We took a tour of Vienna today. In a nutshell, it was mostly about dead people. The first thing was a drive along the Ring Straße – a street that surrounds the first district of Vienna (the Old Town). We crossed the Danube, relocated to the northeast of the town center to decrease the risks of flooding to the city.
There was a stop to Hundertwasser Village, created in a tire factory in 1990-1991, designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser who believed that nature was not flat with right angles. The streets are lined by rolling curves of cobblestones of varying size and the building facade is painted in many vibrant colors, with more than 200 trees and shrubs planted on terraces and roofs.
The Old City Cemetery, located in a working class neighborhood several miles from the city center was a unique site- acres and acres of elaborate monuments and grave sites. Graves of famous architects, politicians, composers, and other famous Austrians are clustered amidst the old Jewish cemetery with its simple unadorned gravestones. The graves of Beethoven, Brahms, the Strauss family of composers and conductors (Josef Strauss was also the inventor of the brush street cleaner – a man of many talents!), as well as the actress Hedy Lamar and actor Leon Askin who played General Burkholder on Hogan’s Heroes are found here.
Then it was off to the Schoenbrunn Palace, the summer home of The Hapsburgs family that ruled large parts of Europe as well as the Austrian-Hungarian empire for over a thousand years (from the 10th century until 1918). The grounds are reminiscent of Versailles ( Marie Antoinette was a Hapsburg who married Louis XVI!) with extensive formal gardens and over 1400 rooms decorated with gilted gold and adorned with family portraits.
We took the subway back to St. Stephen Platz. It was time for a little snack so a visit to the famous Café Central was in order. Started in 1876, this classic Viennese cafe with a Baroque style features elaborate desserts and coffees. It was the center of the Viennese intellectual scene, hosting Lenin, Trotsky, Tito, Freud and even Hitler when he was an art student in Vienna.
Street performers can be found in many of the squares (Platz). A talented young baritone was entertaining the tourists this afternoon.
Next was a visit to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Completed in 1160, this Gothic and Romanesque edifice was built on the site of two prior churches. It has two Gothic style towers completed in the 16th century and is characterized by its tile covered mosaic patterned roof. It escaped damage from wars until 1945 when the roof caught fire, damaging the towers. The faithful from all parts of Austria contributed to the repairs.
Dinner tonight was typical Viennese cuisine- we went to Purstner. We had wiener Schnitzel, boiled beef, and pickled mixed green salad with cucumbers, cabbage, corn, lettuce and sweet and sour vinaigrette. 
Even though we were too full for dessert, we had to stop at Zanoni&Zanoni for a gelato while we were on our evening stroll. Tomorrow is the last day of our trip😢, but we’re ready to go home and see our pup and kitties again. Going back to work, on the other hand, I’m not so keen on that.
Camino Musings 