New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-31
LIFE AT VIENNA.
H1NTs no AMERICAN TouRIsrs.

vienna. MAY 4.-"DOnt come to Vienna
before the middle Of June" the advice that has already
been given readers OF The TRIBUNE who are coming
% Europe this Summer. viii further and say dohV
come with any other view than TO zee the wonders
OF the great Exhibition Don't come expecting To una
tho comforts that be found in other European
towns-pleasant rooms wholesome, appeuzing FOOD NJ
moderate prices good and cheap amusements, and That
quiet easygong way Of life which breeds eheerfuness
OF temper and serenity Of SOUL and Is so agree
able TO one fresh from the hustle Of American
rites. You viii fnd nothing Of the KIND here.
The CITY IS noisy, dirty, and overcrowded Prices IN
the good hotels much higher than in the dearest in
America and the dclass hotels are intolerable.
IOdginsplaces are, rule, dirty and unwholesome,
and enormously expensive The cookery is an unsue-
oessul imitation of the French with mixture OF Ger
avOrs that renders dishes insuppOrtable TO
an American palate The streets crowded and so
unclean that walking is wearisome and dsagreeable
while IN many OF the narrow business thorOughares 1t
Is positively dangerous. Then there is the magnetic
influence OF crowd OF eager excited people that
irritaos the and fatigues the body than
hard labor and keeps in constant state Of feyedsh
unrest Add to all this the consciousness Of being
sWIndled IN every payment which you make and you
wlhavea general idea Of the disagreeabe aceOmpani
nlents Of living here.
will go a little into particulars TO the hotels
they do not compare for cleanliness and prompt inte
gent service with those OF France and Switzerland and
they afford none Of the substantial comfort and home
ike secuson quiet that found in good English
inn. There is always a smell Of beer pervading the
whole establishment. The hotel almost invariably has
restaurant and bier halle" the ground door, COM
municatug with open court in the center OF the
building aud this court filed with tables and chairs
aud with people eating drinking aud smoking An IN
desirable odor of bad cigars beer soDs, and Austrian
cookery comes no from this pit and fills the
rooms and halls In few OF the new hotels, which
strive 70 attract English and American Travellers this
unpleasant feature dispensed with and the court Is
clean open space IN French hotels There is no pub
lie paror, sttn groom readingrOOm. The bedrooms
are prousey furnished with variety Of curious heavy
mahogany articles There IS never carpet and the
floors are usually painted dirty, reddish yellow. The
walls stained by some stenctpae process, mag
Inc that initiates paper-hangngs very wen The beds
arc always single ones, and unoomforta0y narrow
and the blankets scant that tan man must leave
either his feet or his shoulders uncovered Japanncd
iron is the common material for bedseads big three
story porcelain stove stands in corner and for IS 20
cents You can have fire made in It with half dozen lit
lie sticks Of wOOdust enough TO IL through
II YOU want to be economical, You can go out 20
wood store aud buy big wooden bucketiu-about two
good armsful-fOr 90 kreutzers, or "a cents.
The service is generally inefficient although you are
overwhelmed with polite bows and fine phrases by
every one connected the hotel from proprietor TO
bootback There is always official called the porter,
who stays I'm holen-the-wala at side Of the broad
entrance-way. he cap with gorgeous gold
lace band and although he docs nothing for you. he
expects handsome fee his right. SO does the I'm
Hlcreaer who brings your breakfast 70 ROOM and
who is summoned by ring Of the bell So does the
chambermaid, who comes Tor does not come as she
lkes) when you ring twice. so does fhe LohHdjeRer,
who is expected to respond three rings Of the bell
and who blacks your boots and brushes your clothes
The charge for a used to be from one TO three
Culdcns day from 80 cents to 81 Co., Now it ranges
from % guldens. Meals ordered from bill of
fare almost as large as a newspaper. Many OF the
dishes have names that puzzle one who is well &C
quanted with the German language, FOR they are not
German at all, but either pdt0s words imported
from Hungary. Bohemia, OF Italy. Some Of the most
common articles Of food have names entirely different
from those in use in Western and Northern Germany
The bill Of fare IS, therefore, highly mysterious and I'M
satisfactory, and when you have ordered your dinner
You never know exactly what the result Will be- In
weeks experience, eating twice at the same place.
Ihave not had single meal that really good Meat
IS never cooked 70 preserve s proper favor and
vegetables always come swimming in grease The
bread and coffee however good so is the beer and
there IS light called VOslaner which costs only
20 cents bottle and resembles good table claret There
appears 10 be no such thing Doarding-nothng an
swerinc 10 French pension-nO arrangement by which
one can get his meals al fixed price per week; and this
regularity Of Vienna life makes living much dearer
than in Paris most other Continental cities. To live
as well az one can az French pension for $50 so
month would cost here at least 500 For three gudcns
81 so Is not possible TO get as good dinner here as
at Paris for three francs.
Hotel lie dear and disagreoabe as Il is is preferable
10 living u lodgings and for people who do not speak
German it the only way 70 live without great incon
yeuncc and annoyance Comfortable ROOMS free from
the smell OF garlic and beer, and fronting upon street
that IS not q dark crevice between high walls not
easy 70 find. There are no separate houses Vienna.
except the great establishments Of the mobiles and the
very rich merchants. dwelling Nc0iHunG means two
or three rooms and a kitchens and Of these dwellings
there are usually 90 IN the building The
entrance through arehed portal with two great
wooden doors, and the stairs from under the arch
way There are often three four starways and peO-
pie in giving their address add 90 the number Of the
house that OF their and Of the stairway which
must mount 70 find it, The entrance and halls
are az pubic m the day time the street,
but az 10 at night the hausbesorger shuts the
big doors and levies tax Of 20 keutzers every
who comes on afterward. The house usually surrounds
court, where there is pump and sewer 10 receive
dirty This court Is seldom clean OF free from bad
smells The dwelling has single door leading from the
public han, and TINS door often opens directly into
little dark Kitchen. through which one must pass 20
reach Che other The kitchen does cOmmuni
cate with the outer air. that the smells Of the cooking
mus, 80 INTO the adjoining paror, into the hall, and
nowhere are kitchen smells more execrable than in
Vienna single room, with separate entrance, can
rarely be found days search. spent whole day
hunting for holdings, lately without finding what /
went iu search Of: pleasant with separate en-
trance There were plenty Of TO let Almost every
house entrance hung with cards 10 delude the !
stranger climbing three four flights Of in
the hope OF finding what be wants. On the fourth floor
the house found was a real wanted
70 let His card, with scarlet cOrOnet II,
framed In brass and served a doOr-plate A
slatteuly in a dirty calico dress answered my
ring. This the countess. The noble pair were y-
ing IL two little and kitchen. They were viii
ling 20 ett0nc room for $50 month but there was no