Tourists in Vienna
fVienna, Austria
Well, we packed in some sightseeing today. There are lots of people in this city walking around with their instruments strapped to their backs, making it feel all the more like a musical city. I like that.
As soon as we got into town, we felt we needed a bit of fuel and also wanted to cross off “Vienna coffee and tarts” from our must-do list so stopped at an inviting little place called Mocarello Cafe. We shared four desserts: apple strudel, sachertorte (chocolate cake with apricot jam), a chocolate brownie, and a slice of cheesecake. YUM. The server/barista there told us their sachertorte was better than at the famous Café Sacher where lines to get a table can take hours. It was my least favorite of the four we tried.
Then we toured St. Stephen’s Cathedral and walked the 300 steps up the south tower for a panoramic view of Vienna. It’s so lovely. The art inside St. Stephen’s is impressive. The content feels a little dodgy, if art can feel that way. Still, the detail is stunning and the statues look really real.
From St. Stephen’s, we set off to Hofburg Palace. Visiting Hofburg Palace is confusing because it’s actually a bunch of different buildings in a big complex. More specifically, we toured the Sisi Museum featuring the Emperor and Empress of Austria, Franz Joseph and Elisabeth.
Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth from Bavaria was betrothed to marry her cousin, the Emperor of Austria. She had a 20-inch waist and hated being the Empress. She said it was like waking up in a dungeon. She traveled a lot and ended up being stabbed, assassinated by an Italian anarchist in town to off a princess but when heard the Empress of Austria had arrived in town, killed her instead.
The Sisi palace rooms were decorated with red silk fabrics with pineapple-shaped embroidery. The walls were white with gold moulding. I believe you’d say it’s “gilded” with gold. Dinners at Sisi - even those with immediate family members - were highly coordinated affairs. Nine to 12 courses, everywhere with their own carafe of wine, their own salt cellar, and a separate glass for every and any kind of drink. Porcelain plates were used for the salad and dessert, all the other courses were served on silver.
Elisabeth washed her hair with a mixture of egg yolks and cognac.
From Sisi we visited the Austria State Library, a breathtaking, two-story great hall filled with books. Walking among shelves full of worn, fabric spines all in a row was so calming.
There are a lot of smells in the apartment where we’re staying and for that reason I’m glad we’re not staying in Vienna much longer. Someone down on the street, or a neighbor somewhere in the building is getting high. Which is fine, but doesn’t help when added to a potpourri of smells inside: some lingering scents of former guests, some body wash with lab-created fruit scent, the musty couch, and what may be some faint stench from the water pipes. The shower curtain is too long so sits in the bottom of the bathtub, adding another layer of smell, I think. I don’t think I could live here.
On the way back home from town, we got a bite to eat at the Wien Mitte train station. Josh and Leo got burritos, Ari and I went to Fat Monk and got superfood bowls. Avocado hasn’t been a problem in recent years like it once was, but today I think the avocado in my Tofu Sesame Bowl got to me. I’m feeling a general malaise from it and would like to take a hot bath, but, the shower curtain.
