3 & 4

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So many things to see that blogging took a backseat!

August 3rd, a tour around the city with a very opinionated tour guide!

Our tour guide, explaining why the trees pay rent at the Hundertwasser House.

Despite some of the guide's obnoxious viewpoints (both political and social - in spite of being a "deep red" voter, he made some remarks that would put him in kind company with my Fox News watching relatives!) the tour provided us with an overview of the city.

To see the city, particularly from a higher vantage point (Kahlenberg Mountain) was idyllic. It was softly raining and a tad chilly, which I felt made the scene all the more beautiful. The mountain air reminded me a bit of Marin, or perhaps Napa - minus the ocean!


We finished the day off by going to a Heuer Garten, which offered some of the most delicious food I've ever had. The winery was located in a suburb of Vienna, accessible by the 38(?) bus. 

Directly outside the Garten, during sunset. 

Since I'm a total lightweight when it comes to alcohol and prefer not to drink much, while the others were enjoying drink and conversation, I wandered outside. It was so quiet on this street, the air was fresh with recent rain, and I took time to enjoy the scenery. Outside the Garten, a small "free library" was offered. Like the ones in Davis, there was a variety of books that people could borrow or browse while enjoying wine. 

My copy of Windows 98 is ready!

August 4th, we visited the "HGM" or Museum of Military History. Lawrence, our TA, gave us a very comprehensive tour of the technologies of war throughout Viennese history. From the thick metal breastplates worn by soldiers engaging in hand to hand combat, to the evolution of guns throughout time, to the industrial naval ships used in WW2, this museum certainly warrants a second visit. 

Of particular interest was the WW2 era exhibits, relatively small in comparison to the extensive WW1 wing. None of the objects in this wing were notated in English, and many of the artifacts did not have a plaque telling what they are. Perhaps there will be more information on the audio tour? As noted, since Austria was on the "losing side" of WW2, this may an example of national pride affecting the cultural memory that one would absorb in an educational setting, such as a museum. Pairing this with our (previous day) tour guide's insistence that the average Austrian citizen was not complicit with the actions of Hitler's regime, I am curious to learn more about how WW2 is remembered here in Austria. From individual memory to what is learned in museums, who and what gets remembered?

A concentration camp uniform, Star of David patch, and barbed wire (from a camp, I presume)


A commemorative Hitler pillow. (See: Unpop Art.) Commemoration objects are of special interest to me, and I will visit them more in a later blog.

A Birkenkruez, derived from the rune symbol of life, used to mark a soldier's grave. Note to self: research this symbol more, as it had a variety of meaning.

(postscript after the fact: I am sorry I did not get to return to the HGM, as I would have liked to reinterpret the WW2 artifacts after having visited Mauthausen, etc. But again, another reason for me to return.)















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