This is the third time I've been to Vienna.
And I'm starting to love it more and more everytime I visit. It's funny how that seems to happen with cities. I was actually a bit nonplussed at first, I thought it was a bit grandiose and cold and I wasn't that bothered about the cakes.
But I have to say it has rather educated me. I went to the opera for the second time last night. I love opera. It's marvellous, and going to this big posh opera house in Vienna to see it is a real treat, even if you do spend all your time hunched up sitting on the floor (of which more later).
I already knew I loved opera, when 'O mio babino caro' (a really famous bit of a puccini opera) seemed to follow me around for a few months, I was hearing it everywhere I went which seemed very romantic to me.
Then I went in February, and queued up for standing room in the freezing cold for about 2 hours. When we (a teaching buddy and I) finally got in to the opera house we paid 2 euros and headed up to the gallery. When we got there, we found there wasn't even any standing room left (it was covered in scarves, you have to mark your place with a scarf when you arrive and then you can go and have some overpriced booze and pay 3 euros for a bit of bread and cheese until it starts). So we ended up sitting on the floor against the wall unable to see anything until the first interval. But even that was beautiful, I just sat on the floor, closed my eyes and soaked it up. Half way through I got a standing place, which is really good because you get a little screen with English subtitles. I love understanding what is going on. Opera, I discovered, is often very funny. It can also be really mundane, which is also really funny because it turns out they're discussing minor domestic stuff like "Your socks are in a box under the bed and I've left the key on the table. I'll be back at 5 to put the tea on...".
Last night's opera was Don Carlos. It's five hours long, so we left halfway through. I got a really good standing place, I could see everything which was wicked. But I still ended up squatting on the floor out of tiredness, and because the man in front of me had severe halitosis and every time he turned to say something to his wife I would get this gush of foul air. The guy behind me was sweet and offered me his posh looking tailored jacket to sit on so I wouldn't get my dress dirty. I was already sitting on the floor at this point and I am really beyond caring about making my clothes dirty, plus I would have felt guilty to have messed up his armani or whatever it was, so I turned him down.
And I'm starting to love it more and more everytime I visit. It's funny how that seems to happen with cities. I was actually a bit nonplussed at first, I thought it was a bit grandiose and cold and I wasn't that bothered about the cakes.
But I have to say it has rather educated me. I went to the opera for the second time last night. I love opera. It's marvellous, and going to this big posh opera house in Vienna to see it is a real treat, even if you do spend all your time hunched up sitting on the floor (of which more later).
I already knew I loved opera, when 'O mio babino caro' (a really famous bit of a puccini opera) seemed to follow me around for a few months, I was hearing it everywhere I went which seemed very romantic to me.
Then I went in February, and queued up for standing room in the freezing cold for about 2 hours. When we (a teaching buddy and I) finally got in to the opera house we paid 2 euros and headed up to the gallery. When we got there, we found there wasn't even any standing room left (it was covered in scarves, you have to mark your place with a scarf when you arrive and then you can go and have some overpriced booze and pay 3 euros for a bit of bread and cheese until it starts). So we ended up sitting on the floor against the wall unable to see anything until the first interval. But even that was beautiful, I just sat on the floor, closed my eyes and soaked it up. Half way through I got a standing place, which is really good because you get a little screen with English subtitles. I love understanding what is going on. Opera, I discovered, is often very funny. It can also be really mundane, which is also really funny because it turns out they're discussing minor domestic stuff like "Your socks are in a box under the bed and I've left the key on the table. I'll be back at 5 to put the tea on...".
Last night's opera was Don Carlos. It's five hours long, so we left halfway through. I got a really good standing place, I could see everything which was wicked. But I still ended up squatting on the floor out of tiredness, and because the man in front of me had severe halitosis and every time he turned to say something to his wife I would get this gush of foul air. The guy behind me was sweet and offered me his posh looking tailored jacket to sit on so I wouldn't get my dress dirty. I was already sitting on the floor at this point and I am really beyond caring about making my clothes dirty, plus I would have felt guilty to have messed up his armani or whatever it was, so I turned him down.
I don't have any pictures of the opera house so I'm just posting one of Vienna instead.
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