Tuesday 17.8.2010
Went to class and discussed Calvinism (predestination) and the Ottoman Empire, but the discussion of Turks turned to a discussion of modern day European racism and immigrant policy. It seems Turkey meets all of the EU’s requirements for joining with flying colors (strong growing economy, honest efficient government, low national debt, &c.) but the EU refuses to let it join, probably for racist reasons. Turkey would be a much stronger economic partner than, say, Greece or Romania. We also talked about the Turkish immigrants all over Europe today. Immigrants are reproducing much more rapidly than Caucasians, and perhaps soon Caucasian will not be the dominant ethnicity, or culture, in Europe. Kathy saw a political poster (and later today I noticed it myself while walking around) that says, “Mehr Mut für unser ‚Wiener Blut. ‘ Zuviel Fremdes tut niemand gut.” Which translates “More courage for our “Viennese Blood.” Too much foreignness does noone good.” Disgustingly conservative. It is a slogan of the FPÖ political party, Austria’s extreme right wing party, which Beller (author of A Concise History of Austria) say is the party that all of the ex-Nazis joined after World War II. It’s got a history of disgustingly intolerant policies. After reading Beller, my favorite Austrian political party is the SPÖ, the social democrats and Austria’s left-wing party. But of course I swing liberal in the United States as well. Seems Haider, the terrible and secretly homosexual leader of the FPÖ, died in a traffic accident. So that’s nice.
After lecture Monica and I walked around and decided to visit the Peterskirche, which proved a superb idea as a pipe organ concert was occurring therein! And I mean the big pipe organ in the loft at the back of the church! It was amazing! I love pipe organs. Really a fortuitous coincidence. It was quite special, especially considering the lovely Baroque scenery we had to look at inside the church. Peterskirche is one of the plainer churches on the outside, but the most ornate within. I found it interesting that one sat in a pew facing away from the organ and couldn’t even see the organist. More glory to God, less to the musician?
Next we went to Hotel Sacher for, reputedly, the best coffee experience in the world. Sacher Torte (chocolate cake with apricot filling) is the most famous cake in Vienna, and of course Hotel Sacher has the most legitimate claim to having invented it. And what would Sacher Torte (mit schlag, it goes without saying) be without Sacher Kaffee, a coffee drink with chocolate liqueur? So perhaps the best (certainly the most renowned) coffee experience in Vienna. And as Vienna is the coffee culture capital of the world, I may have had the best coffee experience it is possible to have on this earth today. It set me back €12 plus tip, but it’s probably worth doing once if you’re in Vienna, especially if you’re a coffee fanatic. After this experience we sat and talked for a while, as befits one in Vienna. As Dom Ambros said yesterday of the Viennese coffee houses, “they never kick you out. You can literally sit there all day.”
World famous Sacher Torte and Sacher Kaffee.
After Hotel Sacher, we went to look at the Universität Wien, built in the Renaissance style (Enlightenment). There were no students but I really enjoyed walking around the building a bit. It’s beautiful inside and out. There are lots of busts of professors all around. I also snapped a photo of a Sonnenfels (advisor to Maria Theresia) bust. After the Uni we checked out the Votivkirche (adjacent to the university). I think it’s my favorite Viennese church. I really like the Gothic style, but it’s not as big and unmanageable as Stephansdom. Stephansdom just took too long to build, and it’s got different things all over the place. There’s just no motif. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Stephansdom and it takes my breath away, but every corner of the church is a little different. The Votivkirche has pleasing symmetry, still has its stained glass windows (I wish Stephansdom had retained them) and has a Gothic simplicity that appeals to me. Amazing, we got to hear yet another organ in the Votivkirche! It was not a performance on the main organ, as in Peterskirche, but a rehearsal on a smaller organ for a wedding. The organist and a trumpeter practiced the famous wedding march (think brides walking down the aisle in Hollywood films) and the Ave Maria. Beautiful. What are the odds of entering two famous, gorgeous Viennese churches in one day and hearing pipe organs in both of them? Wonderful. I am indeed fortunate.
We then took the U2 to Stadion, walked through the mall, and sat on these steps leading into the Danube for a while and talked. Some ducks and a Swan splashed about nearby. A few ships went by, creating waves in our little docklet. There is nothing quite like sitting in the non-touristy part of a European capital city, on the banks of its great river, and talking away the hours with a good friend. And it was indeed non-touristy. Stadion is the last stop on the U2, and we were sufficiently far from the historic heart of the city that I can be reasonably sure our quiet staircase was not bothered by foreigners. We only saw exercisers, dog-walkers and one giggling couple. I think they were all Viennese. It is nice to get away from the tourists and go somewhere the Viennese actually live and carry on their daily lives. Had we proceeded up or down the Danube very far I’m sure we would have seen something famous and grand, but our quiet little strip of river, opposite fishermen’s huts with their hanging nets, was quite nice.
We stopped by the exotic food store by the U-Bahn stop outside our apartment. No Austrian food! Interesting. Smelled uhm . . . different in there though. Anyway we got some naan and went home and made sandwiches and I wrote this and now I’m going to hit the bed. Tomorrow I think we tour the Belvedere, and I plan on returning to the Naschmarkt and showing Monica the inside of Stephansdom.
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