Vienna vs. Paris

One American’s Perspective

Good Morning from Budapest!  Right now, you are probably sleeping soundly.  I am here with our best friends and travel buddies: Gail, Nick, and Nick’s mom, Barbara.

I thought it would be interesting to compare Vienna, where I spent 5 days last week, with Paris, which I visited three times last year.  Please bear with me, my comparison will be rudimentary and shallow since I didn’t have meaningful conversations to go deeper in Vienna.  Yet, I have taken enough pictures of both places to offer some interesting observations, so here are my thoughts on their differences and similarities regarding:

A magnificent ceiling fresco inside Schonnbrunn Palace.

Buildings/Architecture:  In general, I observed that Vienna was more ornate, using more gold leaf and multi-layered trim both on the inside and the outside.  Vienna often seemed to have 5-6 layers of trim surrounding the doors and windows, and these trim shapes related to each other only by their color.  They also often used light sherbet colors on the exteriors of these buildings.  Typically, the older buildings lacked many balconies but featured elaborate carvings of statues, women, angels, and sometimes intricate ironwork.  They used stucco, multi-colored brick, and absolutely stunning tile. In general, many of the buildings I observed in Vienna were in the Rococo style.  Vienna’s streets and sidewalks were also incredibly clean, and the city seemed to have a well-developed biking infrastructure.  It was also quiet due to the heavy use of electric vehicles, such as the few cars, the streetcars, the subway, and the electric buses.  Speaking of streetcars, we were able to buy a 3-day pass and get everywhere!  We did not have to show or scan our pass; it was based on the honor system, suggesting a high level of trust in Vienna.  This was quite refreshing!  

A view of Paris last January.

Paris is slightly less ornate.  The architect Haussmann updated much of Paris’s look, including wider streets and the Parisian gray buildings with stores and cafes below and living above.  For me, I saw darker, more saturated colors on the bottom of these old buildings, and the little shops and restaurants embraced them with a more individualistic sense of branding, making them their own. One more thing I noticed was the prevalence of wood parquet floors in Paris, whereas Vienna seemed partial to tile.  For most of my time in Paris, I simply walked everywhere and used the metro very little. To my knowledge, there are no streetcars, and there seem to be fewer bicycles than in Vienna.  

Tilework and pastel colors in Vienna.

My deepest desire is to tour the homes of both of these cities to understand how people live and their interior design.  This is my quest, and I must find ways to make it happen.  Perhaps if I pretended to get a flat/pied-à-terre in one of these places, then I could see the inside, but that wouldn’t help me understand what makes people comfortable in their own homes.  One exception to this is that when Ed and I stayed in Paris, we actually rented a woman’s home in the Marais.  This spot was adorable, filled with country-French antiques and surprising touches that made it her own.  Perhaps this could be our approach: a house swap.

Our little nest in Paris was in a woman’s home in the Marais.

Cafe Culture:

Both cities have strong cafe cultures, and we enjoyed a wide variety of food.  Vienna has incredible baked croissants and breads, just like Paris.  However, in Vienna, the amazing sourdough and rustic breads—not the baguette—were served with every meal.  Speaking of meals, Austrian food includes delicious schnitzel and goulash, which makes what we know of these items pale in comparison.  The French food that Julia Child made famous seems just as heavy but includes more veggies.  Neither cuisine appeals to me as an everyday choice, but both are worth the delight that chefs can actualize in ways I have never experienced before.  

There were statues on many of the buildings in Vienna.

Another observation is that Paris has a rule for its outdoor cafe furniture: usually round tables and the quintessential French cafe chairs.  The Viennese are much freer with their outdoor furniture, using banquettes, cushions, comfy chairs, and a variety of materials to reflect the type of food they serve.  That being said, the French cafe look is iconic, and seeing it everywhere is massively beautiful to me.  

The young hare of Vienna. This statue was outside the Albertina Museum.

Museums: 

Paris is known for its museums, especially the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.  Vienna, however, had my favorite museum to date-the Albertina.  This museum had a distinct feel, featuring so many of the greats-Monet, Picasso, Klimt, Chagall, Degas, Miro, Ernst, and many others.  What I loved the most was that I could walk through the art in about 2.5 hrs. This is perfect for me, compared to about 6 hours in the Louvre with art that may not appeal to me (besides the Mona Lisa, of course!)

More beautiful tile in Vienna!

Another stark difference in efficiency is Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna versus Versailles.  Schonbrunn Palace made us select a starting time, gave us a little listening device that only we could hear when we entered each room, and kept us moving in a quiet and orderly fashion.  Versailles was a free-for-all, and we did not learn or see nearly as much.  Hands down, Schonbrunn Palace was the clear winner.

Our glorious symphony experience in the Golden Hall in Vienna.

Music Culture:

 Nick’s mom, Barbara, and Nick nailed it down for us in Vienna.  We went to the Golden Hall and listened to a symphony by Tchaichovski.  It was other worldly.  I have never experienced music like this-classical was never my thing, until this moment.  I have also never experienced classical music in Paris, however.  I am just going to give it to Vienna, the settled home of Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Vivaldi, and Brahms.  These guys probably knew what they were doing.  

The ceiling of the Golden Hall.

I have yet to see another concert anywhere else that I have visited, with the exception of street music (often amazing!), and Vienna had this as well.  There were also lots of students with instruments strapped to their backs heading to practice or elsewhere, either on foot or on their bikes.

Ed in front of a bakery in Paris in January.

Shopping/Fashion:  

We did do some good little shopping in Vienna, but Paris is where it is at!   Shopping in Paris is on a whole other level than anywhere else in the world, except perhaps Japan.  Areas like the Marais, the Champs-Élysées (for window shopping), and actually everywhere in between.  Parisians express themselves individually through their clothes, in a way that I have never seen before-elegant, funky, bohemian, or structured. The Parisian way of putting together an outfit is a lesson in caring deeply without appearing to care.  In Vienna, the women and men seemed quite clean-cut and healthy, and their style of dress was more uniform.  They looked good, no question, but they usually did not seem to stand out.  

More great tile in Vienna.

People:

Both cities can easily speak English, but the Viennese seemed much more inclined to speak English with me. Although I can personally listen to French all day long (versus German), I felt very comfortable starting a conversation with someone in Vienna.  They were warm and seemed to have more time for me.  In Paris, they seem busier and perhaps less patient.   I liken it to the difference I perceive when I go to Chicago vs. New York.  The “Midwest nice” seems to apply in Vienna as well.  It is an unfair stereotype to me that Parisians are rude; however, I have found Parisians to be kind, just in more of a hurry.  

A church roof near where we stayed in Vienna.

My quick assessment is by no means a true study; it’s simply my musings after 5 days in Vienna.  If you have been reading Design Pulp for a while now, you probably know that Paris has captured my heart and soul.  I cannot logically explain it; it is more of a feeling, like Paris captures my essence.  For my best friend, Gail, this essence is in Kyoto; for my husband, Ed, it is in Amsterdam.  Different cities can reflect who we want to be.  Perhaps the truth is that we possess those qualities we see in Paris, Kyoto, and Amsterdam, and we do not need to live there to understand that.  Yet it is somewhat magical to imagine what it would be like to transform in these places.  Do you have a place where you feel this way? I would love to know, email me at stephanie@balancedesignatlanta.com.   

Looking forward to seeing you again soon,

Stephanie