Tagebuch: May 2007

Dear Diary,

Vienna is a city which always seems to amaze me. The second I think I’ve got it all figured out, it shows me a new side. From old style of the centre to new style of Vienna International Centre and to Gotham-like Gürtel to the fancy suburbs of Heiligenstadt, Vienna really is a wonder.

But it was when I was waiting for a Strassenbahn at the Oper and looking up in the air out of boredom, that I saw it. The buildings. I mean the rest of the buildings –

The upper floors and the rooftops. It’s at the top of the buildings where the true beauty lies, hidden from our daily goings on, just above our heads. Carved floral decorations with inlay of colored stone, statues of muscular giants holding up a transom, Ionic columns framing a recessed arch – things that you normally don’t even notice

And there are so many beautiful ones. You think you’ve seen them, but if you’re like me, you haven’t really looked at them. Like the tower pavilion on the corner of Spiegelgasse and the Graben with a green pod-shaped roof and glass side walls of what must be a winter garden cascading with plants.

Maybe you’re like me and too occupied looking out for the leavings of a thoughtless dog or horse. But next time you’re in the city, look up. Because that’s where you’ll find Vienna at its most beautiful.