Midsummer Romance – Central Europe Trip 2017 6. Vienna, the City of Music

In the early morning, we set off from the fairy-tale-like Hundertwasserhof and soon arrived in Vienna. For me, besides Prague, Vienna is another city whose name alone evokes a sense of romance. Known as the "City of Music," it feels as if the air is filled with sparkling notes.

With the group, we headed straight to the Vienna City Park. Looking at the park map, I saw a small river called the Wien River running through it. Is it a tributary of the Danube? I had no idea. According to the introduction, the Vienna City Park was an open, free English-style garden designed by court landscape painter Joseph Sellény, commissioned by the mayor after the demolition of the old city walls in the mid-19th century.

Perhaps it was the dry season; the Wien River had very little water, barely ankle-deep. Maybe because the morning exercise hours had passed, the park was almost empty of locals except for tourists.

Of course, most tourists who come here are drawn by the little golden statue, especially our Chinese tour group—it's a must-visit spot. The little golden statue is a gilded bronze figure of Johann Strauss II, completed by Austrian sculptor Edmund Hellmer in 1921. Known as the "King of Waltz," Johann Strauss II is very familiar to us; who hasn't heard "The Blue Danube," "Tales from the Vienna Woods," or "Voices of Spring"?

My travel companions lined up patiently for photos. After they dispersed, I also rushed over to join in, only to find that the little golden statue's shoes had faded from being touched by people wanting a photo together.

This is the statue of composer Franz Lehár, famous for works like "The Merry Widow Waltz" and "Gold and Silver Waltz." Actually, there are statues of other notable figures in the park. I didn't see Schubert's, and even if I found others, someone as ignorant as me wouldn't know who they were...

The Kursalon, built in 1867 in Renaissance style, is a venue in Vienna for concerts, balls, weddings, and other celebrations. It is said that on October 15, 1868, Johann Strauss II held his first concert here, and since then, the Kursalon became the home base of the Strauss family. Now, the resident orchestra is the "Vienna Salon Orchestra," whose musicians are mostly from the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony, etc.

We waited here for a while while our guide bought tickets for the evening concert. To boost tourism revenue, there are also package deals that include a concert and dinner. The food was average, but it was convenient.

We had lunch at a restaurant with a cellar, where we ate Viennese specialty roasted pork ribs. The taste was good, and the dark beer was excellent. I was probably thirsty, so I downed two glasses in one go... (PS: I read in a guide that the Viennese specialty is breaded pork cutlet. Pork cutlet and pork chop are similar, both being a whole piece of meat. The roasted ribs here are a different specialty. I'll try the other one next time.)

By late June, Vienna was already as hot as Guangzhou's scorching summer. I had longed to visit Schönbrunn Palace, imagining it would be like the cool and refreshing Summer Palace in St. Petersburg, with fountains and flowering trees everywhere. But at noon, the hottest time of the day, as soon as I entered the gate and saw the vast, blindingly white square, I wilted. Judging from the model, there were only two small fountains in the open square, and not a single large tree for shade.

The small fountains and the pathetic row of tiny trees behind them seemed out of proportion with the vast forecourt of Schönbrunn Palace (the Summer Palace).

Schönbrunn Palace, located on the western edge of Vienna, was built in the late 17th century. It is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Europe (with a few rooms in Rococo style) and the second largest palace in Europe after Versailles. Today, the palace has 1,441 rooms, of which 45 are open to the public. Originally a royal hunting lodge, it became world-famous mainly because of Austria's iconic figure: Empress Elisabeth (Sisi). After her marriage, Sisi lived here for a long time, so the palace displays many of her portraits. I think she was far more beautiful than the actress Romy Schneider who played her in the movies. The Habsburg dynasty, one of the wealthiest in the world, collected countless treasures; the exhibits include rooms decorated in Chinese and Japanese classical styles, as well as Chinese porcelain vases. However, the crowds were so large and the air circulation so poor that it was hard to appreciate them calmly.

It was more comfortable to stay in the Schönbrunn Palace gardens. We plunged into the shade, gazing around in all directions, unwilling to move another step into the sun.

Kaerntnerstrasse (also spelled Kärntner Straße) is Vienna's famous old shopping street, lined with shops. Its northern end connects to Graben, and the western end of Graben connects to Kohlmarkt, forming Vienna's "golden U" pedestrian zone, which is also the most concentrated area for luxury brands in Vienna.

This is the flagship store of Swarovski on Kaerntnerstrasse (there is another more beautiful one not far away, but it's not the flagship). I had no intention of shopping, but thinking about being at the origin of Swarovski, and since I like small jewelry, I decided to go in. The basement floor is a crystal exhibition; the first floor sells Swarovski products, including new and discounted items; the second floor has various crystal products at even lower prices, with many people buying. At the entrance, a Chinese-speaking salesperson helped with introductions. I couldn't resist and ended up buying...

PS: A hindsight comment from a shopaholic, which I learned later! Take note!!! About 60% or more of the cheaper products on the second floor are from Swarovski's secondary line! The difference is said to be in the tags (the main line has a blue tag, the secondary line a white tag) and packaging: main line Swarovski, even on sale, comes in the original blue box, while secondary line comes in a gray flannel bag. Salespeople don't point this out; when asked, they just say it's a special offer so no box. So if you don't want to accidentally buy secondary line items, it's safer to buy from the first floor! (I bought both types; maybe it's my bad luck, but the secondary line items lost crystals and discolored after just a few days of wear—ruined!)

Leaving the Swarovski flagship, I happened to see a group of ladies waving colorful balloons. I'm not sure if it was a beautiful gathering or an advertisement for some brand (I noticed Rituals shopping bags), but it was a lovely scene.

This is the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum), or perhaps the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) which has an identical Renaissance-style exterior.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is the fourth largest art museum in the world, housing hundreds of thousands of treasures from the Habsburg dynasty, which ruled Europe for nearly seven centuries—jewelry, paintings, sculptures, coins, ancient musical instruments, weapons and armor, uniforms, etc., covering Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and other Eastern and Western art fields.

What attracted me most were the works of famous painters such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Raphael, and Titian. Unfortunately, I missed them on this trip, so I'll have to include them in my next free-and-easy travel plan.

The Austrian Parliament Building, completed in 1883 after nine years of construction, is the seat of the two houses of the Austrian Parliament. To symbolize that democracy came from Greece, the renowned architect Theophil Hansen designed it in the Neoclassical style of ancient Greece, earning it the title "the most beautiful parliament building in Europe." The sculptures around the building and the Pallas Athena Fountain in the square are very striking. The gorgeous Athena statue is over four meters tall, and the four groups of statues beneath her represent the four major rivers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: the Danube, Inn, Elbe, and Moldau (Vltava).

Passing through the gate of the Neue Hofburg Palace, you enter the spacious Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square). One side is the entrance to the Neue Hofburg, which was once the winter palace of the Habsburg emperors of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is now the official residence of the Austrian President.

As night fell, we had a quick meal at the Kursalon's fast-food area and then happily went to the concert. The performance hall was actually not small, but probably due to the peak tourist season, the seats were packed tightly together, turning an intimate chamber concert into a medium-to-large event.

The classical concert lasted less than two hours, interspersed with ballet and opera performances. The orchestra had no conductor; presumably, the first violin led. I vaguely remember the program included: "The Blue Danube Waltz," "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (Drinking Song), "Explosions-Polka" (or perhaps "Banditen-Galopp" - Robbers' Galop), "Turkish March," and other classic works by Mozart and Johann Strauss II.

Completely different from my daytime state of being drowsy and zombie-like from the heat, I spent a joyful evening surrounded by music. For K, the concert had the opposite effect; I had to keep shaking him to prevent his swaying sleepiness from disturbing others.

From the Kursalon to the hotel, we took the metro, so we got a chance to experience Vienna's subway. Were those two in front musicians who had just performed for us?

The subway cars were quite old, not the automatic door design we were used to. When the train arrived, we just stared blankly, and a passenger inside had to help open the door for us.

Fun digression: A single metro ticket in Vienna costs €2.2 per person, and there is no ticket inspection throughout the journey—it's all on the honor system. The cutest discount ticket: if you're taking a dog out, you only pay €1.8.

Vienna at night is beautiful, isn't it?