When we returned to our room after finishing laundry just after I concluded the last entry, we met our roommates: Maria and Dimitri from Athens, Greece; who were perhaps a little bit older than us and travelling together as friends. We only had a brief conversation with them though before everyone turned in for the night, but in the morning after breakfast in the hostel cafeteria we talked to them a bit more and compared plans.
We learned that Dimitri was a huge fan of Opera and travelled the world seeing shows as often as he could, and so he was here to see as many shows in a long weekend as he could at the world renown Vienna State Opera, as well as some of the smaller opera houses here in the city. He explained to us though that he had figured out the secret to seeing as many operas as he does, and that if we were interested he could help us get what he described as literally the very best view and sound in the house, for only 4 Euros! We were a bit skeptical about his claim that we could see an opera at what is often considered THE première opera house in the world, but to have an opportunity to see one in such a location did not sound like an opportunity we wanted to miss out on. We made arrangements to meet Dimitri and Maria at the opera house later that day, and then stepped out to begin our explorations for the day.
The first stop was to find an apothecary, as Nick had been coming down with a bit of a cold, and I was running out of ibuprofen for my sciatica. We found one quickly and were able to get the medicines we needed, but it was an interesting experience for how it was different from the process in the United States. Rather than just finding a box of cold medicine on a shelf of a corner store, one goes into one of these special apothecaries and stands in line to have an opportunity to speak with someone who asks you questions about what you feel is wrong with you, and then they suggest a medicine which they have in a back room, and then “prescribe” you with advice about how to take the medicine and any other things you should be doing to care for your health.
We got on the U-bahn train to the Schonbrunn Schloss, which was the hunting lodge palace of the Hapsburg monarchs. Once again, the architecture and wealth in the building itself was astounding, similar to the other palaces we had visited. There were some notable differences however: in keeping with the German character of these rulers, the palace was less ostentatious and more functional. The monarch had to run the empire from this building, after all, and we learned that Emperors like Franz Joseph took that responsibility very seriously, saying things like “One must work until one is exhausted.” Building an empire that will last for 640 years is not for the lazy, it would seem.
After taking our time with the grand tour of the palace we walked through the gardens to the back side of the palace, facing Schonbrunn Hill which is crested with a gloiratoire if I’m remembering the word correctly. Before the hill however is a huge square where extravagant summer parties would be held with military parades and the like, with magnificent statues on each side and flower gardens interspersed. Then at the foot of the hill is the neptunium (again if I’m recalling correctly), which is a large pool with impressive statues of Neptune and his retinue. We walked all the way up the steep hill to the gloiratoire which boasted a very impressive view of the city, and then we took a path through the beautifully kept forest back down the hill to the gardens. We really wanted to explore the labyrinth and garden maze, but sadly they are closed during the winter; so I guess it’s just one more reason why we’ll have to come back in the summer.
After taking the long way through the gardens we exited the royal grounds to a section of the city with a bit of a different feel to it than the 1st district where we had spent most of our time so far. I’m not sure what the number of the district was, but it felt a bit more like a place that typical Viennese folk actually lived and worked. A very short distance into this district was Plachutta, an expensive but very worth it Viennese restaurant with a fancy, high-class feel to it. We were seated right away, and decided to warm ourselves up with an aperitif: hot spiced plum wine- holy cow was it good! We were served some delicious bread, and we ordered our dinner: Nick got the traditional wiener schnitzel, which is breaded veal that one squeeze a lemon over, with scalloped potatoes in a buttery garlic sauce on the side. Meanwhile I got the traditionally boiled beef that Vienna is famous for and was “The Emperor’s Favorite Dish” according to the restaurant. In particular, this restaurant specializes in these boiled beef dishes, which are called “tafelspitz”.
Tafelspitz has a whole procedure to being served, which the waitstaff helped us with. Firstly the whole pot in which the beef has been boiled is brought to the table on a special holder. The beef hasn’t just been boiled in water, but has actually been cooked as part of a broth soup with all kinds of vegetables and marrow from the beef. This soup is then served into bowls as an appetizer, while the large cuts of beef are kept in the broth, continuing to stew and marinade in its own broth. Then the next step is to take a piece of very hard toast of dark bread, and spread the bone marrow from the soup on it like butter because it has gotten so soft at this point, and then shake a little salt and pepper on it, eating it with your hands. Finally, the cuts of beef are served, along with vegetables and potatoes. Both a chive sauce and an apple-horseradish sauce are available to spread on the meat or potatoes, both of which are excellent options.
We had our dinners with some elderflower sparkling wine, and then were offered desert. The meal had been quite large so far, but the deserts looked so good, and the meal had been so good so far that we could forget how much we had eaten already, so we gave in to temptation… and ordered three deserts even though there was only the two of us. Nick had an espresso with mouse that looked scrumptious, I had a large glass of glace- homemade caramel ice cream just like the Hapsburgs liked to have after their dinners of Tafelspitz, and then we shared a plate of crackers and spicy blue cheese infused with sweet red wine, served with almonds and apricot jam. We finally walked away quite stuffed, but feeling like royalty. We really did eat SO MUCH food though, I ate until I was full, and then probably ate as much or more again past that point. But it was that good, I simply had to make room for it. I should also separately mention though that the quality of the service in the restaurant was phenomenal, as well.
From the restaurant we took the U-Bahn to the center of the city again, directly to the Wien Statsoper, where we met up with Dimitri. He was standing in a short line outside of the opera house near a side door, where he and Maria had laid down a few sheets of newspaper to save spaces in line for the two of us. Once our presence was established to the others waiting in line, we all dashed off for a quick coffee (or more accurately, they did, while Nick and I struggled to understand what this word “hungry” means, since we couldn’t conceive of the concept at the time. Then we said goodbye to Maria, who was opera’d-out after having gone to see two different ones the night before, and rushed back to our places in line. Shortly afterwards the line started shuffling through the door, into the building. Inside we were given the opportunity to queue through a long set of ropes which led to another door. We probably waited in that line for about 30 minutes before the door was opened, and we were led through another set of queue ropes, where we waited for a little more than an hour. The good news was that Dimitri had gotten in the first line early enough that we were nearly to the front of the lines during the whole process, though throughout all of the waiting the line behind us got longer and longer and longer.
Finally the last set of doors in front of us opened and we bought tickets for the lower standing area, for a mere 4 Euro. As soon as we had out tickets though we had to speed walk past the coat check area as fast as we could, managing to pass up everyone else except for just two men, finally getting stopped before some glass doors- our final queue line. Eventually they opened these doors too, and now we quickly rushed into the standing area to pick our standing positions on a first-come first-serve basis. The standing room area is interesting, there are tall and sturdy banisters set parallel to the stage, directly in the center of the auditorium, though at the back and slightly raised. Each of these banisters has a cushioned top and ledge to it which allows for people to stand behind one of the banisters and then lean their weight on it, taking some of the weight off their feet- it’s a lot like standing at a bar ordering drinks, but more comfortable than that, and with designated spacing (as if there were seats, essentially).
Being almost first in line, the three of us rushed down to the very first banister, and took the standing positions just barely right of center. With no other banisters in front of us, and our standing position raised by a significant amount over the last seats of the ground floor, the backs of which were pressed directly against the wall underneath our bannister; we had an ASTOUNDING view, directly over the heads of the seated audience, in the center position. The view really was just incredible, you wouldn’t believe our good fortune- and for only 4 Euro like I had said! Meanwhile it was a madhouse behind us as people scrambled into the rows of bannisters, desperately trying to claim a spot. Once everyone was fitted in, the staff at the opera house gave us instructions to tie scarfs or shoelaces around our position that could be used to claim our spot for the night- being at the front bannister with the wall underneath it (unlike the other bannisters which just had railings below them) we had to get inventive to claim ours as there was no way to tie a scarf around our position. We had some plastic bags on us from souvenir shopping at the Schonbrunn Palace, and we managed to squeeze the thin plastic in between our banister and the wall behind the seats ahead of us, and now were free to roam about the opera house.
After dropping off our coats at the cloakroom Dimitri suggested taking pictures of the building’s interior, especially as the house was yet to totally fill up with regular seated patrons, and so we seized the opportunity. Dimitri was excited to play photographer for us, and so we took a couple dozen pictures of Nick and myself in different places around the opera house, showcasing the building’s beauty and some of the famed composers who have performed there- particularly Gustav Mahler, who was one of the first composers Dimitri became enthralled with many years ago when we first started appreciating opera- though many, many other famous composers have performed here such as Mozart, Strauss, and Beethoven.
After pictures we toasted to the arts with a glass of white wine, and then returned to our bannister just in time for the show to start. And it started quite dramatically! I was reminded of the opening sequence to Star Wars, where suddenly dramatic brass music plays while a brief exposition is given, and then the audience is thrown directly into the middle of the core action- «in media res» as it's called. The opera was “Die Tote Stadt” by Erich and Julius Korngold between 1916 and 1920. It a fascinating psychological drama about a man who’s beloved wife has been dead for nearly a year, but the man Paul has become obsessive in his mourning, spending all of his time admiring huge paintings of her that he keeps in a special room in his house, along with other treasures that remind him of her- including somewhat creepily, a full wig of her long golden hair.
By happenstance however, while he was walking along the river banks in the city of Bruges (where he used to walk with his wife) just one day prior to the opening of the play, he met a woman with a very similar name and appearance to his wife, also walking along the river banks. He convinces this woman, Marietta, to meet him socially at his home, and the play begins with Paul, his maid, and his best friend eagerly waiting to meet this mystery woman. She turns out to be not only a very pretty woman, but also a vain, sexually flirtatious, and jealous woman who deliberately, but capriciously seduces Paul while he becomes more and more convinced that this woman somehow IS his long lost wife, mysteriously back from the dead. Her flirtatious nature however makes her sought after by all of the men in Paul’s social circle, and he rapidly becomes quite jealous and infatuated with her- eventually falling into a prolonged feverish state where he ultimately dreams of them having a terrible relationship- him constantly criticizing her for failing to be his beloved wife, and she constantly disappointed and bored with his split attention between her and his wife’s memory.
The conflict comes to a head when in the dream he strangles Marietta to death using his wife’s hair as a rope. When he finally wakes from the dream he finds himself with an opportunity to woo the real Marietta as he did in the dream, but rejects the opportunity knowing now how that would turn out, but also finally letting go of the oppressive obsession he has had with his wife’s love which had been making him feel guilty about moving on. He finally decides to leave Bruges, the dead or “silent city” from which the opera gains its title. Paul’s experience is a bit like Ebenezer Scrooge from “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, as his obsessions come to influence his dreams, but his dreams also provide a path to understanding, and by the end he is a changed man for it.
The acting was fantastic, the technical elements of the production were very impressive, the stage direction clear and understandable, and then of course the singing was literally some of the very best that there is in the world, with an incredible score in the background being provided by a magnificent live symphony orchestra. Dimitri had been a little worried that we might find opera boring, and in particular he was concerned about the possibility that the music of this one might be a little boring as he was not familiar with this particular one (this opera is actually somewhat rarely performed for a few reasons: the plot complexity, and particularly the difficulty of the singing; only the very best operatic singers can manage these particular parts) but honestly I found the music of the opera to be really fantastic, something I would listen to again.
It really was an incredible experience, to attend a world-class opera with a perfect view next to an expert on opera, and I’m glad Nick and I seized the moment to do something like this. After the show we all met back up with Maria and together went to a bar that Maria informed us had the largest mirrors of any bar in Europe, and I believe her. Nick and I were getting quite tired though, so we agreed to all go back to our hostel room (remember all of this started as Maria and Dimitri were our roommates) where they convinced us to stay up bit longer having really excellent conversation while eating some delicious snacks that they had with them.
In the morning I had to rush to pack my things after sleeping in a bit, as we needed to check out of the hostel by 1000h. We managed to do it just in time, and then after storing our stuff in the hostel’s luggage room we went off in search of breakfast (delicious bagel sandwiches and coffee) and then to acquire an additional luggage piece for myself and some souvenirs for the two of us. We enjoyed wandering around the oldtown area, but were nearly running out of major things to explore there, and time to explore with, when we discovered a museum we had been unable to find previously: Vienna Time Travel Tours 5D!
The museum offers a slightly campy, but nevertheless very effective historical overview of the city’s history, starting with its time as a Roman encampment during the era of Emperor Marcus Aurellius, and going past WWII to Austria’s eventual reforming as a democratic republic outside of the Soviet sphere of influence. I actually really appreciated the chronological approach to the topics, as that was something sorely lacking in our other historical explorations- in fact we remarked that it really would’ve been great to have this be the first thing we did, and then afterwards go to the Hapsburg crypts and palaces, etc. as it would’ve given us a better understanding of where each puzzle piece we were examining fit into the overall puzzle.
The 5D element was also fun, combining 3D movies with a gimbalized pneumatic platform that creates rollercoaster like sensations, with elements of physical touch like wind, things moving underneath the seats or inside of the seats, and more- plus high-quality animatronic models and wax statues as well. We do recommend it, even if it is a bit campy in places.
We got out of the museum experience with no time to spare, but unfortunately my back/leg sciatica problems were really starting to flare up hard, which then caused other problems. I always experience a low level of pain in my life, just 24 hours a day, ever since my original injury in Afghanistan. However, most of the time the pain level is low, and being something I’ve lived with for about three years now I’ve also gotten somewhat used to it; so generally my injury doesn’t affect me much and oftentimes other people don’t even know I have this problem. Extended walking or standing however, or particularly heavy lifting, running, or other high-impact/high-strain exercise can make the pain much worse sometimes though, as well as reducing some of my motor control over the affected areas (mid-back, lower-back, right buttock, right leg and foot). When the pain gets bad enough I’ll start to favor my left leg and eventually even limp, sometimes quite badly. Limping however can put a lot of strain and work on that left leg, which then sometimes will get shin splints as a result, leaving me with two not very useful legs- not to mention intense pain.
Such was the case as we tried to get back to the hostel to pick up our stuff, and eventually I had to insist that we take public transit to get back to the hotel as every step I was wincing hard. The U-Bahn got us back quickly though, and we gathered our things quickly and headed right back out the door. As we took first the U-Bahn, and then the S-Bahn to the airport this gave me a little time to work out the shin split in the left leg, and take some ibuprofen and be off my foot with the right leg; all of which was necessary preperation for what was to come next.
When we arrived at the airport we still had quite a bit of distance to cover between the station and check-in, we didn’t know precisely where our airline’s check-in was, we needed to get through security, and then finally get to our gate- and we had about 15 minutes to do it all in. Nick graciously offered to carry one of my two bags for me, and now despite the difficulties I was still experiencing with my back and leg, we ran through the airport transit station and through the airport itself, racing against the clock to catch our flight. Almost immediately we realized we didn’t even know what terminal our airline was in, and almost ran to the wrong terminal, but thankfully we managed to catch a sign and correct our direction quickly. We ran up several escalators and down long halls, looking like the scene out of “Home Alone”. Finally, out of breath and sweaty, we made it to our gate just in time for our flight to be delayed by half an hour.
We flew through Dusseldorf, Germany where we had an hour layover which allowed us to grab food and a German beer, and then we got on another plane to Prague, Czech Republic! This time our seats were in the very first row (Eurowings Airline doesn’t do first class seating) on a half empty flight, the other half being a troupe of about 20 drunk Germans who were yelling and clapping and generally acting like drunk people do, which I found slightly amusing but I think Nick found a bit irritating. Thankfully though, they were all at the back of the plane, so we didn’t notice them much. Meanwhile, since the plane had so many empty seats, we stretched out in luxury in the completely open first two rows of the plane.
Arriving to Vaclav Havel Airport, Prague we tracked down where our hostel would be for this leg of the trip, and “figured out” the public transit system in addition to getting some cash out in the local currency (Czech Republic is not on the Euro). A little less than an hour later and we were coming out of the subway system directly in front of a huge national museum, and walking up the hill towards “Prague 1 Hostel” which presently became quite clear would be an amazing deal. Unlike most of the hostels we’ve stayed in so far which have had a dormitory feel to them, this one is more like a large old apartment building, and we’ve got what’s essentially a three room apartment on the top (fourth) floor overlooking a beautiful garden in the middle of the city… All for just $24 a night. Freaking awesome!
We went out to celebrate, but had some difficulty finding a suitable bar- we had forgotten with all our traveling what day it was, and it was Friday night so every place was quite busy. We also ran into some difficulty with what appeared to be unwelcoming attitudes towards Americans/tourists, as a few places tried to semi-politely explain to us there was no room in their establishment for us as we tried to enter- which seemed strange. In America it’s up to the patron to decide if an establishment is too busy for them, not the staff. Still, we’re not sure if we were really experiencing some kind of anti-American prejudice or not, we’ll continue to feel things out over the coming days. Finally we did find a bar that at least didn’t outright refuse us (though they did inform us that there was only time for one beer before they closed) so we went in and ordered Pilsner-Urquels, which is one of the roughly 10 extremely famous Czech beers, the Czechs making a claim to be the inventors of beer even. We were somewhat surprised to enjoy the taste, as neither of us would claim to be huge fans of pilsners, but we liked it! Nick described the Pilsner-Urquel as being like “the Guinness of pilsners” for its heavier, creamier, somewhat nitrous like feel.
However, even the taste of the beers was somewhat soured by our first Czech bar experience: smoking is not only allowed inside the establishments, but would almost appear to be encouraged considering how nearly everyone (not an exaggeration) is constantly smoking a cigarette (also not an exaggeration) the whole time their inside. That was pretty disappointing- in none of the other cities, in any of the bars we had been to (and we’ve been to quite a few! :-p ) was it like this. In fact, the only place we saw any indoor smoking was St. Petersburg, and it was still rare there.
Well, it’s still all new to us, I’m sure we’ll find some cool places here soon! It’s time for sleep, and hopefully some recovery for my back!