An Eighth of Many Miles

Cafe Bräunerhof (more on this later)

July 8 (day 3, morning): It was going to be another big day of walking, wandering, and discovery. After another great breakfast (the Three Crowns Hotel included breakfasts in the price--and they were big beautiful European buffets every morning), Cindy and I set out for the day (Edie was again meeting up with friends and former colleagues). We had no particular agenda, no specific goal, just learning more about the city that shaped Cindy in those years four decades back.

It was another glorious day.

We began it by walking toward the Opera House, as we did almost every morning while in Vienna. This time I got a photo of Cindy in the place where she often stood in anticipation of standing even more:

Standing room tickets were inexpensive and plentiful--and in high demand--and a great way for a penniless singer to see the best operas in one of Europe's premier houses.

From there we headed to the Burggarten so I could see the Mozart statue. But first we came upon this enchanting green rabbit:

We passed this impressive glass house on our way into the Burggarten (unfortunately, we had no idea there was a coffee house there, or we might have made time to go inside to explore):

And here's another angle on the Mozart statue, with that pile of instruments at his feet:

Perhaps this is meant to be Mozart in a creative frenzy?

Leaving the Burggarten, we made our way past the Hofburg Palace (of which I didn't get any worthy photos at that time), and found ourselves at Bruno-Kreisky-Gasse, where we found a fascinating water sculpture by Hans Muhr:

It's called Water Wave Life Fountain, and it doesn't look like much at first sighting, but this is created from an 18.3-ton monolith of lapis lazuli mined in Chile. Close examination brings that brownish stone to life, into many variegated shades of blue. Unusually beautiful.

From there we made our way to yet another side of the Hofburg Palace complex, which is so huge that it now houses multiple museums and other institutions--including, of course, the Historical Musical Instruments Collection that Cindy and Edie had visited two days earlier. Getting pictures of this complex was like Tom Thumb trying to photograph an elephant; I could only capture glimpses and vignettes. A few of my favorites:

What a heroic conquest!

An entrance telling all, in no uncertain terms, whose place this is (Franz Josef's, of course)

This poor fish (dolphin?)

Coat of arms of Ferdinand I (son of Francis I and the all-powerful Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily and ultimately of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire)

Now we were in Michaelerplatz, looking at yet another church (Michaelerkirche, or St. Michael's), and also (surprise!) the Ausgrabungen, a preserved archeological dig, spanning 1,500 years, from the Roman Imperial times to the 19th century.

Remember the Habsburg bricks used in the landscaping of the Hundertwasser-Krawina House? I saw more of these in one section of this dig, still in their original placement in the foundations of 17th-19th century residences.

Of course we entered Michaelerkirche. It was another impressively grand place...

...but what I loved most was the original 13th century chapel in a back corner of all that grandeur:

I was enchanted by these paintings, their simplicity and their ability to last through ten centuries. There were also simply beautiful frescoes in the newer church areas:

Once we left Michaelerkirche, we were ready for our Jause (midmorning snack, a tradition in Vienna--in fact, it seemed as if Viennese had many traditional snacking times). Cindy had something in mind, so as with much of our wandering in Vienna I simply followed along. We ended up on a little street behind Michaelerkirche, Stallburggasse, where Cindy found the sweet memory she'd been seeking:

Café Bräunerhof--a place she frequented often when she lived here. It looked exactly the same as it did 40 years before--same upholstery (a bit more faded and worn), same coat racks, perhaps even the same customers, also more faded and worn. Naturally , this is where we had our Jause -- Cindy coffee melange, me tea, and each of us a lovely slice of Sachertorte, a Viennese specialty.

Cindy wept to find this memory spot so intact and welcoming still. I felt privileged that she was able to share it with me. We had a good conversation with the waiter, who had not been working there when Cindy used to stop in--but he had been a customer there, probably around the same time, and when he was finally offered a job at the café he accepted happily and has been there many, many years now.

But the special memories weren't yet finished with Cindy. Once we were back on the street outside, she turned back toward the way we came, and found this view:

And look at this:

Stallburggasse with View of St. Michael's Church; Robert Kasimir, artist

This was a gift to Cindy from her fellow faculty at the International School when she returned to the States, and it's been hanging on the wall wherever we have lived since we were together.

What a special morning this had become.

We moved on, through the edges of Stephansplatz, looking for ... well, I wasn't sure where Cindy was leading me, but on we went. I'd find out in due time. In the meantime, there were many sights.

Another view of Hofburg Palace:

More women (including a live one) holding up buildings:

A signature stork...

...I n the apotheke (pharmacy) dedicated "to the white stork":

We did ultimately find our way to the Jewish Quarter, where we found this monument "in commemoration of the more than 65,000 Austrian Jews who were killed by the Nazis between 1938 and 1945."

This was such a simple memorial, just books with the pages facing out, signifying, I think, so many lives unfinished.

It was a Saturday, so it was quiet in the Jewish Quarter and there was no way to visit the Museum Judenplatz (and regretfully, we never made our way back there again during our visit).

Wandering on... We were close to the Judenplatz, around the corner from the memorial, when we happened on a lovely residential building where I suddenly spotted a cluster of Stolpersteine:

"In memory of a family that lived in this house and in the Holocaust was murdered." As we were looking at this , a woman came to the front door of this very building and asked if we would like to see the inside of the building. Naturally we said yes.

HUGE front doors...

And a wonderful courtyard inside. I love the idea of these micro-communities all over Vienna, behind every big front door. BUT...just think about the people memorialized on the front of this building. Imagine this space suddenly being invaded by the Gestapo or soldiers and everyone being dragged away.

We thanked our momentary (and generous) host, who graciously allowed us to take a couple of photos, and exited through that very heavy door. I think Europeans maintain upper body strength just through the daily exercise of opening doors that were originally meant to be opened by at least two burly manservants for the horses to come inside...

Before we left Judenplatz, we stood at the site of a medieval synagogue destroyed in the Vienna Gesera of 1421, when Duke Albrecht V set about wiping out all of the Jews living in Vienna. He didn't succeed entirely, but not for lack of trying. It was a brutal campaign of death.

The history of Europe is so bloody, and oftentimes so dark, that it's difficult to imagine how so much beautiful art was created through all of the ages--by both the oppressors and the oppressed.

Cindy now had a goal in mind, as it was coming on to the noon hour. Lunch? No, something else, but I had to wait till she could find it. We wandered again, and I saw this along the way:

But she finally found it, and just in time for us to wait, along with a crowd of like-minded tourists, for the Anker Clock--another amazing animated clock meant to delight children of all ages.

Here's a very long video of the clock in operation. Following it is a photo of the plaque that lists the historic characters featured in the parade.

Following these momentous ten or so moments, we headed to another church--this one Ruprechtskirche (St. Rupert's), considered the oldest church in Vienna.

I didn't get a good full picture of the church, so borrowed this from Wikipedia.

From there we walked down the hill, past the synagogue, which seemed to be ending services about that time, and into some relatively commercial area where we had lunch.

And this makes a good place to take a breather. You'll have to wait for the afternoon and evening of July 8 because the morning tuckered me out.