Vienna earrings

What a lark! Our church’s very first work and witness team to Budapest had so far exceeded the host church’s expectations that we had not only completed the demolition of the three rooms into one worship space, but we had also completely landscaped their front garden area and created a patio in the back yard area. The neighbors couldn’t believe the transformation, and we couldn’t have been happier. And, because we had done so much with our limited time, we had a whole day to do extra sightseeing. Pastor Mark, traveler par excellence, realized we were only a two-hour train ride away from Vienna, a great opportunity for a day trip.

Early on the morning of our free day, we headed across the street from our hotel to the main train station where we purchased twenty-dollar tickets to visit Vienna, a whole country away. Our day started in the old part of the city, visiting the church where generations of Habsburgs were buried, popping in and out of other famous sites, once more being confronted with the horrors of World War II and the  overture to it when Hitler took over Austria, marching into Vienna and rounding  up all the Jews who had lived in the city for centuries.

Then we visited the Habsburg Palace square, where both Habsburg royalty and Hitler and his minions had spoken to huge crowds, winning their fearful loyalty. The gravity of the history of the place was rather overwhelming, leaving all of us, I believe, with a desire for a bit of levity. For some of us that took the form of shopping in some little boutiques that lined the interior corridors of the palace square area. One that caught the eye of all of us was called “Petit Point”; its window was filled with all sorts of decorative items, all done in fine petit point embroidery.

How could I have guessed that this shop, in business since 1932, created not only the regular petit point items such as pillow slips and formal occasion purses, but also earrings. Of course, I found a pair to my liking—small ovals of gold to which were attached the petit point in extremely fine needlework in cream and gold swirls with a bouquet of rose-colored flowers—with tiny leaves, no less—in the corner of the design. They came with a small card that explained the inspiration for the shop: Empress Maria Theresa, who was the only woman ruler among the Habsburgs and the last to rule—in the 1700s. Apparently she enjoyed the fancy needlework and other kinds of decorative items in the rococo style of the day.

Oh, there was much more to the day after our little shopping excursion. We all went trooping out to the Schönbrunn Palace to be totally overwhelmed by the highly decorated 1,000 plus rooms (thank goodness, we did not see them all) and by the heat of the gardens, wondering how in the world the Habsburgs had thought the location was a great one for a summer palace. The day we were there, no breeze was flowing to cool the air, no trees were close enough to provide shade, and no water was readily available for quenching thirst. Poor Maria Theresa and others who had to inhabit such a place—even if it was full of servants to help.

But what was there not to like about the day? I learned more history, not only of World War II, but of World War I (the Archduke whose death began the war was Austrian), saw more elegance than I wished to, and found a pair of earrings to remind me of everything attached to that day.