Christmas around us
Here is an interesting dream thing (the one that is not materialized). : ) You think about it, you imagine it, you aspire to it. But all this happens with the IMAGE of a dream that you have in your head, and, as practice shows, it has nothing to do with its embodied likeness. But this is so - a philosophical digression. But in reality…
I dreamed about Christmas markets for a long time and densely, I savored them, I imagined them, I literally lusted for them. And once I even almost got to them, but an evil fate did not give us the opportunity to reunite. And so, finally, I decided - now or never, and bravely took the plane tickets. Of course, to Vienna. Because this is the city I adore, and the three-year separation from it greatly depressed me. And so it turned out to combine the usual pleasant with the magically pleasant.
And I will not now burden you with a story about the sights I saw on the trip, about the experience of traveling to Linz and Graz, about the "Austrian Escorial" Klosterneuburg Abbey and other adventures - I want to dedicate this story solely to answering the question of whether I received I'm what I've been striving for so hard. And the most interesting thing is that there will be no definite answer here.
Because I imagined Christmas markets like this (photo from here) :
When the trees seem twice as fluffy because of the snow wrapped around them, when the lights mysteriously flicker through the graceful dance of snowflakes, when a light frost turns a glass of mulled wine from ordinary drunkenness into an urgent need, and all this puts you in a state of euphoria. This is what I was preparing for - I bought, sorry for the intimate detail, thermal underwear, warm socks and an even warmer jacket, a hat with a delightful pom-pom and mittens with deer. And I already dreamily calculated how many liters of mulled wine and/or punch I could consume in one person, if only about 14 main fairs were declared in the center of Vienna, a lot of additional ones in each district, and there were also thematic ones such as African Christmas or Christmas for cats and dogs. In general, I waited and longed for something like this - "Christmas is around us! . . Come out under the Christmas snow! ”.
But life corrected this, as they said in the famous Soviet film. We saw the first and practically the only snow in all of Austria from the train window on the way from Vienna to Graz when crossing the mountains (sorry, photo only from the phone).
Well, a few snowflakes swirled in the air on our final day in Vienna. And even then we saw them, I think, because we climbed the Stephansdom tower, closer to heaven! ; ))
So the Christmas snow didn't work out at all! It was better with "Christmas Around Us" - the cities were embellished with festive illuminations, which, however, are only visible in the evening, and during the day it looks like a strange cluster of wires.
Shop windows, restaurants and hotels are also decorated in some places in a very festive way, but, again, this is better noticeable at night.
Even the Kunsthistorisches Museum is not far behind - except for the separate exhibition "Caravaggio and Bernini".
It also pleases with signs of Christmas inscribed in luxurious interiors.
Of course, nativity scenes are everywhere - I have seen enough of them in full - from the ultra-avant-garde in front of the casino in Linz...
. . . to the largest Austrian nativity scene in the largest Austrian cathedral in Linz. . .
. . . as well as the Ice Nativity Scene (how is it not melting? ) in the courtyard of the Landhaus in Graz.
And I'm not talking about the 12 nativity scenes in the park in front of the Town Hall, which can be viewed to the music, about the exhibition of rather non-standard nativity scenes in St. Peter's Cathedral on the Graben. . .
. . . or, for example, about the wonderful nativity scene in the Minoritenkirche. . .
. . . located directly opposite a copy of the Last Supper fresco.
Yes, and there are Christmas markets everywhere - everything is fair here! ; ))) But having visited two of them on the very first evening of my arrival in Vienna, I made for myself a few, shall we say, sobering conclusions, which later only proved to be true.
Firstly, there are a lot of people there. There are a lot of people there! And on a day off there to go crazy how many people!!!
Secondly, most of those present, let's be honest, do not know what to do with themselves, except to eat and take pictures with the Christmas tree, or as a change... bury in hay! : )
We were even a little more creative than others, because we also photographed cups for mulled wine. ; ))
Thirdly, the cups were also fraught with a catch - their volume is only 250 ml (and in some cases 200 ml), and the cup of my dreams was at least half a liter. : )
Fourthly, don't throw slippers at me, but the fairs are located in the most visited places and do not allow you to admire the sights as such. And okay, if it's Belvedere. . .
. . . or, for example, the Karlschkirche, which I have seen 100 times in different guises.
And if this is, for example, the central square of Linz, which I visited for the first time, which is considered the largest medieval square in Austria, and you can’t even estimate its size...
. . . or Graz, where it is almost impossible to catch a general view of the Town Hall because of the houses of the Christmas market. . .
. . . or Freyung Square with the Scottish Monastery, from which only the tops are visible, then somehow it is slightly annoying.
Again, Sisi's favorite elephant (and mine too) on Maria Theresa Square had to wade through the back of the stage where the Christmas concert was going on! ; ))
The weather also “whispered” when on a hot (about +12) sunny day in mid-December we arrived in Klosterneuburg and admired the flower beds with pansies and blooming roses.
Yes, the Abbey is insanely photogenic in sunny weather against a piercing blue sky.
Yes, and the Verdun altar and other beauties of the treasury do not depend on the weather.
But where is the Spirit of Christmas, except in the presence of an Advent wreath in the local cathedral. . .
. . . and a Sunday discount in honor of the same Advent on champagne, which was among the reasons that prompted me to go to Vienna in the winter (the champagne has not yet been unpacked, so there are no photos). ; )))
And views of the bridge-island Murinsel on the river Mur, flowing through Graz. . .
. . . or the surroundings on the Schlossberg mountain with green grass and trees. . .
. . . when you somehow immediately realize that in two weeks Christmas will come and it is definitely around us! ; )))
Such a scandalous situation with the weather leads to the fact that from time to time we change mulled wine and drink aperol-spritz (drink of SUMMER verandas). . .
. . . or champagne, which is absolutely out of the question!!!
True, the lack of sun does not really save the situation - it's just that the panorama of Linz, which lies below, is not so well visible from the Pö stlingberg mountain.
And the views of the Nibelungen Bridge, city streets and sights are a little dull, although not without some charm.
And it saddens me, unlike the lamb at the local Christmas market. : )
True, the decorative cabbage on the Town Hall Square was a success, and if you look at it from afar, it even looks like a multi-colored snowdrift.
But do not think that the picture is completely unsightly. When dusk falls on the earth. . .
. . . and then the festive illumination shines brighter. . .
. . . then you start to plunge into the holiday atmosphere!
Strange weaves of wires turn into angels.
The famous "chandeliers" on the Graben evoke the feeling that you are in a huge ballroom and Cinderella is about to flutter out of a passing carriage. : )
Showcases also look more elegant and fabulous!
Christmas balls and toys sparkle enticingly in fair stalls.
And somewhere in the depths of my soul, the feeling begins to grow that all this - buying tickets, fees, worries, and so on - was not in vain...
And when, on our final evening in Vienna, we walked along the Hofburg, which was quite deserted by that time, admiring the Imperial Christmas Market on Michaelerplatz...
. . . we came out from behind the Burgtheater to the City Hall and saw THIS. . .
. . . I realized that Christmas is here! Here and now! Around us! : )))
It is probably right that our path turned out in such a way that we ended up at the most important Christmas market in Vienna and all of Austria - the Bazaar of the Christ Child - at the end of the trip. This was the apogee of our pre-Christmas journey and forced us to rethink some of the conclusions made up to that point. But that was later, but for now we were just enjoying the festive atmosphere, admiring the symbolic "Herzerlbaum" - a tree of 200 shining hearts.
For all these snowmen, Christmas toys, balls, the beautiful City Hall.
And at that moment it didn't matter to me that a cup of mulled wine was only 250 ml, because such a small amount is enough for a holiday! ; )))
We flew from Vienna on a gray cloudy day, which graciously gave us a few snowflakes on Stephansplatz. But now this could no longer spoil my pre-Christmas mood and the feeling that I still managed to meet my dream! Even if it actually turned out to be not quite what it seemed from afar! But anyway, I was sure that “Christmas is all around us! And if you believe in him, then go out under the Christmas snow! ”.
P. C. The opinion of the author, expressed in this story, is based solely on his personal impressions and feelings and in no way is a desire to negatively influence anyone's decision to visit (or not visit) Christmas Europe. After all, until you try something personally, you won’t know if you need it! ; )))
P. PS I congratulate all readers of TurPravda on the Christmas and New Year holidays! Happy new travels and may your dreams come true!
