Trinken, Essen, und Kultur

Our last days in Vienna have been spent doing what most tourists here do:  drinking, eating and taking in the rich culture of music, churches and history.

Let's start with the food and drink part.  Friday evening, we ate at a restaurant called Zwolf Apostelkeller (or the 12 Apostle's Celler).  This place is quite a unique place to go and with quite a history.  From the website we learned:

Three underground floors which are up to 18m in depth protect moments of history. The origins of the building go as far back as the Romanesque and Gothic period with evidence from the year 1339. The masonry of the “Brunnenkeller” (well cellar) which uses stoneblocks characteristc of the period from about 1100.
The large gothic arch in the upper floor dates back to the year 1500. After its destruction the house was rebuilt in 1561 and was restored with early barock styled gothic arches in the Brunnenkeller. The foundation stone in the “Brunnenkeller” is engraved with the year 1561.
In war times, for example the Turkish sieges of 1529 and 1683 the lower floors were used as places of refuge. From this time the completely preserved Gothic “Brunnenstube” (dining room) in the cellar was the water source for the refugees. 
The preseved Barock façade was designed by Viennese Architect Lucas von Hildebrandt between 1716 – 1721 and is still one of Viennas most beautiful facades. The house is named after Hildebrant and is a listed building. The house is also known as “Elloisches Haus”. In the building on the first floor there is a “Volutensprenggiebel” (gable arch) with a statue of our Lady of Mariazell with inscrition and chronogram (1717). On September 8, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI visited Mariazell to celebrate a religious service (Vesper) on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the basillica. At this point all sacred sites of Our Lady of Mariazell were blessed which includes the “Zwölf-Apostelkeller”.

While it gets pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor, I can't say the food is that great but the live music and atmosphere certainly make up for it.  For dinner, we both had Austria's famous dish, Tafelspitz (boiled beef) which apparently Franz Joseph (of the iconic Habsburgs) liked so much he had it daily.  For us, I think one time was more than enough!  For dessert, I had Kaiserschmarren, a sort of scrambled pancake.  I have ordered this in Bavaria quite often and this version didn't live up to its Bayern cousin!  Kath had the traditional Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel). 
  

The following day (Saturday) our emphasis was more on culture (although some drink and food were also involved!).  As many of you know, my sister is a classically trained church organist.  Vienna has more that its fair share of churches and, as we have wandered around this city, we have stopped in to see many of them.  She had noticed there was going to be an organ concert Saturday afternoon in Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church).  She really liked the look of the program and most of the selections were ones she also plays.  So, that was our first stop.  The interior of this church is very ornate and, surprisingly for me, I quite enjoyed the concert; of course, Kath loved it.  While the concert was free, donations were eagerly accepted and we each gave 10 Euros.  

Following the concert, we walked over to the Staatoper (City Opera House) to take the 3 pm guided tour.  The entrance fee for seniors was only 7 Euros.  This tour was very good with lots of interesting information.

It started in the main auditorium where the stage crew (apparently around 250 people are employed in that role) were setting up for Fidelio which was being performed this evening.  The cool thing about the opera was, not only a large range in ticket prices from a few Euros up to more than €200 but also there is an outside screen set up for many of the performance where people can sit outside and watch it for free.  This evening would have been perfect given that by late afternoon the temperature was about 30 degrees.  We learned that the building had been built 150 years ago but the auditorium and much of the back of it had been destroyed by bombs in WWII.  The auditorium seats (I think) about 2000 people and wasn’t as ornate as I expected it to be. 

There are two important dates of note.  On Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) each year there is a grand ball which includes about 150 debutantes (girls from 18 to 24) who must apply.  One criterion for being accepted is knowing how to do the Viennese waltz (apparently that involves turning a different way than a normal waltz).  Also, hundreds of people attend and it starts late in the evening and goes until early in the morning.  It lasts about 7 hours and some of the tickets are for standing only!  Hmm!  Don’t think I could handle that.  The video we watched made it looked very “belle epoque” and lavish! 

The other thing we learned (or one more I remember anyway) is that, on the first Sunday in each September, it is possible to get a ticket to attend an “atelier” in the Opera House where people can see how wigs are made as well as some of the costumes.  Apparently, there are over 180,000 costumes owned by the Opera House and most are stored off site.  Also, some of them are shared with the Volksopera and another theatre. 

In one of the rooms, there is a statue of Gustav Mahler which was done by Rodin.  It is the most valuable piece in the building.  Mahler changed a lot of the way traditional operas were presented including introducing the idea of “professional” clappers and more movement on stage to make the opera less boring. 

Statue of Gustav Mahler by Rodin given to the Opera by Mahler's wife

Portrait of Mahler

Finally, our guide told us of two performances here of note.  Pavorotti performed here when the new building was reopened and again much later in his career.  During his last performance here, he received an applause which lasted 80 minutes!  Also, Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fontaine performed here and they received 86 curtain calls which, apparently, is a Guinness world record.

So, that was our day of "culture" in Vienna and our last day here.  The temperature was so hot that it made doing much more almost impossible.  We didn't even do the 30 minute walk back to the hotel but opted, instead, for a taxi.  Tomorrow (Sunday) we take a midday train to Prague which is our last stop before Kath flies home and I continue on.