Back in Vienna--Culture Day One: Cafe Schwarzenburg and Fidelio

April 10

We had been away from our "home" for well over a week, so Wednesday morning was a time to regroup. We had a bunch of stuff at Shiri's that we had left there while on the trip, and the object of the game was to get all of that stuff, organize it, and get it back to our place in Vienna so that it was all together. We got up in the morning and decided to go for a run in the park right near where we were staying. It was such a pretty park--a lake in the middle and lots of trees; unfortunately spring had not yet hit the city, so the branches were still bare, but that gave us a better view of the lake. It was a hilly run, and felt good after having been pretty inactive. After the run, we took the train out to Purkersdorf, met Shiri and got a little tour of her school. What a very, very nice place it must have been to work in!!

Shiri's school from the outside

Her main classroom

Shiri still had to tutor, so we took everything back to our place (fortunately, our hostess is an accountant, and it being tax season, was hardly at home, and didn't mind our belongings strewn all over her apartment!) and went into the center of town to meet Margaret for coffee at the Cafe Schwarzenburg. Finally spring had arrived and it was an absolutely beautiful day! the sun was out, and you could feel the excitement of the native Viennese in the bustling streets, ice cream cones in people's hands, and full outdoor seating areas in the cafes. We were able to get an outdoor table, and knowing we were nearing the end of our stay went for the works--delicious Sacher Torte (with an extra order of "Schlag"--whipped cream) and fancy coffees for those who drink coffee. The food may be delicious, but I think if you were a regular you couldn't afford it very often--the bill for 3 drinks and 3 cakes came to over $40!!!

On the agenda for the evening was the Vienna State Opera--one of the most revered and fabulous opera companies in Europe. If you go at about 5:00 and stand in line until the box office opens at about 6:20 (an hour and 40 minutes before the performance), you can get standing spots for 4 Euros each!! This is what we did. These Viennese are so strict about their opera lines!! When we first walked in we left Shiri in line just to go out and snap some photos, and the guard, a rather dignified if grumpy old man, told us we would lose our place in line. I begged for 5 minutes, and given how early it was, he allowed it. But later on, when some people tried to join their friends who were already in line, he would have nothing of it, and there was NO arguing with him! So, we stood for almost 1 1/2 hours, then waited for another 1/2 hour or so to be herded like cats into the back of the orchestra section and the "Steh Plaetze" (standing spots): 6 or so rows of railings each spot with a small LCD screen which would later have the translation of the text. We were fortunate enough to squirm our way into the second, row, and the spots were staggered enough that even I could see the stage very well between the 2 extremely tall gentlemen in front of me. Here's the absurd: once you find your spot, you "mark" it with a scarf or tie or something else you can tie around it, and then are free to leave to eat or sit down somewhere until 8 when the performance starts. No one would dream of trying to take your spot!! So we reserved our spots, and found a supermarket across the street that sold sandwiches and a place where we could sit down (remember--we had already stood for almost 2 hours and the opera was over 3 hours long!!) and had a light supper. The opera was Beethoven's Fidelio--a true masterpiece, and the Vienna Opera can do Beethoven like no one else!! No screaming Wagnerian sopranos and tenors--just some amazing voices from the soloists to the mens chorus. It was magnificent. Beethoven wrote 4 versions of overtures to this opera, and they played all 4, at various times during the performance--the orchestra was incredible!! And the inside of the opera house--magnificent!! I will admit that my feet were burning and my back aching by the end, but it was an exhilarating, moving and wonderful performance. Well worth the time spent waiting for it (especially since it had been sold out for months!)

The grand staircase

In the lobby

Outside after the performance

By the time we got out, Shiri had just missed the 10:00 train to Purkersdorf, so we sat with her for a while outside the opera house, reliving the beauty of the past hours and Vienna in the evening before heading back for a well deserved nights sleep.