danube, but could only stay a short while. 

On the trip back I figured out where to get the earphones for the guided tour and learned a lot about Beethoven, Strauss and even passed the home of Einstein. The Blue Danube Waltz is a tribute to Vienna. Familiar and lovely.  I heard stories about the savior of the green, Josef Schöffel from Mödling was a journalist who stopped the deforestation and secured the safety of the green spaces around Vienna.
There was a winery and traditional pub that I would have visited had there been time.

Lessons learned about traveling and life.

1. STOP being a lone ranger! I can’t believe I still haven’t quelled this within myself. Next time I will take advantage of guides and guided tours and seek out ex-pats and others who will help structure my journey. I could see and experience so much more with more information and learn from the experience of others. . 

2. Look at the big picture first. Instead of trying to grasp the entire city on foot, I wish I had ridden the big bus first. 

3. Look for free things. If I had looked, I would have found the Votiv church and not paid for St. Stephens. I find that my loves don’t usually align with the mainstream, so a free, not as well publicized experience is always going to suit me better. The road less traveled, that’s the one for me. 

4. There’s more, but now it’s time to go and see and learn more.

Ready for an amazing day! 

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