Believe it or not this is just a water tower.
The alarm went off and hour earlier than I intended, but hey what the heck. I got some blogging done, took a shower, had a great breakfast and got some work done all before 9:00 when my colleague met me a the hotel. This day was off to a great start!
Today was definitely a better day. I have a great time delivering the training for my Austrian colleagues. They are a very good group and really wanted to learn. The view from the office is incredible. There is a gorgeous building I saw with great tile work on the roof. When I asked about it, it turned out to be a water tower. I guess if you are going to put it in the middle of a city it should be grand.
After work a colleague, Heinz took me out in the city. I had seen a picture of the Hundertwasser-Haus in the guide book It look very similar to Gaudi’s work in Barcelona.
View of downtown from our office in South Vienna.
It is an apartment building created by Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1985. It combines elements of a Moorish mosque with features of Spanish villages and Venetian palaces. It has a strong tie between the structure and nature. There are even trees on the roof. While it is an interesting building, Gaudi’s was more impressive.
From there we walked to another building designed by Hundertwasser, Kunst Haus Wien. It had a similar feel. The fountain in the lobby was intriguing. The water was actually directed so it was flowing up. We have a great dinner at Dukelbunt Restaurant in the Kunst Haus Wien building. It was typical Viennese food.
During dinner Heinz shared a story I wanted to add.
Typical Vienese street lamp.
We work for Bose. It is a great company and once people realize who we work for they have good things to say and ask about the products. Last week Heinz was ill and had fainted. He had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He happened to have a Bose logo on his shirt. While he was laying there in the ambulance the medical worker recognizes the logo. He then began to question Heinz about products. When he arrived at the hospital the doctor treating him did the same thing. While Heinz believes in Bose he wanted to lose the logo and be the focus of attention at that moment. It just goes to show that a good brand can have an unexpected impact.
After dinner we meet Heinz’s boyfriend at the Savoy. It is the oldest gay bar in Vienna and has claim to the largest wall mirrors in Europe. We have a nice chat and then I headed back to the room. After typing out this while my clothes steam in the shower to get the smoke smell out, I am headed to bed to read. I want to get and early start.
After work tomorrow I will take a train to Salzburg. Then on Saturday it is on to Innsbruck.
