Aug 25 - Day 25 in Vienna

Another Saturday, but sadly, my last visit to the Naschmarkt flea market! I also visited the MAK museum, the museum of applied and contemporary arts and had one of the best meals of my life – dinner at Heuriger Sirbu!

The Naschmarkt provided me with a delicious English breakfast complete with dinkel porridge, but then it was off to the MAK. This museum is by far my least favorite of the trip as of yet. I was not impressed with the display – it was far too minimalist (and pretentious) for my tastes. I do not think string strung up in a room constitutes art, but apparently I am totally wrong. The first exhibit (featuring that crazy art) was called “Held Together by Water.” It had some things of interest to me, such as Cindy Sherman photographs, which I studied at UCSB. She is the subject of all her photographs, but it is never truly ‘her’ – she always dresses up as others and makes a series out of it, such as “Murder Mystery” series or a “Housewives” series. The other exhibit I enjoyed was the video of Croatian children singing “Magical World.” While slightly cloying, the video did make an impact because these children don’t know English and their song is put next to the unfinished cultural center in Croatia.

I dislike Biedermeier. It is boring. But I don’t mind looking at it, envisioning how it once swept Vienna and how it represented the city. It’s utilitarian, but elegant. It helped the growing middle class show off their wealth, and it created a homey environment crucial to the time period (about 1815-1848). I’d much rather get to the Jugendstil part of Viennese art, but it’s an interesting transition. I must say, the comfort level of Biedermeier furniture looks insanely high though – it seems a crime to have all those chairs in the museum and not allow us to sit on them! (Sadly, the museum does not allow photographs)

After leaving the museum, I had a quick lunch in beautiful Stadtpark, and then took the tram around the Ring. I finally got to see Parliament, which I haven’t seen since my first day here! It’s a gorgeous, neo-classical building – of course built in that style to try and symbolize the Greek democratic ideals.

Then it was off to one of the highlights of the trip so far – dinner and sturm at Heuriger Sirbu! Getting there is pretty intense, as it is up on Kahlenberg (a hill on the outskirts of the city). It’s gorgeous, though, and it takes you entirely out of the city environment, which is so nice. I could not get over how strange it felt to hear birds chirping! Getting to Sirbu required an epic, but incredibly stunning walking journey. We walked through Vienna’s wine country, snapping tons of photographs and having a blast. The walk was completely worth it – this place has gorgeous views, amazing food, and, most importantly, great wine and sturm! It’s definitely not a touristy heuriger, but it is certainly popular with locals. We enjoyed the sturm, cheeses, breads and meats of a simple but scrumptious heurigen meal.

We walked up the hill in the dark when we left, in the midst of drizzling rain and no light but the almost full moon to help us! I had so much fun and it was the perfect end to a great Vienna experience.