Explorin' on my last day in Wien

I woke up the following morning and decided to extend for another night in Vienna, aware that I haven’t explored the stuff I wanted to see. 

There were 2 main things that I wanted to see, where the genius mind of Bach stayed during the era of his music brilliance and lastly, the tombstone of the big names in classical music in Zentralfriedhof. 

I guess before I continue on to my blurb about the happenings of my short exploration, I think it's worth mentioning that when I booked my train ticket to Vienna, I got a little bit confused because my ticket said "Wien". Apparently, that's the German name of Vienna. It has been called the "City of Music" due to the various musicians who shared their gift of tunes to the world. Also, it has been tagged as the "City of Dreams" because of the first psycho-analyst Sigmund Freud. 

the view from the window

It was an emotional feeling when I entered the house of Bach. He was born in Salsbury, Austria but eventually moved to Vienna with his wife. There, he reached the ultimate prime of his compilations until he passed away. I walked around the rooms of their abode, looking through the windows and imagining what would have inspired him whenever he started composing. A lot of his manuscripts were posted on the walls, the whole house was converted to a museum, giving each visitor a glimpse into his life. 

I slowly walked the cobbled stone alleys and found myself stopping for an Ice cream, hoping to extinguish the afternoon heat. It was hilarious when I got on the tram, being my first time, it tested my comprehension. So I found myself getting on a joy ride going somewhere, supposed to getting to the cemetery, but getting off far away from my destination. 

By the time my brain got sick of my poor ability to understand the tram system, I stopped by the closest and cheapest noodle stand I could find. I haven’t been really good with my meal times, and that was 4 pm when my tummy reminded me to eat something after the yummy ice cream. Vienna can be really expensive, but if you get to find the small stalls far away from the center, then prices can be affordable. 

I bought myself a noodle box and a can of coke. The initial heat of summer was starting to take me down, obviously my pacing was getting slower too…. Indirectly proportional. 

I found a bench beside a lady. She was wearing dark glasses and had her 2 dogs on a leash. It stared back

at her when she got back to the bench with 2 boxes of food, which were all to herself. The dogs must have been giving her the look, sending her signals that they were also famished. We sat quietly beside each other, I’d only budge when the dogs would suddenly jump and growl at some of the passing dogs. She said sorry each time I jolted. I smiled and said it was okay. I didn’t mind at all, I just like that I was having lunch in an unusual spot, far away from the tourist’s path and quietly eating my lunch. After finishing my hearty lunch, I asked her if she knew where the tram station was that would take me to the Central cemetery. Alleluia! I was right bang on where the first stop was. Ha!!! She laughed at my vocal Hurrah! I said thank you and was well on my way to the great tombstones. 

It was a 45-minute tram ride and I was glad I didn’t get off at the 1st gate of the cemetery. When I got off at the right one, I looked at the gate and the insides… and realized how massive it was. 99% of all the famous names of Vienna were buried there. The first few tombs were intricately designed with statues, majority with angels or of robed-women. 

Each section of the graveyard was classified. The sun was going down and the dramatic sunset was adding up to the lovely vibe of the cemetery. Now, that’s one of the things some people find weird about me. I like cemeteries. I like checking out the birth years and computing how many years they lived. I enjoy reading the words that the family chose to etch on the stones. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But anywhere I go, most especially if it’s a new place, passing by cemeteries can sometimes be added to my itinerary. 

Zentralfriedhof

I eventually found the section entitled “Musicians”. There, right in front of the sign, were the tombstones of Beethoven, Schubert, Martinelli and so much more. It was amazing. I strolled around and stared at the other tombstones, wondering what kind of ceremonies they had for such amazing names in the history of classical music. 

There was a small church right in the middle of the cemetery, with big white steps leading to the main door. I entered and found only 1 other person there. It was one of the girls I saw in the tram ride. She was sniffing and wiping her eyes… I didn’t look back anymore and allowed her to have the moment on whatever she’s been contemplating on.

At that point when I had the church to myself, I sang the usual song that I’d sing, in Thanksgiving for that moment. I realized that the edifice of the church was constructed to enable a beautiful echo effect. It was amazing. The door creaked and I was again with company, so I decided to pray my last respects and move on. 

Hundertwasserhaus

I sat outside the church steps that had a panoramic view of the cemetery. I sipped a little bit of water and started filling up my postcards. I can imagine how my family would have been so appreciative of what I saw that day, knowing that each one of us had a big love for music. 

Another place I checked out was the Hundertwasserhaus, an apartment of funky desigs built after the idea and concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser with architect Joseph Krawina as a co-author. When I got there I was really impressed by the colors and the uniqueness of the apartment.