I haven't been out of the country in nearly two years, which is just far too long for someone with my attention span. It was about time for me to get wandering again, and luckily my mom was itching to get over to Europe and visit the land of her people for the first time. But it came with a catch -- before we got to Germany to visit my grandma's hometown and do some genealogical research, we had to spend a week on a river cruise in the Danube through Austria.
What a sacrifice.
We embarked in Vienna, which is pretty much the coolest city in the whole world. On our first day, we were carefully shepherded downtown to Vienna's famous shopping district in a bus by an enthusiastic Austrian woman wearing a microphone headset and waving an enormous yellow flag that said "Avalon River Cruise" but might as well have said "Easy Pickings". I forwent the provided headset in favor of a single earbud and did my best to pass myself off as a local student. It wasn't too hard, since I'd done my research on Austria fashion, but I certainly looked odd tailing along near my tour group of elderly Midwesterners. They walked us through some of the older and more notable streets of the city, past palaces, museums, and a set of luxurious stables, all while pointing out a never-ending series of statues of Empress Marie Therese's never-ending brood of children. I was totally delighted by a massive sculpture of the empress herself atop a giant pillar in the middle of massive plaza, looking for all the world like a Roman emperor in a massive flowing robe, bearing a scepter, orb, and stern expression. It occurred to me that I had never seen a woman sculpted like that before. It also occurred to me that I would very much like to be empress of something.
We visited St. Stephen's Cathedral, one of the oldest and grandest structures in the city, before continuing to wander in the general direction of the Hotel Sacher in search of its eponymous torte. The infamous Sachertorte is a staple of European and American cuisine -- it's a simple but elegant cake, make from one layer of chocolate sponge and one layer of chocolate mousse, all coated in a thin layer of rich, bittersweet ganache. It goes fabulously well with an espresso. Mom and I sat in the patio of the Hotel Sacher (fun fact - sitting outside costs less that sitting inside a restaurant in central Europe) on charming, red and white Victorian era furniture and enjoyed a very dense but delicious slice of cake and an espresso, reading the little cards full of historical information that sit at a jaunty angle in each puff of whipped cream. I felt very European.
In the afternoon, we visited the opulent Schloss Schönbrunn, the summer palace of Empress Marie Therese and her millions of royal offspring. She had originally intended for it to rival Versailles, complete with expansive gardens, thousands of lavish rooms, and gold leaf on literally everything. When her advisers told her she simply couldn't afford to rival Versailles, she settled for 1,440 Roccoco-style rooms surrounded by extensive rose gardens, orchards, manicured lawns, fountains, fake Roman ruins, outdoor cafes, botanical mazes, and a zoo. It even has a stunning Great Gallery dripping with gilded furnishes and idealized portraits of the Empress, which was so full of bright lights and shiny gold and large mirrors and windows that I couldn't help but think of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
After a spectacular and spectacularly long day, we were treated to a lovely chamber orchestra concert, complete with opera singers, ballet dancers, and a love triangle. True to the history of the City of Music, they played works by some of Austria's favorite sons, including Johann Strauss' "Die Fledermaus", Mozart's "Rondo alla Turca", and of course, the "Blue Danube Waltz". As a classically trained musician, I was in my Eden.
It was a very busy day, trying to cram everything Vienna has to offer into 12 hours. As I spent the evening lying in my bed on the boat, enjoying the gentle rocking as we glided up the peaceful Danube, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to be back in Vienna.