Ok, as promised, here's the souvenirs about the trip that i made during the one week easter/ spring break (though i must state and insist here that spring this year is a pathetic fallacy. We went from the profound depths of winter to the blistering swelter of summer with only the briefest smiles of spring on us); shall entitle this little sejourn the Journey to the East, am really sorry for it being incredibly late. Anyways, we went there in search of enlightenment and respite from an otherwise cluttered and overwhelming parisian universe. The trip was over three legs, a tripartite triptych of sorts into e olde Österreich-Hungarian empire, a lost Bohemia in this modernity. Three places in all: Vienna, Bratislava and Prague. This entry will be on Vienna. Will put up as many pictures as i can but some of them have gone missing and are rather badly taken. i apologise for that. but no matter. and without picassa or photoshop, the photos here are al naturale, so yeah, critics of my photo taking, please reserve those comments to yourselves. absolument inutile.
The trip didn's start off on a really good note. On the way to the train station to catch the overnighter into Vienna, my water bottle chose that wonderful exact moment to leak. Irony loves company; my bag is waterproof, grace à Victorinox, but only when water flows from the outside in; treachery within the ranks was not accounted for in its manufacture. Hydrology wrecked it's course within the confines of my bag, it's tentacles of conformity slipping and sliding till it found the delicious electro-magnatique impulses of the motherboard, seizing it within it's watery inclines and, as they say, the rest is history. I only realised it when my jeans began to get drenched. And of all days, i did not put my laptop into its case because it was too bulky. great. ibm went for a swim and drowned. Murphy exacts his revenge. and so i'm now computerless, at the mercy of the school's slow machines and the grace of the generousity of friends. But that's not all; in Vienna, Char lost her wallet at the very first place that we stopped at, the Stephansdom Cathedrale. I swear it's Paris exacting her displeasure at our abandonment of her. PMS. must be.
But anyway, that was probably the only downside of the entire trip; having sunk so low, the only way to go is up.
In front of Stephansdom and its interior.
Like any good European city, Wien/ Vienna has got a central catherale, St Stephen's, around which the city is built. Was rather cluttered and stifled amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowds and sprawl around it. There was a mass in progress while i was there; having had as much difficulty understanding a sermon in French, hearing one in German was beyond the veils of incomprehension. Probably the only phrase i caught was "oh mein Gott" and "mein liebe Gott", that's about it. oh and "alleluia" and "amen", universal words them.
Another more impressive monument was the St Karlskirche or the church of St Charles. Lovely imposing structure, built sometime in the 16-1700s.
It's framed by two romanesque pillars atop which sit two angels; which ones they are, i'm not too sure. One of them has a sword though, so figure he's the angel of death, Azreel, or something like that. Better be a good boy then...not a good thing to have the angel of death staring down on you everytime you go for mass..disconcerting to say the least.
Interior of the church..altar is framed by pillars as well, which run to the ceiling.
Vienna is a small city, the old town occupies the heart of the city, around which a ring road encircles. The public transport system is efficient, clean and modern; the antithesis of the Parisian metro, the Austrian Gibreel to Paris' Shaitan. Oh the stark difference between the clean efficiency of a Bundesrepublik influenced nation and that of a Francophone. Sad but true, Vorsprung durch Technik rules anytime over la France.
Vienna was also the seat of power of the Hapsburg empire; here my European history fails me, just know that they were the rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire and thus unified much of the central blocs of Europe and eventually quashed Bohemia etc. Lasted till the end of the 19th century, I think. Anyway, there's the Hapsburg Palace to visit as well; a really lovely edifice in the centre of the city which today houses a plethora of organisations and the Vienna library. As we were there on a sunday, much of the places were closed, as expected. Opposite Hapsburg palace lay two massive museums and beside that, the awesome Parlement house.
Parlement House..sorry no better pics to show it's grandeur.
There's also a lovely museum quatier where the museums congregate to collectively regale you with their treasures and/ bore you to tears, depending on your inclination for old things.
Okay, have to head for class now..the next update will be on the Schonbrunn schloss, Gustav Klimt, all things mozart, and of course, the lovely danube river.
Vienna the city of music; just how much do they love their Mozarts and Schuberts?
This much:
eine toilet mit musik. best. =) Ich liebe Wien.
