Today was our first full day in Vienna - and the jet lag has caught up to us! Our first order of business today was 'mastering' the U-bahn, Vienna's efficient subway. Compared to subways the world over, Vienna's is by far the cleanest. The one challenge, however, that has dually and very pronouncedly presented itself is the language barrier. I study languages, and the romantic languages are the direct descendants of both Latin and Greek so they tend to be a bit easier to grasp. However, the German language is so vastly different, that even the phrases of mere common courtesy are vague and unfamiliar. The necessary questions that arise in one's day, much less in navigating a new city and new foods, arenever correctly asked or answered. This inability to converse and this forced state of dependence on another's mercy is by all means frustrating.
Arriving at the Austro-America Institute, we were shown our classroom: a beautiful building established as a post-World War I cultural center by Anna Freud, among others. After a morning of introductions and logistics, we were free to explore. My roommate, Sidney, and I decided to start walking - essentially we were determined to get lost among the grandeur and luster of Vienna.
Our first stop, the Stadtpark. The largest attraction was the gilded statue of Johann Strauss II. However, due to the large
amount of tourists surrounding said statue, we continued walking along the canal, and among the gardens. From this beginning, we decided to walk the Ringstrasse in its entirety - this 3 mile boulevard encircles the 1st district of Vienna - the old city. Reinfried had told us that the majority of the grand buildings were located on this street - including the buildings once inhabited by the Habsburgs. We followed the main road, past the grand Imperial Hotel. Then along the canal we started to venture into the side streets to avoid the tourists. There we found gardens and courtyards and cafes, all tucked alongside streets and up stairways. Every street we followed led us to more and more beautiful parks and buildings. We made it as far as Rudolfplatz in the 9th district before the
need for pastries hit us. We stopped at Aida - a Cafe-Konditorei - and had the most wonderful apfelstrudel. Wandering back into the 1st district and continuing along the Ringstrasse, we stumbled upon an old baroque church, set amidst a tree-filled park. Making our way further around, we could see the buildings of the Habsburgs looming ahead.
their religion and their churches were filled with the pride of Habsburg gold and power. The quiet common streets were, and are still now, an outward rebellion of the oppression inflicted upon the citizens by the monarchy which surrounded them and became a direct contrast to the luxury of those in power; they are a testimony to the attitudes of the people then, and serve as a reminder of Vienna's past.
Another interesting note - as we were walking around the Ringstrasse - there was an evident influence of Greek culture infused with the architecture. This may be due in a large part to Ferdinand I, who in 1541 countered the rapidly gorwing Protestant movement with a 'reconversion to Rome,' appointing Jesuits to pursue the humanities which studied classical Greek and Latin. From Athena and her surrounding cohorts at the Vienna Parliament, to the old gymnasium building across from our apartment, one can sense the influence of Greek mythology and wisdom.
Today's German Word:
Verdienen - 'to earn'
Our first stop, the Stadtpark. The largest attraction was the gilded statue of Johann Strauss II. However, due to the large
amount of tourists surrounding said statue, we continued walking along the canal, and among the gardens. From this beginning, we decided to walk the Ringstrasse in its entirety - this 3 mile boulevard encircles the 1st district of Vienna - the old city. Reinfried had told us that the majority of the grand buildings were located on this street - including the buildings once inhabited by the Habsburgs. We followed the main road, past the grand Imperial Hotel. Then along the canal we started to venture into the side streets to avoid the tourists. There we found gardens and courtyards and cafes, all tucked alongside streets and up stairways. Every street we followed led us to more and more beautiful parks and buildings. We made it as far as Rudolfplatz in the 9th district before the need for pastries hit us. We stopped at Aida - a Cafe-Konditorei - and had the most wonderful apfelstrudel. Wandering back into the 1st district and continuing along the Ringstrasse, we stumbled upon an old baroque church, set amidst a tree-filled park. Making our way further around, we could see the buildings of the Habsburgs looming ahead. The Habsburg dynasty ruled from 1526 to 1804, with power constantly fluctuating between Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia. The Habsburgs also succeeded in creating a 'marriage-bed' monarchy, creating alliances and furthering their power through the terms of marriage with other countries. The Habsburgs created the most perfect vision of an absolute monarchy - and the architecture only furthers their supposed divine right to rule. Throughout the city, and especially along our walk on the Ringstrasse, the tension and pull between the city and the crown, as Spielman (The City and Crown) has coined it, is dramatically evident. The domination of the crown was intended to be seen from every window, a goal which has been accomplished. Amidst the tall gilded building of the government, the university and the palaces, there lie modest streets, where citizens dwell, who at one point were not only made to submit to the monarchy, but were smothered by its physical presence rising up around them. Furthermore, the Habsburgs' attempt to justify their right to rule through the church only led to a strong connection between 'throne and alter.' Thus, not only were the daily citizens made to dwell in meager conditions while surrounded by luxury, but even
their religion and their churches were filled with the pride of Habsburg gold and power. The quiet common streets were, and are still now, an outward rebellion of the oppression inflicted upon the citizens by the monarchy which surrounded them and became a direct contrast to the luxury of those in power; they are a testimony to the attitudes of the people then, and serve as a reminder of Vienna's past.Another interesting note - as we were walking around the Ringstrasse - there was an evident influence of Greek culture infused with the architecture. This may be due in a large part to Ferdinand I, who in 1541 countered the rapidly gorwing Protestant movement with a 'reconversion to Rome,' appointing Jesuits to pursue the humanities which studied classical Greek and Latin. From Athena and her surrounding cohorts at the Vienna Parliament, to the old gymnasium building across from our apartment, one can sense the influence of Greek mythology and wisdom.
Today's German Word:
Verdienen - 'to earn'
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