VIENNA--3 December to 6 December 2014

In December 2014 I spent a few days in Vienna. I have been to Vienna a number of times but  it is many many years –probably 25--since I was last there.  I stayed in the Imperial Hotel (on a very good deal from Expedia), a beautiful nineteenth and Belle Epoque hotel on the Ringstrasse next to the Musikverein and across the street from the Opera. It has been magnificently restored to its former glory when it was a centre of fashionable and politically influential nineteenth and early twentieth century Viennese life. Its guest list from the past includes everyone who was anyone-royalty, political movers and shakers, writers, artists (—and even Hitler who was not exactly a guest but worked there as a day labourer  before his notorious rise/fall to infamy). Its gloriously restored two storey Hallensalon with its massive chandelier is clearly once again becoming a must-visit place for a drink.

 Vienna is a city that is far too big and impressive for the current size and importance of Austria. It is a throwback to the days when it was the capital of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled by the Hapsburg dynasty, and the centre of European aristocratic, political and artistic life. Even now the city residents are elegant and well dressed –and often accompanied by beautifully groomed lap dogs.  I was most impressed by the transport system—continental countries do public transport so much better than the UK—with everything including the airport readily accessible by smooth sleek trains and trams and subways.

Since it was the Christmas season the city had Christmas markets, seemingly on every street-corner, some very commercial but others charming, all very well patronised, surprisingly, mostly by locals rather than tourists.  Plenty of churches and of course the massive Stefansdom. But disappointingly the interiors of the churches are too dark to be able to see any of the paintings or sculptures. I also visited the Karlskirche which is billed as the best Rococo church in Vienna---I found it very disappointing despite its steep entry price with no seniors’ discount J. The streets and squares are much more interesting, lined with fine eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, well restored. Lovely shops, too, and all decorated for Christmas. Very nice crafts as well.

The Innere Stadt is still very much lived in, rather than just being a business or tourist area. I walked all over (very do-able) and had lunch in one of the traditional Vienna “beisl”, sort of workmen’s cafes serviing hearty food, cheap but plentiful and good, at communal tables where you meet all sorts—pensioners, students, business me,  housewives, workers and the occasional tourist. The coffee houses where you can sit over a coffee for hours and talk or read the free newspapers, are still there—I visited the venerable Cafe Hawelka, its faded scruffy interior packed with people.

I toured the famous Vienna Opera House, which looks venerable from outside but 80% of the original 1860s building was destroyed by bombs in World War II and the internal restoration is frankly not all that good in my opinion, particularly the audience area which is not as large as you would expect and nothing special to look at. However the acoustics are apparently excellent and when the vast stage was rebuilt all modern technology was included.

As befitted a city of the status of the capital of the Hapsburg’s Austro-Hungarian empire the city has plenty of excellent museums and galleries, I visited the Kunsthistorishe Musem (Old Masters) and saw an excellent special exhibition of Velazquez paintings of the Hapsburg royal family and the aristocracy of the time. The relations between the Hapsburg royal families of Spain and of Austria were so close that intermarriage which accentuated the ugly Hapsburg jutting chin (so starkly captured by Velasquez in this painting) and a propensity to produce weak sickly offspring which eventually led to their downfall and dying out.

The centre of aristocratic, political, and royal life was the Hofburg, the imperial palace, a vast sprawl of interconnecting buildings all on a splendid grand scale, no doubt meant to leave a visitor awe-struck and a bit intimidated—and succeeding to this day in doing so! Many of the rabbit-warren of buildings are now galleries and museums. The Treasury in particular contains fabulous displays of secular and ecclesiastical wealth—ornate embroidered costumes and regalia, gold and be-jewelled crowns and jewels and reliquaries, stunning silver and goldsmith’s work. The Treasury was not only a place to keep the imperial valuables but also a potent symbol of the wealth of the empire. The Albertina, also part of the Hofburg complex had a very good, extensive Miro exhibition on.

I also visited the excellent Naschmarket, built over the river Wien, and with sixteenth century origins. It has over 100 permanent stalls stretching a mile and selling not only fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat etc but also a substantial range of more exotic ingredients reflecting the tastes of the new immigrants to southern Europe from the Middle East and Africa. I also took as stroll in the grounds of Belvedere palaces and formal gardens.

On my last day I travelled out to Schonbrunn, the royal summer palace, now a mere 20 minutes away from Vienna centre by subway. I remember being awe-struck by the place when I first visited it 50 or so years ago. This time it was absolutely overrun with tourists and local Austrian visitors, since it was a public holiday, so there was a four hour wait to get into the palace itself—I left that for another time, and instead walked through the enormous gardens, a mix of formal gardens and woodland, up to the stunning Gloriette colonnade from which you can look back on the palace and the city of Vienna stretching to the horizon—all that must have been open countryside when the palace was built.

I was surprised to find that the palace grounds include an excellent zoo—apparently a collection of wild animals was assembled for the amusement of the royal family. Long after the Hapsburgs are gone, the zoo collection continues,  although under best modern practices for keeping wild animals and with a successful giant panda breeding record.

An unexpected and pleasant end to a nostalgic visit for me.

Christmas market at the Vienna Rathaus

Christmas market at the Vienna Rathaus

Stall at one of the many Christmas markets in Vienna

Stalls at the many Viennese Christmas markets are well patronised by local people, even more than tourists

Another stall at another Christmas Market

The Lobby of the venerable Imperial Hotel, Vienna

This photo does not do justice to the incredible chandelier in this beautifully restored and popular Hallensalon

My suite in the Imperial Hotel, Vienna

The Stefansdom cathedral in Vienna--too large to fit in a photo!

The traditional "fiaker" horsedrawn carriages outside the Stefansdom, vienna

One entrance to the vast sprawl of buildings making up the Hofburg, the imperial palace of the Hapsburg emperors

The completely "over the top" rococo altar of one of Vienna's many churches. Most are too dark to see anything inside.

The rococo altar of another Viennese church

The interior of the Vienna Opera House

Back stage at the Vienna Opera House--back stage is much larger than the audience area

Charming shops in the Innere Stadt (inner city)

The famous Hotel Sacher, where the fabulous "Sachertorte" chocolate cake originated

The outside of the Vienna Opera

Street scene in the Innere Stadt--there are lots of pedestrian-only streets

Street scene at night with the Christmas decorations

Vienna is famous for its coffee houses and its sweet pastries. At Cafe Demerl they have a glass wall through which you can see the pastries and cakes being made.

Produce at the Naschmarket

Vienna showcases many eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth century architectural styles. Here a beautifully decorated Jungenstil building from the early twentieth century

View to the Gloriette from the Schonbrun Palace, the summer palace of the Hapsburgs. aA the time it was built it was out in the country, but now it is a suburb of Vienna, reached in 20 minutes by subway train from the centre of Vienna.

Me from the elaborate fountain in the middle of the last photo, looking back to the Schonbrun Palace

A  big surprise! I did not know that the Schonbrun Palace has such an excellent zoo, originated from a collection of wild animals collected for the entertainment of the Hapsburg emperors and their guests

The zoo long outlasted the Hapsburg dynasty and is now renowned for its successful breeding programme of endangered creatures like these pandas.