ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL, Stephansplatz Square, Vienna, Austria

Discovering a new place on your own is half easy and half not.  But, knowing the most important sights to see even before you visit a place is the best you could do before you get there.  As the modern generation tells us, "Google it!"  So, it is guaranteed that one would have a better appreciation of the place he is visiting if he has a little knowledge about it.

My first stop during my own walking tour of the city of Vienna in Austria was the Stephansplatz Square.  The square was named after the main cathedral of this beautiful and largest city of Austria.  It is surrounded by expensive shops and various restaurants catering to tourists of all nationalities.  As I walked around the square, I saw many things: monuments, shops, Italian gelato and Wien Wurstel kiosks, flower shops, book stores, souvenir shops, "alfresco" restaurants and fast food restaurants, as well.  Then, I discovered the St. Peter's Church which is one of the most beautiful and important churches in Vienna.

I decided to start my visit at the St. Stephen's Cathedral knowing that it is the most important cathedral within the German speaking area and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna. I wanted to appreciate its rich sculptures and its very impressive ceilings with   Romanesque and Gothic structure. Though I am naturally scared of heights, I decided to go up the tower and managed to get by for I was excited to see a compact glimpse of Vienna, known to be "The City of Dreams" and "The City of Music," in Austria.

The photo of the full view of the St. Stephen's Church was taken from wikimedia.org while the rest of the photos were taken by me during my visit to the church.

Prayer petitions of people brought near the altar.

This shot was taken from the tower of the church.

Add caption

Though I was scared of heights and it was very windy,
still, I managed to ask someone to take my photo.

Again, I went around the church from the tower.

I did not miss hanging my own prayer petitions but used three sheets of paper instead of one.
I prayed for all my loved ones, my friends and the people of the Philippines.

The succeeding photos of the church were taken
while I was sitting on one of the benches in the Stephansplatz Square
and savoring a Wien Wurstel sandwich.