The New year’s eve run in Vienna
If you have not visited Vienna yet, I highly recommend a visit. I have lived and worked in some of the most historical cities in Europe (Lisbon, Istanbul, London) but Vienna has caught my heart. I may be a little biased. I travel to Vienna quite often and every time I grow fonder of her. Perhaps that is what it is. It takes a while to truly appreciate a city. Visiting a city as a tourist on a whirlwind tour is so different from getting to know a city over time. I spent 4 months working in Istanbul and nearly 1.5 years in Lisbon. It allows time to immerse oneself in the city.
This time Vienna got me. As I mentioned in my last article, I was in Vienna for Christmas and New Year. And I had the opportunity to take part in the yearly New Year’s Eve run. The city’s ring road is closed off to traffic for the run. What fun it was.
The run/walk was great but what really caught my attention was walking past all the buildings I had gone past before by tram, scooter, or car. Doing it on foot, in the centre of the ring road, with no worries about traffic was a completely different experience. To walk past Hofburg, the winter residence of the emperor, which is opposite Heldenplatz, now 2 museums with Maria Teresa’s statue regally in the centre took my breath away. Even though I had seen them many times before.
I felt transported back in time this time around. More so because of a period drama that was shown on TV about the Habsburg family, Franz Josef I, and his wife, Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Bavaria. Nicknamed Sisi. Though it was in German, with a little translation from my husband, Markus, and my mediocre German (read: instinct) I watched the entire series. It was very well done and truly captivating.
I was not fan of history growing up. I was more interested in geography. It was a choice of history or geography in school during my time. But I became more interested in history as an adult and now as I find myself in historical cities I try and immerse myself in the cities' past. And what a past Vienna has.
The Habsburg family ruled Austria (and more) via its many emperors. The Austro-Hungarian empire (1867-1918) was the second largest country in Europe after the Russian Empire. Hence it was a delight to understand its history through the period drama titled Sisi. For me, it was a summary of Sisi and her husband’s, the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Josef I, early reign.
Some empresses of their era were visionaries. They seemed the quiet leaders! They were trailblazers, especially in a time when women were expected to be seen and not heard. They remained strong and courageous amidst trials and tribulations. Sisi, who lost a young daughter to illness, helped foster the relationship between Austria and Hungary. Maria Teresa, wife of Emperor Francis I (1736-1765) introduced compulsory education for boys and girls establishing the first public schools and first schoolbooks. Until then education was for the elite only. Wow!
But back to the present day or rather New Year’s Eve. As I walked past the Hofburg Palace on the right and then turned left to see Maria Teresa’s statue directly opposite, my history lesson fell into place. Especially as Markus said, ‘this is where Sisi lived’, pointing to Hofburg – which is where the Austrian president resides now. It is so much easier to appreciate a building (or statue) when you understand its past. I stopped for a moment and wondered what it must have been like for Sisi and Maria Teresa. I was humbled.
Oh, and the run! It was great to see many Austrians and visitors participating in the yearly New Year’s Eve run. It wasn’t too cold which made the walk around the ring road pleasant and historical. There were some runners in coordinated costumes and others dressed by theme. Markus’s ‘running’ friends organise a red dress run yearly.
The official starting point. Notice the red dresses ahead of me. I was rather yellow!
Walkers in coordinated costumes. They were as fun as their costumes
ps my white bag had spare warm gear - just in case!
The overall spirit of the participants was uplifting and memorable making it a brilliant way to say adieu to the old year and hello to the new one.
Happy new year!
As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com