I felt decidedly aimless when I awakened, so it was particularly late when I left the apartment. I had no plan whatsoever, so spent some time looking at a map of the city. There was a notable green space I had not explored, so I decided to go there.
My route took me further south, and east of the centre of the city than I had previously been. I decided to exploit this, veering in that direction from the route suggested by my mapping application. As a result, I found myself in some interesting neighbourhoods. I was struck by the juxtaposition of extensive graffiti on the face of these clearly very historic buildings. I pondered on the outcry if someone were to take a can of spray-paint to the buildings in the “New Town” of Edinburgh. In fact, that area in my home city is very much what this city reminds me of. If one were to paint the stonework of the New Town of Edinburgh with various pastel colours, it would look a lot like Vienna. This would most likely be considered vandalism in itself however.
I stumbled upon a memorial to the soviet soldiers of World War II. The style of this reminded me of a memorial to the same I saw in Berlin. It was very typical of Soviet imagery. I noted that behind the monument, the colours of the Ukrainian flag were painted on the wall. I surmised that this was unlikely to be accidental.
I walked through a market selling various foods such as dried fruit, and baklava. There also fresh fruit, and vegetables as well as various vinegars, and marmalades.
I arrived at the area I had been aiming for at around 14:45 CEST. This was in fact Belvedere Gardens. Some research revealed that it had been landscaped as a result of the building of two palaces. The upper of which had been the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy after completion in the 1720s. From his portrait, I noticed the ever-present “Hapsburg Jaw”, clearly marking him out as one of the dynasty.
Royal inbreeding aside, it was a very beautiful and well-kept garden. I enjoyed a way in what felt like a cooler air than there had been up to this point in my visit.
My next stop was “Hundertwasser House”. This was designed by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. His house integrates nature, along with vibrant colours, and lack of straight lines. It is owned by the City of Vienna, who assign people to live in it just as any other piece of state-owned real estate. I wondered what the people living there must think of the hoards that come to stare. I would imagine they are used to it. I was amused to find a red telephone box covered in stickers next to the house. I wondered if it was the one that used to stand near my house, up until a few years ago. I may never know.
The U3 line took me back to the apartment. I had a significant quantity of leftover food, so it did not take much in the way of augmentation to become a satisfactory meal. I considered whether I should be aimless more often. It is not something I am currently used to.
