VIENNA, January 17

January 17: Very cold but we walked passed the Rathaus where Hitler gave his famous speech and then on to the Votivkirche (which I think is one of the prettiest Gothic cathedrals in Europe), but it was closed. Walked back to the Ring and it started to snow flurry. Went into the Schotten Kirche and then its cloister store where a variety of goods made by monks and nuns are sold. Walked on to the Minoritaten Kirche. Both of these churches are in pretty good repair, although they were cold and dark inside. As it continued to be cold and blustery we stopped in at a Wienerwald (remembered this from 1973—it is a chain of chicken restaurants, but much more delectable than KFC) and ordered good-sized bowls of a chicken vegetable soup. Before going back to the apartment, Mary wanted to show me a church she had walked to while I was teaching. Went to the Altlerchenfelder Kirche. It had made beautiful religious pictures, but seemed to be a bit run down. Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening getting ready for tomorrow’s classes.