Here's the most important thing to remember about Vienna on Sundays: it shuts down.
Museums and McDonald's are about the only things that are open. Which is halfway ok. And when the museums to be seen are the Belvedere and Mozarthaus, it makes up for the fact that a Royale with Cheese from McDonald's is still there to be had.
The Upper Belvedere is an amazing art museum in the former summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy, built after a successful campaign against the Serbians (can't argue with that). It has a good proportion of Austrian artists, including more Schiele and Klimt, which made us all happy, especially when considering what is perhaps Klimt's most famous painting, The Kiss:
After a pastries and coffee break, our little rag-tag group split off for some individualized Vienna-ization. Connor headed for the local churches, Wendy to the Freud Museum, and I was able to complete my pilgrimage to the Mozarthaus. This unassuming little building of flats houses the apartment that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart rented from 1784 to 1787, during which time he wrote some of his most famous pieces, including "The Marriage of Figaro." Needless to say, I was dorking out. Bigtime.
I even bought a copy of the libretto from Don Giovanni. It was amazing. And when I found a postcard that advertised where Mozart's grave was, at the St. Marx Cemetery, I knew that I was on a Blues Brothersian "mission from God" to find his gravesite.
Unfortunately, the weather, winding roads, and a poor map all conspired to send me wandering around a most residential part of Vienna for 30 minutes before I returned to the Metro, soaked and succumbed to the fate of my unsuccessful mission. Such is how it goes. Time to head back to the hostel and do the laundry that I so desperately need to wash.
Vienna shuts down. Except for the best Chinese restaurant I've been to in quite some time. Wendy, who taught English in Shanghai for a year, said that we ate the most authentic Chinese meal she's had since she left China. I think that's high praise.
Vienna shuts down. Except for the hostel bar, the WomBar. And you'll have to excuse the pay-channel language, but the only way to describe Sunday night was a shit show. Here's the cast of characters:
Vaughn - named in homage to the character on NBC's hit show, Community. Dreadlocks, cargo shorts, steals sandals from girls in bar and then promptly holds them hostage.
Ransom = 1 kiss.
San FranCISco!!! - as soon as he found out we were from California, those words were all we could get out of him. Dancing fool. Going crazy and drops his drink and glass shatters all over floor. Staff does nothing to clean this up. Continues dancing. Slips and falls and in breaking his fall, gashes his hand open on the glass from his dropped drink. Goes to bathroom and returns with hand wrapped in paper towel. Continues dancing.
Serb - really doesn't have much to say to us once he finds out we're Americans.
The Pantsless Wonder - shows up into bar in boxer briefs. Friend has shorts. Doesn't bother to get shorts from friend. Just makes out with girl who he didn't seem to know 30 seconds before walking into bar (pantsless).
The Object of Affection - 30-ish woman being danced around by pretty much everyone else already mentioned. Several men are trying to spend some quality time with her. She's just there to have a drink and maybe dance a little bit.
Also of note, the WomBar is nothing even remotely close to a place to dance. Dancing is not the best idea there. It may go without saying that we just sat back, laughed, and played "Your Team." That is, until the blood splattered one of us and we decided that biohazardous materials were not worth the entertainment.
Museums and McDonald's are about the only things that are open. Which is halfway ok. And when the museums to be seen are the Belvedere and Mozarthaus, it makes up for the fact that a Royale with Cheese from McDonald's is still there to be had.
The Upper Belvedere is an amazing art museum in the former summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy, built after a successful campaign against the Serbians (can't argue with that). It has a good proportion of Austrian artists, including more Schiele and Klimt, which made us all happy, especially when considering what is perhaps Klimt's most famous painting, The Kiss:
After a pastries and coffee break, our little rag-tag group split off for some individualized Vienna-ization. Connor headed for the local churches, Wendy to the Freud Museum, and I was able to complete my pilgrimage to the Mozarthaus. This unassuming little building of flats houses the apartment that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart rented from 1784 to 1787, during which time he wrote some of his most famous pieces, including "The Marriage of Figaro." Needless to say, I was dorking out. Bigtime.
I even bought a copy of the libretto from Don Giovanni. It was amazing. And when I found a postcard that advertised where Mozart's grave was, at the St. Marx Cemetery, I knew that I was on a Blues Brothersian "mission from God" to find his gravesite.
Unfortunately, the weather, winding roads, and a poor map all conspired to send me wandering around a most residential part of Vienna for 30 minutes before I returned to the Metro, soaked and succumbed to the fate of my unsuccessful mission. Such is how it goes. Time to head back to the hostel and do the laundry that I so desperately need to wash.
Vienna shuts down. Except for the best Chinese restaurant I've been to in quite some time. Wendy, who taught English in Shanghai for a year, said that we ate the most authentic Chinese meal she's had since she left China. I think that's high praise.
Vienna shuts down. Except for the hostel bar, the WomBar. And you'll have to excuse the pay-channel language, but the only way to describe Sunday night was a shit show. Here's the cast of characters:
Vaughn - named in homage to the character on NBC's hit show, Community. Dreadlocks, cargo shorts, steals sandals from girls in bar and then promptly holds them hostage.
Ransom = 1 kiss.
San FranCISco!!! - as soon as he found out we were from California, those words were all we could get out of him. Dancing fool. Going crazy and drops his drink and glass shatters all over floor. Staff does nothing to clean this up. Continues dancing. Slips and falls and in breaking his fall, gashes his hand open on the glass from his dropped drink. Goes to bathroom and returns with hand wrapped in paper towel. Continues dancing.
Serb - really doesn't have much to say to us once he finds out we're Americans.
The Pantsless Wonder - shows up into bar in boxer briefs. Friend has shorts. Doesn't bother to get shorts from friend. Just makes out with girl who he didn't seem to know 30 seconds before walking into bar (pantsless).
The Object of Affection - 30-ish woman being danced around by pretty much everyone else already mentioned. Several men are trying to spend some quality time with her. She's just there to have a drink and maybe dance a little bit.
Also of note, the WomBar is nothing even remotely close to a place to dance. Dancing is not the best idea there. It may go without saying that we just sat back, laughed, and played "Your Team." That is, until the blood splattered one of us and we decided that biohazardous materials were not worth the entertainment.
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