The crowd was in a good mood and were buying up wigs and animal hats from vendors like mad. Popular headwear included a white Mozart wig, a chicken hat, a turkey hat, a piggy bonnet, and red lighted devil horns. We got our 'teen angel' the red, lighted horns to better keep track of her in the growing crowds of people as the sun went down and Vienna glowed in the darkness like a golden jewel. We walked through the pedestrian streets and stopped at all the squares which all had a different theme.
The square in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral was jammed with people at a free concert, but also with those wanting a view of the 700 year old church inside. We lined up to go inside too and had just finished blessing ourselves with the very cold holy water (medieval churches are NOT heated), when the gates suddenly closed to the inner church and a man stated that a Mass was about to begin so no more tourists. I grabbed Steven and said that we were going to Mass. He came under protest, but we nabbed some seats and I went off and took some photos while the camera crew was setting up to record the Mass since there would be a full choir and orchestra playing with the archbishop/cardinal of Vienna presiding. The orchestra and choir rivaled the TSO in quality and the acoustics in the church were excellent.
It was soon standing room only with people even crowding the centre aisles. They parted like the Red Sea when the archbishop and the altar servers, other priests and deacons made their way slowly to the front in golden embroidered robes with the altar boys solemnly swinging incense burners this way and that 'til the church was in a fog. The archbishop was in good spirits, smiling and nodding and blessing and waving to the crowds who were snapping photos of him and his entourage as the orchestra played and the choir sang. Two video screens were set up further down the church to watch the Mass. I didn't understand a word of it, but did know when to stand and sit. Curiously, there was no Eucharest given out, but the archbishop did surprise all the English speakers with a New Year's blessing for all in English!
Afterwards, everyone went back to taking photos of the nativity crib and the beautiful altar area.
So what did I learn about Vienna?
1) No admission to enter a church - That's right, no paying to enter the house of God, (like in London for instance), but people gave money anyway by lighting the beeswax candles for their loved ones. This helps toward the upkeep of the cathedral which always has ongoing renovation projects to keep these ancient structures in good condition for you and me to enjoy. I think they do need to be a little more commercial and maybe sell things like ornaments or holy statues and prayer beads or even post cards maybe at the entrance to help fund renos.
2) Viennese Coffee Houses - There are a few famous ones like the Schwarzenberg Café, Landtmann's Café, and Café Central. They are famous because they are very old, had important guests in the past for lunch or dinner, and have very beautiful, traditional,coffee house decor which include paneling, beautiful chandeliers, mirrors, and lots of seats close together. You are expected to seat yourself as tradition dictates, but also because they are always very busy, so you have to almost stake out a table where people are finishing up and nab it before the next person does. Like Paris, you can stay as long as you want; no one will ask you to leave. The atmosphere is jovial and talkative with many discussions going on. The food is good too with my favourite Vienna (Wien) specialty, Weiner schnitzel ( Vienna's schnitzel), which is yummy served with Viennese potato salad that contains cider vinegar, mustard, potatoes, parsley, and salt and pepper. Delicious! You can also get strong Viennese coffee and Oma's hot chocolate made from real chocolate and of course there is the delicate apple strudel to try or the famous layered cake, sacher torte. Coffee is ALWAYS served with a glass of water. The waiters here are very distinguished and are usually older white haired gentleman and you will be treated like royalty. What's not to love about that?
3) Every building is a museum - That's right, Vienna, at least the old city, came away from WWII virtually unscathed, so their heavily baroque architecture is there for you to enjoy as are all of Austria's cities. High ceilings with frescoes and ornate stucco are ever present with elaborate chandeliers, even in people's homes. There are also strict laws and regulations to keep the old windows and exteriors of the buildings as they were 300 years ago or more. Most people therefore will erect inner windows with the double-paned glass to keep out the drafts while retaining the old glass. The old, detailed wooden doors must also remain intact and cared for. One of my favourite buildings was the baroque National Library within a palace. Wow! Ancient books in wood paneled bookcases. Statues, frescoes on the ceiling, ornate gilded stucco ornamentation and huge Earth globes from the 17th and 18th centuries on pedestals. We were lucky to see an exhibit on medieval parchment books from the 12th century onward with their bright painted pictures using ground up gems and their extraordinarily beautiful calligraphy. Best of all, we were allowed photos without a flash to better remember them later. Thank you, Vienna!
4) Most people speak English - Unlike Germany, most Austrians are fluent in English and are eager to practice it, especially those under 50. Even Steven's cousins want to send their young children to English private schools in Austria seeking to have them fully fluent in at least three if not four different languages giving them a distinct advantage to live anywhere in the European Union and travel to where the jobs are. Little five year old Constantine for example speaks only Italian with his mother, German with his father, Croatian with his grandparents, and they have a native English tutor for him until they can get him into an English school. He understood everything I said and spoke to me in English quite well. His family are even considering moving to Ireland for a year to further solidify his fluency!
5) Classical music is a big part of Viennese culture - Everyone is expected to know how to play at least one instrument well. (Steven's cousins are excellent violinists). Music is a serious part of their education and not an afterthought to be cut when there are funding issues like in Ontario. You can easily go to see a classical music concert quite cheaply, especially students who often go for a reduced price. When we went to a concert, Elowyn's ticket was free. It is their belief to imbue children with the knowledge and understanding and love of music at an early age; therefore money, or the lack of it should not be a deterrent to enjoy classical music. I was blown away at this excellent philosophy!
6) Viennese people like to waltz - Everyone knows how to waltz in Vienna from a young age onwards. There is the famous Viennese Ball and many other balls to attend and waltzing is a part of it. On New Year's Eve, there was one section of the city totally devoted to classical music attended by packed crowds young and old, who were appreciative of the orchestra playing on stage in tails. Big, elaborately lit chandeliers swayed above the pedestrian street and the music of Strauss and other composers were heard with people spontaneously walzing in the streets with their parkas on. Elowyn's eyes lit up as she was taught walzing in school, so she waltzed to the music of the Blue Danube with her Daddy on the square, glowing with happiness. It is also the 150th anniversary of the Blue Danube Walz, so it was heavily promoted this year with dancing lessons being given on the street. On New Year's Eve, the first song of the new year was The Blue Danube Walz and traditionally, everyone starts waltzing at the stroke of midnight in Vienna as they watch the fireworks explode above them. We did too! And kept warm in the bargain!
7) Mozart's legacy is everywhere you look - Mozart is truly the revered composer of Vienna. His image is everywhere, from the palaces and concert halls he performed in, to the Mozart balls made famous by the chocolatier, Fürst that are wrapped in blue and silver paper and are not to be confused with the less tasty and sweeter gold and red paper chocolates that are also called Mozart Kugeln. (This what happens when you don't get a patent)! There are statues here and there and schools and buildings named after him. And, you can always catch a concert with his music. For kids, there were rubber ducks molded to look like him playing violin. His image is everywhere on store fronts, magnets, tea towels, puzzles, CDs, and so much more. How ironic that this great man who is so famous today for his innovative music, died penniless and unappreciated, buried in a mass grave without a headstone.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Vienna. So much to see and do! I do regret not having time to visit the Albertina Museum with the impressionists, especially since they had an exhibit on my favourite artist, Van Gogh. Just a good excuse to go back!
Til next time!
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