It was an incredible unlikelihood that cannot be coincidence that when we traveled to Vienna we rented a flat that was across the street from the Hundertwasser Museum and Village, given that Sebastian had just studied Hundertwasser in school. Sebastian introduced me to this modern Viennese artist and showed me Sebastian's favorite paintings, which were all hanging in this gem of a museum.
Our mini-spring break trip to Vienna was paradisiacal. We ate apfelstrudel, went to the opera, breathed the Austrian air and walked on pristine streets. I planted myself at the Cathedral of St. Stephen and studied the architecture and sculpture with the help of a book for many hours. I am not sure which knocks me off my feet more, the interior (with its lacy Gothic pointed arches) or the exterior (Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements can all be detected).
After hours alone at the cathedral (while Ron took the kids to the zoo), Ron met me for a date in the old town. It was a magical day and my Viennese blood was re-oxygenated. Friendly reminder: I am not Italian! It is astonishing how disconnected these two lines are, the Austrian-Germanic and the Italian. There is virtually no point of intersection. While the EU connects Austria and Italy and that gives the impression that they are kin to one another, they are not. It is helpful for me to remember that appearances can be deceptive, so that I do not feel so crazy when in Rome. I am not Italian, and that's okay! God bless Italy. And God bless Austria.
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