Vienna observations

We arrived in Vienna, the capital city of Austria, on the 6th of January. Upon arrival, I immediately felt a unique encompassing vibe of the town. The city and its people definitely have a tone. This tone is something that I more along the lines experienced as an intuitive feeling rather than a qualitative descriptor. However, One such qualitative descriptor that I can sift from my experience is how the people of the land seem to have a worry free attitude. Most stores do not open very early in the morning, and also tend to close early. When in an American city, one feels a far greater sense that stores are hasty to open early and close late to capitalize on their potential customers. They are concerned with making the most amount of money they can. This culture does not seem to have that upheaval. There were a couple of shops that I went were the shop owners did not seem ecstatic to sell me anything. I am not for sure, but I get the sense that this is a philosophy that the Viennese people apply across the board in their lives.

Another aspect of Vienna that struck me was the obvious abundance of decorative buildings. Whether it be museums, churches, official buildings, or concert halls, Vienna’s offerings are extensive. To an American, this abundance of architectural glory can be quite overwhelming since we do not have this quality in our cities. How do we decide which to attend to with our time here? We can be certain that there is no wrong choice in what we choose to visit. One can not go wrong with a visit to the St. Stephens Cathedral, St. Peters Cathedral, or to the Schönbrunn Palace. 

Vienna is serious about it’s music making. One should try to take advantage of this during their stay. I had the opportunity to see the Ballet Onegin and the Haydn Philharmonie. Both performances were of superb quality. As someone who has been watching and listening to musical performances for almost a decade, I was able to observe that the musicians were very comfortable and seasoned in their performances. They are accustomed to meeting the high bar, making the performance look effortless at moments.