The Iconic Ferris Wheel, which features in The Third Man, at Prater Park
The Scientific Tourist very much enjoyed his brief visit to Vienna. The city is everything a European capital should be; elegant, clean, safe, and devoted to knowledge and culture. Grand but graceful buildings are set along wide, tree-lined boulevards, and even on the side streets the apartment blocks are coordinated and consistent. The city has a planned feel, which is of course the truth.
Vienna’s cultural credentials are second to none. It has great museums and an illustrious history of achievement in science. A list of famous Viennese reads like an inventory of outstanding 19th and 20th century scientists; Boltzmann, Mach, Schrödinger, Pauli, Meitner and Lorenz, to name just a few. The place is just packed with the history of science. And of course Vienna is justly famous for its musical history, being home to so many great composers, whose music is performed and appreciated daily. I can’t help pondering on the frequently noted association between a love of science and maths, and appreciation of music (and coffee?) Art galleries match the architecture for visual delight.
Site of Old University – Where Leibniz First Proposed an Academy of Science
The people are polite and friendly, if a little formal. The public transport system is a joy to use; fast, frequent, clean, cheap, comfortable and uncrowded. You can zip across the city in minutes using the subway or Schnellbahn, or take a more visually interesting ride on a tram or bus that run every few minutes and connect with the rail network. The food, beer and wine are first rate, and reasonably priced. And the coffee, which I suspect has driven some of the greatest minds in history, is among the best in the world.
Melange and Buchteln Cake. Central Cafe – One of Vienna’s Famous Coffee Houses – Now, Almost Exclusively for Tourists, as no Viennese Would Queue For a Seat. Better to try the Avant-Garde Cafe Hawelka, Famous for its Melange and Buchteln Cake
The Viennese have an unusual respect for learning. Failure to use someone’s academic title can cause offence, and even the spouses of laureates share in the glory of the honorific. God help the man who refers to Dr. Hofmann’s wife as Frau Hofmann. This regard for learning can be seen in the shingles outside businesses. Hofmann may be a real estate agent and restauranteur, but the brass plate at his door will read Dr. or even Magister (indicating a Master’s degree) Hofmann. Perhaps, as the birthplace of psychoanalysis, the burghers might want to look deeper into why this is. Nonetheless, how refreshing to be in a place where the great values and achievements of the intellect are respected and admired, rather than the trashy ephemera of what passes for popular culture.
Vienna Natural History Museum
Vienna has a history of culture and art that put it among the world’s great cities of culture. The music of Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss (among so many illustrious inhabitants) is still celebrated and performed every day. The Opera and orchestras are world-famous. The museums and art galleries house some of the world’s greatest works of art, and every other house seems to be a museum to the great and famous who lived here.
The Scientific Tourist had time for only the most superficial of explorations, and has another visit very much in mind. What made his trip especially pleasant was the kindness and generous hospitality of his Viennese hosts, Willy and Shousan Spatz. Thank you both so much for treating me so well, and opening up your home, as well as your city, to me. I can only hope to return the favour someday soon.
Willy and Shousan Spatz
Top Tips
Those readers more used to cities in other European countries, say the UK, may be surprised to find that the Viennese still take Sunday seriously, and almost all supermarkets and grocery shops will be closed. There are very few ‘corner shops’ selling basic provisions, so make sure you stock up.
Vienna is a lovely city, partly because of the unity of its architecture. However, one grand boulevard lined with tall elegant buildings can look rather like another, and Vienna has plenty, so when you board a tram or bus, make sure you note the name of the stop, so you know where to get off when you return.
Although it would be hard to exhaust Vienna’s charms, should you feel the need for a little solitude and landscape, take the Schnellbahn and a bus (30 mins) out to nearby Grinzing, in the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods.) After a look around the charming hamlet with its many attractive and atmospheric Heurigen, continue on the same bus up to the top of the hill (Kahlenberg) from where you can enjoy a great view of the city, then walk down through vineyards to the banks of the Danube to catch the bus back.
A Grinzing Heuriger – Famous for serving their own wine and speciality Food
View of Vienna From the Kahlenberg
Walking Down From the Kahlenberg
As already mentioned, the Viennese love their coffee, and the grand cafes are world famous for their famous patrons as well as their wonderful decor, not to mention the superb coffee and cakes. However, most of the grand cafes are crowded and touristy. For a more authentic experience (and I’m reluctant to publicise it) try Cafe Hawelka on Dorotheergasse. Famous for its melange and Buchteln cake, this gemütlichkeit cafe was the haunt of the avant garde writers and artists in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Avant-Garde Coffee House but still Traditional – Cafe Hawelka
Another great day trip is to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. This charming old city is not only refreshingly undeveloped and very good value, but also looks like a movie set for a fairy-tale town. If you are a smoker, this is the place to stock up, as cigarettes are very much cheaper there. Take a boat ride down the Danube (2 hours, from outside the Hilton Danube hotel) but get the (fast and frequent) train back, as the return trip against the current takes 4 hours. NB There are faster boats (hydrofoils and catamarans) both ways, but take your time on the downriver trip to enjoy the scenery.
Castle on Danube near the border with Slovakia. Reputedly where the Muslim Invaders were repulsed and where the Viennese first encountered their Beloved Coffee.
Bratislava – Capital of Slovakia
A Voyeur Looking Up Women’s Skirts
Main Square Bratislava