Everything is Closed on Sundays - Except Museums it Seems

Today was the first time I really got a chance to see what I think is probably the largest difference between America and Vienna, which is the fact that everything is closed on Sundays.  I had gotten a chance to see a little bit of what this might mean when most stores and banks were closed by five or 6 during the week, but I do not think I was at all prepared for a full day of that.  You cannot go to the grocery store.  You cannot really go shopping.  You cannot go to a pharmacy or drug store.  Even some cafes and restaurants were closed.  It was a strange feeling coming from some place were almost all stores are open seven days a week and some are even open 24/7.  Not being able to go get a late night snack or even lunch food from a Safeway or Ralphs whenever I wanted to was very strange.  However, although I thought it out of the norm and somewhat inconvenient, I also believe that such a system is probably better for the Viennese.  They appear to actually expect and value time off of work.  As opposed to America where work is from nine to five, or in many cases even longer than that, it would be a nice change of pace to live in a society where working adults have the time and energy to engage in activities and enjoyments outside of their careers.  This is a freedom that I envy and that I wish the United States would practice more.

Although pretty much all the stores are closed, the museums tend to be open on Sundays and closed on Mondays.  Because of this, I think it was a great time to go the Wien Museum.  This was the first museum I was able to go to while in Vienna and it was also my first experience with Dr. O since I was unable to do the bus tour.  I am glad for both of these facts because I think that the museum was a great introduction to the history of Vienna especially with Dr. O's guidance.

 While the whole museum was great, especially getting to see some original stain glass and statues of past rulers, I believe my favorite part of the museum was getting to see the different representations of Vienna throughout history. Being able to see how Vienna transformed from a Roman settlement to the capital city of the Babenbergs and later the Habsburgs and eventually into modern Vienna was absolutely fascinating.  I loved getting to see the buildings, structure, and size of Vienna change and grow according to who lived there, what it was used for, and what art style was poplar at that time.  Whatever else Vienna may or may not be, it is a city that is always changing in one way or another.