Thursday was a holiday in Austria (Corpus Christi). What does that have to do today in the Trafik? More than one would think. When a holiday in Austria falls on a Thursday then many people in Vienna take a “Fenstertag” or “window day” and leave town for a four-day weekend. This leaves behind in the city people like me, who have no family to visit in, say, Salzburg, and those who have to work.
This was clearly visible in the Trafik this morning. Usually, there are a lot of people in and out on a Saturday morning. Many, like me, are picking up their newspaper to be read during a leisurely breakfast. Today only a few came in and all of them bought cigarettes but no newspapers, apparently on their way to work. Maylo and I stayed for a while and chatted with the Trafikantin, which we otherwise never get the chance to do, before wending our way home for breakfast.
I love Vienna when half the population is out of town. 🙂
Things that aren’t happening that are a reminder of the pandemic: the annual May Day parades organized by the Social Democrats, a political force to be reckoned with in Vienna. Today the street outside my window is quiet. No brass bands are playing as the loyal SPÖ members make their way to the City Hall to celebrate this international day of blue-collar workers. Instead here is at least a photo of the flags I saw on our morning walk:
That is the word that, for me, describes the mood in Vienna this Easter weekend. It’s common to have little traffic in Vienna at this time of year because so many people who live in Vienna go back to their hometowns to celebrate Easter with their families. This year, this kind of traveling around is being discouraged to prevent the virus traveling with people. This means that there are more residents in the city than there ordinarily would be, but we all seem to be maintaining a respectful quietness. Yesterday and perhaps today I would have expected some loud music at least, but we seem to be quite subdued.
It’s been a while since I’ve written about Vanillekipferln. For anyone who has not taken my word for how important Vanillekipferln are to the Viennese at Christmas let me quote a statistic from the Kurier: 71% of Austrians think of Vanillekipferln when they think of Christmas cookies. In Vienna I suspect that percentage is even higher. (I don’t have a sense that Vanillekipferln are quite as central to Christmas in Tirol and Vorarlberg, for example.) 😉
In any case, Merry Christmas to all my readers who celebrate Christmas!
ecbinvienna 