Stephansdom Quarter

Viennese hotels really know how to make a bed - cushy mattress, soft white sheets and individual down comforters for each side of the bed. Pure comfort. We even scored a balcony with a view of the church and a porn channel on the TV - genital shaving was the topic of choice.

Most of the city's attractions are within the Ringstrasse that surrounds the center of town. After we gobbled some schnitzel at Pfudl, we decided to hit some biggies in this neighborhood right off the bat - Stephansdom, the Haas Haus (modern and asymmetrical with glass and marble), Figarohaus (Mozart's residence) and Jesuitenkirche.

Stephansdom is truly the focal point of the city - people converge on the area next to the church to chat at street cafes, appreciate the surrounding architecture, listen to musicians, watch puppeteers and dancers and shoo away faux Mozarts selling opera tickets. And there is a Hennes & Mauritz clothing store right down the street!

Primarily Gothic, the exterior of the church boasts a stunning ceramic-tiled roof, a 450-foot spire that Jake refused to climb and the Giants's doorway and heathen towers. The entrance and twin towers supposedly stand on the site of a heathen's shrine. Go figure.

Once inside, be sure to check out the main altar that portrays the martyrdom of St. Stephen, Anton Pilgram's ornate pulpit, the figure Christ with a Toothache and the carving Portrait of Pilgram below the corbel of the original organ. We snagged a postcard of this because it was so unique. There are also catacombs under the church that we did not get a chance to visit. Also of note - some entrails of the Habsburgs lie in a vault beneath the main altar. Yuck.

We wandered aimlessly for a while and snapped a shot of the Griechenbeisl restaurant in the Fleischmarkt without even realizing it was a landmark.

The heart of the Jewish community is also in this neighborhood. Around Judengasse, Ruprechtsplatz, Sterngasse and Hoher Markt are landmarks such as Biedermeier apartments, kosher restaurants and stores, the Stadttempel synagogue and the Anker Clock in Hoher Markt.

Whereizzit