I got to Vienna around two o’clock in the afternoon. I knew that I would have some time to kill before Pedro would arrive as I had received an exasperated phone call that morning exclaiming that his flight was not at 6:30AM but rather 6:30PM. Luckily, it was not the other way around, I thought!
Upon my arrival, my first preoccupation was to secure a hotel. Pedro as well as some of my colleagues had implied that Vienna was quite expensive, not to mention it was a holiday weekend. I decided to take my chances at the airport information center, a decision that in retrospect was probably a mistake. Nevertheless, the receptionist was able to help me to find a hotel for less than a hundred euro a night despite his doubts to the contrary. I was off!
When I had been flying into the city the weather was beautiful, sun and blue skies. It was only as the plane touched down that the weather began to change. The frivolity of the climate in determining its state of being would last throughout the trip. By the time I stepped outside it was pouring rain and, as is usual, I was completely unprepared. Fortunately, thanks to a good map that I had been given at the information center, I was able to navigate my way through the streets of Vienna fairly easily. The hotel was a bit of a disappointment. Its décor and furnishings dated back to the seventies and it was clear that they had not been properly attended to since the time they were installed. Nevertheless, the hotel room was quite large and all of the essentials were in place. My next adventure would consist of scoring a birthday present for Pedro, as his birthday had passed only a few days prior. Champagne and raspberries on the table at the hotel and a bouquet of flowers in hand, I was feeling pretty impressed with myself.
As I had another hour before Pedro would arrive at the airport, I decided to head to the park. Stadtpark is a popular site for Viennese entertainment. During the demolition of the city walls and the creation of the main avenue encircling the city, the mayor at that time, Andreas Zelinka, promoted the project of creating a public park on the territory. The park was designed in the style of English gardens by the landscape painter Josef Selleny. On August 21, 1862 the park was opened, becoming the first public park in Vienna. The park was truly a site for sore eyes. The lush green of a land that sees plenty of rain, trees of lavender and white in bloom, ducks on the water’s edge, lazy koi wallowing in the pond, and the relaxed faces of passers-by, I could already tell that I was going to enjoy my time in Vienna.
As I was waiting for Pedro at the airport, I felt a bit funny with my bouquet of flowers. Women gave me sympathetic and envious smiles completely unaware of the fact that these flowers were destined for a boy. I had not really calculated the whole public reception factor. Nevertheless, I was so happy to see Pedro when he finally got off the plane that I could not have been bothered by the opinions of others. Exhausted, we decided that Vienna would have to wait until tomorrow. We grabbed a quick kebab before heading in for the night.
Sunday, May 23
The next day was a walking tour of downtown Vienna. The first place we went was back to the park that had so impressed me the day before. Just as we arrived it began to sprinkle despite the warm weather. By the time we made it to Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain it started pouring down. Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain has 365 small jets around the edge symbolizing the days of the year. A middle circle of 7 jets represent the week days while the central island has 24 low fountains and 12 high ones to represent the hours of the day and months of the year. In addition there are a further 30 jets for the days of the month. We had to admire the fountain from beneath the shelter of a tree as it appeared as through our walking tour was going to come to a stop due to the rain that just would not let up. 
Nevertheless, from there we continued on towards Karlskirche. In 1713, when the Black Plague swept through Vienna, the Emperor Charles VI made a vow: if the plague left the city, he would build a church dedicated to his namesake, St. Charles Borromeo. St. Charles was a 16th century Italian bishop famous for ministering to Milanese plague victims. The emperor's prayer was answered, and construction on the church began in 1715. The Karlskirche was built on what was then the bank of the River Wien and is now the southeast corner of a park complex. Vienna’s history is incredibly rich.
What was so nice about Vienna is that everything is accessible by foot. Besides London, Vienna is also one of the few European cities where I was notably impressed by the successful mix of historic and modern architecture. The tasteful blend and the contrast between the two were most inspiring. As the rain was now wreaking serious havoc on our promenade, we ducked into a little Italian restaurant in the hopes that it would lighten up. As luck would have it, the rain stopped just as we were finishing up our lasagna. We were really quite fortunate!
On our way we passed by the famous Opera house of Vienna. Vienna is the home of classical music and dance. The city is still marked by the works of Beethoven, Bach and Strauss, just some of the musical geniuses whose performances in this city would change the relationship between music and man for centuries to come. I thought about the piano lessons that I had as a kid growing up and the small busts of these men that I earned for practicing seven days a week. Their music has been the foundation for the music that I know today and it was quite surreal to stand where they once stood. We noticed that tours of the interior would be open the next day and so we decided that we would return.
Just next to the Opera House was the Augustinerkirche. In 1327, Duke Frederick the Handsome (Friedrich der Schöne) founded this church with a cloister for the Augustinian friars. In 1634, the Augustinerkirche became the parish church of the imperial church. Having visited quite a number of churches in Europe, this church is definitely one of my favorites. In southern Europe one becomes accustomed to the meticulous and exhaustive frescos that line the contours of the high ceiling, archways and columns inside the church. However, this church was left completely unpainted. The interior was wait save for the alcove in the back of the church were the altar is found. The simplicity was quieting and even breathtaking.
We then walked through Heldenplatz ("Heroes' Square"), the historical plaza in Vienna. Many important actions took place there, most notoriously Adolf Hitler's announcement of the Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich in 1938. Just nearby, they were hosting a carnival. I was reminded of the Orange County Fair in the sense that there was a real family atmosphere with local musicians, rides for the kids and lots to eat. It was kind of nice see the Austrians in a more relaxed setting.
Our walk led us up the main avenue Kärntner Strabe heading back to the hotel. It was at this point that Pedro and I both noticed that the Austrians love ice cream! Every one out of three people had an ice cream cone in hand every one out of five stores was a gelateria. I made a mental note to try some later on.
Before heading back to the hotel our last stop was the Kartner strabe church. The glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly colored roof, 111 meters (361 ft) long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. Above the choir on the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. On the north side the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria are depicted.
That night we found a traditional Austrian restaurant. At first we thought the restaurant was closed because no one was there. However, the waiter greeted and seated us. In retrospect, I think we had arrived much earlier than our Austrian counterparts. The result was that we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. We had exceptional service and the traditional Austrian dish was very well prepared. We started off with a potato soup that was similar to the pumpkin soup we serve in the United States. As a main course, we had pork and sour kraut accompanied by an Austrian red wine. The Viennese people are very patriotic, which meant that finding a French wine was out of the question. Very full and woody in flavor, I found the Austrian wine to be quite good. The last stop on the menu was the apple strudel! Vienna is famous for its apple strudel and I now know why!
Monday, May 24
After getting up late, our first stop was the back to the opera house to take the tour. Unfortunately, we were too late for the first tour and so we caught the second tour after having a serious lunch in a quasi-Spanish restaurant across the street. Once we got in the Opera house we were most impressed. The stage in Vienna is the largest in Europe. Towards the end of World War II, on March 12, 1945, the opera was set alight by an American bombardment, which was intended for the Raffinerie in Floridsdorf. The front section, which had been walled off as a precaution, remained intact including the foyer, with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room. The auditorium and stage were, however, destroyed by flames as well as almost the entire décor and props for more than 120 operas with around 150,000 costumes. Eventually, the decision was made to rebuild the opera house as it had been. The result was a mix of modern and classical design. The stage is now the largest in Europe. The guide told us that we although the Opera sells out months in advance, however, tickets for standing room with shoulder room right in the center of the theater could be bought for only three euro if you were willing to wait in line before the show starts. I took one look at Pedro and it was clear that that was what we were going to do. 
After the tour, we went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) and then it was already time to head over to the opera house and wait in line. That night Salome was playing. Having been unfamiliar with the this performance, I would soon find out that Salome was the Judean princess who had asked to have the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. The Opera was extremely well down and performed by some of the best voices in the world. It was quite a privilege to have been a part of it.
One the way out, we were again bombarded by people eating ice cream. I decided that I had to have some. Chocolate, pistachio and raspberry made for a deadly combination!
Tuesday, May 25
It was already our last day in Vienna. For the first time since our arrival we got up early enough to have breakfast in the hotel.
Unfortunately, the natural history museum that I wanted to visit was closed. Consequently, we decided to visit the architecture museum. They had an exhibit on architecture in Vienna from the 1850s until the present day. The exhibition made the devastating impact of Hitler and the world war quite apparent. It seemed that the effects had been so demoralizing that it took thirty or so years until the inspiration to creatively design was fully recovered.
Our last memories of Vienna would be walking back through the beautiful park that had been so inviting when we first arrived. A great weekend all in all, Vienna will go down as an awesome trip.
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