Vienna the Magnificent

Ahhh, Vienna - city of musicians, lavish capital of the Hapsburg Empire, the city of dreams (Sigmund Freud was from here)- no wonder it is regarded as one of the most livable cities in the world. From the large palaces and museums to the abundance of bars, clubs, and cafes, the Viennese enjoy a plentiful life of diversity and culture that emulates in my opinion the very best mankind has to offer. 

Our adventure began as we boarded one of the old trolleys that notoriously winds its way through Vienna's narrow streets. About half the cars are new and low to the street, while the rest still date from the days of the Cold War and are a bit more difficult to get onto yet still enjoyable to ride. It was mid-afternoon by time we managed to drop off the bags at the hotel - a quaint hundred year old reasonbly-priced establishment - and head southwest to the royal family's grand summer residence, the Schönbrunn Palace. A massive complex of grounds and gardens surrounding a central palace of more than 1,400 rooms, it is the only palace in Europe that comes close to rivaling Versailles. Clear skies and warm sunlight only enhanced our excitement to explore and play among the scores of locals and tourists alike. 

The palace has some 40 rooms open to the public and no two rooms are alike. Climbing the grand marble stairwell I imagined being a foreign ambassador on my way to meet the most powerful person in Europe, the Grand Empress Maria Theresa. She is the only woman ever to head the Hapsburg Empire and on top of that doing so while having 16 children - the two most famous being Emperor Joseph II (from Amadeus) and Marie-Antoinette (Maria Antonia), wife of King Louis XVI of France. 

Schönbrunn Palace

The grand halls are decorated in the period Rococo style with ornate gilded designs on the walls, crystal and wood-carved chandeliers, and massive frescos depicting the greatness of the empire adorning the ceilings and walls. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the palace were two circular rooms used by Maria Theresa for private audiences. They have the most incredible inlayed wooden floors that would impress even the great renaissance masters themselves. Throughout the rest of the palace were rooms more modern in design - that is mid-19th century - which still had many of the original furnishing used by the last members of the royal family before the Hapsburg collapse at the end of World War I. 

A wonderful stroll through the imperial gardens brought us past 200 years of marble statues depicting virtues and deities and large fountains telling stories from antiquity. The main garden, called the Great Parterre, is a French design and was laid out in 1695. It features many sections including mazes and a small zoo. We walked up to the hilltop overlooking the grounds and were treated to a spectacular sunset. Atop the hill is the Gloriette made from leftover materials where the original palace was to be built. However it was decided to remain an aesthetic and glorifying symbol of Hapsburg power. 

Great Parterre and Gloriette

That evening, as customary of any traveler to Vienna, we attended one of the many thousands of concerts performed each year. Tonight's performance was by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra located at the world famous Golden Hall. We arrived just in time to take our seats in the balcony and marvel at the gilded wooden ceiling and wall carvings. A full house of tourists, most of them Asian - including all of the ones in our immediate vicinity (and consequently not a surprise for me at this point in the trip) - was a welcome relief that the appreciation of classical masters resonates through our modern obsession with drugged-up mediocre pop sensations. The musicians were dressed in period outfits of bright colors and long wigs, an homage to countless great musicians and composers before them. 

Afterwards we returned to the hotel to change, and headed out to play our way through the city's notorious nightlife. Vienna has hundreds of bars and clubs all modestly priced and full of energy and intrigue. Thankfully it was a lot calmer than the nightlife in Berlin and a bit more sophisticated in my opinion - at least early on in the night. We caught wind of a major party that happens once a month going on tonight, so we hopped a cab and headed over. (Since this blog is rated PG, you'll have to email me for that story). 

Spanish Riding School arena

Alex isn't much the classical music fan, so I arranged a little surprise event that would be entertaining enough for him to enjoy. We woke early and made our way to the Spanish Riding School at the Hofburg Palace - where the royal family resided in the winters - to see the famous Lipizzaner Stallions. Though neither of us an equestrian in any sense of the word, it was amazing to see what the trainers in their strapping 200 year old style empire uniforms (white pants and green coatee) had the horses do. They paraded around in different struts and did various tricks including the levade and courbette; I had to wikipedia those terms.  

Christ and St. Stephen

From there, we set about exploring the rest of the city on foot. Since our current whereabouts were the Hofburg and being that it was so close to our hotel, we figured we'd end back here. Therefore, down a couple of winding streets with our eyes peeled to Viennese facades we came upon St. Stephen's Church at the center of the city. Started as a parrish in 1147, the present cathedral was completed in 1433 and is a whopping 450ft tall. An enormous church, the most noticeable feature is its blue and gold checkered-tiled roof that was donated by the Viennese people to repair WWII bomb damage. Inside a massive high alter of imperial marble rests under the tall vaulted ceiling supported by narrow gothic arches. Outside is adorned with beautiful statues of biblical figures. So basically, it looks like every other cathedral in Europe - apart from a few subtle differences. 

On our way to the Graben - a pedestrian only market street - we passed the tiny St. Peter's Church, which sits on an extremely small parcel and appears no bigger than most attached chapels of larger churches. Unlike the other churches I have seen, this was a small gem adorned from floor to ceiling with beautiful marbles, statues, and paintings and was so peaceful and quaint inside. I was truly thankful that most tourists - at least the ones we saw - simply admired the exterior for a moment and continued on their way without stopping to look in. 

Graben, with the monument to the Victims of Plague in foreground. 

We eventually made it to the Graben and were not surprised to find yet again a conglomeration of world renowned stores lining the street only dotted with actual boutiques. On the one hand it is sad to think these bustling streets - once the centerpiece of Vienna, showing the wealth and business skills of its patrons - have been overrun by multi-national commercialization, yet on the other hand I suppose it was those original patrons who used their prowess to build their enterprises to a multi-national stature. But enough business, the most striking thing found on Graben is the monument to the Viennese who perished during the Black Plague. Over 1/3 of Vienna's residents succumbed to the disease. 

Lower Belvedere, the stables and gardens. 

Next on our walking tour we made it to the Belvedere Palace, another royal residence - it actually stands in for the Hofburg Palace in the opening scene of Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. This magnificent palace belonged to Prince Eugene of Savoy, and was later purchase by Empress Maria Theresa. Apart from the astoundingly decorated halls and gardens, it has quite the French connection. First, the celebration of Marie Antonia's wedding to Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France took place here before she departed Austria for good for France. Later, members of the royal family from France took refuge here during the French Revolution, including Marie Therese Charlotte, the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (she went through a lot of re-education and was spared the guillotine). The gardens were smaller than Schönbrunn but were equally as magnificent, and in some ways much more manageable to explore - not to mention being so close to the city center that provided a wonderful backdrop. 

From Belvedere, we continued our loop back to the Hofburg Palace, passing St. Charles Church, the Golden Music Hall, and Vienna Opera House on the way. It was too late in the day to see the palace, so we simply spent some time in Hero's Square at the entrance, and continued afterwards to walk to city hall. Throughout the whole day, we noticed how Vienna had been rather empty of people compared to the previous day. Well, we found them at last. The city hall was hosting a video game expo that brought together all the major players of the gaming world showing off their new stuff - and all the Viennese to play with it. Luckily for us we were still able to see the beautiful interiors and were ecstatic that such a building could be used for so many different events. And that is why I and many others consider Vienna to be the magnificent city it is. Our time here was far too short, but mark my words we shall return. 

Belvedere Palace