While it rained heavily all morning, I gave myself a well deserved rest and enjoyed a relaxing morning. After a light lunch, the rain had calmed down and I wandered into the city centre to explore Stephansdom.

This is also known as St. Stephan's Cathedral. The Romanesque and Gothic cathedral was started in the 14th century and stands on the site of two former churches, the first of which was consecrated in 1147.

There are various parts of the cathedral to explore, all of which charge a fee. Therefore I purchased an All Inclusive ticket. This commenced with an audio tour of the main part of the cathedral. This highlighted many interesting parts of the history as well as some of the highly impressive decor and features.

Next I took a lift up the North Tower, which now houses the Pummerin (meaning Boomer) Bell. The original bell, referred to as Old Pummerin, was cast in 1708 from 208 Muslim cannons captured in the second Turkish siege of Vienna. Unfortunately it didn't quite survive the second World War when in April 1945 the cathedral caught fire as looters burnt nearby stores. The wooden cradle that held the bell collapsed and it crashed to the floor of the South Tower. The new bell was cast from the remains of the original and hung in the North Tower. As well as housing the bell, the top of the tower has fantastic views of the city.

Next up was a guided tour of the Catacombs, given in both German and English. The catacombs consist of two sections. The first are under the cathedral so date from the 13th century. This area was renovated about 60 years ago so looks fairly new. The newer 18th century section is under Stephanplatz and has never been renovated, so appears older than the older section! It's also spookier as the bones of those who had been buried here before the catacombs were extended were piled up and are on view.

The final part was the ascent of the South Tower. This is 136 meters high and the climb consists of 343 steps. However, the views are well worth it.

Keeping the holy theme going, the next stop was the church I can see from the kitchen window - Karlskirche. The 18th century baroque building is highly decorated and very impressive. It also has a lift to the top of the inside of the dome, allowing for a close up view of the glorious ceiling paintings.

For my evening meal I sauntered into the Maredo Steakhaus where I tucked into a sublime fillet steak and fries, followed by an apple crumble and ice cream, accompanied by a coffee.