The Semana Santa Saga: Part V

Where: Vienna, Austria (or Wein in German)
When: Monday, March 29 (10 PM) – Thursday, April 1 (3:30 PM)
Where we stayed: Do Step Inn—We spent two of the three nights having to share a basement room with two smelly boys, one from Spain (go figure) and one from England. It wasn’t the most pleasant hostel experience I’ve ever had, but then again, it certainly wasn’t the worst! At least, we were conveniently located next to the train station and not too far from the city center.
What’s along the Ringstraße:
Vienna is quite a large city, holding almost a quarter of Austria’s population within its districts. Yet, the old city center (the Innere Stadt) is surrounded by a large boulevard called the Ringstraße Along the Ringstraße, you will find a number of magnificent and commanding buildings. From the Museumsquartier to seats of government to imperial palaces and centers of performing arts, many national treasures of Austria are located on this significant avenue.

• The Museum of Natural History of Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) and The Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum) at Maria-Theresa-Square

• The Parliament of Austria (Österreichisches Parlament)—quite impressive
• The Rathaus—the town hall of Vienna
• The Hofburg Imperial Palace—currently the residence of Austria’s President, this used to be the principle winter home of the illustrious Habsburg dynasty, who ruled almost all of Europe at one point or another in history.

What we found in the Innere Stadt in one day (that would be on Tuesday):

• An Easter Market—Dozens upon dozens of delicately painted eggs were stacked in the center of the little square, resting cheerily under a light canvas awning. Laughter and cries of joy from the children watching a puppet show floated over the egg crates and into our ears as we perused the elaborate oval shells. After much consideration, SK & I made some tough decisions and made an Easter purchase or two.
• After wandering through some side streets, we eventually found the Der Graben (German for “the trench”), which is one of Vienna’s most famous streets located inside the ring. This was the heartbeat of the city, pumping with life as a flow of people constantly moved up and down the trench, popping into trendy modern stores housed in elegant buildings. And there, in the middle of the pedestrian-only street packed with shoppers, the Pestsäule (German for “plague column”) stood as a stunning memorial to Vienna’s encounter with a horrible plague epidemic in the late 1600s.
• We ambled along the small perimeter inside St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche) in the afternoon, and later that evening, we took our seats in the old wooden pews and enjoyed the angelic voices of a small yet talented chamber choir as they rose into the air and danced off the baroque statues.
• St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) is Vienna’s main church and one of its most recognized landmarks. The multi-colored tiled roof and enormous towers abruptly protrude from the splendid Stephansplatz.
• The immense amount of baroque-ness we found inside the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche) echoed the superfluous-ness of the main auditorium of its neighbor, the old University of Vienna, where Mozart gave a concert or two.
• After a deliciously filling lunch, we found a spot on a sunny lawn of the Viennese City Park (Wiener Stadtpark) and took a nap. Nearby, the Danube River continued on its perpetual journey, taking no interest in stopping to have a rest under the clear blue sky.

Who we saw in Vienna:

• Doris: Doris is a university student from Vienna who was a classmate of my flat-mate Elaine this winter. She moved back home and offered to meet SK & I for dinner one night during our stay in her hometown. She took us to Figmüller, a restaurant claiming to have “the biggest schnitzel.” While we ate our fried veal cutlet and sweet beet salad, we enjoyed catching up and quizzing her on some Austrian words and customs. If you’re interested in the story behind the schnitzel, check out http://www.figlmueller.at/index.php for more... I’ve already had my fair share.
• Sharon & Co.: By several incredible strokes of luck, SK & I encountered Sharon, another assistant who works at my school, while we were in Vienna. Sharon was traveling with two other girls during Semana Santa, and it just so happened that we all spent two nights in the same hostel in Vienna. I first saw Sharon in our hall bathroom; she had just come out of the shower as I was getting ready for bed. We were stunned to see one another, and I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at the coincidence of our rendezvous. The next day, we ran into each other again in a museum bathroom (an apparent trend of ours). Later that night, our travel groups merged, and we all went out for Austrian wine and apple strudel after seeing the ballet at the opera house.

Which cafés we sampled:

Viennese cafés, according to Wikipedia, “have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries, and the caffeine addictions of some famous historical patrons of the oldest are something of a local legend.” Also, they “claim to have invented the process of filtering coffee from bounty captured after the second Turkish siege in 1683.” Coffees traditionally are served on a small silver metal tray, accompanied by a glass of water and maybe some sugar cubes, too.

• Café Diglas: Sitting under chandeliers dripping with tea cups and crystals, we sipped on coffee and nibbled on raspberry-chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie. We entertained ourselves later on by going into the bathroom, where transparent doors only become opaque once you’ve locked it from the inside. It caused quite a stir among the café’s clientele and made this café quite memorable!
• Demel: We took a window seat and split some rich chocolate cake at this popular spot in the city center. Of course, we had a coffee to go with it all, which gave us a much needed jolt of energy after a day of wandering around town in the drizzling rain.

What we visited:

• Belvedere (http://www.belvedere.at/jart/prj3/belvedere/main.jart?rel=en): Belvedere, an ostentatious and sumptuous display of wealth of the Austrian aristocracy and royalty, is comprised of two palaces, neat gardens, and several small buildings such as the Orangery and the Stables. Upper Belvedere was built in 1721-1722 under the watchful supervision of Prince Eugene of Savoy, a great military commander and important political figure of his time. After being converted into a museum in 1918, it now houses numerous works by famous Austrian artists, including Gustav Klimt.
• The Naschmarkt (Nibbles Market): Looking at art can make you pretty hungry and tired, so after a visit to Belvedere, SK & I took the metro back into the city to see what we could find in Vienna’s most popular market. The colorful market stalls stretched over a kilometer down the street, their vendors pleading for passersby to have a taste of their wares. Dried fruits and nuts and packages of spices were piled higgledy-piggledy. Other delicatessens, like stuffed olives or sweet baklava, were lined up under glass counters. I couldn’t resist buying some dried strawberries, and Sarah had her first taste of baklava, Turkish style.
• We had lunch in Mr. Lee’s Asian Restaurant, which was oh-so-good! It might not have been traditional Austrian fair, but having good Asian cuisine is a novelty for us, since Spain doesn’t understand that part of the world nor its food very well.

• The Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper):
• We saw the Vienna Ballet Company’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ein Sommernachtstraum). The ballet was beautifully romantic, from scenery to costumes to music. The choreography was riveting and had a creatively modern touch. The dancers played their roles well, and it was easy to feel for them and their love-entangled lives. All in all, it was a performance that easily drew its spectators into that fairy-tale forest where. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all of the ballet…
• Never again will I get “standing room only tickets” to see a show. I’d rather pay 40 Euro for a chair with a bad view than pay 4 Euro to have a better view while standing squished between dozens of people packed in like cattle on show at the county fair. In Vienna, I discovered that my horribly annoying tendency to become faint doesn’t only occur on particular plane flights. Oh, no. My frustrating little problem can hit me anytime or anywhere… especially if I’m standing in a place for too long and become uncontrollably hot, which is what happened in Act I. Since I am quite aware of the signs before passing out, I took preventative measures and slouched down against the wall when the first wave of illness struck. Thus, I had to spend the first act watching the performance in intervals, resorting to sitting on the floor amidst a sea of legs often to counter my fainting spell. But just as everything that was once upside in the Shakespeare’s world, my story was set right after I got some air during intermission, took off a few layers of clothing, and regained control of my self in order to watch Act Two in its entirety. Now, I just know that I should avoid buying standing tickets for the theater!
• Schönbrunn Palace (http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/home.html)
• Our final day in Vienna was a glorious one. The sun was shining in the clear blue sky, and our spirits were much lifted after suffering through terrible wind & rain the day beforehand.
• How can I describe one of the prettiest and most charming palaces I’ve ever visited? You think once you’ve seen one palace, you’ve seen them all. To some degree, that is true, especially for us common folk who can’t tell the difference between a French vase and an Italian porcelain pitcher. Yet, the Hapsburgs’ summer residence had a distinct cheeriness to it, which perhaps was most noted from its bright yellow exterior. This was where Marie Antoinette grew up, learning how to frolic in lavishness. But this is also where her father, Franz Joseph I, worked tirelessly for the betterment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Furthermore, dozens of other monarchs and royals passed through those halls and extravagant rooms for centuries before them. This was the home to some of the world’s most powerful kings and queens, and thus being steeped in history and soaked with expensive frivolities, it was a joy and wonder to walk in their footsteps.
• After our palace tour, we walked around the fantastic gardens, taking pictures and reveling in the good weather. Our ticket gave us entry to the small labyrinth and children’s garden, where we raced through the bushy maze and were amused by simple games.
• With only a couple of hours before having to catch a train out of the city, we decided to have lunch in the cute Easter market located in the front square of the palace. Following our meal of cheesy-spinachy toast, cooked veggies and bacon-wrapped cheese, and dessert of chocolate crepes, we worked on conquering the walking stilts…before riding out of Vienna.