Austria

Vienna as everyone knows is classical music (and chocolate cake!) heaven. Two of my favorite things. After long research days in the library, I “treated” myself to a 3 euro standing ticket to see Tosca in the Vienna Opera House and a concert of assorted Mozart pieces at the Philharmonic. Both were exceptional concerts in exquisite buildings. At Tosca, the stage set changed after every act, and the entire audience let out a synchronized gasp at the incredible stage for the final act.

                                                     The beautiful interior of the opera house:

And the Philharmonic: 

I was fortunate enough to spend Catholic Eastertime in Vienna. Every shop and department store window had incorporated Easter eggs or chickens into their display which made walking around Vienna in its blistery weather much more enjoyable. When the rain subsided I headed off to Schloss Schönbrunn for its giant Easter market stock full of homemade Austrian souvenirs, Easter eggs, and delicious Austrian street food.

Per my friend Kristen’s suggestion, I got a sumptuous crumbled waffle with plum filling called Zwetschgenkompott. Forgive how unfocused the photo is; I was too excited about eating it.

On Orthodox Lazarus Saturday, I went with my lovely hosts, Dima and Yulia, to the Orthodox chapel in the Zentralfriedhof Cemetery to celebrate its feast day and explore the cemetery, resting place of many composers including Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, and Schubert.

On Catholic Easter, I walked out to the Lichtental Church where Schubert was baptized in 1797 and later wrote many pieces for use in the church. The church’s Easter mass included Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Schubert’s Regina Coeli, and finally Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus beautifully performed by professional musicians and the church choir. Note: this was my first Catholic mass that wasn’t a wedding. They also had pew seat warmers. I was thoroughly impressed.

On my way out of Vienna, I stopped at the State Hall of the Austrian National Library for a glimpse of the beautiful library built in 1726. The library was commissioned by Emperor Charles VI and therefore it is only fitting that the beautiful frescos on the ceiling, right above the marble statue of him, are meant to illustrate his deification as emperor.

My next stop in Austria was Mozart’s Birthplace- Salzburg where I unfortunately came down with a nasty cold and wasn’t able to do much for the first few days except sit in my hostel and feel sorry for myself. Thankfully, on my last day I was feeling a bit better and went on a Sound of Music tour through Salzburg and the Bavarian Lake region. I opted for a smaller van tour than a huge bus one and spent the day with our Austrian guide and three Filipino sisters. As we drove through the mountains, our guide told us stories of the real Von Trapp family as well as anecdotes from the shooting of the film, all while playing the SOM soundtrack in the background. Here are a few sites from our SOM pilgrimage:

 The gazebo wasn't actually used for the famous Ralph and Liezl scene (that was done in a studio) because it was too small but was still used on set in many scenes.

The church used for the filming of the wedding scene.

The gnome from the film in the gardens that also had the "Do-Re-Mi" steps.

After driving through the Bavarian Lake district with the Sound of Music soundtrack playing in the background, we stopped in Hallstatt, a beautiful town nestled into the mountainside, for lunch.

I ended the day by finally trying apple strudel on my last day in Austria. I can say without reservation it is really all it’s cracked up to be.