Home Sweet Home

After a month in Vienna, I was ready to come home.  The alarm went off at 3:00 am, followed by the cab at 4:00 am, and boarding the first flight at 6:35.    I didn't have access to a printer at the hotel so I couldn't check-in online. The queue was long and it moved slowly, but it did move consistently.  They looked closely at my U.S. issued mugshot in it's genuine, imitation, leather-feel, pressed cardboard cover and decided I was indeed me.  I could have told them that, but they wouldn't have believed me.  Security in Vienna isn't quite the violation of your personal space, rights, or sanity that it is in the U.S.A.  You get to keep your shoes and for the most part your dignity.  The scanner checks you for hidden metal objects rather than screening your eligibility for getting your naval pierced with a staple in some fold out photo spread.  


I had a little time to wait before boarding the plane so I checked out the duty free shop and picked up a bottle of Grüner Veltliner for Jen and a small Sacher Torte for Jade.  Little did I know that the Veltliner would come back to bite me.


The flight from Vienna to London's Heathrow was completely uneventful.  In flying, that is always a good thing.  I arrived with a ninety minute window to get to my next flight.  A little advice for any of you who might find yourselves with a layover at Heathrow airport, leave yourself at least three hours in between flights.  This is not because the airport is interesting.  It is because it takes that long to get through all of their security check points. In addition, there are multiple terminals and you have to go outside of security to get to them.   Which means, you almost always have to go through their version of the full body scanners.  "Oh Goody!  More radiation!"


After waiting at the back of the plane for the rest of the passengers to unload, running through the terminal, waiting for the bus that would take me to the next terminal, squeezing on to the bus with the dozens of other travelers (some of who were in desperate need of a shower and a toothbrush) getting irradiated again, and jogging down the moving sidewalk to my gate, I was able to squeeze on board as one of the last passengers.  An hour and a half just wasn't enough time.

The flight to Dallas was on American Airlines.  Remember how I raved about British Airways on the flight over.  American was almost as bad as British was good.  During the first round of refreshments the stewardess, I refuse to call her a flight attendant because the one thing she was not was attendant, completely skipped my row.  Since I was sitting on the end I stopped her when she walked by and asked her if we could get some drinks.  She barked, "Didn't you already get some?"  To which I replied, "No, I think you inadvertently skipped us."  Sarcastically, and with a very mean streak she said "Well, I did that on purpose.  Waddya want?"  The woman next to me asked for some water and the stewardess began to dash away.  "And I'd like a ginger ale please."  I said.  "Oh, and I suppose I skipped you too?  Fine, another ginger ale."  The rest of the flight she treated both of us in the row very poorly.

That wonderful meal on British Airways was nothing like the inconsistently heated cheese tortellini with wilted salad and hard roll American Airways served.  I should point out that the hard roll was only hard because it was stale.  On British Airways we got an individual bottle of red wine.  On American Airlines we got a . . . . oh yeah, we didn't get drinks with the meal.  We were supposed to have saved some of the drinks we got about an hour earlier.  The same drinks I almost didn't get at all.

The in-flight entertainment system was a complete let down.  The movies started at odd times, the tv shows were mostly ones that I'd already seen and the video games (and yes I was excited about video games) were so slow to respond that it was like playing chess with someone through the mail.  It was a good thing that I had downloaded some radio shows to my cell phone and brought along some puzzle books.

When we finally landed in Dallas, I had to go through customs.  The customs line was really long and after waiting in the area just prior to the entrance to the labyrinth a woman walked right past about 45 people, including me, and cut in line.  The woman standing in front of me gave me a look that said "What the . . . . ?"  So I said out loud, "Mam'am, the line is back there."  She gave me a dirty look and ignored me.  I turned to the woman in front of me and said "Isn't it nice to be back in the United States where everyone thinks they are above the rules and rudeness reigns supreme."  She agreed and we both pushed our way past the woman that didn't think she had to wait in line.  Surprisingly, she didn't put up much of a fight.

The customs agent was efficient, if not friendly and seemed a little bored.  After customs, I had to pick up my checked suitcase, and recheck it for the next flight.  Then I headed off to get irradiated once again!  Dallas has the full body scanners that take naked pictures of you through your clothes.  I hope mine don't end up on the internet.  I would hate to be the cause of someone's blindness. Unfortunately when I got through to the other side I was told that my bottle of wine that I bought in Vienna and specifically asked if I could take it on board, and was in a sealed container saying that it had been purchased after security and was completely safe, could not be carried on to the airplane and had to be put in the luggage compartment.  It wasn't even in a box and I now had less than an hour to get to my plane.  I could either throw it away or take it down to the luggage check in, see if they had a box, seal it in to the box, label the box and pray that the bottle didn't get broken while under the plane.  Then the first helpful person of the day arrived.  A T.S.A. agent walked me to the luggage check, stayed with me so that she knew I was still safe, helped me get the wine boxed, and labeled and checked, and then escorted me past the long line and through security.  I got to my plane about ten minutes before boarding.

The final leg of the journey was completely uneventful.  What a blessing.  I arrived in Phoenix on time and unscathed approximately 20 hours after I had left the hotel in Vienna.  Jen and Jade greeted me at the gate and all was right with my world.

Tonight Jen held a small coming home party for me.  Several friends welcomed me back home.  She even made Bosendorfer Torte Petit Fours for me.  We snacked on gourmet cheeses, fresh fruit, pickled figs, finger sandwiches, and Austrian wine.  It was a wonderful evening.

I guess my adventure is over now.  What a trip it has been!

Day 27 - A Full Circle Ending

Tonight we ended our time in Vienna (Although we actually have one more class tomorrow morning) the same way we began with a visit to the same heuriger we went to four weeks ago.  It's interesting to contrast the conversations four weeks ago when we were all strangers to the ones tonight where some of us have become friends, some have grown into little cliques, and still others have developed into full blown animosity.  My table consisted of Jill and her husband Matt; they are both music teachers (Jill is the institute participant her husband just joined her in Vienna a few days ago), Kathy; a German teacher and probably the person I feel the closest to here, Richard and Julane, the director of the institute and his wife, Thomas Froschel, a professor from the University of Vienna and me. These are some great people who I've come to admire.  Conversation wandered from The Magic Flute to sights around Vienna, to where we are going next week.  At our table I'm the only one going directly home.  (Dr. Froschel is going home, but that's because he's already there.)

My flight leaves at 6:30 am Friday morning.  I'm not going to stay up late tomorrow night to post a blog because I will need to get some sleep before facing the 25 hour travel back home.  I fly from Vienna to London to Dallas to Phoenix.  I'll arrive in Phoenix in the afternoon which makes the clock hours look like a flight time of only about 16 hours.  I guess I'll find that day I lost when I got here.

Roast Beef

Roast Chicken

Kartoffel Torte

Apfel Strudel mit Vanille Sauce

I don't have many cool photos today, but I do have dinner pictures.  Dinner was great!

Thanks to the internet I was able to spend a great deal of time keeping in touch with Jen and Jade. That made being apart a lot easier to cope with.  The other thing I've loved is hearing from so many of you who have followed this blog.  I hope you were able to take a little virtual tour of Vienna and have learned a little something about Mozart.  I will post one more blog once I get stateside just to let everyone know that I arrived home safely.

Thank you all for the encouragement and kind words, for the funny comments, for the hundreds of "likes" on Facebook and for the help in making this trip a reality.  I hope many of you will be able to make it to the concert next spring when all of this information about Mozart get's presented along with some of his music.  I don't know what the date is going to be yet, but I know it will be sometime in late February to early March.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Day 26 - Ja, das ist die Liechtensteiner Pol-ka mein Schatz! Polka mein Schatz! Polka mein Schatz! Da, bleibt doch kein Liechtenstener auf seinem Platz! Auf seinem Platz mein Schatz!

The Liechtenstein Museum

For nearly four weeks I have been walking past the Liechtenstein Museum.  Several times a week I would stroll through the garden on my way back to the hotel from the subway.  I have made multiple comments about wanting to Polka through the Liechtenstein.  Today I finally paid my admission.  I should have gone their sooner. Like most museums here, pictures are not permitted in most of the galleries.  The few photos that I do have just don't do this place justice.  

The Liechtenstein family is one of the oldest families of nobility in Europe that still exists today.  The museum building was part of their summer house, was built in the late 17th century, and was  renovated by the current Prince in 2001.  The art collection that is on display is the private collection of the Liechtenstein's and has been amassed over hundreds of years.

The library was the most impressive room in the palace, at least it was for me.  I was able to take one picture in there with the surreptitious help of a friendly security guard who conveniently looked the other way for me.  (Believe it or not, I asked if I could take a picture of the room, not the artwork, and the guard "allowed me to take it" so to speak.  I daren't even place gender in these sentences because I don't with the guard to get in any trouble.)  After clicking off my one photo, I longed for more and found a link to a computerized virtual tour.  Take it, you won't be disappointed.  The virtual tour was filmed at Christmas time and they have the most Charlie Brown Christmas tree you can imagine.

Following the museum I decided to stroll along the Danube.  It was a beautiful day for it, although a little hot.  I forgot to put on sunscreen so I didn't stay too long.  I'm thinking of going back tomorrow with sunscreen and shorts. I took some fun flower pictures. I also made it to that church I saw the other day.  It is the St. Francis of Assisi church.  The exterior is beautiful, but the interior is undergoing a massive restoration and is nothing but scaffolding.  I didn't take any pictures inside.  It looks like it will be beautiful when it's done.     

Dinner  took me to a restaurant called Sky that is on the top floor of a shopping center and overlooks the city.  I had a great dinner but service was poor.  I had a sirloin steak with  three different potatoes.  It was really tasty, but the better news is that on the way home, the AIDA was closing for the night and I got Torte on a half price sale.  Two treats today!  The bad news is they weren't labeled so I don't know what they are called.  The actual torte is more of a cinnamon cheesecake.

I've only got two days left in Vienna and I have to say I am museumed out.  I'm thinking of strolling the Danube again tomorrow or maybe more of the gardens at the Schloss but other than that I just don't think I can take another museum.  We've got our farewell dinner tomorrow night.  I'll tell you all about it.

Day 25 - Food to Die For and Shoenberg

A typical Monday begins with breakfast and a trip to the tobacco store.  No, I haven't taken up smoking.  The Tobacco store sells weekly tram passes.  Class was rather uneventful.  Over the weekend our group did suffer a few casualties.  John, my room mate, ripped the muscle in his leg.  He was encouraged to let them do surgery but he is trying to just medicate it enough for him to get home and have surgery in the states.  I'm sure the Viennese hospitals and doctors are just fine, but I can't say I blame him.
Meanwhile, my friend Kathy, has taken ill and has missed out on the three day weekend and didn't even make it to class today.  I hope she's feeling better.

With colleagues dropping like flies the rest us went to the cemetery!  Seems appropriate, right?  We traveled out to where Mozart is buried.  Now many of you may know the stories about Mozart's grave.  "He was so poor he couldn't afford a casket."  "He was buried in an unmarked mass grave."  "He was wrapped up in marzipan and dipped in chocolate."  These statements are both true and false.  Let me clarify.

Mozart was not very well off financially at his death, but he was not poor.  Emperor Joseph had instituted thousands of decrees during his rein and some of them dealt with burial. In an effort to make funeral costs more economical, he introduced re-usable coffins.  They had a swinging trap door on them so that the body could be dumped into the grave.  In addition, since Mozart died of a disease rather than old age, he would have been buried far outside the city limits just in case the disease was communicable and still infested the corpse.  This would have happened fairly quickly too, to minimize the risk of contamination.  And as far as him being wrapped in marzipan and dipped in chocolate, well that part is true and you can order Mozart chocolates here.

Based on what records exist, scholars generally believe that Mozart was buried somewhere in the vicinity of this memorial.  There is no way to know for sure.

Brahms

Beethoven 

There is another cemetery in Vienna where some of the greatest musicians in history are buried.  We went there next.  They have a monument to Mozart and the actual graves of Beethoven, Brahms, Wolf, all the Strauss's and several others.  The cemetery was beautiful and some of the tombstones incredibly ornate.  I enjoyed the dead quiet of the place.  Although it rained a little and I was a little cold and stiff.  None-the-less I felt comforted to be surrounded by so many decomposing musicians.

Arnold Schoenberg

One of the most interesting graves was Arnold Schoenberg's.  Arnold Schoenberg is possibly the most famous Viennese musician of the 20th century.  He was the inventor of twelve tone serialism, which is a new way to compose music that had never been done before.  I've always enjoyed his work.  On the way back to the hotel the tram stopped right next to the Schoenberg Institute and I felt I just had to check it out.

The Schoenberg Institute is comprised of a small museum, an extensive library and some interactive exhibits that help give you a feel for this revolutionary musician.  It wasn't much, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Let's talk about food.

Schnitzel

Kartoffel Salat

Mango Torte

For lunch, a simple sandwich with some unidentified lunch meat on a cheesy croissant with lettuce, sliced egg and cream cheese.  For dinner, I joined a small group of women at a Polish restaurant.   I couldn't read the Polish or the German and I knew I was going out for Torte later so I just ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and prayed.  I got Schnitzel!  I like Schnitzel!

For dessert I ended up at the Cafe Landtman with Jael, one of my colleagues.  I had a Mango Torte and she had a Marzipan Kugel. They were both delicious.

Marzipan something

Day 24 - Remember the Sabbath

The Jesu Christi Kirche of Latter Day Saints

After all the running around of the last few days I needed to rest.  I did very little sight seeing today but I did go to church.  Two of my classmates, Leslie and Emily, allowed he to join them at the Jesu Christi Kirche of Latter Day Saints.  That's right - the Mormons.

This morning glory greeted me
at the bus stop.

This is the view from the bus stop.
It was just a pretty morning

Having attended a few services at the LDS church at home, I was curious how different it would be here.  The truth is it was both very different and not different at all.  The format for the service was exactly the same as I expected, although there were some very nervous speakers today.  For those of you who are not aware, the LDS church is a lay ministry.  What that means is that there are no priests or clergy.  Instead the members of the congregation are occasionally called to speak or give testament.  The first woman to speak today had only recently joined the church.  She said she had been baptized in the faith only a few weeks ago.  She was from Nepal and her English, while better than my German, was still a work in progress.

Incidentally, the different stakes are not organized geographically here but by language.  At least that is what I was able to glean from conversations.  If my information is incorrect and someone else knows better, please let me know.

Another very nervous member of the congregation was the bishop.  He had only been called to service recently and this was in fact his first meeting as bishop.  He made a few jokes about it to try and cover his nervousness.

My classmates getting their feet wet in the Danube

I enjoyed the service but what struck me as unusual was the ethnic diversity within the congregation.  Vienna is a largely white population with some middle eastern thrown in for good measure.  The congregation, however, was far more ethnically diverse than the city, and in fact probably the most ethnically diverse population of any church I've seen anywhere.  It was really cool to see all of these people, skin tones from light peach to dark brown, finding support together.  It was a great way to start the day.

I gotta find out what this is

Looking down the Danube

After church I pretty much wasted the day.  Most of Vienna is closed on Sunday anyway.  I rested, napped, read, strolled and eventually ended up having dinner with some of my colleagues.  We ate at a Greek restaurant on the Danube.  It was a little over priced, and I forgot to take a picture, but the conversation was pretty good.  The bad news - I didn't have any Torte today.  I guess I'll have to have two slices tomorrow.

Day 23 - Now Museum, Now You Don't ~ or ~ Haydn Go Seek

The Albertina, the Hofmobiliendepot, and Haydn haus.  It was a very full day.  In fact I had planned on ending the day by listening to another performance of the Mozart Requiem, but I'm exhausted.  Today's blog is a blog in pictures.  I'm choosing the highlights, but for the whole lot of them, go to the album.

The Albertina

The entry hall into the museum galleries
(No Pictures Allowed)

My trip to the Hofmobiliendepot taught me that
most of the time the palace rooms were empty.

Part of the Habsburg's Staterooms have been
left in their original state.  

Each color in the floor is a different piece of wood.  Each color represents a different type of wood and a different stain.

Paul Cezanne
Gehöft in der Normandie

Pablo Picasso
Woman in a green hat

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 
White Horse "Gazelle

 Jörg Immendorf created numerous statues
of Chimpanzees.  They are all over the Albertina

Other pieces I saw but couldn't find pics of easily include.

House among the roses - Monet

Birch grove - Malewitsch

Water Lilly pond _ Monet

View of vetheuil - Monet

Parrot tulips - Matisse 

Antibes the towers - Paul Signac

Irises in the evening shadows - Max Pechstein

Landscape with lanterns - Delvaux

Still life with guitar - Picasso

Mediterranean landscape. - Picasso

Tree of love - Hans Hofmann

The Albertina is home to several galleries, including a photography exhibit, a contemporary artist exhibit, a Max Weiler exhibit, and the Habsburg Staterooms which are adorned with art that belonged to the Habsburgs. (Most of what is on display from the Habsburgs is reproduction.  They owned the real ones, but now those are displayed in other museums.)

The Hofmobiliendepot

This museum is mostly made up of furniture that belonged to the Habsburgs.  In recent years pieces by famous designers have been added to the collection.  You can find out more at www.hofmobiliendepot.at  

The museum began life as a storage facility

How many busts do you have?

"First get down upon your knees.  Fiddle with your rosaries"
(Don't blame me, I'm just quoting Tom Lehrer.)

This is one of the movies about Empress Sisi.
All of the real Habsburg furniture is in color.  

Rock a bye baby

This is one of the movies about Empress Sisi.

All of the real Habsburg furniture is in color

"Honey!  Which drawer do I keep my cuff-links in?

Let's start at the very beginning; a very good place to start.
(Okay they weren't Habsburgs but they were Austrian!) 

Splish splash I was taking a bath. . . .

This is the coat of arms room.  It is a replica of one actually in some nobleman's home.


Time for Torte!

Today's selection:  Elderbeer-Vanille Torte
MMMMMMmmmmmmm MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm

Haydn Haus

This isn't Haydn, it's Brahms.  Brahms lived in the building across the street.
When the building was torn down they moved some of his furniture
into the Haydn haus.  Actually, one of the pieces of furniture,
a spinet piano, belonged to Haydn before it belonged to Brahms.

This was Haydn's and it was Brahms' but it was Haydn't first.

I so longed to play Haydn's piano.  

Jospeh Haydn acquired this house in 1793 and lived here from
1979 until his death on May 31 1809.
Here he composed  The Creation and
The Seasons.  
Donated for the 200the birthday of the Vienna Men's Chorale on March 31, 1932

Day 22 - My Best Laid Plans Diverged in a Yellow Wood

In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, 

~ Robert Burns

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
~ Robert Frost

The Plan:  Sleep late, breakfast, laundry, Albertina museum, interesting lunch, Photography museum.

My roommate, John, made plans to spend the long weekend in Budapest.  His alarm went off early this morning and he tried valiantly to remain as quiet as possible as he made his preparations to leave. Alas, I never fully got back to sleep, but merely tossed and turned and turned and tossed until I finally rolled out of bed. 

Breakfast was spent with classmates discussing weekend plans and continuing yesterdays discussion of racism and gender.  

Soon afterward, as I have no slaves to pawn the task off on, I found myself at the laundromat doing women's work. (I hope the sarcasm is evident or I will be receiving a flood of comments.)  The last time I did laundry I was chastised for not providing photographs.

The laundromat is different from the ones at home in that you pay at a central console rather than putting coins in each individual machine.  The owners were kind enough to provide precise, articulate, and yes even colorful and descriptive placards to assist in working the machines.  

A variety of sizes of washers and dryers can be found throughout the comparatively quiet little establishment.  Two bistro tables with stools, a small row of wooden chairs joined at the hip, a corner table for folding your freshly washed linens, lingerie and lace all conspire with the light mint green paint and individually pressed vinyl floor tiles to evoke an atmosphere conducive to cleanliness, which as we all know, is next to Godliness.  Standing conspicuously in the middle of the room, an upholstered coin operated massage chair beckons not only with its promise of draining away the aches and pains of the day but also with its apparent homage to my own Alma Mater in its hues of maroon and gold!  

Once my stash of slightly soiled, stained, and sweaty garments were sorted, soaped and started, I allowed the magnetic pull of the thrown of Sparky to grab hold of me and I eased myself into its waiting arm rests, inserted the requested change and held my breath in anticipation.  The lounger vibrated, shook, poked, prodded, rolled, hummed and successfully made the wait time feel imminently shorter by at least five minutes.  Ah, I thought, only another ninety minutes to go.

I returned to my hotel with a bag of still fragrant, fluffed and folded future luggage contents.  (They were somewhat fragrant prior to my efforts, but what was previously pungent is now positively perfumed.) 

On the way to the Albertina Museum I walked next to the Schmetterling Haus.  Schmetterling is the German word for Butterfly.  In one portion of the Hofburg Palm house, the plants still remain, but with the addition of some newer, quite beautiful, residents from the insect family.  I've never seen so many butterflies of varying colors and sizes in my life.  

The Albertina Museum is . . . . well, I've been told it's great.  I was also told not to miss the Habsburg state rooms but upon arriving at the museum I found a rather long line of people waiting to purchase tickets along with a sign informing me that portions of the Habsburg staterooms were closed today for a private party.  "Explitive!" I said,  I'll just have to come back tomorrow instead.  

Off to the photography museum!  But Wait!  It's nearly noon and I haven't had torte!  Quick to the Cafe!  

Cranberry-Mascarpone Törtchen 

Now to the Photography Museum!  What?!  There isn't a Photography Museum?  Drat!  My German has failed me again!  It is a school for photography and it doesn't have galleries open to the public. MASSIVE EXPLETIVE! 

Consult the Vienna Guide Book! - Aha!  Here we go! A museum that is comprised of a collection of the furniture that once belonged to the Habsburg family!  That could be interesting!  Where is it!  Just down the road.  Let's walk.

The path ahead lead to an area that was not over run with tourists.  In fact it was over run with Viennese.  I came across one of the primary shopping areas in the city.  An eight story mall, store after store of clothes, sports equipment, shoes (both men's and women's), shirts, dresses. . . . did I say shoes?  Excuse me, I've got to take a divergence.  I didn't find any shoes that I thought were worth the price, but I had fun looking! 

Oh!  I'm on my way to the museum.  Looking down one of the side roads I spy a church that I can see from the rooftop of my hotel.  I make a mental note to stop on my way back from the museum.  I walk along another 50 - 100 steps and a very tall building catches my eye on one of the side streets.  It is painted with enormous letters. HAUS DES MEERES - House of the Sea!  Aquarium?  Furniture?  Aquarium?  Furniture?  Aquarium? 

Hmmmmmmmmmm  - AQUARIUM!  But this one isn't just an aquarium, it also has amazing vistas. 

In addition to multiple tanks filled with a large variety of sea life, the aquarium has two huge aviaries with some absolutely beautiful birds and even a few fun little monkeys.  I've put the pictures in the photo album. 

A couple of hours at the aquarium and it's time to find some dinner.  But wait!  There's more!  The MariahilfeKirche!  Construction on the church began in the late 17th century.  It has been connected with miracles at the Mariahilfe mountain in Peru.  It was my last stop, other than the multi-story grocery store that had a special escalator made specifically for grocery carts.

So what is the moral of today's story, boys and girls?  That's right! Listen to the Bobbys.  (That's Bobby Burns and Bobby Frost) When plans go awry, don't get frosty, you'll get burned.