Vienna, Sylvester 2007

Subject: Vienna, Sylvester 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 one of the unexpected fringe benefits of living here: We had been totally unaware of this gigantic German/Balkan melting pot in existence in today's Austria!

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 Kahlenberg

St. Ruprecht's Church, begun 8th century

Altar and above: oldest stained glass window in Vienna

Hofburg, Central part with Papyrus Museum

Hofburg, left wing