Four days in Vienna

I’ve just spent four days in Vienna, my first time in this historic city. I went for work – a workshop on science diplomacy where I gave a presentation and hands-on session on foresight – and a visit to the Fundamental Rights Agency where I did another session on foresight for agency staff and met some of them working on related topics. But as I had never been to Vienna before, I stayed over the weekend so I could spend some time there on the fun bits.

Top headline – what a fantastic city. I enjoyed the Ringstrasse with all the big 19th century architecture, but I much preferred the little streets of the centre and the cool neighbourhood vibe of Neubau, where I was staying. Great shopping, great food and more Russians than I’ve seen in a long time (there were even Russian language channels on the hotel TV).

Ringstrasse

City centre

Austrian Parliament

I was lucky enough to be invited along on a tour of the Austrian Parliament building, which I would never have done otherwise, but found incredibly interesting. In their tours you go into the chambers and sit in the seats that the representatives sit in, which must be quite a moment if that’s your national assembly.

Was very happy to see the level of support for the single charger!

I then went to the Leopold Museum to see the Vienna 1900 exhibition, which was amazing. I wanted to get the exhibition catalogue, but it would never have fitted in my bag!

Hundertwasserhaus

When I asked people what to see, several mentioned the Hundertwasser House, so I set out there on Sunday morning. And it did not disappoint. Wow! Definitely something of the Gaudi about it all, albeit working later. I love how the colourful approach merges into the more staid building alongside (second picture below). As well as the house, there’s a small shopping centre that he did, plus some public art that I came across when walking along the river afterwards.

I did do several touristy things, like having ridiculously expensive Apfelstrudel and Wiener Melange in the Cafe Museum.

There’s definitely a quirky side to Austrians, and clearly has been for hundreds of years. Like, you know, painting a cow in glasses playing backgammon with a wolf on your house. Or having a special implement for bashing out your pork escalopes (which you then fry THREE times in THREE different pans). Or making a musical from the songs of someone who only had one real hit. Or someone in a horse’s head playing the accordion. Or finding the worst possible name for a toy shop.

And just to finish off, here are a few other random photos

I walked 57 kms over the 4 days I was there, and on the last day I made myself a Vienna playlist, full of the composers that I had read about at the Haus der Musik (not all of them, though, I don’t need Berg and Schoenberg in my life right now)

Anyway that was Vienna. Lots done, lots still to do. I will be back!