Vienna
The tour de European Christmas markets continued in Vienna. We got into town around dinner time and immediately hit the streets to see what kind of meal we could put together to accompany the obligatory hot wine (or Glühwein as its called in Austria.) We quickly discovered that Austrians can do amazing things with potatoes. The hot wine was especially good as well and this time it was served in an eco-friendly reusable ceramic mug instead of a plastic cup. You pay a €1 deposit, tote the mug around with you until you’ve had enough, and then just return it to one of the many Glühwein stands.
The atmosphere around the Vienna Christmas market was inspiringly simple yet genius. For the month leading up to Christmas the town congregates on the streets to hang out with family and friends for some casual shopping, eating, and drinking. Lauren and I lamented over and over again that something so relaxed and fun could never happen in Austin with all the city’s bureaucratic red tape and our overbearing arch-nemesis of fun – the open container law.
Food and drink aside, there are thousands of cool things to do in Vienna. Lauren hunted down some tickets and got us into the Hofburg Palace Cathedral to witness a Sunday mass featuring the heavenly sounds of the Vienna Boy’s Choir. For the majority of the mass they are perched high out of sight and only their voices radiate through the service at certain times. At the end the youngsters show their faces for one short ballad and all the tourists start flash photographing them to death (Lauren only dealt one blow, but others bombarded them with so many light flashes they looked more like a techno performance than a religious choir.)
Our day of Palace hopping took us over to the Belvedere to see the apple of Vienna’s eye – Gustav Klimt. His work is some of the most valuable in the Art world and fascinating to look at. We came to Vienna expecting to be wow-ed by Klimt’s art, but another wildcard Viennese artist caught us by surprise. Friedensreich Hundertwasser was an intriguing Austrian environmentalist/artist/architect who’s vision of green living came long before sustainability was cool. The museum dedicated to him is in one of his buildings featuring his signature (and controversial) uneven rolling floors.
Vienna’s aesthetic was nearly as stunning that of Prague. Having been the focal point of countless dynasties over the years, Vienna has been pumped full of so much culture that it almost overshadows all of Austria. For a break from the Palace/Museum/Church routine Lauren and I made a quick trip to the lazy Austrian ski town of Innsbruck.
Tags: Travel
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