Initial Viennese Wanderings

Our first three days after moving in involved some local walks, the heuriger visit, and a longer walk into the zentrum to visit St. Stephen's Dom, Vienna's cathedral. I'll do separate posts on our heuriger experience and on St. Stephen's. 

At the Praterstern (a big intersection and terminal),
a few hundred meters from our apartment, the huge
Tegetttoff Monument, commemorating Baron
Tegettoff's great victory at the Battle of Lissa (not
to be confused with the Battle of Issa)...an 1866 naval
engagement of ironclads in a war with Italy; and you
thought it was just a cell tower in clever disguise

Marking the birthplace of Max Steiner, one of the 3 or 4 greatest
composers of Hollywood's Golden Years; also one of my favorites
(along with Korngold, Waxman...)

Our first building of interest, the Dogenhof, sort of a Venetian
Art Noveau (the Doge was the ruler of Venice)

And there's the Doge with the city's flying lion emblem

Interior of the (Italian) resto at the Dogenhof

Nestroyhof, nearby

Still not sure whether this was Bowellism or 
sculpture

Another art Nouveau nearby

Danube Canal...we live about a block from it

So far, not as "blow you away" architecturally as Prague, but
plenty of interest to us

For example

One of the greatest of all Hollywood writers/

directors/producers

Over the top eastern church

Next door beauty

Interior of the church

Interior of one of several shops now occupying its narthex

Julius Meinl's Kaffee Imports...muy famoso 

Reminiscent of some buildings we've seen in Paris

Yes, they do caryatids, atlantines and such here...we'll see
whether Vienna rivals Prague in that important respect

There certainly are other buildings of note,
some of which we'll note

The Lugeck building and square

With its statue of Gutenberg...two observations:
1) Gutenberg is so important no one even bothers
with nor knows his first name, and 2) he never
set foot in Vienna nor Austria...the Viennese, 
from Emperor Franz Joseph (Frankie Joey) on down
thought Gutenberg important enough, culturally, 
intellectually, to recognize, despite his never gracing
Vienna with his presence

Mozart did considerable time in Vienna, site of some of his
greatest hits, e.g., the Marriage of Figaro

Composed in this house; but it did not all end well

Yet another beauty

Helpful model of the StephensDom area

Actual caryatids

The Urania building, where the Vienna River enters the Danube Canal

From a bridge near our apartment, the famous Prater ferris wheel
(go watch The Third Man; now)

Staid Vienna's response to Prague's Dancing House