Vienna, Part 2, May 4

 This was our second full day in Vienna. Another nice day, mid 70s.

 We started by trying to take a tour of the Vienna Opera House, but the English tour was not till 2:30. Meanwhile, we were approached by dressed-up hawkers who tried to get us to buy tickets for the evening's performance of The Barber of Seville, Mark's very favorite opera. We almost bought, but Mark was suspicious and went into the Opera House to ask at the ticket booth. The woman told her that the tickets were black market and, while legitimate, were all going to have major restrictive views. So, we decided to save the 45 Euros each and decided we'd take our chances later on standing room tickets. Wise decision.

   From there we walked more and went to the Sacher Cafe to sample a famous Vienna coffee house. Mark had the Sacher torte (chocolate/apricot). Michael and Barbara had apple strudel and Nancy had a sweet pancake (crepe-like). It was a nice experience. (And about 16 Euros per person for coffee and a sweet!) Then, more walking.

   After short rests, we walked back to the Opera House and took/sat in a very hot line for Standing Room Only tickets. We got there around 5 and go the tickets by around 6:15. Only 3 Euros each. Then, we were funneled up, up, up to the last rows in the upper balcony where there were three standing room lines. (All on risers with little screens for translating the words.) We were in the second standing room line, but center. So - good spots.

     The set was a three-story set depicting a house with its interior rooms. Beautiful. The orchestra was amazing and the sound filled the beautiful concert hall. It was a memorable experience. We stayed through the first half and left about a third of the way through the second half. (It is not easy to stand the whole time, plus we thought that we'd had the experience by then.)
   It was good to leave early because we had the hall to ourselves, to take photos of the grand staircase and grand hallways without anyone else there.

   The Opera House opened in 1869. It suffered severe bombing in 1945, but it reopened in several months, although full renovation took years. (1955) The grand staircase and the face were among the few places spared destruction.
   It is considered one of the most important opera venues in the world and has the largest repertoire. They do not schedule back-to-back performances so have to dismantle and rebuild the sets every day. (So, the Barber was Friday night and Monday nights) A staggering task.
    It was a good day.