Vienna: Of Castles & Opera on a Wintry Day
With flurries of snow over the grey Danube at breakfast, we could hardly believe how suddenly the weather had changed from Indian summer to winter! The trees on the quay were still rustling with glorious red and green foliage, and the brilliant Virginia creeper, called wild wine in German, enlivened the stone walls. Due to heavy traffic in the center of the city, we took the autobahn ring around the city, which offered us amazing views of four enormous round brick industrial structures reconstructed as student apartments and archives. There was also dramatic new architecture and a view down the great woods of the lengthy Prater Park.
Schönbrunn Castle, the summer residence of the Archduchess and Queen Maria Theresa, offered her 16 children the freedom and delights seldom to be enjoyed in the Imperial Hofburg in the city. The Palace, with its 1441 chambers, was in many ways modeled after Versailles, including a great Hall of Mirrors and expansive gardens. Even the oldest European zoo is still located here, but we joined tourists from around the world in keeping our grand tour to the castle in such inclimate weather.
As we marveled at the Schönbrunn chandeliers, our guide shared some particular historical insights. The lighting of the innumerable candles was accomplished by means of a clever trick. The chandeliers were prepared with string leading from one candlewick to the next, so that when the time for lighting came, only the first could be lit, with the fire spreading magically along the string to all the others! It wasn’t so easy to replace a candle with guests dancing in the hall, so the length of the candle determined the length of the festivity. This was yet another way to reduce costs, if that were even an issue during the eras of divine rulership.
Of particular beauty were the floors of elaborate parquetry, a black Chinoiserie paravent, as well as Chinese porcelain in blue and white. It seems that the Chamber of Millions with walls covered by Indian miniatures in Rococo frames was so-called due to the expenses involved in its construction.
After the charming pastoral marionette show to Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Serenade) and the delicious Apfelstrudel demonstration and tasting accompanied by a welcome hot mocha coffee, we returned to the city past the Naschmarkt with its endless variety of vegetables and exotic grocery products. There the Jugendstil or Art nouveau architecture of the Majolica House and the uniform iron railings above the tiny Wien River were also admired. According to individual interests, guests visited the Art Historical Museum, the Hundertwasser House, the Imperial Treasuries, Demel’s Café, the Butterfly House, the Opera Museum, and the Leopold Museum, just to name a few of the attractive entertainments offered on a free afternoon in Vienna.
About half our expedition guests participated in an optional evening at the Vienna State Opera with a brilliant performance of Giacomo Puccini’s well loved opera La Bohème from 1895. For some an opera first, for others a noteworthy repeat of a familiar opera, the event proved to be a highlight of the cruise, for the extraordinary singing by the young international cast, as well as for the colorful and opulent sets and staging by Franco Zeffirelli from several decades ago. The contrast between the impoverished bohemian flat, the dashing Parisian café and fair scenes, and the mysterious fog and snow settings were unforgettable.
Our promenade through the opera’s historicist buffet and grand staircase in the Ring Boulevard style dating from 1869 brought home the contrast with the modern reconstruction of the opera auditorium after WWII. In this performance during the Vienna State Opera’s 140th season, we also saw movie stars and Austrian political dignitaries. Vienna remains memorable for a multitude of pleasures as we set sail late in the night for Bratislava.
