The Third Man, Over and Under Vienna

If you are a film noir fan, then you will know of Orson Welles’ 1949 classic The Third Man. Honestly, I had not heard of it until I was in Vienna where the film was made. I watched it on You Tube and it really is a fantastic film. Being in Vienna and recognizing many of the sites used in the film of course makes it all the more exciting. Below is a trailer for the film which is still showed daily in one of Vienna’s Theaters.

The film showcases a post WWII B&W Vienna in a beautiful gritty style. Many of the locations used in the film are easily visited including Viennas Prater, the massive 64.7 meter Ferris wheel built in 1897 that has become an iconic part of Vienna’s landscape.

Even if you are not interested in the Third Man, a visit to the Prater is well worth it.The Prater is an amazing structure and it offers some of the best views of Vienna from above. If you are interested in following the Third Man around Vienna, there is an organized Third Man Tour. My friend Dan and I did the underground portion of this tour.

Some of the more suspenseful and exciting parts of the movie take place in the underground or sewers of Vienna. On the tour you get to actually travel into the sewers and see the locations used for filming. The tour begins by descending through the man hole cover actually used in the film.

A tour guide then relates to you facts of the sewer system and trivia from the movie. If I spoke Geerman it would have meant a lot more to me however.

I particularly liked the multi-media aspect of the tour. In some locations, they project the scenes from the movie that were filmed in the location you are standing onto the sewer walls.

While you are down there, donm;t forget to say hello to the resident rat.

Vienna: Architecture and Coffe Shops

For me, two visuals overwhelmingly stand out from Vienna; architecture and coffee shops.

It seems that almost every building in Vienna is ornately decorated with architectural detail and sculpture. From little carved stone scrolls to massive hulking god like beings holding up the facades. Every where you look there is some decorative element to the buildings.

On every street there seems to be a coffee shop. Prior to my arrival in Vienna I had not really thought about coffee shops much. I am not a coffee drinker, and with my little Colorado town only having one coffee shop, the coffee shop is just not part of my daily routine. But in Vienna it is hard to ignore them. They are everywhere and they are part of everyday Viennese life.

Vienna lays claim to inventing the coffee shop. In Vienna, as is becoming the norm elsewhere, the coffee shop is more than a stop for a cup of joe. It is a social gathering place. You go there to sit with friends, to meet new friends, to have a meeting, or just to get get out and watch the city move by you.

Coffee is not the only thing on the menu either; coffee, tea, beer, snacks, sandwiches, it’s all available. You may sit inside at a small table where there is always a selection of newspapers and magazines for you to read. Or my favorite, sit outside on the sidewalk under an umbrella where you get the best view of the lively street.

In the more traditional coffee shops you are almost always served by a tuxedo-clad waiter who is efficient, but rarely smiles.

Vienna Under the Sun

Vienna is a city of just over 1.5 million people and covers 160 square miles through which the River Danube or Donau, and the Danube Canal flow. By accounts of it’s residents it is a small city. It was first founded as a Bronze Age settlement around 800 BC, Settled later by Celts and Romans, overrun by Barbarian Tribes, and today is the capital of the Republic of Austria. It is an old city, and it serves as political, economic, and cultural center to Austrians.

After a rainy arrival day in Vienna,  I have been blessed with a series of sunny warm summer days. I thought you might like to see how this city and in particular the Stephansdom Catherdral looks under the sun. The Stephasdom sits at the center of Vienna and is a landmark by which I try to orient my self. Not always an easy task in this city of small winding medieval streets.

Many of the buildings and monuments of Vienna are under near constant restoration. The effects of time and pollution necessitate this. This is the reason for the tarps covering portions of the Stephansdom. I love how they print the tarp with an image of what is hidden behind it.

This cathedral took centuries to build and is rich with medieval and Renaissance monuments. The colorful roof is covered with almost a quarter of a million glazed tiles that had to be meticulously restored after damage caused by bombing in the last days of World War II.

I have visited many cathedrals in my time, but never before have I seen lighting from stained glass windows as spectacular as this. The lofty vaulted interior of the cathedral is entirely painted with color. For me this was more spectacular than any of the many masterpieces of Gothic sculpture or elaborate paintings.

On the darker side, I also truly enjoyed touring the catacombs that lie beneath the cathedral and extend out under the surrounding square. Photography is restricted, so unfortunately I can not show you any of the dark damp passageways leading to the vaults filled with centuries of stacked decaying bones from past residents.

Rich Durnan at the Stephannsdom Catherdral well light at night in the heart of Vienna Austria

Post Card from Austria: Vienna’s Stephansdom

I’m in Vienna Austria now. I arrived in a drizzling rain storm, a big change from the sunny hot weather I left in Barcelona. But the weather is beautiful here now. My first venture out to Old Vienna found me at it’s heart under grey skies at the foot of the the medieval Cathedral Stephansdom with a 137 m (450 ft.) spire.

… I think I saw some flying monkeys.