With R. to Haas[1], looked at oriental things and bought a few items. R. visits his friend, Princess Metternich[2], who, despite her affected hatred of Germans, greets him with great joy and leaves a decidedly pleasant impression. I visit Countess Andrássy with Marie Dönhoff, and the extremely favorable impression from our first meeting is confirmed. In the evening, R. and I attend the ballet “Robert und Bertrand”, sorrowful impression! This magnificent, costly building, and what they make of it! … That Vienna can never become a city of the world seems to me indisputable. They try to imitate Paris, even going so far as to set up advertising columns etc., and no one stands by them to get the news!
[1] Philipp Haas & Söhne, a fabric and carpet company in Vienna.
[2] Princess Pauline M. (1836–1919), née Countess Sandor, wife of Ambassador Richard Prince of Metternich-Winneburg (1829–1895), a son of the Chancellor.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins.