A Day in Vienna

Guten Tag, Meinen Freuden,
No pastry again today. Would you settle for some gelato? I used to have it in Paris all the time, but in Vienna you get twice as much for the same price! Today I had a sublime combo of hazelnut, chocolate, and chestnut. So rich, so creamy. Such nutty, chocolate goodness!
I had decent night’s sleep, too, so hope we can say good bye to the jet lag.
So here’s how a day in Vienna can go. I rise early because I just do. I am very stiff and sore at first but it soon goes away. I drank some orange juice. This is something I don’t normally do at home, but on trips the extra short of vitamin C makes sense. A bit later I made tea and toasted up my BREAD. It comes out all golden and crisp, and spread thickly with hummus, it makes the perfect Viennese breakfast.
Since I am in an apartment the cleaners aren’t going to come in and tidy for me, so I do the dishes, make the bed and straighten things up before I go.
I also coat myself with some industrial strength sunscreen, which imparts an unattractive waxy quality to my skin. I have to be careful to smooth it out before I go otherwise I end up looking like I have a loathsome and probably contagious disease.
First stop--Naschmarkt where I got more of the excellent hummus on offer as well as some black and green olives, but there are numerous other delights I feel I must try.
Yet life in Vienna is not all food and drink. Let us have a bit of history.
When little Prince Eugene of Savoy was growing up, his dream was to fight for his glamorous kinsman, Louis XIV of France. The young man studied military history and tactics fervently, but when he presented himself to the king, he got the brush off. Louis may have intimated that Eugene was a little too short to be a French general. Or it may have been that Eugene’s mother was one of Louis’s old girl friends who had taken to dabbling in the black arts. Whatever the reason, Eugene of Savoy was offended beyond bearing and hastened to offer his services to his other set of kinsfolk--the Hapsburgs who spent most of the 1600s fighting off France’s ambitions. It soon became clear that Louis XIV had made a bad move, for Eugene of Savoy was one of the greatest generals of the age and rolled the French Army up like a rug on several occasions.
And he did what all great generals did back in those days. He built himself a splendid palace he called The Belvedere, and that is where I went today. I am guessing that Belvedere means something like beautiful view. The palace comes in two parts. There’s the Lower Belvedere with the stables and orangery as well as some grand reception halls, but the real action takes place up the hill.
The magnificent Upper Belvedere is both grand and elegant. Like all the best Baroque it has an energetic quality to it. The interior is a sight in itself with frescoed ceilings, marble, grand staircases, Venetian windows--the works! And the view from the upper floors is indeed splendid.
Both Belvederes are parts of the Austrian Gallery. I would guess that most people do not have my appetite for art in big glops, but there is plenty worth seeing. The big attraction is Gustav Klimt’s Kiss, but as this appears on mugs, scarves, T shirts, umbrellas, and you name it in Vienna, it’s become the same kind of cliché that Van Gogh’s Starry Night did in the 80’s.
The paintings and statues making your eyes blur? The grounds are worth a wander and a sit down. There are formal gardens and secluded nooks. Unfortunately the grand cascade fountain was being repaired, so it was not working. The Prince seems to have had a taste for fountains with putti wrestling dolphins.
I am not sick of palaces yet, but I think I’ll save Schoenbrunn for next week in case you’ve been concerned.
I strolled back into the inner city and had my gelato and window shopped. Now I will post and have a little appetizer of some olives and Gruner Vetliner.
Auf Wiedersehen.

Art and Bread

Guten Tag, Meinen Freuden!
When I was at the university I had a student in Western Civilization who could not grasp there were two “Aus” countries. In vain I employed a map and explained the difference between south and east. He persisted in always saying “Australia.” I guess the Austrians get this all the time because in the touristy shops are mugs and T shirts saying “No Kangaroos in Austria!” Words to live by.
A lot of museums are closed on Monday, so I went to a few that weren’t. I began by cruising by the city hall or Rathaus as we Viennese like to say. It’s a Late Gothic Fantasy copied and expanded upon from the Flemish Style, but here’s the real scoop. I scored a free pee. Yes, it’s true--a public toilet one does not have to pay for. Don’t pretend I never give you travel tips.
I like to walk places if it is all possible and what this means is that even though I carry a map, I get lost on a regular basis. It happened today on the way to the Lichtenstein Museum. I don’t worry about it; I just keep going. Well, it turned out that I got turned around and went too far and walked twice the distance I needed to. But I got there.
How can people live in places like this? Marble everything. Huge rooms. Great art collection, too, I might add, and I understand the Grand Duke has even more stashed back in the Principality. I especially enjoyed some first rate Rubens. No one is better than his best.
Next stop was the Imperial Treasury to gorge on gems and court regalia including the ancient crown of the Holy Roman Emperors. You can also see Napoleon’s son’s cradle designed to give the infant imperial aspirations--or nightmares.
I ended up at the Albertina. There’s a lot of Modern Art and some of it is good. What I liked better were the state apartments--for some reason the Hapsburgs were less grand than the Lichtensteins go figure--where the drawings were displayed. Albrecht Durer and Michelangelo. I don’t think we can do better than unless a new Leonardo pops up.
I did not have any pastry today, so let’s talk about bread. I was in the grocery store the day after I arrived and I pulled some bread off the shelf. Didn’t pay attention to the kind. I was in the store this afternoon frantically looking for the same bread. Whew! Found it. This is the Best Bread I have Ever Had. Yes. It. Is.
It’s all brown and crusty and coated with sesame and sunflower seeds. There are some seeds inside, too. When I opened the package, it smelled divine and tasted even better. It tastes like nourishment. It tastes like BREAD. This is what they were talking about when they said “the staff of life.” I could feel the goodness coursing through my veins when I ate it. And now I have some more and I can toast it up for breakfast in the morning.
Auf Wiedersehen!

Ein Tag und Zwei Damen

Guten Tag, Meine Freuden!
You want pastry? You’ll have to wade through some history first.
The jet lag will just have to resolve itself. I need to get on with my trip. I planned to visit a lot of imperial treasures today. I made my way to the Hofburg. It was a cool, fresh day, but as I approached the palace, the air took on a distinct whiff of horse. A bit further on other evidence of horses having been present appeared.
The Hofburg is also the home of the famous Spanish Riding School and its Lippizaner Stallions. I got to see a couple although they were just hanging out in their stables. The other source of horse, is the Fiakers, carriages in which tourists with deep pockets can ride.
On the way I detoured to examine some Roman ruins. Like so many other European capitals, Vienna began as a Roman town called the Ford of the Winda tribe or Vindobona, and I always make it a point to visit city's foundations.
The Hofburg complex is overwhelmingly grand and surrounded by gorgeous parks. I went to admire the flower beds and the fountains. But then it was time for the palace itself. There are actually three museums, and they come with a helpful audio guide. The imperial tableware is grand and beautiful, and who knew that the art of napkin folding could be so fascinating? The state apartments were likewise very grand all red velvet and gilt.
The third museum was the most personal and intimate.
She was the Princess Diana of her generation, widely and credibly celebrated as the most beautiful woman in the world, the most glamorous, the most tragic. She was the Kaiserin Elisabeth--affectionately known as Sisi, and she is still everywhere in Vienna.
But the more I learned about Sisi, the less I liked her. She hated the feeling of being stifled and bound by court etiquette, but being empress was her JOB. All those palaces, jewels, gowns, private trains, and attendants went to support the duties. And she refused to do them. She can command our sympathy. Her eldest daughter died as an infant. Her son, the heir to the throne committed suicide, blows which could have destroyed anyone’s happiness. But morbid self-indulgence is no cure for a broken heart.
Elisabeth’s life was tragically cut short by an assassin’s knife. Her life became legend. She is adored in Vienna just as Princess Diana and Michael Jackson were loved around the world.
But after all that IMPERIAL GRANDEUR I just wasn’t in the mood for any more. It was time for a change of pace. The Natural History Museum is full of natural history, but is also the home of an old friend of mine.
This other lady is no less monumental than the empress although she is but a few inches long, made of limestone and is some 25,000 years old. I tell my students, “The slide cannot convey the work adequately. You have to see it in person.” Yes.
Today I met the Lady of Willendorf and got to spend few minutes alone with her. I cannot say I met her face to face. I have one; she doesn’t. Maybe you can picture her. She’s that pudgy, prehistoric “Venus.”
Having had the chance to examine her closely I now realize how exquisitely, and I may say how lovingly, she was carved. No one knows who she is really or why she was made. We know only that she is great art. She makes you look, and she makes you feel the power. I was moved.
I rounded off my wanderings with an authentically Viennese experience--one that did not involve coffee either. I went to a Wurststand. I chose the one I did because of its purity. There was no mucking around with kebab or pizza. Sausage, bread and drinks. That was it. For three euros--the price of a pastry or some ice cream--you get sausage, a large squirt of mustard, and some bread. You can have beer or a soft drink, too, if you want. I didn’t. Yeah, I was hungry from all the walking around, but boy was that sausage good! See this spot? It got hit.
And when I got pastry yesterday I got two pieces. Ha ha! The one I had today was called something like Fruitschnitten. Contrary to popular belief the Vienna’s favorite fruit is not whipped cream. It’s apricot. Layered between sponge cake and streusel, apricot makes mighty fine pastry.
Auf Wiedersehen!

A Morning at the Market

Guten Tag, Meinen Freuden!
The story goes that some Viennese bakers rising in the wee hours for their morning chores noticed some suspicious activity around the city walls. They reported it, and another Turkish attack on the city was foiled. In their pride the bakers decided to create a new roll that would allow them to “devour” their enemies. They made their buns in the shape of the Islamic symbol and thus the croissant was born.
I cannot vouch for the historical veracity of the tale, but the Viennese like the French have the custom of breakfasting on croissants on the weekend. Me, too. With plenty of butter and jam. I had pastry today, too, but you are going to have to wait for that.
I was feeling pretty perky this morning and ready for some tourist action, and what better thing to do on a Saturday morning than to go to a market? If you want to go along with me via Google maps, start at Stephensplatz and go along Kartnerstrasse. Keep going until you get to Kartner Ring. I took a detour to the Karlskirche, a Baroque extravaganza built as a thank you from Emperor Charles VI for the end of the Plague. There’s also a plaza and a pretty park as well as the remains of the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) tram station.
But let us not become distracted. There’s a big market just around the corner and every shop is going to shut down on Sunday, so one must be prepared. Markets can provide hours of entertainment, and Naschmarket is one of the best I’ve been to. Every comestible imaginable is on offer. Vienna was once the capital of a highly cosmopolitan empire. What do you want? Italian? Greek? Spices? Exotic vinegars?
I went Turkish. Yes, despite the defeat mentioned above the Turks are here as welcomed residents. I stopped at a stand for some meze: hummus, green olives, dolmas. I can foresee many trips back that way as I have barely scratched the surface of what was on offer.
After dumping my purchases off, it was time for the next thing.
I walked down Singerstrasse away from Stephansplatz and toward the Stadtpark. I wended my way along the shaded paths, saying Guten Tag to the ducks and the pigeons and accompanied by music from a busker who played the same Hungarian folk song over and over. And over. I had a look at the Danube Canal--but that’s not the real river. The Donau is for another day.
My destination was the MAK, which are the German initials of the Museum of Applied Arts--design in other words and to make it even more fun the exhibits were designed by contemporary artists. The building itself is worth seeing just for itself. It’s one of those grand marble veneered, painted ceiling numbers. There’s a central atrium on the first floor where us plebs are allowed to hang out amid the Late Imperial Splendor. Most of the exhibits are of furniture, glass and ceramics. They have some beautiful Biedermeier pieces. Biedermeier is the Viennese style. The name comes from a pejorative term for middle class, i.e. stuffy, but I did not find it so. There are also some hot items from the Renaissance and Baroque periods as well. Glorious oriental rugs were displayed as well as some charming and whimsical ceramics from East Asia.
One of things I wanted to take home--although I don’t know what I’d do with it--was a modern design chair that looked like a Pointillist’s nightmare made out of confetti. Whee!
Ah yes. The pastry of the day: Apfelstrudel. Filled with apples, raisins, and cinnamon, compared with the Sachertorte--this is health food. And very tasty it was, too.
But is anyone out there? The reason I did a blog this time is so people could talk back. Please leave a comment.
Auf Wiedersehen.

An Introduction to Vienna and Its Delights

I don’t promise to eat pastry everyday. After all Vienna also has some fabulous gelato, and one of these days might be hot. But today was cool and overcast--good exploring weather.
The heavy-duty touristing will start once I start getting over the jet lag. I have learned to give myself easy days to begin with. The first time I came to Europe I was so excited I scheduled something I had desperately desired to see the first day. Mistake. I couldn’t enjoy it. So today started with hunting and gathering. Yes. I am talking about food and drink.
Last night I fell asleep to saturation coverage of Farrah Fawcett. I woke up this morning to saturation coverage of Michael Jackson. What I wanted--and no disrespect meant to the late icons--and didn’t get was weather news.
Breakfast was meager. I’d saved a tuna sandwich from the flight from Zurich and successfully made tea in the coffee maker. After sorting some things out with the management I was ready to go.
For those of you who like to follow on Google Maps the first thing to do is find Stephensdom. Last night I walked up Rotenturmstrasse from Moritzplaz to the cathedral. I crossed in front of the church and then turned right on Singerstrasse and proceeded about 300m or a quarter of a mile to my apartment building.
My building is very modern. My apartment is on the fourth floor with a view of a nineteenth century Baroque revival building, ornately carved, but in Vienna such sights are to be found on every block.
You will not starve in Vienna. In the central city it seems every other shop has pastries, chocolate, is a café, or some kind of restaurant. In the middle of the streets Wursthauses abound. I may try one tomorrow. My first stop was the Billa supermarket down the street for some basic supplies. After dropping these off at home, I went back to Stephensplatz and strolled around.
You will not have a hard time getting around in Vienna either. Quite a bit of the central city is pedestrianized, a civilized practice I wish Los Angeles would adopt. I walked up Kartnerstrasse, leaving a trail of drool along the sidewalk as I passed the pastry and confectionary shops. Vienna is full of art treasures. I would count the cakes and marzipan among them. My goal was the tourist office where I got a map and looked at brochures. Then more strolling and looking.
Baroque churches, monuments, statues and fountains were around every corner. One of the places I strolled is called Graben. The word means ditch and it used to be part of the city’s defenses. Now it’s a major shopping area. I had a purpose.
There’s a gourmet food store called Meinl am Graben. They have cheese there. Uh uh. You know where I’m going. The kind lady at the cheese counter let me try some Austrian goat cheese, which is tangy and some Austrian sheep cheese, which is smoky. I also got some crackers to go with them. I am incorrigibly American! And some sweet, fragrant red currents.
To go with dinner I got wine at the supermarket following my five euro rule. Five euro is the most I’ll pay, and it works out. I’ve never had a bad bottle of wine. Gruner Veltiner makes Austria’s “green’ wine, slightly bubbly, slightly sweet and fruity.
I know what you are waiting for. The pastry. Well, why not start at the top? I went to the Sacher Shop and walked out with a piece of Sachertorte. You can also have it in the hotel café with some coffee for a more authentic experience, but I saved mine to have with some green tea at home. Oh. My. MMM. Boy! Rich chocolate sponge layered with chocolate, and if that’s not enough it’s in a rich, thick, I think I’m going to die it’s so good, chocolate shell.
And that’s a day in Vienna! Wiedersehen!

Jet Lag and Orientation

When one flies Swiss Air, one could reasonably expect a nice piece of Emmenthaler with dinner. But no. What we got was some domestic cheddar. Tsk. They do pass out little swiss chocolate bars before landing.
We arrived in Zurich in the mid afternoon after a about a ten and a half hours from Los Angeles. I did sleep a little. I feel sorry for toddlers on planes. The changes in pressure hurts their ears--it hurts mine!--and they cry. We had a screamer. The parents couldn’t cope, and there was nothing for it but to let the kid scream---for hours--until he exhausted himself. I suspect this child is not a good traveler anyway. He also had a spectacular meltdown in the terminal even before we boarded. Hey, we’ve all felt that way.
I got a look at the pretty countryside around Zurich. I didn’t see any Alps. I did see a lot of good-looking duty free shops. The flight from Zurich to Vienna was delayed, but we finally took off and finally arrived.
Before I left I saw on the internet that the Vienna area had been suffering unusually heavy rains, and there was flooding. I could see the evidence as we approached the city as we landed amidst watery sunlight.
Then came a series of annoyances. First the handle on my rolling suitcase jammed and did not extend fully. I had planned to take the train into the city, but there was no ticket office--just machines--with instructions in German--and I didn’t have the cash or the correct cards to get one anyway.
All right. I took the bus. It was a nice ride, and I got to see more. Then I was going to take the subway only I couldn’t find it. But I did find a street I recognized and began to climb the hill towards Stephansplatz, having to take baby steps and stop a lot because of the wretched suitcase handle.
Vienna is lovely, and once I’m over the jet lag I will begin to appreciate and report on it properly, but on the way up the hill I passed enticing pastry and ice cream shops and lots of other fun looking places to explore.
Turning right past the cathedral I proceeded down my street. I really am in the heart of the city, but by that time it was getting on toward 9:00 p.m. and everything was closed up tight.
I picked up my key from the restaurant as I had been instructed from a charming man in lieder hosen and went to my building. I’d been given a key and instructions on how to use the automatic door.
Jet Lag. Or something. I couldn’t figure it out. I’d be standing out there still, but a guest came out. I showed him I had a key, and he let me in.
My room is very spacious. It’s much bigger than the one I had in Paris. I have a nice little dinning area and a cute kitchenette.

Vienna is a new adventure

Guten Tag, meinen Freunden!
Today is the big day when I flap off to one of the great capitals of the world.
Vienna's reputation for standing on the heights of civilization is well deserved, but hard won. Vienna has always been on one frontier or another. First the Romans settled it as bulwark against the barbarians, then the city held Charlemagne's eastern borders against Magyars and Huns. The city was repeatedly besieged by Ottoman Turks. Most recently it was an outpost of liberal democracy overshadowed by the iron curtain of communist totalitarianism. It's not all been waltzes and strudel!
So I am sitting here, still in San Pedro, amid a welter of guidebooks and suitcases already feeling overwhelmed. Vienna is such a rich city, and I am wondering what I can see and experience in one go.
All that mere research can tell has been absorbed. Now it's time for the experience.
If you are looking for learned dissertations on Wittgenstein and Freud you have come to the wrong place. I won't be able to prevent myself from talking about history and art, but the goal here is to share the experience and try to convey what city looks, sounds, smells, and tastes like.
I hope you will join me. Glucklich Reise!