This morning I had booked a free tour of Parliament house. The building has been closed for 5 years for renovations and opened earlier this year. They are proud of what they have done and so offering hourly tours. Each tour is booked out daily and they do a thorough job of explaining the history of Austrian politics and the move from a monarchy to a Republic.
Austrians from the age of 16 yrs can vote and they have a 70% take up and elections due next year.
The building was designed by a Danish architect in the 1800's and follows a Greek and Roman design.
We walked the passages and were shown the original ornate Parliament room that was not destroyed in the war and now is only used for ceremonial reasons.
The newly refurbished parliamentary room has a glass ceiling symbolising the desire for the Political processes to be transparent.
Afterwards we were allowed up to the roof for a view to the Palace and also to the Bibliotec (library).
It felt quite special to be allowed such a generous view behind the scenes.
Then onto the trams and headed to Belvedere Palace. It was a 1km walk from the front gates up a hill, through gardens and past fountains to the Palace.
It was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy. Badly damaged during the war but was restored. It is now used as a gallery for contemporary Viennese art post 1960. After such a wonderful time at the Art gallery yesterday, I decided to save my 27.50 euro entry and enjoy the gardens instead. A massive storm brewing, but in the end it skirted Vienna.
 |
| Huge storm looming but it passed by Vienna |
Off to visit a recommended place - Hundertwasserhaus. This village is the brainchild of an architect who wanted people to live in a residence that felt like a palace. Inspired by Gaudi he has created the colourful village. There are a dozen all over Austria. It was eclectic, colourful and like nothing else in Vienna! Fun place to visit.
Back home via Votivkirche - a beautiful church just near the tram interchange.
The late afternoon sun was creating beautiful shafts of colour from the stained glass windows ❤️
Back home to do some bike maintenance and pack.
Traditional Austrian dinner at a restaurant, recommended by the home owner of my housesit and only 10 mins walk away topped off a great day
No comments:
Post a Comment