Vienna - 2009

Since we are just leaving Vienna on this night in December 2015, it was fun to go back and read Sunny's blog from 2009. Since we were in Vienna for much more time that year, the blog is much longer.

Vienna Austria           September 2009       IAEA Meeting on Research Opportunities

When our taxi driver gave us that “Are you SURE you want me to leave you HERE?” I was hoping I hadn’t made a mistake in falling for the online description of a small, family run hotel near the banks of the Danube. The outside was plain all right.

It turned out that The Strand Hotel is a wonderful retreat with a hidden garden for alfresco breakfasts, artsy touches, accurate information, and a fine blend of county living and nearby Metro stop. Phew! We would be there for four nights.

On our arrival day, we stumbled to the Metro in our jet lag daze and toured the famous Stephansdom Cathedral. When seen in 17c. paintings, it looks golden. Today it’s blackened with pollution. It stands far above nearby buildings. They are cleaning it section by section. The guidebook suggested climbing the 343 steps up the south tower to the roof. Somehow this spoke to me. So did my throbbing thighs all week after the climb! There were so many obstructions to the view; the satisfaction must derive from the journey.

We stopped at the restroom in the Metro- a dangerous proposition, I agree, but we were tired and desperate. There was a man collecting 50 cents from each woman who wished to use the facility. On this first day, I had no Euro coins, so I offered him 75 US cents. No way, he gestured. Oh great, by now I was really desperate. I raised my voice a little to indicate my distress. Finally, he agreed I could use the last station because the door was stuck.

What a contrast later in the week. I was walking in the subway and heard wonderful opera music. I followed it to “The Musical Toilet”. Here, I was happy to pay 60 cents in order to use this restroom complete with opera décor. Music and art go hand in hand in Vienna. The museums provide headphones so one can hear Mahler’s music while viewing his paintings. It is a meaningful integration.

Each morning, Mike would show his special UN photo ID, be admitted through the military-like security gate, down into the huge International Centre complex bedecked by flags of the member nations. Impressive place. He joined the IAEA staff, and two doctors, one our friend Norimah from Malaysia and the other a new acquaintance, Artur from Poland. Together they discussed research needs in tissue banking.

My job is to have a great time sightseeing, then tell Mike what he has missed. When I unearth something he must experience, we return afterhours. In the case of Vienna, this was a yummy noodle-style soft dough apfelstrudel with warm vanilla sauce.

Our last evening, we took the Metro to the people’s opera house (Volksoper)built in 1898. We ate a light supper (if you consider another apfelstrudel plus a malakofftorte cake as light). Malakofftorte is like a more sophisticated Twinkie with piles of sweetened whipped cream cheese with peaches and sponge cake.

We preceded our dessert with a frankfurter dinner, then copied the family at a nearby table, tearing the Kaiser roll into pieces, then taking a piece of bread after biting off a section of frankfurter held in our hand and dipping it in spicy mustard. Yum. We followed the crowd across the street to the Volksoper for a performance of “Die Fledermaus”. As in Seattle, attendees’ dress ranged from dark suits to t-shirts.

Vienna’s blocks and blocks of magnificent buildings and fountains impressed me mightily when I was 21 and enchanted me once more. The Viennese investment in the arts begins early and encourages continued support. During my tour of the State Opera House (Solksoper), I learned that children receive opera education. Whole families attend the opera every week, considering it “the staff of life”. Prices range from 3-100 Euros per performance. The lower prices buy a standing spot complete with subtitles and a velvet- padded ledge upon which to lean.

There is a different opera every night! The place hums with stage disassembling and mounting, rehearsing and fundraising to subsidize the ticket price and encourage attendance. 1,000 people have permanent jobs at the Solksoper. Others are hired as needed. The elegantly decorated halls assure a stylish intermission not to be missed.

A subscript to Vienna’s story is the bombing and rebuilding after the wars. Austria could embrace its nationality after the occupiers: USA, France, UK, Russia left in 1955. One senses their quiet national pride in this grand city oozing culture and beauty.

Where to start in exploring the numerous museums? I began with the Upper Belvedere Palace in order to educate myself about Gustav Klimt. The building itself is, well, palatial. I met a 73 year old staffing the Information Desk. Her work seems similar to mine. She answered questions about the many art pieces in the museum. When there is no queue, I ask for restaurant recommendations and bus stop locations. This strategy worked for me all week.

One glance at Klimt’s famous “The Kiss” painting and I was hooked. It’s romantic, shimmering with gold and pixie dust and smart art deco design. Onlookers stop chatting and just drink it in. When I later visited The Secession Building, Klimt’s frieze’s place of honor there, seemed just right. The stark white of the building topped with a glorious large gold ball is dramatic. Check it out online! My words are inadequate.

The next day I was consumed with a search for the Venus of Wittendorf. Would she be back in the Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriches) or would she still be out for restorative repair? This plump lady, at 25,000 years old is the oldest piece of art found in Austria. The museum’s Information Lady told me that she was handling a copy of this Venus as she talked with a psychiatrist about her friend’s issues. He noted her fidgeting with this fertility figure and suggested she make an appointment for herself within a week.

The museum is considered one of the world’s top ten. Imagine a stately, old stone building housing ‘zillions’ of stuffed animals, birds, etc. Dinosaurs of every description, opals the size of boulders, a bouquet of brooches made of precious gems. It was intriguing to observe the people studying the different exhibits. Made me curious about their curiosity. No wonder some novels begin in a venerable (but a bit spooky) museum like this!

All this exploration gave me a good appetite. I asked a local where I could eat good food outside. She sent me to the Burrgarten near the Habsburg Palace. The char fish was perfectly grilled and sauced. An added feature was a photo shoot right in front of me. Think electric orange stilettos on a redhead with a very short orange dress. The café is in the shadow of an impressive Art Deco greenhouse.

In addition to the aforementioned desserts and the Volksoper Café, my culinary tour continued to deliver. To my delight, mild weather allowed many al fresco meals. Plachutta restaurant was recommended by our hotelier. There we enjoyed the traditional boiled beef rump (Tafelspitz). First they serve the broth and vegetables in which the beef is cooked. Then, they serve beef shoulder, beef rib, rump, bone marrow, etc. Condiments make the taste difference: horseradish mixed with applesauce, pumpkin, pancakes, and fried potatoes.

Hungry yet?  Watched tourists and natives march by my sidewalk table at the famous Café’ Demel (founded in 1786). I agreed to share my table with a woman who requested a seat. We talked about her experience as a German in post war

New York City. She ordered a pastry her grandmother had made for her when she was a child= Marillenknodel. These are fruit surrounded by a dough rolled in toasted fine bread crumbs, then roasted in butter. She remembered helping her stretch the dough over furniture to let it dry.

It was disappointing to learn the puppet museum is now closed. I settled for a quick look at the clock museum nearby.

I finished my round of museums with a tour of the Leopold Museum. This white, cubical building contrasts with the stately stone palaces nearby.  It was fascinating to see many works by Austrians. Some of Klimt’s garden scenes seemed more interesting than those of the impressionists. I suspect I have overdosed on reprints of Monet.

At first, I was dismayed that bicyclists were zooming past we pedestrians. Then I appreciated how bike-friendly Vienna is. Separate crossing and lanes mean it’s really easy and green to commute this way. Another characteristic of the Viennese- they actually wait to cross the street until the light permits. I applaud this.

I had read that credit cards are not universally accepted here.  We experienced this when we dined on the riverbank and needed to pay in cash!

Friends who have been to Vienna recently remarked that it hasn’t changed much since I visited it many years ago. I celebrate this and wish it to be true when you waltz through one day!