Du grüsst mich jeden Morgen.
Seh ich dich, freue ich mich,
Und vergess meine Sorgen
Schmücke die Heimat nach Schnee und Eis,
Blüh'n soll'n deine Sterne.
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Ach, ich hab dich so gerne."
(You know the song from The Sound of Music)
As the lyrics roll off the man's tongue, his partner strums a rare double-necked guitar. It's an unusual looking guitar -- combining a bass and 6-string guitar -- but it comes off as the perfect musical compliment to the singer's accordion.
Liz and I are enjoying our last evening by going to a "heuriger" or wine tavern, in the western suburb of Heiligenstadt.
It's a rainy evening, which is both exciting and disappointing.
The drizzle has meant that we are sitting inside tonight, in one of the tavern's cozy, wood paneled dining rooms. The disappointment comes from not enjoying the sheltered outdoor garden area with its wood benches and chairs surrounded by oleander bushes and trellised grape vines hanging overhead.
We are being entertained by two men singing traditional Old Vienna music. They have been moving from table to table -- singing Austrian songs that often bring laughter and contributions from those brave enough to be heard.
After some applause from us, they work their way over to our table. Neither of them speaks any English. Not that it really matters -- we have done our best to show our appreciation, clapping when they are done, and smiling during the songs. When they are done playing, Liz shows the accordion player her wedding ring and explains that we are in Vienna to celebrate 30 years of marriage.
"Ah! Anniversary," says the old man. He pauses, as if to find the right word, then adds, pointing at his wedding ring. "Fifty."
Liz attempts to bridge the language divide with her amazing command of the German language. "Wow! Fifty years! Where is your Frau tonight?"
He shifts the accordion resting against his belly and smiles. "Home. Always home."
I don't know why, but when I think of Vienna I don't usually think of wine. And yet riding the tram to one of the city's outer districts, it is quite common to pass a vineyard, flanked on either side by villas and houses. In fact Vienna may be the only capital in all of Europe to have an entire wine-growing region located within its city limits. It is easy to forget that you are in a city of nearly two million people as you drive past row after row of grape vines. To wine drinkers, the wines of Vienna are as famous as the giant ferris wheel of Riesenradplatz, the Schoenbrunn Palace, the Vienna Boys Choir and the Lipizzaner horses.
Wine growing in Vienna goes back a long way. History has grapes being cultivated here since the Romans pitched their camps in the first century AD. White wines are grown in 80 percent of the vineyards, with the Wiener Gemischter Satz being the most traditional. For this wine, vines from 15 different grape varieties are grown, harvested and processed together. This gives the taste its unique aroma and flavor and balanced composition.
Equally famous is the heuriger, a small wine tavern that populates so many streets in western Vienna. It's not being overly dramatic to say that the heuriger has not only kept wine growing alive in Vienna, but saved it from vanishing altogether. The word heuriger means "of this year" and refers to the wine made in that year. More than a village pub, a heuriger represents a blending of city and farm, where small-time winemakers can sell their wines without the bottling and shipping overhead of larger wine makers. By law, they must offer wines from their own vineyard and buffet tables piled high with home-made delicacies.
The Werner Welser heuriger that we find ourselves in tonight is found in an old winegrower's farmhouse. It comes complete with a secluded garden and romantic parlor where they play songs of Old Vienna. As is tradition, a bush hangs upside down above the entrance door and the words "Ausg'steckt" is written on a board which shows that the tavern is open.
I look at a bowl sitting in front of me and wonder if I am missing something.
The white saucer holds three hard pieces of pumpkin, cut into round balls and topped by a single black bean. There are also rolls of slivered pumpkin filled with more beans and a simple green leaf of mint.
I look up, thinking I am going to tell the waiter that I had ordered pumpkin soup, but before I can, he leans forward with a small pitcher and slowly pours a hot, creamy pumpkin broth over it all.
The four of us listen as our waiter tells me what is in the soup. As is common, he is in his early to mid-twenties, looking to earn a little money by waiting on tables. When he finishes, he asks "Is my English good?"
LuAnn and Mark , sitting across the table, both say, "Oh yes -- what's your name and where are you from?"
"You can call me Emeric," he says. "Or Niklas, or Mike -- whichever is easiest for you." I pause before putting a spoonful to my mouth, and laugh at the thought that someone would just use a name to make it easier to remember.
"I am from Hollensberg... to the north of Vienna in lower Austria." Our waiter, perhaps enjoying the attention of four American visitors, smiles and puts down the pitcher. He has time on his hands since it's a quiet evening and few people are waiting for service. Because the evening is cool, the propane patio heaters scattered around the tables are lit. For us -- used to cool fall evenings -- it is perfect weather to sit outside wearing nothing but a sweater, drink a little wine and enjoy a good meal.
Mike continues, "But I like Vienna. I have been here for over a year now. It's an exciting place, full of culture, beautiful music and theater."
Liz mentions that we had just come from a concert of Mozart and Strauss music performed by the Vienna Residence Orchestra. It featured some of the composers' best songs and was performed by a small ensemble orchestra with opera singers and ballet dancers.
"Es Theater führte das Palais Auersperg." He pauses then continues in his best English, " Ah, yes. I have heard of it," -- I think that is where good music is performed. Vienna is known as the City of Music where the most beautiful music in world is found. "
Liz checks her ticket stub and confirms "Yes, it says the Auersperg Palace. It's a beautiful place and the musicians were very good. It's something we wanted to do while in Vienna."
"Anything else?"
"Well, we want to take a carriage ride around the old parts of Vienna and go to some museums. We saw Stephan's Cathedral earlier this afternoon and did some shopping near Stephansplatz. There is so much to do here, that it's hard to know what to do."
Our waiter nods and makes a common refrain that we have heard before: "There is much to love in Vienna. That's why people come here."
It is true that people come to Vienna for love. Love of music. Love of culture. Love of art. It is a city overflowing with riches, which include once being the center of the powerful Habsburg monarchy. Outrageously opulent palaces such as Schloss Belvedere and Schloss Schoenbrunn and the monumental Hofburg complex reveal the extent of the wealth and power of Vienna's past.
We chose Wednesday (forecast was for rain) to venture indoors to see how the ruling class lived. What better place to begin than the Hofburg complex containing the Imperial Apartments, the Silver Collection and the Imperial Treasury.
It is an exhibition of opulence -- with its in-your-face frescoed, gilded, chandelier glory. It's the stuff that would leave even Downton Abbey fans in awe.
During our visit, we go through the Kaiserappartements, where the focus is on the beloved Empress Elizabeth of Austria. She was an interesting person, who despite her royal upbringing was ill-prepared for the formal Habsburg court life. Her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph made her situation worse - she would often travel alone to Hungary to escape the trappings of her royal family and its prescribed expectations.
Another oddity was her obsession with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty. While this might not sound like anything too unusual for someone in her position, the extent of her obsession is.
. She required that she be sewn into her leather corsets.
. She applied ground slugs as a cream to her face every night.
. She insisted on a full body wrap made from hay to fortify her immune system.
. Her ankle-length hair required three hours to dress, braid and pin.
. She had a 19-inch waist that required an extremely rigorous exercise to maintain. She achieved this by installing a gymnastics room and could often be seen dangling from gymnastic rings.
. At night, she was vigorously massaged, and would sleep in cloths soaked in cider vinegar.
. She would weigh herself three times a day.
Our tour of the Kaiserappartements revealed many of her dresses, famous portraits, her Bavarian harp, a miniature secretaire with painted envelopes, a 63-piece first aid kit and a reconstruction of her luxurious imperial saloon car. And finally a black coat with egret feathers, which covered her body after her assassination on Lake Geneva by Luigi Lucheni, a 25-year old anarchist, as she went out of Hotel Rivage where she was staying.
Another stop on our tour was The Imperial Silver Collection -- an exhibit that showcased the Imperial Household's wealth and culture of dining -- there were linens, plates, silver and tableware that were used by royalty for everyday meals, as well as important state affairs. Among the 7,000 items in the collection are cooking pans from the Court Kitchen, baking tins from the Court Confectionery, and centerpieces of gilt bronze used by Napoleon I and Queen Victoria.
Our final stop was at The Imperial Treasury, which originally had me thinking it was a bank. Instead, the Treasury consists of 21 rooms and contains a collection of rare treasures that were acquired by the Habsburg monarchy over the course of centuries. It contains the insignia and jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Crown Jewels, the treasury of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and one of the world's largest emeralds.
Also on display were two "inalienable heirlooms" of the House of Austria: a giant narwhal tooth thought to be the horn of a unicorn and the Agate Bowl which many believed to be the legendary Holy Grail.
Despite the excessive wealth of many of her rulers, Vienna is very much a city that can be enjoyed by the everyday man -- not to mention four lucky travelers from the Midwest.
As the final stop on our three-city trip, I remember Vienna for the simple things we did -- the romantic atmosphere of the Werner Welser heuriger, the wonderful vegetables, cheeses and meats found at the Naschmarkt, and our carriage ride through the Ringstrasse, Museum Quarter and Old City.
I was surprised by the "familiarity" of the people and food in Vienna. After our brief stay in Prague, where the language and currency was so strange, it was a relief to "come home" to the German/Austrian lebensweise.
As with our trip to Paris the previous summer, traveling through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria opened my eyes to a way of life that is so different than my own. I realize that we are experiencing the best parts of each city we visit, and that everyday life doesn't include carriage rides and trips to famous museums. And we weren't beat down with the daily rituals of life -- the loneliness of a subway ride, the demands of a customer who wants the impossible, or the struggle to provide for a growing family.
Which simply proves one thing. No matter where you live, there are beautiful things to see and people to enjoy. The simple fact that you see it everyday shouldn't mean you ignore it. And for that reminder, I will forever be grateful for our trip to Europe.
Auf Wiedersehen for now!
