Wien

Several years ago with my family, I went on a trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria that lives on in my memory as one of the best trips I have ever taken. That trip stoked my wanderlust into a frenzy and is probably one of the main reasons I love traveling so much today.

During that trip we made just a quick jaunt into Austria. Salzburg was, as I recall, a very beautiful town. Even then, it seemed that Austria was a very elegant place filled with castles, old impossibly detailed architecture, and of course a lot of Mozart. At the end of the trip, my grandfather remarked that he wished we could have gone to Vienna, but it was too far away, and we were off again to some other incredible destinations in the area.

On my latest trip, I finally got around to seeing Vienna - a place that people have talked up so much in my life I had doubts that it was even a real place at all. Finally I would be able to experience this magical place. My experience in Vienna was somewhat bittersweet. We arrived to the city at a time in which, apparently, everything was being renovated. Almost every beautiful old building and gigantic landmark was wrapped in scaffolds, undergoing either cleaning or else some other restoration work.

This was most evident in St. Stephen's Square, home of the massive and amazing St. Stephen's Cathedral. Though the amazing tile-patterned roof and the gigantic spire were visible, much of the lower portions of the cathedral were shrouded in scaffolds and a protective covering that oddly enough had massive pictures of the place that stood behind it. I thought this was funny because so often we go see a place in person because the pictures don't do it justice, and here stood the structure - itself basically a huge picture. Still, visiting there gave some sense of the scale, and the visible portions of the spire and walls gave a fleeting idea of the amount of detail present on the surface. It also made me shudder at how hard it must be to clean it all. The top half of the cathedral has been cleaned and restored, a beautiful white stone masterpiece, while the bottom half is covered in soot and ash. I am sure that when all the restoration is done it will blow people away.


One place that wasn't covered in scaffolding was the beautiful Belvedere Palace, now housing a massive art museum and home to some of the world's most expensive paintings (such as a collection of original Klimt masterworks, such as his famous "the Kiss"). The gardens outside are immaculate and the paintings lining the inside of the building aren't so bad themselves. Funnily enough, the lobby of the building was being restored, though all of the paintings were available for viewing.


Mostly, we wandered the streets of Vienna, gawking at the beauty and luxury of it all. In Bulgaria, many of the structures are visibly worn and falling apart, or else very utilitarian and gray. It was a great pleasure therefore, to just walk around in a city in which most of the streets look like this:


One exception is this oddity by Friedrich Hundertwasser - the HundertwasserHaus and Kunst Haus Wien. Hundertwasser was an architect who believed that the current course of modern architecture was sucking the soul and creativity out of city dwellers. He sought to change that by creating buildings that are vibrant and green. The interiors of the buildings all feature uneven floors made of different materials because he believed that architecture isn't just about the look and function of a building, but a complete sensory experience. The block of apartments is covered in plants, some of which grow freely out of the windows (apparently in order to clean the air around the building), and the exterior is made to be as visually stimulating as possible.


It seems the city of Vienna has always shared Hundertwasser's view that the city's landscape should be as stimulating as possible. The old town area contains hundreds of ornate and historic buildings, concentrated in an area you can cover in just a few hours. But doing that defeats the point. Vienna is a place in which people are made to slow down and enjoy their surrounding, and indeed life itself. Life has always been good here, and the mood of the people and the atmosphere around town reflect that.


Vienna really is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I didn't get that view from just the architecture and the landmarks, since many of them were hidden at the time. Even though much of the city was being renovated when I went there, the whole feel of the place was something that really touched me. The renovations themselves show how much pride the Austrians have in their most important city. More important though was the whole vibe of the place. It attracts visitors from all over the world, but still retains a sophisticated yet laid back charm. I'll defintiely be back in the future. Maybe then, when the renovations are complete, the city will surprise me all over again.