My expectations were mixed for our excursion to Klosterneurburg, but it turned out to be an incredible experience and without a doubt the best day yet. Upon our arrival I learned that we would be taking the guided tour of the winery and then doing some wine tasting before our tour of the abbey. Drinking wine before going on a tour of a religious center seemed a little out of place to me, but little did I know wine consumption with religious figures would be a major part of the day. The winery is the oldest and largest Austrian winery still in production today and has been producing the wine to finance the abbey since the 12th century. The tour of the winery was extremely interesting, but the thing that caught me were the similarities and differences between wineries in the United States and Austria. Perhaps most of the differences can be attributed to the age of the winery, but I also feel that Austrian culture may play a significant role. The winery itself is in great condition for the age of the monastery (around 900 years old!). The inside has obviously gone through various renovations and modernizations over the years, but much of the original structure remains the same. The main thing that I noticed that differentiated the Austrian winery from the United States was the presence of large amounts of mold on the walls. In the U.S., if wineries let mold grow on their walls they would be shut down for health issues, especially in a tour area! I see it as a manifestation of tradition in the winery. I’m sure that mold has grown there for hundreds of years and the wine has been just as good all along. Americans are constantly consumed with sterilization and modernization so much to a point that tradition can sometimes be forgotten. Perhaps it comes from our lack of history, for instance, this winery itself was over 3 times older than the United States! Whatever it may be I see the mold on the wall as a microcosm for many of the differences between European and American culture. While Europe may have modernized just as the United States has, Europe is blessed with a rich and extensive history that enriches their customs and culture in a way that we can only try to understand.
The tour of abbey and subsequent visit to a wine garden were undoubtedly my favorite part of the trip so far for being both extremely interesting and entertaining. The abbey was founded in 1114 and Canons were brought there in 1133. The monastery has functioned continuously since that time except for the four years they were shut down during the occupation by the Nazis and the abbey is also the resting place of various Habsburg family members. The buildings have been renovated over the centuries, but still have much of the original structure with obvious modernizations. Father Clemens, our tour guide, was not only insightful into the history of the abbey, but was easy to talk to and very entertaining. Being a New Yorker, our group was able to relate to him like no other tour guide and of course his mastery of the English language combined with the absence of a heavy Austrian accent was greatly appreciated. I feel like his background as an American in Austria really helped us relate to each other. While he obviously has much more extensive experience in Austrian culture than we do, being a Canon here for roughly seven years, he can understand that we are trying to immerse ourselves in a new culture and it seemed like he tailored his tour to our orientation. He gave us the extended tour and I think he may have appreciated our company as much as we appreciated his. I got the impression he was as happy to interact with us as we were to interact with him. It’s clear that he is really enjoying his time here in Austria, but also that he doesn’t get many American visitors. While he’s immersed himself in the Austrian way of life, just as we are doing here to a lesser extent, its comforting to be able to revert to what we know at times to give us balance and perspective on not only how different, but how similar the Austrian way of life is to our own.
The wine garden was a deeply cultural experience, to say the least. This was the first time I had ordered food in Austria and didn’t know what any of it was, so I was slightly scared I was going to get something very strange to eat. I ended up really enjoying everything I ordered (I’m still not totally sure what everything was) and the wine, which provided a great ending to a very long, but exceptional day. Father Clemens coming out and having wine with us, in street clothes I might add, was a pleasant surprise and furthered my belief that he values little injections of American culture into his stay in Austria just as much as we do. Father Clemens was able to break some stereotypes many of us had about Austrian monks and religious figures in general. He showed us that not all monks have to be so dry and consumed with religion that they have to censor themselves in life in not only talking about their religion, but in daily life as well. Father Clemens was able to show us that people that have given their lives to their religion, no matter how strongly tied to the church, can still makes jokes, have a good time, and most of all not forget they are members of society just as they are members of their denomination. I know that Father Clemens truly changed my perspective on clergymen and perhaps I can sum it up in one idea. He showed us that religion and its figures do not have be so distantly place on an altar (no pun intended). If the people that represent their faiths can be approachable not only in a religious, but also an everyday setting I think it can do a lot for the acceptance of religion on the whole.
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