Vienna pictures

Fountain in Neumarkt by Raphael Donner

Panorama photo of the back of the Hofburg (left) and a Modernist building by Adolf Loos (second on right). Franz Josef hated Loos' building because the windows didn't have any "eyebrows!" He refused to go out the back of the palace so he wouldn't have to look at it. Grandma got a little warped in this picture, but don't hold it against her. 

We went to Mass at the Stephansdom. It included live performances of music by Shubert, Mozart, and Bach.

Our back porch with Monday morning's snow.

Grandma and I are going to the ball. Grandma is getting the dress on the left and I'm getting the one on the right. 

Our first full day in Vienna

That last post was supposed to be published a couple days ago.

Yesterday (Friday) our luggage arrived. Hooray! It was very complicated, but it came just in time for us to get ready and go to my meeting with Dr. Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, the curator of the Wiener Werkstätte archives and a leading scholar on the topic. She was very nice and helpful, and got us set up to work in the reading room of the MAK while we are here. There is also a really great exhibition at the MAK right now called "Vienna 1900". The first gallery shows some of the British influence, and the second gallery is mostly Wiener Werkstätte. Here are some picture from the exhibition.

We thought Erik would love seeing this seating area covered in Morris-inspired fabric, like in his house!

A dresser by my favorite of the Viennese artists, Koloman Moser.
This is an early piece that he made for his parents' house.

Also Moser

Josef Hoffmann, one of the chairs he designed for his Purkersdorf Sanatorium,
which was part of my undergraduate thesis.

Moser

Klimt's designs for the Stoclet Frieze

Margaret Macdonald of Scotland. This is part of a huge frieze of built of gesso with glass and stones adhered to the surface. She created many amazing pieces like this to accompany the work of her husband, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

 After the museum I talked Grandma and Grandpa into going out for dinner to rest our weary museum legs, instead of having to cook our own.

At one of Grandma and Grandpa's favorite restaurants, Goulash Museum. Named, I think, because the menu is like a whole museum of goulash.

My mushroom goulash with Knödel. Do the Viennese actually eat huge balls of Knödel and like it?

After dinner we wanted to ride the streetcar all around the Ringstrasse, but they don't run around and around the city like they did when Grandma and Grandpa were here five years ago, so we ended up having to make a bunch of connections to get back to our apartment. It was still fun. If you are interested in seeing where we are living, our apartment is at 25 Beatrixgasse. Just south of the Stadtpark and north of the Belvedere. Great location. 

Today (Saturday) we are going to go on one of Alan Keele's walking tours of Vienna. Alan is a good friend of Grandma and Grandpa's, and was here five years ago when Mom and I visited. He's the one who took us out to Otto Wagner's Steinhof hospital, which sparked my interest and love of the Viennese artists at this time. He is also on my graduate committee. Should be fun! Hope everyone is happy and safe at home. I can't wait to see everyone in Alaska. That will be an especially fun trip for me because by that time I will be completely done with my Master's degree!

Well, here we are in Vienna (Grandpa, Grandma, and Caitlin) but our luggage is still in Paris (they think) and should be delivered to our apartment tomorrow (Friday) morning, but the only phone number we could give the airport people was our landlady's cell phone, so the airport will have to call her and then she will have to come over to the apartment to meet them with the luggage and come up to the apartment (6th floor) to find us.  Otherwise everything is going fine.  We got a few groceries from a local SPAR and Caitlin made us a nice omelet for supper.

We are trying to stay awake until it gets closer to 10pm.  It is now 7:30.  Caitlin has her first meeting with the Direktor of the MAK (Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst) (Museum for Applied Arts) at 2pm tomorrow.  I will go out tomorrow morning and buy a cheap Handi (cell phone) to use while we are here.  Until then you can contact us on the internet. garoldandnorma@gmail.com.  Gruesse von Wien, Grandpa Garold.