It was the Hapsburg residence for a zillion years. And each new emperor added to it, so by the end (1916), it was an architectural hodgepodge of monstrous proportions.
If you took all the government buildings in Washington D.C. and stuck them together, and added twenty-foot tall statues of naked superheroes all over the outside, you'd kind of have the idea.
Today, in addition to the former residence of the final emperor - Franz Josef, who lived there for over 65 years - and his wife, Sisi, who was beautiful, enigmatic, and wildly popular in her own right, the buildings house the presidential offices, a half dozen or so national departments, and a host of other governmental functions, collections, and activities.
To me, it was "deja vu all over again." I've been to Verseilles; is it not possible that if you've seen one display of excess, you've seen them all? Maybe if I were Austrian it would hold my interest. Photography was prohibited, so I risked my life for these pictures. With that in mind, I hope you like them.
Here's a cardboard model of some of it.
Here's my favorite display.
They had enough place settings to have dinner parties of at least four thousand. Hey, Sisi liked to work out. Here's her equipment.
The tour finishes in the gift shop, and Rebecca bought herself, or her inner child, the perfect gift: a miniature royal tea service. She's going to love playing with it. If you know Rebecca, you know that's true.
Next up, we watched the Spanische Hofreitschule horses rehearse. They have horses that dance. Pictures are strictly prohibited, of course, so you'll have to imagine the dancing. Here's one on break.
We dropped the tea set off in our apartment, and set out for the Viennese version of the Pike Place Market.
There we had lunch,
and coffee. All right, I had Esterhazy Cake, too.
And then, we went to the 2:00 lecture tour and romp through the "Third Man" Museum.
Remember this name: Gerhard Strassgschwandtner. I'm only half joking. Gerhard is in his early to mid fifties, and he grew up in Vienna. He became a tour guide. People would ask him about "the Third Man," and he didn't know anything, so he figured he ought to learn. He saw the movie, and found his life's passion. Partly, it was because it is a great movie, he is a movie fan, and it is set in his town. But also, it is because the movie struck a nerve, revealing a part of history that the Viennese do not touch.
Gerhard and his wife, Karin Hofler, founded the Third Man Museum. It is one hundred percent privately funded. In a city filled with museums, theirs is extraordinary. For example, other than the Jewish Museums, theirs is the only one that recognizes that the holocaust was occurring in Vienna.
The tour starts with a look at the people involved with the production the the film. Then it moves on to a large and growing collection of memorabilia. Next is a thorough discussion of Vienna, during and after the war. And we finish up with a last gesture toward the film once again.
Gerhard is special because he recognizes the social and historic significance of these years, and wishes to challenge the prevailing ethos of omission. He is truly a mensch.Here is his url: http://www.3mpc.net/englcontact.htm
Here is Gerhard.
Here's a little fun with film noir.
Here's something I found amusing. We went to a very nice restaurant for dinner, and we ordered a large bottle of still water to have with our meal. And I asked the waiter if I might trouble him for some ice. He assured me it was no trouble at all. He brought the large bottle and our two glasses, and poured us each half a glass. Sure enough, mine had an ice cube in it.
Downstairs in the men's room, I discovered that Dyson has a new product - a combination faucet/airblade. It's all automatic of course. Check it out!
After dinner, we went out to the amusement park, to ride the 120-year-old Ferris Wheel
When we got off the tram, we heard a sound we recognized. It was the crack of the bat. No lie! There was a softball game being played, and hardball on the next two fields.
Tomorrow we go to Budapest.
We had a great time in Vienna, but I have to say a word about the vibe. When the Anschluss (annexation by Germany) occurred, prior to WWII, the Nazis had no problem whatsoever instituting their anti-Semitic policies. The culture was already so anti-Semitic, the new regime fit like the proverbial glove. Austrians joined the Nazi Party, and participated in the death camp process in proportionally greater numbers than Germans did.
But when the war ended, there was no de-Nazification! Because of the Annschluss, there was a negotiated agreement that Austria would be considered the first victim of Naziism. So there was no recognition or ownership of Austria's part in the holocaust. And it is still not taught in school. The Austrian people are ignorant of their history, and somewhat testy.
In 1900, Vienna had a population of over two million. Ten percent were Jewish. That's over two hundred thousand. Today, there are fewer than fifteen thousand Jews in all of Austria! I don't think the average citizen of Vienna has given it any thought.
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