Tales of the Vienna Woods

Gruss Gott!
There’s a Tour of Austria, too, but I’m not paying any attention. The Team Time Trial is today in the Tour de France, and Lance is up to something. I left my window open last night so I could hear the rain fall as I watched the Tour and had my dinner. But the day dawned with bright sunlight and the likelihood of much heat.
So I decided that what I needed today was a good leg stretch. The Lainzer Tiergarten sounded like the destination for me as it has lots of woodland and some animals on offer as well. I had some errands to do, but then if I wanted my walk in the Wienerwald I’d have to do some heavy-duty public transport. I did get there, but it took me an hour and a half and the journey was hot and uncomfortable.
First I had to figure out the correct U Bahn station and how to reach it. Ok. Once that was done finding the tram was easy. I got on and took a long tram ride. My ability to understand German is improving. I was not sure where to get off the tram to get the bus, but I actually understood the announcement, and then was able to follow the group to the bus stop.
I hate buses. It’s hard to know when to get off, and I‘m always concerned about getting off at the wrong stop, which has happened. Like today. I got fooled by a sign and got off about three stops too soon. After wandering around a bit, I went back to the bus stop and got on the next bus. It should have been simple. My stop was the end of the line.
Tiergarten is the German word for zoo, but this isn’t a zoo. It’s a nature preserve. I saw a few deer and mountain sheep--or maybe goats. I can’t tell the difference. I was there for a walk in the Vienna Woods. As I went further into the park, the traffic noises fell away to be replaced by the hum of insects and the chirping of birds. Wild flowers bloomed in the meadows, and the scent of clover suffused the air. All around me was green and fresh.
To a Southern Californian the sound and sight of naturally flowing water in July feels miraculous. I followed the Lainzerbach for a while enjoying the babble of the brook.
I had a destination. This was not meant to be a Sisi Tour, but it seems to have turned into one. Her husband the Emperor Franz Joseph adored Elisabeth and would do anything to try and make her happy. In order to keep her around Vienna he had a country house built for her in the Wienerwald.
Now compared to the other things the Hapsburgs built the Hermesvilla is a shack--but done up in a romantic Jugendstil. Sisi asked for one of the rooms to be decorated with scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as she fancied herself as Titania. Alas, Sisi’s restless soul was not satisfied with Hermesvilla, and she was hardly ever there. Indeed she seldom stayed any place long. No sooner than she declared herself in love with a place, than she found she was sick of it and moved on.
And it was time for me to move on as well. I walked back into the heat and the noise of the real world.
Auf Wiedersehen!

Marvelous Melk!

Guss Gott!
I have become pretty confident about riding the U Bahn. If you know the stop you need it’s easy to figure out. I have even become confident about using the machine to buy tickets. Hint: When they ask what language I want, I push the button that says English.
However I still feel trepidation about getting on the train, especially if there’s a change involved. I am always afraid I’ll get on the wrong train to the wrong place. It hasn’t happened yet, but today at the train station I boarded a sleek intercity bound for Frankfurt. Ok. But would I end up in Germany, or would the train stop where I needed to get off? Yes it did.
My trip to Melk was much smoother than the one to Krems. First we wound though the hills around Vienna then moved out into more open countryside. As we approached Melk the train rounded the corner, and there was an amazing view of the monastery.
My jaw dropped. I’d read descriptions and I’d seen pictures, and neither prepared me for the sight of the real thing. Spectacular doesn’t even begin to describe it. It is HUGE, and it dominates the town from its promontory overlooking an arm of the Donau.
I strolled up the street and climbed the steep hill to get to the monastery.
Melk is still a living Benedictine Monastery, so not all of it is open to the public, but what is on offer is more than worth seeing. The building is done up in that unified Late Baroque/Rococo Style that Austrian Royalty favored. It seems like every available surface is covered with ornament and decoration. I was a bit nonplussed by the scenes from classical mythology on the ceilings, but I understand they are meant to be allegorical.
Most unfortunately, in my opinion, excessive numbers of putti infest the place.
A well done history of the monastery illustrated with relics and paintings is the visitor's introduction. The library has the satisfying smell of musty old books. Lovely views of the town, and the river are to be had from the terrace.
The heart of the monastery is the church, of course. Not even the Hapsburgs had anything this grand. If I were a monk I would have a hard time keeping my mind on the prayers. The decoration is so rich and so profuse there is nowhere to rest the eye. Gold, marble, paintings, statues fill every wall and ceiling. It’s extraordinarily beautiful, but almost too much.
After all that ornament, it was a relief to get out into the grounds. The garden is pretty, but what I enjoyed more was one of my beloved woodland walks. In one part of the woods a concealed speaker played a recording of the monks chanting.
Then I walked back down through the town, eating gelato and licking the windows of the touristy shops--although not at the same time. The town itself is pretty and charming and the countryside along the river lovely.
Feeling uplifted I boarded the train back to the place where I would change to the train back to Vienna. No problem, but on the second leg of the journey, there was an incident. The conductor began to complain about my ticket. He seemed to feel that I had no business on a train to Vienna since my ticket said Melk. Oh oh. This is the kind of thing I always fear. I said I didn’t understand--Ich verstehe nicht--a useful German phrase to know, but he ignored me and kept complaining. Suddenly he stopped. Apparently he’d noticed all the previous conductors’ stamps and realized that I was on the return voyage. Whew!
It was raining as we pulled into Vienna. I have been carrying my little umbrella although I have not had to use it, but by the time I’d gotten back to Stephensplatz on the U Bahn it had stopped. The cool air was nice though!
Auf Wiedersehen!

Schonbrunn! Beautiful Indeed

Gruss Gott!
I knew that Schonbrunn Palace would be one of the highlights of my trip, and I am so glad that I saved it until after I had seen the other things or I would have found them highly disappointing in comparison. The palace and grounds are glorious. If you are every fortunate enough to come to Vienna put Schonbrunn on your must see list.
Schonbrunn is a stop on the U Bahn, but what I did and what I think is better is to take the train one stop further so you can walk through the grounds to get to the palace. As I was walking down a long, peaceful, tree-lined avenue, a tiny red squirrel jumped out of the bushes. I thought it would run away, but instead it ran towards me. It came quite close and looked at me expectantly. “Do you think I have something to eat?” I asked the creature. It waited for a bit watching me hopefully with its bright eyes and then moved off. The same thing happened--different squirrel--when I was walking in the woods above the Gloriette. There were other people around, but maybe I just look like a soft touch. But the next time I go walking in the grounds--and I will this trip--I’ll take some seeds from my bread just in case.
Schonbrunn is a justly popular attraction in Vienna. It is packed with tour groups, so normally you have a reserved entry time stamped on your ticket and may have to wait quite a while to get in the palace itself. But I got there early and was able to get a ticket to enter the palace and start my tour right away.
Schonbrunn was the Hapsburgs’ answer to Versailles. The name comes from a “beautiful spring” that rises on the ground and still provides water for one of the many fountains. Maria Theresa built a magnificent complex to serve as her summer palace. The place is splendidly done up in the Late Baroque and Rococo Styles and is quite elegant. Large windows, mirrors, and delicate gilt decoration gives it a lighter feeling. It lacks the oppressive grandeur that I found at Versailles, but the state rooms are still very grand indeed. The exceptions are the private rooms of the Emperor Franz Joseph, which reflect his simple, homey tastes.
The grounds of Schonbrunn are likewise magnificent and extensive. Entry to them is free and they open early in the morning. I spent hours walking around, and fortunately the weather was cooler today. I climbed up from the palace to the Gloriette, which crowns the hill and provides marvelous views of the palace itself and the city of Vienna. Numerous paths crisscross the grounds often leading to fountains or statuary.
One of the great pleasures of my trips to Europe are woodland walks. I got away from the tourist hordes and strolled along quiet, leafy pathways.
The ticket I got is good for a whole year, and I did not see everything today. Oh darn! I’ll have to go back. Maybe that won’t be exciting for you, but it will be lovely for me.
Please note. I am talking lots and lots of pictures. It’s just that my camera won’t talk to my air book. My friends will be forced to look at my power point show of the trip so brace yourselves.
So now I am back to watch the rest of the Tour de France stage. My guy Fabian Cancellara won the individual time trial and the yellow jersey, but Alberto Contador was second beating his teammates, Leipheimer, Kloden, and Armstrong along the way. There should be no doubt who Astana’s team leader is.
By the way, the first thing I do when I come home is drink some water. I probably drink about a liter of water a day in addition to the other liquids. It’s very easy to become dehydrated on a trip. Even when I stayed in hotels, I always got a big bottle of water to keep in the room.
The pastry of the day was cherry strudel. So chock full of luscious fruit, I felt sure it must be good for me. Mmmm boy!
For dinner there is salad and left over chicken, and I will wash it all down with the rest of the Prosecco, as I watch the Tour.
Whoa! Is that thunder? The sky is clouded over. Maybe I got home just in time.
Auf Wiedersehen!

Celebrating

Gruss Gott!
Since I can hear you through the computer screen I know you’re saying. “Look at that. Even though she’s not in the United States she’s celebrating Independence Day. How patriotic!”
Oh. Yeah. Right. The Fourth of July. But this year it also happens to be the start of the Tour de France. I can celebrate both at once.
So I am sitting here sipping some Prosecco, which is Italian sparkling wine. Whoa! You are thinking. She is really splashing out. Uh uh. I spend money on expensive cheese. The wine was on sale for under two euros. It’s not bad either--light and crisp and quite refreshing on a humid day.
I decided to give myself an easy day today, but I ended up just as tired and footsore as ever. It was hot and humid, so I came home early and wilted. But I did come home with plenty of food and drink, so stay tuned.
To start the day a walk in a park while it was still cool sounded good. I walked down to the Danube Canal and crossed the bridge and made my way to the Augarten. It has pretty, formal flower beds and trees, but one interesting feature is its incorporation of a huge flack tower left over from the Second World War.
Then I took the U Bahn back to the Secession Building. Secession is a modernist artistic and architectural movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The artists involved decided to secede from the over-formal academic style. The building is very striking on the outside with Art Nouveau detailing. The inside is quite plain, but downstairs is a major work of art: Gustave Kimt’s Beethoven Frieze. I found it far more powerful and compelling than the done-to-death and clichéd Kiss. The Frieze is a visual interpretation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and takes humankind through the dangers to civilized and spiritual development (Now I know what the gorilla is doing there.) to the final epiphany of pure joy and love.
Feeling uplifted at least until I walked back out into the heat, I proceeded to the market for my weekend supplies. On the way back down Kartnerstrasse I stopped at a pastry shop. What I look for apart from the enticing window displays is the discreet “K und K” on the shop signs. This means Kaiserlich und Koniglich and refers to the fact that the business in question supplied the Hapsburgs with their goodies. If was good enough for Maria Theresa, it’s good enough for me. On account of I don’t want you to think that I’m a snob or anything.
Then I trundled myself and my bags home. Whew!
I thought it might be too hot to enjoy pastry until I put my purchase in my mouth. Esterhazy Torte is named for the notable Hungarian family who served the Hapsburgs. We are talking about five layers of naughty goodness. I think it’s some kind of walnut wafer with cream. Oh dear. Oh my. Better than Sacher Torte. Best pastry ever--even though there’s no chocolate in it.
But that was “lunch.” What’s for dinner? You know I like meze. If I am in the midst of heat, eating Mediterranean seems good to me. I have olives, dolmas, and felafel. Now I also love cheese. I tried the Austrian cheese, and I liked it just fine, but (sorry) it is not as good as the French stuff. To celebrate the Tour de France I got some Livarot at the market, too. I am also celebrating my ethnic heritage as a Norman. Fromage! Livarot is a bit “stinky” and has a penicillin tang to it, but it’s also lush and complex. No one does it better than we Normans. It would be hard to have a better meal than cheese, bread, and fruity red wine.
So is Lance going to win again? I would be astonished if he did, but I am for Astana. Alberto Contador! Venga Venga Venga!
The tour is on! I have it on TV, and while I know cycling terms in six languages I can't follow the commentary. This is where the air book comes in. I can follow along with live updates. I am NOT crazy. Cycling is a great sport.
Hasta la vista, au revoir und auf Wiedersehen!

An Excursion

Gruss Gott!
Having done the city pretty well, it was time for me to branch out. I planned what I thought was an easy day trip to Krems. According to the guidebook one goes to the station hops on one of the frequent trains and hour later. . . Ok not.
But I did get to see more of the lovely Austrian countryside than I expected.
Viennese public transport runs largely on the honor system. One is supposed to have a validated ticket or pass, but there is no “gate” to pass through, and no one is looking. Ticket inspectors appear on occasion, I understand, but apparently the Viennese do believe in their honor, because the system works just fine.
So I took the U Bahn with my validated ticket and strolled over to the train station. I got my ticket and the young lady kindly printed out a timetable for me without which--and the kindness of Austrian strangers--I would have been lost indeed.
They are working on the tracks or something because there is no such thing anymore as a direct train to Krems. What I had to do was ride the train, get off and take the bus, and then get on another train. Fortunately the Austrians to whom I expressed some bewilderment were willing to direct me.
There is nothing much in Krems. It’s just a pretty, old town whose Medieval street plan and some of the buildings has largely been preserved. What is not Medieval is seventeenth and eighteenth century. So I strolled around exploring the narrow, cobbled streets and enjoyed a pleasant change.
Yes. I had gelato and was introduced to a New Flavor. One of the choices was called Rafaello. Hello. Raphael, whose Madonna of the Meadow I’d seen at the art museum is one of my favorites. I had to try the flavor. It was almond and coconut and utterly creamy and delicious.
On my trips, I crossed the Danube or Donau, which was wide and sorta blue. The Austrian countryside is very lush with a lot of deep green. On the flatlands they grew grain and sunflowers, but the hills were covered in vineyards. Beautiful--and very peaceful looking.
One amusing thing I noticed.
Along one stretch of the Donau were a series of fairy-tale cottages each with its satellite dish. I do not wish to be rude to a country in which I am guest, but the truth is Austrian TV is terrible. On one major channel they are showing Perry Mason, and people of my age will recognize that it’s the black and white version with Raymond Burr! I’d spring for satellite, too.
All this exploring has worked up an appetite. I am going to have salad and some rotisserie chicken I got at the market.
Auf Wiedersehen

Morbid Curiosity

Gruss Gott!
It doesn’t matter where one is in Europe. It’s hot everywhere! Vienna is not as bad as some spots.
Some of you are wondering what is the matter with me because I did not talk about food yesterday. Ok. We’ll have some pastry today. My friend Sartorias made a request--I do take them--but you are going to have to wait.
I trammed out to the Museum of Military History. It’s a grand building (surprise!) set in a beautiful park with a fountain, ponds, ducks and the occasional homeless person. The exhibits are first rate, but I cannot honestly recommend folks trundle out there unless 1) they are really interested in the subject 2) already know lots of Austrian History.
For example: Let us return to the summer of 1914. The heir to the throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand has been sent on a good will tour of Bosnia-Herzegovina because Austria-Hungry intends to annex it--in defiance of a previous agreement. Now FF is a pretty good guy. He respects Slavic Culture and wants Austria-Hungary’s ethnic minorities to have rights and some say in how they are governed. But this makes him dangerous in the eyes of Bosnian nationalists. You know where I’m going with this. They murdered him, and the result was World War I.
See, this museum has the fatal car on exhibit. FF’s chauffeur got lost and pulled over to consult his map thus making FF and the Archduchess Sophie sitting ducks for Gavrilo Princep’s bullets. There’s more. The bloodstained clothes he was wearing and the very couch they laid him on to die are there.
There are so many “if onlies” connected with World War I, but I think if it had not been Franz Ferdinand, the belligerents would have found another excuse.
Let us turn to a happier subject. My next stop (after a therapeutic dose of gelato) was the museum that exhibits the “left overs” they can’t fit in the Imperial Apartments or the Albertina. I can recommend the Hofmobiliendepot without reservation. In many cases these extra pieces are finer than the ones exhibited elsewhere. There are a lot more Sisi items here as well. I especially enjoyed were the Biedermeier rooms. And a most welcome feature was the chance to try out some genuine Biedermeier chairs and sofas! I saw some pieces that I thought would be at home at my place.
Since I was in the neighborhood I went to lick the windows on Vienna’s major shopping street Mariahilfstrasse. It reminded me of Paris actually--broad sidewalks choked with shoppers, puffing away on cigarettes, traffic, beggars. I recognized a lot of European chains. I had opportunities to nip in and refresh myself with perfume.
But here I am home and rehydrated. For my appetizer I have Turkish Olives. The big green ones are stuffed with almond. I expected the little black ones to be bitter, but no. They have a slightly sweet aftertaste.
The pastry? Well, not exactly what Sartorias asked for. I saw Tophentorte and Tophenstrudel but no schnitten. What I came upon today is called Tophensouffleschnitten, and it will have to do. Tophen is a curd cheese rather like cream cheese and the pastry looks like a piece of cheese cake, but it’s a bit less sweet and tastes more complex and to my tongue less cloying. It would go great with a cup of tea, but it’s too hot right now for that.

Public Transportation--of Various Sorts

Guss Gott!
Well, Meinen Freuden I have been here a week, so I have decided to adopt a characteristic Viennese greeting. Maybe next week I’ll say Servus!
Today was a day of hardened and shameless tourism. I began by replenishing my wine supply. I got more of the Gruner Vertliner and some more of a Burgenland red I hadn’t mentioned before that is likewise light and fruity.  And cheap, too, for good wines. They are less than three euro each.
The next chore was to visit the U Bahn (that’s subway to you) station at Stephansplatz to get my eight day travel card. It might not save me money, but I am usually willing to pay for convenience.
I walked up to a tram stop and got on a tram. I like riding trams. They are generally slow, and one can see a lot. We rode along the Inner Ring for a while where all the incredibly grand and monumental buildings are. Vienna is encircled by various ring roads, which I believe mark old lines of defense, but my tram soon turned off and climbed up into “real people” territory. It’s enjoyable seeing this as well.
I took the tram back to Theresa Maria Platz where the Art Museum sits. Yes.  More art, and what an incredible collection it is. The building alone is worth the price of admission. I have been in grand places, but this joint takes the marble veneered cake. I have never seen so much marble of so many varieties in my life. Oh yeah painted ceilings or ones with gilt coffering. You can find both.
There are paintings, too. Lots and lots of them, many of them wonderful.
Even I did not look at everything. I go into a room and scan and pick out what I want to look at more closely. Teaching Art History does make a difference. I recognize a lot of works, of course, and also characteristic styles and subject matter. I saw some old friends and made some new ones. I won’t make a list. Nearly all the major artists are represented and a lot of important works are here. I really really enjoyed the Bruegels. I did not realize that Hunters in the Snow, which I love teaching is part of a “seasons” series. I got to see some of the others. They have a remarkable collection of Giorgiones. And I must mention Vermeer’s Allegory of Painting. His works are usually quite small, but this one is pretty big and exquisite like all of his work.
By the time I had finished, it was hot and the sun was strong. After some gelato, it was time for another tram ride out to the Prater. The Prater is a pleasure ground on the outskirts of town. I took the tram to the forest part and enjoyed a cool walk under the trees.
Then I came upon the Liliputbahn. Oh oh! I am a total sucker for these little trains. I bought a combined ticket and hopped aboard. We chugged through the trees for a while, but the destination was the more famous part of the Prater--the amusement park. The rides reminded me of the old Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica. But the big tourist magnet of the Prater is its famous Reiserad or Journey Wheel. My combined ticket would get me a ride. Whee! The wheel is huge and rises slowly, and the views over the city and of the encircling hills are marvelous.
When we came down, I strolled over to the U Bahn Station and hopped a train for Stephansplatz and here we are.
Auf Wiedersehen!