A Night at the Opera | Day 15

Seems like unless I have a tour or something on the books planned my days are following the same schedule. I woke up mid morning and worked on the computer for a while. Not only do these writeups take a while but also the retouching and putting the photos together. I have been staying pretty focused with them but it is easy to get behind with so many fun things to do. The number one thing on the list for today was the Opera. Noon rolled around and had finished a small amount of work and needed to at least go out and see something. The last few countries have been real sausage heavy (the food lol) and was hoping to find a sandwich of some kind. I walked down to the lobby where the two girls from yesterday were working. I asked if they knew of a good sandwich shop near by and it seemed to puzzle them. They both looked at each and then back at me asking, “sandwich?” Haha I know they knew what sandwiches were but where to find a sandwich shop was another story. I even asked if they knew of a deli that had sandwiches or just anywhere. The best they could come up with was an Italian restaurant in the city center that had pizza and pasta. I put it in my maps and figure I at least walk that way and maybe catch something while en route. I got about a block away and noticed they had those scooters again so I hopped on one and started to follow the map. About 2 blocks away I took a right and found myself on a very crowded street. It was lined with shops, restaurants, and even a weed shop. I decided just to park the scooter and take a walk.

I moseyed up and down the street venturing down the various allies. The architecture of the city is insane. It is like something from a period piece movie, or show. Unlike the last few cities I had been to every single building was stunning. It was hard not to find a good view no matter which direction you looked. People had hired horse drawn buggies to take them around the city and they came walking down the middle of the street. There must have been 10 or 15 of them before I was done walking. I followed one of the side streets and came across a cool statue in a small square that looked like it needed to have its photo taken. I took a few snaps and then headed back toward the main street. This mission started with finding a sandwich shop and I hadn’t spotted one yet. I walked all the way up and all the way down and the best I could find was a Subway. There were a few burger places and a lot of cafes but none of those exactly peaked my interested. Finally I settled on an Italian pizza place. They had a nice outdoor seating area and can’t really ever go wrong with pizza. The waiter was a tad pushy, and I had heard from more than a few people that even though Vienna was rated the best place to live in the world the people are some of the rudest. I thought France took that prize but we shall see. He immediately came over and asked if I was ready to order even though he clearly saw me just sit down. I said, “well not just yet but I will have a glass of water and an Austrian Lager.” He then asked again about food. I replied, “How about when you come back I will have been able to look at the menu and then will be ready to order.” He must not have understood was I was meaning because he just looked at me and said, “ok I be back,” and walked back to his spot in front of the door. Instead of making it a big deal I just sat there and watched the foot traffic go by. Finally after 10 or so minutes he came back and asked if I was ready. I said sure and went with the fan favorite a salami and mushroom pizza. It is pretty interesting that in Europe they don’t have pepperoni but instead they call it salami. Which technically it is salami and not pepperoni but still kinda interesting. He then brought my water and beer and walked off again. The girls behind me must have just started college because they were younger and might have been their first trip together out of the country. There was 6 of them and they wanted to split the bill. Well the waiter came and said they could do that but they could only pay cash and if not then they couldn’t split it. This confused them and then they said they needed a minute. They all went back and forth trying to figure out what to do. None of them had enough cash so the card was the choice, but who would cover it? Finally one girl said, “I can just use my folks card they won’t care.” They tried to figure out another way but seemed like that was what they landed on. They were suspicious of the water and one said that they shouldn’t just give him their card but instead walk in to make sure no funny business happened. Honestly I don’t think anything would have happened but suppose better to be safe than sorry. Two of them walked in when they came back they both said he was really pushy about a tip. Generally in Europe there is no tipping so they ended up just tipping him $2 and moved on. They weren’t overly amped on that but it was what it was and they walked off to see whatever it was they were off to see.

My pizza came and looked pretty darn good. Another interesting thing about Europe so far, and pizza, is that no one seems to have crushed red peppers. Instead they have like a chili oil but that is nothing more than adding more oil to your pizza and doesn’t have the same kick. I drank my beer and ate my pizza watching the people and horses go by. The table across from me was ready to check out. They as well said they wanted to split the bill so lets see how this works out. He gave them the same rundown about cash only if they wanted to split. One girl said well two of us can pay cash and the other has a card. He tried maybe 3 times to tell them that that wasn’t a thing but they beat him down. I think one might have been from Vienna so she wasn’t going to fall for that shit. He then looked really annoyed and tried to say, well I have to do it that way because the owner will look at it and I will get in trouble. That wasn’t the case and in fact he could split the check with cards. His face said it all and when the exchange was over he just walked off without really saying anything. Lucky for me I didn’t want to split the check with myself and I would just cover the whole thing. He finally walked over with my bill even though I hadn’t asked for it and said the price and also tip wasn’t included. I didn’t want to get in to it so I did what the previous girls did and just tipped him $2. I said thank you and then stood up and headed out. The food was good but the dude was lame. I can start to see why people say Vienna has rude people. I walked back up the street and ran in to an ice cream shop that happened to have a Redbull. The prices in Europe of certain things are pretty favorable. For example, a Redbull at some gas stations in the US are up to $3.25 where as I have paid as low as $1.75 but mostly they are $2 here. Might not seem like much but every penny of savings helps. Before I ordered there were two police officers in front of me getting their afternoon ice cream. Was kind of funny to see. It had gotten a bit late in the afternoon and decided to walk back to the hotel. I wasn’t to far and was only a 12 or so minute walk. The weather was nice, not to hot, and not to cold. I came back in through the entrance of the hotel to see two new people working the front desk. I said hello and continued up to the room.

With shower complete I went on to my phone to check out the tickets. A few days prior I had gone online to get the ticket. They had different sections that carried different price points. The lowest two were sold out but I got one for $92 and it was a mid tier ticket. A short while after the completed purchase I got an email from the Opera House ticket office saying that unfortunately the section I had purchased was sold out and they could only offer me an elevated ticket. I was super confused because why would they allow me to purchase a ticket with their being no seats available. I asked this question a couple different ways in emails but at the end of the day the refunded me the money and said I could purchase an elevated ticket if I wanted to attend. The elevated ticket price was $225 but did come with a close row seat. I debated if I really wanted to go but in the end when in Vienna you go to an Opera. When I had gone back later in the day to get the new ticket there seemed to be another section available that wasn’t $225 but $175. They actually let you select your seat so I knew I wouldn’t run in to that sold out problem again. Anyway, I went to my email to see about the ticket when I read that the ticket needed to be printed out. I was slightly pressed for time but when I went to the front desk they said just to email them the ticket and they could print it out for me. While that was happening the Uber was on approach. I thanked the folks at the front desk and got in the Uber. We drove through all of the narrow roads and through the Palace again and arrived at the Vienna State Opera House.

The Opera House was nothing short of magnificent. It was much larger than I had anticipated and on one side had a statue fountain surrounded by grass. I was there about 45 minutes early and the ticket specifically said that the show would start promptly at 7pm. With the few minutes I had I decided to walk in to the cafe to have a drink. This was no Nickleback concert so I elevated my game and got a whiskey on the rocks with a bottle of water. These alcohol prices are tripping me out because 1 whiskey and 1 bottle of water was $11. Everyone was dressed up for the show, and sad to say, I didn’t pack anything “nice.” I did wear nicer black jeans and my best new tshirt without logos or bands on it haha. I certainly wasn’t underdressed as I saw other that could have upped their game but a majority of the people were in nice dresses, or jeans undershirt and overcoat, and even full suits. I sat at one of the pill shaped bar tops and sipped my whiskey. It became time and finished my drink and set off to find my seat. The elevated seat I had landed me in the 5th row. I took my seat with the rest of the folks and the first thing that I noticed was every seat had a small monitor on the seat back in front of them. I had been a bit nervous because presumable the opera would be in German. I catch on pretty quickly to stories but would have taken away some of the enjoyment if I had no idea what was being said/sung. The monitors were in fact for translation. It gave you an option of languages and you selected which you preferred. The orchestra was positioned below the stage and in between where we were sitting. They had quite the size of musicians playing everything from a harp to drums. The lights went down and the crowd applauded and the story of Solame was off and running.

Plays are not really my thing especially musicals. One thing I didn’t know about the opera was that it is a normal play just all of the words are sung verses spoken. In brief the story of Solame goes like this. The King is having a party and they had recently captured a prophet. The prophet John the Baptist speaks of prophecies and takes the interest of Solame. Narraboth, the head of the guard, in infatuated with Solame and even though he says she shouldn’t he brings up John the Baptist from the cell. Salome because obsessed with John and is determined to have him. When he refuses her obsession grows. All the while she never sees Narraboth kill himseIf. The King struggles with many different conflicts throughout the opera, as he fears and admires John, resents his wife and the constant bickering of the religious officials who surround him, and obsesses over his step-daughter. Salome, knowing these varying pressures, takes advantage of the situation. She twists the king’s fixation with her by using a dance (the “Dance of the Seven Veils”) to get what she wants: the head of John the Baptist on a platter, with which she can do whatever she desires without John’s protests. Terrified and scandalized by such behavior, King Herod orders her death. The lights go down and the end. So there was that haha. The crowed erupted in applause with the gentleman behind me shouting “BRAVO! BRAVO!” The actors all came out and took a bow. The the conductor appeared and took a bow. These bows and entrances and exits lasted a good 20 minutes. I had never been to a performance where the applause was sustained for so long. After the final bow the crowd started to funnel out. I tried to take that opportunity and stand in the middle row and take a few photos of the opera house interior. It was a magnificent theater. There was about 40 or so rows on the floor and then 5 stories of boxes. Looking at a seating chart is always vastly different that what the venue looks like in real life. The boxes were pretty neat and i’m sure had a pretty cool view. I do understand however why those come with a lower price ticket especially if you are in the 3 row of one of those boxes. Finally a security guard came and told us it was time to leave so made my way toward the door. the exit I used put me in the grand entrance. It was stunning. It stood about 5 stories tall and painting on all of the walls and the ceiling as well. The ushers were stopping people from walking back up the stairs to take photos. This one asian lady just couldn’t come to terms with that and attempted to bicker with the poor usher but was denied. I made my way out of the opera house and ventured across the street to take a photo of the front of the building. It was still twilight out and the lights had been turned on. You get those real Mission Impossible vibes looking at the building in the evening. I was not the only one taking photos that’s for sure. What an awesome experience and even though I was not converted in to an Opera Aficionado I did very much enjoy the experience and is something everyone should do if they can.

I decided to walk a bit and see what was around. Low and behold there was a sign on the side of one of the buildings saying “Casino Wien.” I mean you can’t pass by a casino, especially in a rich place, and not at least go check it out haha. I found the entrance and walked in. You had to register for a card and pay $27. The attendant said that once you pay the $27 he will give me a card as well as $30 loaded on it. I had never been to a place where the card costs one thing and then they just give you a free $3. I mean I’m sure they know that they are getting that back but still kind of an interesting concept. The lower floor had all kinds of table games. Everyone was dressed up and screamed of money. Some of the table minimus were $200 and most seats were filled. The next 3 levels were filled with slot machines. I walked to the top floor just looking at the machines and ended up sitting at one. I said to myself that if I could double up then that would be enough to walk away. Sure enough in the first 10 spins I was up $50 but where is the fun in leaving haha. Naturally the next few machines were not as kind. I was down to my last $10 out of the $60 I put in. Out of no where I hit a bonus and was back to $30. I had decided that if I was going to lose $30 might as well lose the whole $60. A new machine and 5 spins later I hit a bonus that paid me $60 and made me a $20 winner. I thought to play off that $20 and then bail. No luck with that $20 but left the casino even money and that is a win. I left the casino pretty happy after that rollercoaster ride. I walked down the street and the streets were filled. People in Europe sure do stay up late. I was ready for dinner but back to the same jackpot. A ton of cafes but wasn’t really feeling any of it. I didn’t want to sit down for some higher end meal or sausage. I walked round and round looking at all of the shops and cafes until finally I said enough is enough haha. There was a pizza shop on the corner handing out slices. Not ideal as I had had pizza for lunch but hey it was quick and easy. I ordered two slices of salami and ham and when he got out two plates that the pieces barely fit on I knew I had ordered too much. I didn’t realize that these were going to be Costco size slices. I took the slices to a table and sat and enjoyed one of them. I couldn’t finish both and they were nice enough to give me a box. When opened the Uber app to see about a ride home I didn’t recognize that all of my walking actually led me 3 blocks from my hotel. I walked the few blocks and back and arrived at the hotel. It was a great day and had really enjoyed the opera experience. Tomorrow I had an early-ish flight heading to Helsinki, Finland, where the Metallica tour was starting up again. I would love to come back to Vienna and spend more time and see the museums but was a great 48hrs and will certainly be back! Off to Finland!