Vienna Day 16

     

I have been very impressed by the local guides hired by Gate1. Each one has been outstanding with an excellent command of the English language. First, the bus drove around the city and the guide pointed out all the significant buildings, the votive church, built to thank God for sparing the Emperor from an assassination attempt, the parliament, dominated by a statue of Athena and a circular driveway in front for horses, the town hall, a massive building with a gothic spire that has over 1,700 rooms, the huge opera house that contains apartments for the Emperor as well as rooms for the other members of the royal family and many of the palaces that today serve as consulates, elegant hotels, high end designers, some government offices and the offices for the U.N.’s  large administrative unit in Vienna.

                                 

                                     Hordes of tourists in the pedestrian mall

 The walking tour was much better though. Our first stop was the Albertina Museum that currently has an exhibition on Matisse and the Fauvists. The entrance to the museum is up a steep flight of stairs (we found an escalator later) that was painted in the fauvist style as an advertisement for the show. 

                              

When you stood far enough back, it looked like a huge poster. In front of the museum was a monument for those murdered by the Nazis. It was graphic and powerful. One side represented those who died in the camps. It portrayed a prisoner that resembled a skeleton. There was also a suitcase and a club. The other side showed a woman giving birth in dire circumstances. In front of the statue was another one of a man, on his hands and knees and covered with a net. It represented the Jews who were taken away.

The next stop was what is called the Hofburg. It consists of all the buildings that were part of the Habsburg palace. Today they are the home of many museums. Standing in one courtyard, the walls on each of the four sides were in a different style, but the restoration was needed at different times. Hence the pastiche of styles. The facade was covered with work in the style current for the day. Hero's square was a huge building with a balcony so that the Emperor could sit on his throne while thousands of subjects crowded in the square cheering. It was never used by the Emperor. He died before it was completed. However, it was used by Hitler to announce the Anschluss. The balcony greatly resembled the one in the Zepplinfeld in Nuremberg.

In the late nineteenth century, Vienna was the most important city in Europe. The Habsburgs wanted to see that status continue, so they used a great deal of foresight in city planning. They started building facilities that allowed growth up to five million people. However, with World War I, that growth never happened. The result is a spacious city with wide boulevards and more than enough facilities for its population of 1.7 million.

We then strolled to the Saint Stephen Cathedral, a huge gothic structure. The roof had been damaged, I don't remember when and it was replaced with a zig zag design tile roof because that was the style of the day. This was the spot where the tour ended and we had the rest of the day for free time. With a map showing the Jewish museums in hand, we set out. The first building was nearby. Part of it was closed but we did see a collection of Jewish relics collected from all over Austria and beyond by Max Stein, a man who survived the Holocaust. He donated the collection to the museum well before he died. The audio guide was extremely informative, sometimes too much so. We learned more about Josef II and the freedom edict he was responsible for. In Prague, he seemed like a hero. The Jewish quarter was named Josefov in his honour. At this museum we learned that many Jews in the Empire were not pleased with the edict, because now as equal citizens, they were heavily taxed. The other information on the guide was the number of synagogues destroyed on November 9 and 10, 1938. Forty- six synagogues were burnt to the ground, there were huge bonfires in which Torah scrolls and prayer books were burnt and many Jewish businesses were looted. Another section of this museum had a display about the Zionist movement in Vienna.

                                        

                                      Archeological beginnings of Vienna

The second site was at some distance away, so while looking for it we took a break in a cafe called Aida. I had a mélange, the Viennese version of cappuccino with apple strudel while Gila had a latte with apricot cake. My drink came in a regular cup, but Gila's was served in a very unique glass. The outside was made of plastic but inside of it sat a glass with a rounded bottom. The outside provided insulation for the inside which was filled with coffee. It was a brilliant design. Gila managed to drop it into her knapsack before we left. I unintentionally distracted the waitress clearing the table by forgetting my fleece. The rest of the day, each cafe and every souvenir shop we passed was searched for a mate to the cup that found its way into Gila's bag. I want it on the record that I aid and abet the pilfering of posters, but definitely not the taking of glassware.

We found the second part of the Jewish museum in Judenplatz. In front of the building was the Holocaust Memorial, a very unique rectangular structure that looked like bookcases filled with books. On the plinth around it, the names of the large camps were etched. The exhibit was about the Jews in medieval Vienna before they were expelled in 1420 by Albrecht.

                                          

One part of display was the computerized 3D virtual trip through the Jewish quarter. The significant buildings were isolated and shown in cross section so that the interior was visible. I tried to film the exhibit, but my battery died. I hope that the video will be watchable. Directly beneath the Holocaust Memorial were the archeological remains of the first synagogue that was described in the virtual tour. It was a unique exhibit and we were so glad that we were able to visit.

                                           Medieval Tapestry

                                         First synagogue in Vienna

 With the time left, we tracked back to the Albertina and the Matisse exhibit. To get there we walked the length of the main street. It was a wide pedestrian boulevard with all the high-end shops. Fortunately, all the stores except souvenir shops were closed so there was more time for the museums. The gallery used to be a palace as well. We only had time for the one exhibit, but it was amazing. Gila was like a child who had won the Willie Wonka's golden ticket. Even the walls were beautifully painted in a deeper purple and white. The colours were so vibrant. Watching and listening to Gila's reactions to the work of Matisse and his peers was an education for me and I was able to see and appreciate the art with a totally new perspective.

Unfortunately, the time was passing more quickly than we would have liked and I had to take on the role of the nag and the bitch to ensure that we made it to the location of the bus that was to take us back to the ship. Of course, Gila was constantly noticing things that pulled her away from my objective of getting to the bus. I developed a new strategy. Whenever Gila wanted to stop, I said no and did not stop. I just kept walking although I did slow down until she caught up. We hadn't had lunch and she wanted to stop for a hot dog. I told her that if we reached the bus on time, the reward would be the McDonalds found at our meeting place. We actually made it with 15 minutes to spare. In a lot, we saw a series of buses and assumed one was ours. While Gila looked for food, I headed to the buses to find that none of them were Gate 1 vehicles. I began to wander further along the street and noticed a Gate 1 sign beckoning me alluringly from the doorway. I then had to find Gila to make sure she didn't go to the wrong place. Ironically, when Gila reached the bus, the driver would not allow food on the bus and Gila had to eat her doner on the sidewalk.

                                                    

                                                        Location of our bus 

The ride back to the boat was uneventful. When it was time to exit the bus, I found that I was so stiff I could barely walk. A shower helped to refresh me but did little about my stiffness. Dinner  improved my mood, but I'm hoping that I will not need a wheelchair to do the tour of Budapest tomorrow. We are now in the home stretch.