[Idyllchat] "must see" lists

[haggart]

In Vienna we went to a Schubert concert at Schubert’s birthplace. This was
our first use of the underground and trolley system and we found that we
could figure it out after all. We took a tour of the home and then settled
onto bench seats in the terrace. The concert was 2 brothers – Edward and
Johannes Kutrowatz playing at 1 piano (four-hand). They played Mozart,
Schubert, Brahms and of course a delightful Strauss waltz. We sat in the
terrace since the inside hall was sold out weeks ago. Really quite fortunate
 since it was so hot. Claudia (the Untour rep) had told us about this
concert series and said just to get there when the doors opened and you
could sit in the terrace and enjoy the concert for a fraction of the regular
ticket cost. She was right. The piano they played was a special Dussendorfer
– made in Vienna (it does not have as grand a sound as the Steinway). The
brothers played two encores and even came out to bow to the people on the
terrace. It was really a grand evening. Another Idyll couple joined us for
the concert and we returned to the apartment with them.

Purstner Restaurant and the Dalmatia were next door to our apartment and
both served excellent meals. Our apartment was surprisingly quiet – in fact
silent. We were right in the center of the action – about 3 blocks from St.
Stephan's and 2 blocks from an underground station.

Kunsthistoriches Museum. We arrived in time to catch the English speaking
tour. It was excellent. Our guide was very knowledgeable about art history
and she took us to many of the old masters, concentrating on a painting that
would illustrate a particular school or group of paintings. The Hapsburgs
started this collection and so it reflects their tastes – many Dutch, German
 Italian and Flemish paintings from the 15th through the 18th centuries. We
started with Titian, then Tintorello, Rubens, Rembrandt, Michaelangelo and
ended with Bruenghel. Peter Bruenghel was not a prolific painter and this
museum has 13 or one-third of all his paintings. He did “The Tower of Babel”
and a wonderful series of paintings based on the seasons of the year.

In Stadtpark we heard and saw the Strauss concert – we sat at the edge and
did not have to pay. We heard several marches and the lovely Blue Danube
danced by a professional couple in formal wear and ballet slippers. They
looked like the couple that you often see on music boxes.

Hundertwasser-haus is a must. What an interesting artist and architect. He
believes straight lines are uninteresting and out of harmony with nature.
The floors of his museum building undulate but one does not seem to have to
worry about tripping. The housing development that he designed in Vienna is
very controversial – and the buildings are multi-colored – the windows drawn
in at odd angles and plantings on the roof-tops and next to the windows. He
is an ecologist and his philosophy can be seen in his writings, in the
museum and of course in his art and architecture. He wrote one whole paper
on the benefits of trees. Colored stones are embedded everywhere and there
are many fountains. Sometimes three big planters tied together with water
dripping into the first planter and then dripping on into the next and so on
to the bottom where it is recycled back to the top again. On the top two
floors of the museum was a special exhibit of Picasso’s pencil drawings and
crayon drawings that he had left to his caretakers – they had never until
this exhibit been seen in a public viewing. They were mostly “erotic” art.

Sperl Coffee House – which has been named one of the top ten in Europe – had
lunch sitting outside. We also read a newspaper and Time magazine which they
provided. It was very relaxed and you are encouraged to stay as long as you
want. 

The outdoor Opera stage at the Palace on the edge of the city is near the
fake Roman ruins that the king had built on the Palace grounds. We had
wonderful seats (again, we were advised by Claudia to get seats on the side
at the cheaper prices) for the outdoor production of Mozart’s “The Abduction
from the Seraglio (palace).” The production was excellent. The break was
shortened because of the threatening weather (thunder could be heard) and
sure enough soon the rain drops came – just a scattering at first and then
during the last half hour of the opera a steady rain. The cast kept on with
the Opera and we put on the rain gear Pete had carried in his backpack and
we covered our legs with our umbrella. Most of the audience did the same and
when the curtain call came we all stamped our feet on the wooden flooring to
show our approval of their talent and tenacity.
 
Those are some of our impressions of Vienna from the summer of 1998. A few
years ago - but some things never change!

Pete

Peter and Margaret Haggart
haggart at moscow.com
-------Original Message-------
 
From: Sandy Lore
Date: 7/12/2007 7:19:25 PM
To: idyllchat at lists.untours.com
Subject: [Idyllchat] "must see" lists
 
We're on our way with Untour to Prague, Budapest and Vienna within a month. 
I would love to know which restaurants and sites you would recommend which
me might not find in the tour books.
 
I understand (40 years ago!) Vienna had a great, small restaurant with
suckling pig on the menu where Beethoven once ate.  Any clue as to which one
that might be?  We're interested in small concerts (in churches, courtyards,
gardens, etc.) in each city.  Are they relatively easy to find?
 
If there are tourist traps to avoid, speak up!  Thanks in advance!
 
Sandy
 
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