Vienna, late because I always am.
Jul. 19th, 2019 06:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99So last year, me, Mum and her boyfriend all went to Vienna.
Because nothing in my life can ever be easy, this had to be done in high secrecy. The short version of a very long story is that my mother moved to Bradford to avoid my deadbeat cousin. To avoid giving him money, she was pleading penury. Obviously, people in penury cannot afford holidays to Vienna.
So, for a week, my Mum and I were officially in Bradford!
For personal reasons we were staying in Meidling. Which I would always recommend because it's near enough to central Vienna that you can get to anything within a 10 minute walk and 20 minute tube ride, but far enough that you're not having to pay central Vienna prices. We stayed at a CheckVienna flat this one in particular. Would recommend, nothing flash but comfortable enough and within walking distance of the tube and local facilities.
We get in quite late on the first night, mostly because a bus we thought ran our way doesn't run that way any more, so we eat at the local Spar, which was serving hot food till 8 pm. C quite likes the schnitzel. This is probably the last time C enjoys any food all trip *.
The next morning we bimbled round the local high street, which has improved since last time. In an un-improvement, now Austria also doesn't do Lindenblütentee. Which is a problem because I can't get it in the UK either. I may have found an online supplier but this is ridiculous.
What Austria still does is Heindl. Who had a 20% sale on. Which sorted out the work chocolates very quickly. And the banana chocolates, which did not go to work. I mean, they might not like them ;) (I love them and they are on the list of things that are not available in England. Because it is a benighted country.)
We then change direction and head towards Schönbrunn Palace and we get our first shock of the week.
THEY HAVE KNOCKED DOWN OUR OLD BLOCK OF FLATS!
THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!
WHAT IDIOCY IS THIS?!!!
(Our source in Vienna says that several local buildings have been similarly treated. It's apparently cheaper to knock them down and replace than to maintain to standards. This does not help the shock, because there was nothing wrong with it. It was lovely and perfect. This is all very wrong!)
Somewhat shocked, we continue on to Schönbrunn, which remains the prettiest palace in the whole world. (Yes, I am biased.)
We wandered round the gardens.
Now that photo of the Gloriette is a fine one, probably one of the best photos I've taken, but it shouldn't be that sunny in the first week of October. It was October and I was walking round Vienna in my shirtsleeves!
The next day, we went into Vienna proper.
There was also Apfelstrudel.
(Should you ever be in central Vienna, may I recommend the Esterhazykeller [https://www.esterhazykeller.at/]. It's a relatively new establishment, I mean, only started in 1683. Also, you know, proper, traditional Austrian food in the centre of Vienna for reasonable prices.)
Since we were out a little later than usual,
The next day we went a did a mini-city tour.
No photos, but you know how the Maltese church is never open. It was open. It's so very pretty, in a very straight-laced marble way, inside.
-
-
We were, in our own, frequently-getting-lost way, heading towards the Ruprechtskirche. Because you know, oldest church in Vienna**.
You know how the Ruprechtskirche is never open either, because it's from the 700s and falling apart and no-one ever quite got round to fixing it ...
IT HAS BEEN RESTORED AND YOU ARE NOW ALLOWED IN!!!!!
I have been inside the Ruprechtskirche and it was the small, simple Romanesque church of my dreams, and it made my week, month and quite possibly year.
It's so indescribably lovely.
Had lunch at the Salzamt.
Feeling lucky, my mother decided to strike out for Maria am Gestade which is her favourite, but she had never managed to get me there. Sadly my photos of it haven't come out.
Ankeruhr
After that we went back to Schönbrunn and came at it from the Hietzing side, so have some
Butterfly House
That night we met up with Austrian friends and I had this real moment of "yea though verily I may have spent my time in the UK, I am Austrian by culture." There'd already been a few of those, like when C was all, "why is no-one queuing for this bus?!" I don't think he quite gets the Austrian unqueue.
But this one was a spectacular case of culture clash. So, O, who we were visiting, took us to his local. In it was his old friend AW (when I say old, they've known each other for >60 years, and Mum's known them for 40). O says hello, and goes to sit down at his table, while AW stays at his. If it hadn't been for C bringing AW over, they would have stayed on separate tables all night. Apparently, according to the English, and I have asked more than one, this is weird. I don't think it is.
The other one weird bit might be a more personal thing. Possibly because he spent his life working in finance, Mum's boyfriend is very big on numbers and economics. And being from Yorkshire, he's not shy about it either. We have, needless to say, very different world-outlooks.
Being as it was a group of mostly pensioners, talk soon turned to pensions, the value thereof. And Mum's boyfriend will just ask things, so he asked how much an Austrian pension was. O meanwhile was, in his own, inimitable way, asking a similar question, only he phrased it as "is your pension enough?" I much prefer O's way of asking, but I don't know how much of that is it being any less rude, and how much of it is that I was brought up to ask questions sideways like that.
There was some debate about what to do the next day, because C was being a pain, and didn't want to do anything. In his defence, part of it wasn't his fault. I, of course, was going spare, because if I am on holiday I don't want to sit around. Mum was dithering because she wanted to keep everyone happy.
It turns out that there was Bruegel exhibition (this one - https://www.bruegel2018.at/en/) on at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Now my Mum is a huge Bruegel fan, and this was the first time all*** his surviving works were being shown in one place. First time in 400 years, and possibly last. Well, you know, I am not going to let her pass this chance up just because she is too nice to take it, so I decide we are going to that.
No photos of the exhibition,
With Maria Theresa watching on -
The next day we went to see another old friend of Mum's.
I notice the most adorable thing about the traffic lights.
And then we went for a wander round.
And some how ended up down at the Hofburg.
Not a pretty building, I just liked the contrast -
There were inexplicable bunnies. No really, even the Viennese we were talking to had no idea why they were there.
The day after we flew home. The bunnies remain inexplicable.
Bonus:
Some local grafitti
* I exaggerate. He liked the pretzel sticks too.
** apparently people are trying to disagree with this. People are wrong!
*** except 1, which the Hungarian government reneged on an agreement to show. Cue the most passive aggressive museum label of a blank bit of wall you ever did see.
Because nothing in my life can ever be easy, this had to be done in high secrecy. The short version of a very long story is that my mother moved to Bradford to avoid my deadbeat cousin. To avoid giving him money, she was pleading penury. Obviously, people in penury cannot afford holidays to Vienna.
So, for a week, my Mum and I were officially in Bradford!
For personal reasons we were staying in Meidling. Which I would always recommend because it's near enough to central Vienna that you can get to anything within a 10 minute walk and 20 minute tube ride, but far enough that you're not having to pay central Vienna prices. We stayed at a CheckVienna flat this one in particular. Would recommend, nothing flash but comfortable enough and within walking distance of the tube and local facilities.
We get in quite late on the first night, mostly because a bus we thought ran our way doesn't run that way any more, so we eat at the local Spar, which was serving hot food till 8 pm. C quite likes the schnitzel. This is probably the last time C enjoys any food all trip *.
The next morning we bimbled round the local high street, which has improved since last time. In an un-improvement, now Austria also doesn't do Lindenblütentee. Which is a problem because I can't get it in the UK either. I may have found an online supplier but this is ridiculous.
What Austria still does is Heindl. Who had a 20% sale on. Which sorted out the work chocolates very quickly. And the banana chocolates, which did not go to work. I mean, they might not like them ;) (I love them and they are on the list of things that are not available in England. Because it is a benighted country.)
We then change direction and head towards Schönbrunn Palace and we get our first shock of the week.
THEY HAVE KNOCKED DOWN OUR OLD BLOCK OF FLATS!
THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!
WHAT IDIOCY IS THIS?!!!
(Our source in Vienna says that several local buildings have been similarly treated. It's apparently cheaper to knock them down and replace than to maintain to standards. This does not help the shock, because there was nothing wrong with it. It was lovely and perfect. This is all very wrong!)
Somewhat shocked, we continue on to Schönbrunn, which remains the prettiest palace in the whole world. (Yes, I am biased.)
We wandered round the gardens.
Now that photo of the Gloriette is a fine one, probably one of the best photos I've taken, but it shouldn't be that sunny in the first week of October. It was October and I was walking round Vienna in my shirtsleeves!
The next day, we went into Vienna proper.
There was also Apfelstrudel.
(Should you ever be in central Vienna, may I recommend the Esterhazykeller [https://www.esterhazykeller.at/]. It's a relatively new establishment, I mean, only started in 1683. Also, you know, proper, traditional Austrian food in the centre of Vienna for reasonable prices.)
Since we were out a little later than usual,
The next day we went a did a mini-city tour.
No photos, but you know how the Maltese church is never open. It was open. It's so very pretty, in a very straight-laced marble way, inside.
-
-
We were, in our own, frequently-getting-lost way, heading towards the Ruprechtskirche. Because you know, oldest church in Vienna**.
You know how the Ruprechtskirche is never open either, because it's from the 700s and falling apart and no-one ever quite got round to fixing it ...
IT HAS BEEN RESTORED AND YOU ARE NOW ALLOWED IN!!!!!
I have been inside the Ruprechtskirche and it was the small, simple Romanesque church of my dreams, and it made my week, month and quite possibly year.
It's so indescribably lovely.
Had lunch at the Salzamt.
Feeling lucky, my mother decided to strike out for Maria am Gestade which is her favourite, but she had never managed to get me there. Sadly my photos of it haven't come out.
Ankeruhr
After that we went back to Schönbrunn and came at it from the Hietzing side, so have some
Butterfly House
That night we met up with Austrian friends and I had this real moment of "yea though verily I may have spent my time in the UK, I am Austrian by culture." There'd already been a few of those, like when C was all, "why is no-one queuing for this bus?!" I don't think he quite gets the Austrian unqueue.
But this one was a spectacular case of culture clash. So, O, who we were visiting, took us to his local. In it was his old friend AW (when I say old, they've known each other for >60 years, and Mum's known them for 40). O says hello, and goes to sit down at his table, while AW stays at his. If it hadn't been for C bringing AW over, they would have stayed on separate tables all night. Apparently, according to the English, and I have asked more than one, this is weird. I don't think it is.
The other one weird bit might be a more personal thing. Possibly because he spent his life working in finance, Mum's boyfriend is very big on numbers and economics. And being from Yorkshire, he's not shy about it either. We have, needless to say, very different world-outlooks.
Being as it was a group of mostly pensioners, talk soon turned to pensions, the value thereof. And Mum's boyfriend will just ask things, so he asked how much an Austrian pension was. O meanwhile was, in his own, inimitable way, asking a similar question, only he phrased it as "is your pension enough?" I much prefer O's way of asking, but I don't know how much of that is it being any less rude, and how much of it is that I was brought up to ask questions sideways like that.
There was some debate about what to do the next day, because C was being a pain, and didn't want to do anything. In his defence, part of it wasn't his fault. I, of course, was going spare, because if I am on holiday I don't want to sit around. Mum was dithering because she wanted to keep everyone happy.
It turns out that there was Bruegel exhibition (this one - https://www.bruegel2018.at/en/) on at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Now my Mum is a huge Bruegel fan, and this was the first time all*** his surviving works were being shown in one place. First time in 400 years, and possibly last. Well, you know, I am not going to let her pass this chance up just because she is too nice to take it, so I decide we are going to that.
No photos of the exhibition,
With Maria Theresa watching on -
The next day we went to see another old friend of Mum's.
I notice the most adorable thing about the traffic lights.
And then we went for a wander round.
And some how ended up down at the Hofburg.
Not a pretty building, I just liked the contrast -
There were inexplicable bunnies. No really, even the Viennese we were talking to had no idea why they were there.
The day after we flew home. The bunnies remain inexplicable.
Bonus:
Some local grafitti
* I exaggerate. He liked the pretzel sticks too.
** apparently people are trying to disagree with this. People are wrong!
*** except 1, which the Hungarian government reneged on an agreement to show. Cue the most passive aggressive museum label of a blank bit of wall you ever did see.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-20 10:49 am (UTC)The two churches with the paintings on them - I've never seen that style of painting on a flat surface outside the church. Is that traditional?
no subject
Date: 2019-07-20 05:40 pm (UTC)