ecbinvienna

There are over two pages in today’s Kurier about the decision of the Music Director of the State Opera, Franz Welser-Möst, to step down, with comments from the current General Director, the former General Director, the head of the holding company for the national theaters, and the Ministry of Culture. There is even a message of solidarity to the General Director from the chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, saying that the orchestra, from whose members the Vienna State Opera Orchestra is assembled, will do whatever it can to make sure that performances go ahead as planned. Not excessive, I think, in a city where, I have read, the Viennese, even those who had never set foot inside, stood in the streets in tears watching the Opera burn after it was hit by a bomb on 12 March 1945, so ironically close to the end of the war.  According to my 1987 Fodor’s guide, “… the Viennese made it one of their first priorities … to rebuild their beloved Opera.” Vienna, Fodor’s goes on to point out, “… is a city where opera is taken very, very seriously. “

I arrived very early for a course I’m attending today which gave me some time to take a look at this park. It was almost certainly carved out of a space created by a bomb in the Second World War. Klein aber fein, as one says in German. Small but fine.

There is a period in May and June in Austria when almost every week seems to have a holiday in it–Easter, May 1st, Ascension, Whitsun or Pentecost, and Corpus Christi. Today is Pentecost Monday (so one more to go :-)) and Mylo and I are in the park. Gradually we have been joined by the women, mainly from Hungary this time, who live rent-free in the miniscule porters’ lodges in the gracious old buildings around us in return for cleaning the stairwells, halls, and pavements in front of the buildings. I write this not out of speculation, nor because I am able to eavesdrop in Hungarian. They are women I have seen in action, wearing their cheap house dresses in synthetic materials, wielding their buckets and mops. This could almost be Vienna of 100 years ago, at the tail end of the monarchy.

And Conchita won!

Well do I remember the visit about 20 years ago of two cousins who were on a macrobiotic diet. In those days, you could hardly find a vegetarian restaurant in Vienna and finding one that didn’t rely heavily on the excellent variety of Austrian cheeses was beyond us. We cooked a lot at home and my cousins made some exceptions. Suddenly, the word of the hour is vegan. It’s in all the newspapers and a number of vegan eateries have opened. On my way home just now I saw one of the oldest bakery chains in Vienna advertising that they offer 40 products “auf rein pflanzlicher Basis”–in other words, made from only vegetable-based ingredients (it sounds more appetizing in German, somehow)–and therefore, as they pointed out, suitable for vegans. That is quite a switch!

Poppies in April? At this latitude? A bit weird. But beautiful.

Bright blue sky, sun, warm but not too hot, with a caressing breeze. Very few people are out and about yet, and those who are are relaxed and peaceable, walking their dogs, picking up fresh rolls from the bakery for breakfast, or setting out in a leisurely fashion for a hike or bike ride. Perfect.

I think the Viennese / Austrians have always known that they pay a lot in taxes. That may be the reason there is a flourishing under-the-table economy (I don’t want to call it a “black” or “shadow” economy) here.  On the other hand, I think they know that they also get a lot for their taxes  But I wonder what effect today’s headline in the Kurier will have: Austrians pay higher taxes than the Swedes. Demonstrations perhaps?

I had an unplanned visit to the dentist this morning. As I was coming up out of the underground at Meidling Hauptstraße (the Ruckergasse exit), I saw this:

I’m not a huge graffiti fan, but I thought this was really clever. I mean, you can’t help but see it as you walk up the stairs, and you can’t help but smile when you see it. And I am a huge smile fan.