More Photos from Vienna, Dec. 2007

Subject: Photos from Vienna, Dec. 2007

Vienna, December 31, 2007

End of Year Report:

Dear Family and Friends:

Our stay in Vienna approaches its last week and we want to make some general remarks about the city, its people and especially the weather. We were told, for example, that there is a high cliff at Kahlenberg overlooking the city and giving a broad panoramic view of Vienna. So yesterday we took the tram and a bus up there and were greeted by such snow and mist that all we could see were trees covered with beautiful hoar frost. A couple of pictures will convince you that it was beautiful but alas, no broad view of Vienna at all, only whiteness. 

It was bitter cold, so we turned around immediately. Instead, we stopped on the way home in Grinzing, Vienna's suburb famous for wine tasting. Since it was by now coffee hour, we stopped at a small pastry shop and enjoyed our coffee with Schlag and pastries. Richey was disappointed that they had no Bienenstich, nor did they even know what that is. Ziggy on the other hand was thrilled with their delicious Mohnkuchen (poppyseed pastry) because it brought back memories of her childhood in Silesia. (cf. Proust's Petite Madelaine in A la Recherche du Temps Perdu).

Most of our time in Vienna, the weather has been at freezing or below with occasional snow flurries (but they don't amount to much). When we go outdoors we wear a ton of clothes: five or six layers, much of them woolen, but  we still struggle to stay warm. 

Obviously, we are not the only ones suffering from the cold. Even the people in church sit there all bundled up in fur coats, scarfs, gloves, boots etc., and only the men remove their hats. You can understand why we have decided to visit Vienna the next time during warmer, friendlier weather. Our Southern California octogenarian bodies are adjusting much too slowly to this climate. We wonder if 10 weeks in Berlin will be any better? 

As we mentioned before, one of our musical highlights was a concert by the Viennese Symphony Orchestra and Choruses in the impressive Konzerthaus on Dec. 19th. There, everything was plush and warm, so we dressed accordingly, and left our multiple layers of outerwear in the garde-robe before entering the magnificent Great Hall and listening to a deeply emotional and moving rendition of Mendelsohn's Elias (the Biblical story of the prophet Elijah).  

As you can see, Vienna is so full of surprises that we are enjoying it immensely. Another example is our recent visit to the Hofburg, the huge monumental complex of former imperial buildings. The Hofburg today houses a large number of museums, most of which we still have to explore. So far we have visited only the extensive and informative Papyrus museum. What an enriching experience! For example, we had no idea that those ancient Egyptians had musical notations which can still be recreated and heard today. Thanks to modern technology we could listen to Egyptian music of some 4000 years ago - just imagine hearing this musical greeting from across the millennia!

Stepping out of the Museum, we were greeted by the noise and babble of modern Vienna: the melting pot diversity of German and Balkan Europeans. Yes, this is exactly what we had hoped to experience here,   

Our visit to the Museum of Vienna (a museum documenting the city's long history) helped us understand better the thousands of years that people have lived in this Danube basin, dating back to even pre-Celtic, prehistoric  times. When the Romans arrived two thousand years ago they seemed like new-comers in this historical lineup. The Roman name for the settlement was Vindo Bonda (good wine). The German name of the city today is Wien, which is obviously related to the German word Wein (wine). Actually, wine-making and the culture of the vine was brought to all of Northern Europe by the Romans.

On Dec. 24 we had a totally unexpected, delightful Christmas experience. In the late afternoon we took the subway to St. Stephan's Cathedral for a Christmas Mass. On the subway we happened to meet a young couple with two small children and learned that they were going to a children's Christmas Mass at St. Ruprecht's Church. We had not heard about this church and spontaneously decided to join them.  

Inside, the small church was lit up by many candles and buzzed with the happy noise of many children. There was a joyful procession of children lighting candles and carrying them one by one to the altar (which was the original block altar from the 8th century).  We joined the audience of young and old in traditional German Christmas songs, accompanied by guitars. It was a truly memorable experience; we were grateful for following the young family ... on a whim. 

St. Ruprecht, it turns out, is the oldest church in Vienna. According to legend it was first built  in 740  AD. St. Ruprecht is the patron saint of sailors and boatsmen, and the church is located on the banks of the Danube River which was a major ancient river route. The small chapel was constructed on the foundation of a Roman castellum (fortification) which was located on the easternmost point of the Roman Empire. 

After the heartwarming children's mass at St. Ruprecht's, we walked a few blocks over to St. Stephan's and experienced a dramatic contrast.  Although we had been less than impressed by visits during the day, we now experienced this great cathedral in all its glory. It was filled with throngs of worshippers, all the crystal candelabres illuminated the central nave, and the sound of organ music and the voices of Christmas Carols filled the famous building.

Surrounded by the lights, sounds, and people of today, we felt intimately connected with the generations who had worshipped here before us and had made Vienna so remarkable. To this day, one sees many musicians, young and not so young, carrying their instruments through the streets and onto the busses and subways, thus continuing Vienna's remarkable musical tradition. 

Hoar frost on the Kahlenberg

St. Ruprecht's Church, originally founded in 8th century

 

 

 

 

Oldest Part of St. Ruprecht's: altar and stained glass window above (which is oldest in Vienna)

living room

Brigitta's bed with grand daughter

 Central (middle) part of Hofburg

Left wing of Hofburg