Reading up on Vienna
Part of preparing for my trip to Vienna (creating a map of the places to visit was one), I read up on activities in Vienna. The city has a wonderfully informative website Wien Info, and they have a great number of posts not only on the well-known sites, but also a comprehensible calendar on all events.
I downloaded their events program for the months of July and August, and the fun began! At first the large number of events available for my 5-day trip were a bit overwhelming, but I tracked on. It’s how I found the little gem called Hoch- und Deutschmeister band!
Next up a trip to the bookstore where I found a good city guide on the city: DK’s Vienna (Eyewitness Travel Guide).
I also remembered that a few years ago, I read a wonderful book which was situated (mostly) in Vienna: an amazing tale, a bit surrealistic at times, but well-worth your attention. This was the book The Little Book: A Novel by Selden Edwards. I have started to read this book again, and I find that the places and streets mentioned now are clear image in my head.
My mother gave me another title for my reading list: The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal. I read this book while on the train to Vienna and I finished it I think by the second day there.
The next time I plan a city trip, I will probably find a city guide, but reading novels taking place in your planned city give an extra dimension when you are walking around the streets and seeing the buildings as they have been described. In fact the first building I visited was the Palace Ephrussi, home of the Ephrussi family from The Hare with Amber Eyes: such an impressive building (and large!), the family who live there during the turn of the last century came alive before my eyes and I temporarily forgot the busy 21st century traffic around me. Instead carriage and impressively dressed people were walking down the Ringstraße.
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