|
By
Arnie Greenberg I
had been here before, but now I know what drew me back. We know the city's relationship with music, and I remember that the pastry and coffee were everywhere. But time dulls certain facts, and I didn't remember just how much food, especially pastry and coffee, are a part of the 'scene.' While Vienna is a modern bustling city with fast subways, double tramways on a modern ring road skirting the narrow streets of its "Old City," one can't walk very far before encountering locals and tourists in conversation over coffee and pastry. I don't mean evenings as in Paris, where people sip drinks and watch people go by. That happens in Vienna, too, just as people still sip coffee and eat pastry in Paris. No, Vienna is different. Pastry and coffee are part of the very fabric of life in this city. And there are various coffees to satisfy the connoisseur, such as Maria Theresa, with orange liqueur, espresso, or obermeier with cream added, but the pastry selection is vast, colorful and usually fruit-filled or covered with whipped cream. (Consider this fruit-topped waffle with whipped cream which Arnie had for lunch in Vienna!)
One can order a Dobosch, Esterhazy or Malakoff, all named after monarchs, but the most famous of these treats is a chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing and a jam filler known as a 'Sacher Torte.' Yes, it's very nice, especially served with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. But the thing to do in Vienna is head for the Sacher Hotel and have the torte in its special coffee shop. It's all very elegant, served on a silver tray. Of course, it's not cheap, but after all, it's Sacher Torte and café au lait in the place where it all started. People line up to get in, pay more than they have to -- and love the experience. I did it twice on this trip and felt spoiled for the price. Only the Sacher Hotel Has the Official 'Seal' There are other places that serve the same torte, but it doesn't have the official 'seal' on the icing. By decree, that is allowed only by the Sacher Hotel, which won a lawsuit and is now the "official" maker of this wonderful desert. Remember, you are indoors and no 'people watching.' You are indoors, and there strictly for the torte. I did, however, visit the famous Landtmann Café at the north end of the Ring near the University. It did have the charm of a Parisian Bistro, but it was a cold evening and nobody sat outside. Perhaps the language of the waiter and the people around me were reasons to know I was not in Paris. Or maybe it was just that Sacher Torte is a Vienna thing. My usual glass of Rhone wine was not present as it is in Paris. But that's what makes for differences. Vienna's Preoccupation with Music Another thing that one notices in Vienna is the preoccupation with music as a pastime. I don't mean by this that music is not present in other cities but in Vienna Viennese list music as their number one export. Outside the State Opera, the Hofburg, home of the Hapsburgs, or St Stephan's or in front of the Rathaus or City Hall or any of a dozen other places where tourists gather, there are young men and women in colorful 17th century costumes and often sporting white wigs, offering short concerts in churches, museums and private halls. The parks are adorned with musical statues of Mozart or Bach or Strauss and the concerts offer music by Mendelssohn, Schubert, Mahler, Brahms, or Johann Strauss. The tickets are sold on the street. The prices are fair and the concerts always enjoyable. But it would be a shame to return home and not be able to list the concerts you attended. A tour to the Vienna Hills and Grinzig areas is all the more Viennese with Strauss waltzes coming through the sound system on the bus. Try a 'heuriger', a special type of eatery and drinking hall, where you can sample the local wines at a minimal cost. We were fortunate this year to stay at the hotel just outside the grounds of Schonbrunn Palace. That hotel was originally built for the overflow guests visiting Franz Joseph and his family. Imagine the excitement of attending a Mozart-Strauss concert right in the palace's Hall of Mirrors where Franz Josef and his beautiful wife Elizabeth, known as 'Sissy' once lived. And to top it off, the concert of music, ballet and voice was held in the beautiful Hall of Mirrors. Just walking from the hotel to the great Chateau on a warm summer night, through the parkland was magical. A return the next morning to walk to the 'Gloriette,' a stone pavilion on a steep hill that affords a great view and through the maze when the sun illuminated the yellow-gold building, made for the start of a perfect day. Restaurants are important too in Vienna and for the average visitor, Rosenbergs, just behind the Sacher Hotel, is a must. The schnitzl is made before your eyes and eating asparagus in Vienna is an experience you won't forget. I even ate sushi at the Radisson Hotel. It was fit for an Emperor. Another proof of the city's interest in food was a walk through the Nashmaket not far from Karlsplatz and the Opera where thousands of Viennese shop for fresh produce every day. On Saturdays, part of it is turned into a flea market. Beware of the crowds. But Vienna is memorable for its museums and civic buildings. The Hofburg is mammoth and truly fit for an Emperor. The museums are filled with great art and the tiny streets of the inner city are a museum themselves. And do attend a concert by The Vienna Boys Choir or a show of the Lippenzanner horses. Discovering the World of Friedensreich Hundertwasser One of the museums I visited was a lesser-known but important institution. Near the Danube and in a more residential district I discovered the KunstHaus, which was designed by a man with a completely different view of the world. (Friedensreich Hundertwasser's builfings remind one of Spain's Gaudi, but they are not the same).
Those of you who have heard of Friedensreich Hundertwasser know what I mean. Those who don't should add this building and this district to your list. His buildings are colorful and remind one of Spain's Gaudi. But they are not the same. The designer tries to marry harmony with nature. He tries to free man of his preconceived notions of architecture. He sees housing as 'man's third skin' after his skin and his clothing. (Hundertwasser considered housing as 'man's third skin.')
It was fitting that KunstHausWein, Hundertwasser's unique creation, should house an exhibit of the works of an equally unique works of the Paris born model and artist Niki de Saint Phalle. I knew of St Phalle's work before, but not of Hundertwasser's. The visit to that residential city complex museum with its uneven floors, splashes of color and unique use of materials was the highlight of my visit to Vienna. That says a lot, since there is so much to see in this cosmopolitan old city on the Danube. (You can read more about Friedensreich Hundertwasser in Arnie's article about the famous architect by clicking here). IF
YOU GO… (Click
below for more travel stories).
| ||
 |
