We had to leave Ulm without a chance for Dick to climb the tower of the Ulm Cathedral. So I missed the world’s tallest cathedral tower.
From Ulm we drove east to Austria, passing by Munich. Crossing into Austria, we stopped at a rest area soon after the border to buy the windshield sticker license needed to drive there. The rest of the drive to Vienna, past Linz, was quick and uneventful.
We arrived in Vienna mid-afternoon and found our way to the hotel in the 10th District. Vienna seemed much larger than I expected; it took a long time to get trough the city to our hotel. It’s on Rennwig Strasse across the street from Lynne Heller’s apartment (who gave us many good suggestions and is in the US right now).
After a little rest and a change of clothes, we headed downtown on the tram to pick up our tickets to the Vienna Philharmonic for a concert tonight. That left us time to find a restaurant for dinner near the Musikverein, and a bit of wandering in the city. The Staatsoper was as far into the city center as we had time for then. We returned for the concert, hearing another wonderful orchestra in a magnificent hall. Valvery Gergiev led the orchestra in a new piece by Dutilleux, the Elgar Violin Concerto, and Prokofiev's 5th Symphony. I feel very fortunate to have been able to hear the concerts we have heard here in Europe.
After the concert we wandered slowly into the city center to St Stephen’s Cathedral. When we arrived at the church a group was doing some readings (in German) and music for voice, guitar, and a few other instruments. At midnight there was a concert of organ and Gregorian Chant. These were part of Lange Nacht der Kirchen, with events going on in many of the Vienna churches. They used a new organ near the chancel, and seven men sang the chants.. Some of the music was familiar, and it was very good. The church was crowded, and there was a continuous laser light show running.
We left a few minutes before it was over to be sure to catch the night bus back to our hotel. It made for a late night (or early morning!) but was well worth the experience.
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