Happy Living in Vienna

Graz is a city of 300,000 in southeast Austria. We departed by train on Friday evening, arriving Graz 8:30 pm. The ride was breathtaking-it is on the list of UNESCO world heritage sights. Hotel Daniel where we stayed was very close to the train station, so after depositing our luggage, we took off on foot to visit old churches. It just happened that it was the long night of churches

with free admission

LANGE NACHT DER KIRCHEN

After visiting the first church it began pouring rain so we ducked into Las Tapas (the closest place to escape the down-pour.) The food was good and the rain had ceased by the time we left so we could visit a few more churches. We really enjoyed the accapella choir-the voices just rang in the cavernous old church. It was also good to be out of the windy, very cool weather. By 11:30 pm we realized how tired we were and began our trek back to the hotel. We became somewhat disoriented and after about 20 minutes of walking we discovered we were heading the opposite direction from where we needed to go. A couple of nice young women who spoke English advised us to get a bus since it would take at least 30 minutes to walk back. So, we gladly took their advice, and were very happy to finally reach our hotel. Our feet and legs ached from all of the walking. We had planned a meeting with Thomas (a man from the local church of Christ) at 9:00 the next morning, but either our alarm didn't go off or we slept right through it. Awakening at 8:50 we realized that we had overslept. Greg was able to get ready fast and only be five minutes late. About 30 minutes later I joined them in our hotel lobby for breakfast and what Thomas called the best coffee latte in town. He was right! Oh, how I have grown to love to Austrian coffee.

After breakfast we caught a tram and headed to St. Peter's stop where we assumed St. Peters church would be, but instead we found an old graveyard.

This graveyard was a mixture of beautifully kept graves and some that were overtaken by weeds. It's always interesting reading the tombstones.

This guy had a long program of classical music written on a sheet of paper from which he was playing.


This was some sort of festival day so there was music all over the city, inspite of the rain.

Ever wonder what one of those hand dryers that sound like jets taking off look like inside? Well, here's one we found in a museum.

We had lunch at this restaurant while the rain passed over. We had to try the specialty for this area which is schnitzel breaded with ground pumpkin seeds. It is much better than the typical breading in my opinion. We bought a bottle of their famous pumpkin seed oil in the store and now use it mixed with balsamic vinegar on our salads. Very healthy! I just love the feel of the little cafes in Austria-so cozy!

We ate at Altsteirische on Sunday. The rain was over and the sun shining brightly made this shaded alley between two buildings the perfect cool place. Greg had a pork dish and I had Styrian Lasagne. Both were excellent!


The Rathaus (city hall) in Graz


Climbing the stairs to Schloss Eggenberg (work began on the construction of this castle in 1625.)

SCHLOSS EGGENBERG

I recently did a study on the book of Esther and these castle grounds remind me of (what I pictured in my mind) where Esther stayed while being attended by the King and his men.

Over 1000 yrs. ago before the construction of the castle, a small fort occupied the grounds which was turned into a huge Renaissance fortress by Domenico dell'Allio. It is now listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest fortification of all time. Even Napoleon found it impossible to capture it in the beginning of the 19th century. It was only in 1809, when he had occupied Vienna and was threatening to destroy the Austrian capital, that Graz surrendered. Almost all of the fortifications were razed to the ground-only the bell tower and clock tower (pictured here) were allowed to remain, ransomed by the citizens of Graz and so spared.

LOOKING DOWN FROM THE CASTLE AREA

THE GARDEN AREA

We also visited the Armoury Museum (no photography allowed), but it is definitely worth blogging about. It once was the most important arsenal in Inner Austria and today the largest historical collection of weapons in the world, containing over 30,000 exhibits. Five floors of nothing but rifles, swords, armor, etc.!

CHURCH IN GRAZ

Thomas lead the singing (all in German), but the sermon was translated into English.

There are many people in this church who continue to seek asylum from Africa.


This is the front door to the church building which also includes an apartment. Greg was asked to come back end of July to preach. We'll be able to stay in the apartment and also see a few more sights.


Rediscovered in 1982, the fortress gate led from the "outer ward" to the interior of the Medieval castle and was known as the "back gate." The gothic gate was excavated between 1998 and 2001 and made accessible to the public.

We arrived at the train station for our departure (ready to get off our feet) an hour early, so popped in to the McCafe for a smoothie before embarking on our journey home.

View from the train (a little blurry.)

This museum proved to be morbidly interesting!

Funeral customs are as old as civilization itself. Every culture attended to the proper care of their dead. Some burial customs, however, were based on fear of the dead. Other rituals and ceremonies were practiced to show respect for the deceased and mourn them. Originally, the family or community took care of the funeral, but later the task was assigned to the religious community. Professional funeral services emerged only in the early 20th century.

The Viennese of the 19th and 20th century loved showing their finery, and funerals were no exception.

At one time there were 87 funeral establishments (no training required), but Frans Joseph put an end to that when he set up a monopoly and instituted this place as a working funeral home.

Years ago people purchased their coffin well before their death in order to be sure they had it when needed. The only problem was where in their small apartment with no garage would one store such a large piece? Well, the creative juices began to flow! They proved to be excellent bookshelves and wardrobes, often painted to match the decor.

Another interesting invention was the addition of a pull cord to the coffins which was attached to a bell (just in case the person wasn't really dead.) The only problem was that the bells were constantly ringing as the bodies moved during decomposition. Apparently, it was more for the peace of mind of those left behind.

Some evidently preferred to be buried sitting up!

The urns for ashes of those cremated were purchased with the dearly departed's interests in mind.


This was my favorite coffin. Many poor people couldn't afford a coffin so the same one was used for everyone. The body was wrapped and the coffin was placed over the grave. At the appropriate time the bottom dropped open and the body dropped into the grave.

I think our tour guide did a great job of being rather enthusiastic amid all of the coffins and urns.

Following our "field trip" we walked across the street to Cafe Goldegg to enjoy coffee, cakes, and visiting.

GRAZ, AUSTRIA WEEKEND

REMEMBERING MY BRO, BRIAN

BESTATTUNGSMUSEUM WIEN (Vienna Funeral Museum)