Dong Xiuna's "Writing to the End of the World" Series No. 20:

Danube Goddess Vienna

Going to Vienna has been my dream since I was a boy. When I was in middle school, I was the lead singer in the school's art troupe choir, and I often heard my teacher talk about this music city. However, going to Vienna at that time could only be a fantasy, because as the capital of Austria, she was far away in Europe, and going abroad was impossible for an ordinary person. Therefore, I enshrine the sacred Vienna deep in my heart as the birthplace of music and art and the holy land where art masters grew up. Despite this, every New Year, I always listen to the Vienna New Year Concert on the radio. Later, with the advent of television, I will not miss this music feast every New Year because she comes from distant Vienna.

Unexpectedly, decades later, I finally fulfilled my childhood dream and came to Vienna, the capital of Austria. Although I have imagined its charm countless times, I am still shocked by the Vienna in front of me! It turns out that she is not only the hometown of music and art, but also a city with extremely beautiful natural landscapes.

The city of Vienna is surrounded by the Alps on three sides, the Danube River passes through the city, and is surrounded by the famous Vienna Woods. The Romans began building castles here starting in the first century AD. At the end of the 13th century, with the rise of the Habsburg royal family, countless magnificent Gothic buildings were built. In the 15th century, Vienna had become the capital of the Roman Empire and the center of the European economy. In the 18th century, Vienna's rulers promoted social progress and brought about the prosperity of art. This ancient city gradually became the center of European classical music and gained the reputation of "Music City".

Vienna is the capital of Austria and the political, economic and cultural center of Austria. Although Vienna covers an area of ??only 414 square kilometers, one-fifth of Austria's population (actually only 1.7 million people, equivalent to the population of a district in our big city) lives here. Since this was once the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the luxury and style of the past still remain. After World War II, Viennese people rebuilt the devastated city, and all historical buildings were protected and renovated. Vienna is the most important cultural, artistic and tourism city in Europe. Every year, music admirers from all over the world travel thousands of miles to visit this temple of art for a concert.

In order to appreciate this beautiful city more comprehensively, we followed the tour guide to climb the Alps. Sure enough, here you can really feel the world-renowned beauty of the cultural city of Vienna. The Vienna Woods surrounds the city like green waves, and patches of green grass are like huge velvet carpets. The Danube River meanders through the meadows with sparkling blue waves like a shining ribbon. Countless magnificent buildings are built on the mountain with distinct layers. I once saw a painter's depiction of Vienna, but it was nothing compared to the Vienna I saw before me.

Wandering in the streets of Vienna, I felt as if I was walking in a magnificent classical painting. Chambrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty. It has Greek-style architecture, as well as countless statues and fountains. The National Opera House, built in 1869, is known as the opera center of the world. The ring road built in 1857 is lined with many famous buildings such as museums, city hall, parliament, universities, and opera houses.

Whether I am visiting the Music Temple or wandering around the music theme park, I always feel like I am walking in a medieval oil painting. Perhaps to prove my feeling, four tall black horses pulled a carriage decorated with silver ornaments and flew past my eyes. A young coachman wearing a black top hat pulled the reins tightly. It’s just that there is no noble-looking woman wearing a waist skirt in the car (unfortunately, I can’t find this photo now).

That day, it happened to be a Sunday, and except for a few food stores, almost all shops were closed. It turns out that Viennese people have to put everything down to rest every Sunday. We saw many cars on the way here, some with small yachts or ski equipment on the roof. They all seemed to be Viennese families vacationing.

Music gives the city a solemn and mysterious color. Whether it is the ring boulevard in the center of the city or the cobblestone streets, you can see music-themed sculptures and parks named after musicians everywhere. It seems that the whole of Vienna is closely connected with music. Especially the sculptures with the theme of musicians are elegant, noble and exquisite, attracting many people to take photos. I came to the famous Golden Hall. The strange thing is that in this city of music, this musical temple that is famous all over the world is not as brilliant as imagined. It is located on a small street corner. Sister Zhang and I walked into the corridor of the Golden Hall and saw many men and women in formal attire standing there, seemingly waiting to enter the hall. When we walked in, someone brought us a beautiful program. From the picture, it looked like a concert by a national orchestra. We didn’t have an invitation, so of course we couldn’t watch the show, and we didn’t have the chance to visit the splendid theater.

There is a larger street garden in the center of Vienna. In the garden stands a white statue of the famous music master Mozart. On the green space in front of the statue, there is a treble clef composed of blooming flowers. There were several teenagers sitting on the base of the statue, some of them carrying schoolbags. An old man in a wheelchair stared for a long time in front of Mozart's statue. They should all be locals in Vienna.

For thousands of years, masters and music have infected every Viennese person, and they have passed down music, art and culture from generation to generation. Food products sold in stores are often branded after musicians. I bought several beautifully packaged chocolates, all produced to commemorate Mozart's birthday.

Vienna, a veritable city of music. The faces of the people on the street showed calmness and elegance, and they walked unhurriedly, as if to the beat of music. Vienna is breathtakingly beautiful.

No wonder people call you the "Danube Goddess"!