Dedicated to Coleta from 5W, who showed me a Vienna grand rather than grandiose.
It's strange how my Vienna lexicon has changed overnight: one day I was describing it negatively as ostentatious, grandiose, showy, extravagant, lordly, imperious. The next I had a different array of synonyms: magnificent, imposing, impressive, awe-inspiring, splendid, superb, striking, monumental, majestic, glorious. How could this be? Maybe the weather had something to do with it, and the fact that in Coleta's hands I was no longer lost and fumbling to find the sights. It also helped that I'd done a quick circuit on the bus. I hope this doesn't mean I always need to repeat an experience to have it. Not enough life left!
I met Coleta downstairs, after breakfast in the Naschmarkt. We walked through the market again (aha! So that's the way downtown!) and continued walking along the Ringstraße, past the magnificence of the Rathaus, the Burgtheatre, the statue in thanks for the end of the plague, St Stephens cathedral, looking very different today, and then down past the church built to celebrate 60 years of Franz Joseph's reign to a very tall beer overlooking the Danube and the other side of the river where buildings can scrape the sky: this can't happen in the centre of the city. On the way we passed through magnificent rose gardens, down classy arcades and into sunny squares. Coleta works at the Burgtheatre, so we went in for a quick look at its splendour.
Not only did I see the Vienna in front of my eyes. I saw the decorations at Christmas, different in each street: the ice rink in front of the town hall, and the ice path through the park: the continuous stream of festivals (we were part of the crowd filmed at the cooking of an eggless egg at the Vegan festival, and passed through the setting up of the Brazil festival): the Aida coffee shops in Abu Dhabi, because a wife of Arab wealth liked them so much in Vienna: I saw the theatre crowds dressed up to match the grandeur of the Burgtheatre: I saw a few bombs falling and creating gaps, now filled by the architecture of the 1950s: I saw the Russians leaving after ten years.
And I encountered Sisi, wife of the Emperor Franz Joseph, and almost a brand in Austria. She was mentioned by everyone I spoke to. Coleta's 21 year old niece is a big fan. At Christmas, movies about her life are screened on television as a ritual. I didn't get around to visiting her summer residence.
We stopped for streusel in the rose garden and a very tall beer overlooking the Danube.
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