New Year's in Vienna

By Gloria Schramm - New Year’s is one of the few holidays the whole world celebrates together within a 24-hour period. My husband, Fred, and I, embarked on an unusual and offbeat travel adventure to greet the new year in Vienna, Austria.

Every year at home for the past decade, we’d watch Walter Cronkite narrate the annual New Year’s Day Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on PBS TV WNET, which is also broadcast worldwide. We’d absorb the sights of spacious, ornate marble palace corridors and sweeping staircases and marvel at the power and beauty of these world-renowned musicians and promise each other that one day we’d be there. Mr. Cronkite, though a famous journalist, is also a compelling tour guide of unmatched enthusiasm. He probably drums up lots of tourism for Vienna, along with the fine symphonies of the many orchestras and places of this magnificent centuries-old city.

Vienna, home to 1.5 million people, is still a cultural Mecca of Old World Europe and also is home to some of the most remarkable art works and music.

We departed on an early evening flight and marveled at the Manhattan Skyline and bridges ablaze in light against a darkened sky. Night had just fallen and we settled in with dinner and a smooth flight. Of course, flying coach doesn’t allow for much leg or stretch room. Fred couldn’t sleep but I managed a few disturbed catnaps while curled in a fetal position, punctuated by his restlessness. His 6’3” figure seemed like a sardine packed in a can.

There was, however, no jet lag for us. The first thing we did after checking in at our hotel was take to the streets on foot. It was very cold and had the ambiance of an animated history book, complete with alternating gray skies and snow flurries that accentuated the Old World feeling. We trudged briskly down pedestrian squares of cobblestone passageways flanked by boutiques, antique shops and restaurants. We sought out and found the famous 200 year old Demel’s Coffee Shop, a place made out of mahogany wood, huge crystal chandeliers and offering hundreds of delectable delights. Europeans treasure history in everything – down to dessert.

Stately Vienna (Wien in German) was constructed in circular fashion with the tall St. Stephansdom Church at its center. Our hotel, aptly named Hotel Stephensplatz, was directly across the street. The cathedral with its towering spires is the city trademark on most souvenirs. It is a masterpiece of detailed architecture with mosaic tile roof that must have served as inspiration for later structures. It was built with the help of Rudolph IV in the 1300s. He was successor to the Austrian Habsburg Family throne when his father, Albert, died of a mysterious illness.

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