Vienna – Day 3

The tour group that functions as my alarm clock was back under my window bright and early today. Unlike yesterday, however, I decided to get up.  I wanted an earlier start than yesterday. First on the agenda today was the “Haus der Musik”, the House of Music. This is an interactive museum completely dedicated to music of all kinds.  It hasn’t been around all that long and I never had the chance to visit before. I had some trouble finding it, but while looking, I made two exciting discoveries. One was a restaurant that an alumnus had recommended to me; the other was a small notice posted on a door publicizing a free “conversation” with Prof. Allan Janik, author of “Wittgenstein’s Vienna”. we had used his book during my NEH Seminar at the University of Oregon. It seemed too much of a coincidence to overlook, so I put my visit to the Haus der Musik on hold. The lecture was sponsored by IES, the Institute for European Studies. It was also a chance to get inside one of these grand old Viennese palaces. I think I was the only outsider there in an already small group. Still, it was very interesting to hear about the early days in the study of Viennese Modernism from one of the people who made it happen.

Inside 'Der Kuckuck'

Since I happened to be right near the restaurant that was recommended by an alum, I decided to try it. It looked a bit like a tourist trap; and even at a little past one, there was no one eating. I wasn’t going to have supper tonight, so I had to eat my main meal now. What the heck, I thought, and pushed open the door. The young waiter seemed genuinely surprised to see me. The place is called “Der Kuckuck”, the cuckoo. There are multiple cuckoo clocks hanging on the walls. The place is very old-school Viennese, down to the music coming of the sound system. I ordered some soup and a cutlet. The food was just OK; but at least I can tell our alum that I took his suggestion. At this point, I headed back to the hotel. I was going to the theater tonight!

Theater in der Josefstadt

One of the things I love most about Vienna is the array of cultural offerings. The city has numerous theaters and concert venues. Most nights there is something for every taste. I had given a quick look before leaving NJ and there were a few things I was interested in seeing. One of them was a play that I had taught in my AP German class called “The Visit” by the Swiss author, Friederich Dürrenmatt. Curiously, the same play was being staged at two of Vienna’s major venues. I had bought a ticket on-line for one of them, because the show was almost sold out there. I was excited to see the paly and the venue was new to me too. I left with plenty of time to spare. I arrived at the theater, picked up my ticket from the box office and went into the café for a glass of wine. The “Theater in der Josefstadt” is one of the oldest in the city. It is a beautiful 18^th century theater, very grand. My seat was very high up, but had a great view of the stage. The production itself had some interesting adaptions. At first, I thought they were contrived, but, as the evening went on, they made more sense. It is a good thing that I knew the play almost by heart, because I struggled to hear what the actors were saying. I’m not sure whether that was more because of where I was sitting or because my hearing is getting worse. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I am glad that I took the chance.