Halloween Weekend: Wine Country and Vienna

Griaß di!

So due to Austria being a Catholic country, I had a 4 day weekend for Halloween! Yay! But no one really celebrates Halloween here, so I spent the time adventuring.

My friend invited me to her family's home on the other side of Austria for the weekend, and so our story begins...

First up was the Wachau. It's the famous wine growing region of Lower Austria (the province I was in). They are also famous for their Apricot Blossoms (think D.C. for Cherry Blossoms). Unfortunately, being there in the Fall, everything was starting to die, but regardless it truly was breathtaking.

 The Wachau. Vineyards with Duernstein in the background.

 What a beautiful sight!

 Taking a stroll along the Danube.

 Hogwarts? Or a fortress in ruins...

 The most popular photo of the Danube. Aggstein fortress with the river.

 Through the looking glass...

Across the Danube to Duernstein. The castle on top of the hill is where Richard the Lionheart was held captive for over a year.

It was quite the Halloween adventure. While touring the ruins of Aggstein, I saw two little knights fighting to protect the fortress and a witch preying on young children (some kind of show). But Halloween wouldn't be complete without a party. Since not many people here dress up, I just wore a Halloween shirt. The party was in a large tent outside that you could smoke in! Needless to say, the smoke at one point built up to the point where I could barely breathe and see. Definitely not used to this, and I hated reeking of smoke afterwards.

But the party itself was fun! Although the DJ didn't start playing good music until midnight. Also for the record, "Who Let the Dogs Out," "I Like to Move It, Move It," and the Baywatch theme song all played. What amazed me the most is how drunk people were at 10 pm before the party even really started! People pre-gamed so hard that they could no longer stand up, but they kept drinking and security did nothing! I was told if they threw people out who had too much to drink, there would be no one left. It was a curious Halloween indeed, but still a lot of fun.

Trying to understand dialect...

We didn't stay too late, because the next day was a Viennese adventure! While I've been to Vienna before, there is so much to see that it definitely takes multiple trips.  It was so nice to be in a bustling city again, and definitely the pick-me-up I needed. It reminded me again why I love Austria so much, and wanted to come here in the first place.

 State Parliament

 National Art Museum

 Outside the Natural History Museum. The elephant statue is of Suliman (Suleiman in English). He was adopted by the Hapsburg Archduke Maximillian II in Spain and brought to Austria. Suleiman is named after an Ottoman sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, and was the first elephant that Austrians had ever seen. He became a national treasure, hence his memorial statue.

After putzing around Vienna a bit, I became determined to find the national treasure that I most desired to see, but last time failed to find... the Prunksaal (State Hall). The Prunksaal is a library, but not any old library. It is a maze of old books surrounded by frescos and gold leaf. Some of the photos below may look a bit familiar to you. That's because the Prunksaal is one of the two libraries that the Beast's library (from "Beauty and the Beast") is based on. The other is also in Austria, the Admont Abbey library, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I will get there before my time is up here. Nevertheless, finally seeing the Prunksaal was a dream come true. This is my heaven...

From the entrance looking straight back.

 There are hidden rooms behind the bookcases!

 The magnificent fresco in the center of the library. I stood here looking up for at least 5 minutes.

The center of the library. 

 From the back looking forward. Look at the amazing symmetry.

Moral of the story. When I was a kid, I could care less about the Prince, I wanted that library.  Now that I've seen it, I want it even more. A man can sweep me off my feet not with roses, not with chocolates, but with books. Specifically old books. The Prunksaal just smelled of knowledge, and I wanted to jump the barricades and leaf through all the leather bound books.  To any potential suitors reading this, I will automatically say yes if you propose to me in this library. That is all. I think I've geeked out enough for one day.

 The State Opera House

Happy as a clam basking in all the glory that is Vienna.

As you can tell from how enthusiastic I was, I had a great Halloween weekend.  I finally saw blue skies and the sun, after too many gray and dreary days in Saalfelden. I fell in love with the countryside, pretended I was at Hogwarts, and finally realized a life long dream (while as long as I can remember watching "Beauty and the Beast"). Austria is full of amazement and wonder, and this trip reminded me of that.  Come gray skies or snow, it will not deter me from exploring the hidden gems of this country.

So I leave you with that...

Pfiat di!

Kristin