Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Home



Tuesday, August 31


Home at last!  It was a long trip home but so worth it.  Leaving Vienna was definitely bittersweet.  While I could easily have stayed another month, I am glad to be back with my family.  


This trip was full of first experiences for me.  It was my first time to Europe, my fist time living in a city, my first operetta, my fist time to a monastery, my first time attending Mass...so many wonderful and unique experiences.  It was also the first time away from Raleigh, my adorable Labrador.


I want to thank my fellow classmates so much for all the wonderful experiences we've shared together.  But most of all, I want to thank our guide and lifeline Professor Stuart and our on-site coordinator Josh (aka Mama Bear.)


I am excited to relive all these great memories as I share them with my family and friends.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Last Day



Monday, August 30
I cannot believe are last day is here!  Last night’s excursion to the wine garden while I am still sick left me exhausted so thankfully it was a light day.  After some morning packing, Diane and I headed to Oberlaa, our favorite cafe for the last time.  Then, we finally made it to see the interior of the Greek Orthodox Church dating to the mid nineteenth century.  The interior was very different from what we are used to by now, which is the brightness of the Baroque churches.  Instead the Geek Orthodox Church was very dark inside decorated with jewel tones and Byzantine figures.  While it is very different, it is just as beautiful.  
Next we finally made it to tea and Hotel Imperial cafe.  This completed our Viennese cafe experience.  It was simple, elegant, and delicious.  Then it was off to the Prater.  The Prater used to be the imperial hunting grounds but it was opened to the public under the enlightened ruler Joseph II.  Here we meant up with our class for a ride on the giant ferris wheel.  After we set off to dinner, which was served on large swords.  The food was delicious and it was great to be all together again but sad that it was our last dinner in Vienna.  

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Art History and Rath Heuriger



Sunday, August 29
Another morning filled with Mass.  This time it was at the Augustinerkirche, which featured a Mass composed by Haydn.  Even though I can’t understand any of the service, I still enjoy going to them and experiencing another religious culture.  After Mass, I headed to the art history museum sadly for the last time.  I am really going to miss being able to pop into the museum at any time with may handy card and absorb myself in the beautiful collections.  I focused my last trip on the differences in the art of the Protestants and Catholics.  
The Protestant tended not to focus on religious subjects as did the Catholic art.  This was exemplified in the works of such artists as Rembrandt and Vermeer.  Instead, there art tended focused on the individual.  This individualism is seen in Rembrandt’s works “Self portrait from 1652” and “Artists son Reading, Titus 1656/57.”  This focus on portraits in Protestant art came about as the Catholic Church was no longer available to buy works from these artists.  Therefore they had to create a new market and this was the sale of paintings to private customers.  
Catholic art still focused heavily on the religious subjects.  Two of my favorite examples were works from Rubens.  One was “The Miracles of St. Ignatius of Layola.”  This was originally done as an altar piece for a Jesuit Church.  St Ignatius was the founder of the Jesuit order.  This painting demonstrates the three levels of the subjects dominant in Catholic art.  Firs, the highest, is that of the Angles representing heaven.  Second is the level of the saint who acts as an intercessor between heaven and earth.  Third is the common people who represent the earth.  They are worshiping and applying for the help of the saint.  This same style was repeated in another piece by Rubens, “The Miracles of St. Francis Xavier.”  Again there are three levels with St. Francis acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.  The lives and trials of the saints became popular themes of Catholic artists during the period of the counter-reformation.  
After my day at the museum, we went for one of our last dinners together as a class.  This time we went the an authentic Austrian wine garden called Rath Heuriger.  While I did not feel well enough to taste the wine, I enjoyed the traditional simple food and the companionship and lively debates we all shared.  

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Return to Klosterbeuburg


Saturday, August 28

Back to Klosterneuburg!  This time for the feast day of St. Augustine.  The monastery once again offered a memorable once in a life time experience.  We traveled back to attend the vow renewal of the cannons, which involved three of the Americans we had meant from our first time at Klosterneuburg.  We arrived early in the day so we could get a good seat because we were told it would quickly become crowded.  We were successful, but Martha and I ended up standing in the back to make room for the older members of the congregation.   The two hour Mass began with the procession of the cannons led by six young men in historic military dress.  The church was almost overflowing with many of the congregants standing in the back.  It was interesting to so many of the locals turn out for the feast day, many of them wearing traditional Austrian folk costumes.  The beauty of the Baroque church was enhanced to its full glory with the music from a full orchestra and choir, of course accompanied by the organ.  While I could not understand the service, as it was in Latin and German, I still enjoyed listening to all the beautiful prayers.  I tried to follow along with the service as much as I could from my limited knowledge of Mass.  Thankfully, Martha kept me in the loop.  After Mass and the renewal of their vows, the cannons left the church in a procession and were led back to the monastery by the provost.  

We were invited to attend the lunch reception after and we tried but it quickly became crowded.  Instead we went to lunch at a small cafe, walked around the village, and returned home.  

Friday, August 27, 2010

A Day of Rest

Friday, August 27
Unfortunately, I have come down with some sort of bug during my last few days in Vienna, so I was forced to take it easy today.  After class, (which was cut short for me because of this nasty bug!) I went home to rest.  I finally turned on the TV in my room.  I’ve been so busy in Vienna that TV just doesn’t fit into the schedule.  After I cozied up in bed, I watched the only English channel I know, which is CNN International.  I really enjoyed catching up on the news because at home I’m a regular news junkie!  CNN International reminded me very much of the CNN station back home.  It reported on American news, such as the recent anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the latest international story about the trapped miners in Chile.  Where I noticed the greatest difference was in the commercials.  These were not American at all.  They focused mostly on Middle Eastern and African companies.  This makes sense since Europe has a large and growing Middle Eastern and North African population.  
After the news, I spent my evening resting and reading.  In Beller, I read about occupied Vienna. It was interesting to note the similarities between my reading and what was reflected in the movie The Third Man.  One of the most interesting similarities was the police force of the occupation period.  As Beller wrote, “‘four-men-in-a-jeep’ became the symbol of post-war occupation.”(253)
German word of the day: “Fußball”=soccer

Thursday, August 26, 2010

The UN



Thursday, August 26
The UN--what an experience.  This has turned out to be the best experience of the trip!  I think everyone in the class now wants an internship with the UN.  To get into the UN we first had to pass through security, of course, and we were then given badges to wear demonstrating this clearance.  These badges also function as passports, since we had just left Austria and entered the international territory of the UN.  We then waited in the UN cafe for our guides to arrive.  When they arrived, they took us into the large courtyard in front of the UN where the fountain and all the member states’ flags fly.  Our first destination inside the UN was a viewing room that overlooks the main conference room.  The viewing room is used for groups who are invited to the UN.  They can sit and listen to the briefings and debates on subjects they specialize in.  Here we also discussed the issue of language and translation.  The two official working languages of the UN are English and French, but the UN meetings are usually translated into its other main languages of Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish, and any other language necessary.  Translators have to know a minimum of three languages.  They are only allowed to work for 30 minutes and translate with only a slight delay.  
Next we attended a lecture given to us by a representative of the IAEA.  I was looking forward to this lecture and had my list of questions ready but was soon able to answer them for myself.  I have always thought of the UN being a strong organization that could effect real change in the world.  This lecture greatly changed my opinion.  The IAEA seemed to have no strength at all.  While it is important for it to exist because it allows for greater communication among nations, it really can’t enforce any of its regulations.  Its role is strictly advisory.  While it promotes the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, it also supports the development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.  
After this lecture we were introduced to one of the interns and he explained his job working for the media department of the UN and overall life as an inter.  Then it was off to a delicious lunch at the UN cafeteria.  After lunch we headed back for another lecture, this time on the issue of human trafficking.  Here we learned the many forms that human trafficking can take.  While sex slavery is a predominant issue, it can take the other forms of slave labor and the trafficking of human organs on the black market.  We watched a short educational video with testimony from real victims, which was very compelling as it gave each of these issues a face.  While this human trafficking is very difficult to police world wide, the UN is taking on the role of instructor.  They main focus right now is to educate each nation about how to deal with and prevent further trafficking.  Unfortunately, after this lecture it was time to head home but I truly enjoyed my time at the UN.  
My questions:
  1. How do you deal with a rogue nation that is developing nuclear power?
  2. Further, how do you deal with this nation as it develops nuclear power for what it says are peaceful purposes but which could be further developed for weapons?
  3. Lastly, with these two conditions, how do you deal with a country that does not recognize the sovereignty of a fellow UN member state? and that is has been openly hostel to in the recent past?
  4. What is your role in working with countries such as Israel, to help reassure their security over their tense nuclear situation with Iran?
  5. What are your plans to improve the methods with which inspectors enter countries, such as Iran, that do not want international inspections to take place?
  6. Russia has recently aided Iran with opening its first nuclear power plant--would you take action, and if so how, against Russia if Iran developed nuclear weapons?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Issues of Remembrance

Wednesday, August 25
Class discussion today was about our experiences at Mauthhausen and the issue of remembrance and memory that we read about in Ruth Kluger’s memoir Still Alive.  For me, it is difficult to return to Vienna from the camp and think that only two generations ago, the Holocaust was committed, that I am in a country where almost everyone of my grandparents generation was a Nazi.  Further, that people the same age as my parents were raised by former Nazis, and that those the same age as myself are the grandchildren of Nazis.  While I understand that not everyone supported or participated with the Nazis, they still lived during this time and most often stood by.  It is just so hard for me to comprehend how this could happen.  Visiting the camp yesterday was like visiting the true face of evil.  
Kluger who survived the Holocaust, holds the view that the camps should not be preserved as memorials because instead of preserving the memory of the victims, it glorifies the atrocities.  
I prefer Simon Wiesenthal’s view on the issue of remembrance and memorials.  He too survived the Holocaust and made it his life’s work to hunt down the perpetrators of the Holocaust.  For this he was both admired and hated.  His work was highly unpopular in Austria and attempts were even made on his life and that of his family.  His daughter grew up going to school with a police escort all because her father wanted justice to be served.  Those Austrians (the majority) that were against him wanted the memory of the war put behind them.  Instead of blaming themselves for allowing their country to commit such atrocities, they instead wanted the blame the victim for seeking justice.  The war never ended for Wiesenthal.  
I believe it is truly important to remember and build and maintain memorials.  How else can we learn from the past?  How else can we strive to make sure that his never happens again?  

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mathausen

Tuesday, August 24
Today we visited Mauthausen, which functioned as the main concentration camp for Austria.  The location of the camp was chosen because of its proximately to granite quarries.  Mauthausen was set up as a work camp in 1938 but as all concentration camps it was filled with death.  The prisoners were worked to death in the quarry.  They were forced to carry the large pieces of cut stone on their backs up the hundreds of steep and uneven steps.  SS soldiers lined the stairway beating and whipping them as they made their way up.  If the prisoners were not strong enough to make it up the stairs, they were pushed off the side to their death.  The quarry still exists  and the gapping hole where they prisoners took out the rock is a testament to their sacrifice and victimization.  At the end of the day we visited the quarry and walked the same steps down into the gaping hole in the mountain.  While we were still inside the camp, we were taken inside the actual gas chamber the Nazis used to kill the prisoners.  Words fail to describe the emotions that one experiences.  



We learned that the ashes from the bodies were strewn on the ground to help amend the muddy roads.  Everywhere we walked was sacred ground.  The camp is like one extensive graveyard or battlefield, only so much worse because these were not two armies meeting but a prison camp filled instead with perpetrators and victims. 

I was really offended by the way many of the visitors behaved inside the camp.  There were many families with young children and it appeared to me they were treating the camp as a park instead of a sacred location.  While I won’t judge them because everyone deals with tragedy differently, it was definitely not they way I would allow children to behave in this space.  


It is difficult to think that an entire generation of people could have participated and stood by while these atrocities were committed.  Its difficult to visit a place where such atrocities took place.  

Of the 200,000 people that were deported to the camp, over 100,000 of them died.  The population of the camp consisted mainly of Jews and POWs including many Americans.  Outside of the camp walls, the grounds were filled with monuments from each country that lost citizens in the camp.  

The only bright spot of the day were the simple marble plaques dedicated to the American forces who liberated the camp in May of 1945.  There were three of them, each dedicated to a different division of the army that participated in Mauthahusen’s liberation.  

Monday, August 23, 2010

The Leopold

Monday, August 23

The Leopold--what in incredible collection.  It was built as the private collection of Dr. Rudolph Leopold and his wife Elisabeth.  The story is that he inherited a valuable stamp collection, sold it, and began his art collection.  He favored the works of Egon Schiele, despite that they were not popular at the time.  Because of their lack of popularity, they much less expensive than they are now.  This enabled Leopold to purchase a large collection of his favorite artist sometimes for mere dollars.  He first kept the collection in his home but later arranged to sell a large portion of it to the state.  In return, Austria built the museum to house the collection and Leopold was appointed director for the remainder of his life.  
Our tour was guided by Dr. O and she led us through the Jugenstil works of Klimt and Schiele.  Some of my favorite works of Klimt were his early landscapes.  His style was very unique as he was one of the few artists to paint on a square canvas.  Also in the Leopold, were Klimt’s works of medicine, jurisprudence, and law.  Unfortunately the originals do not exist as they were destroyed in WWII.  Instead we examined reproductions from photographs.  These were landmark works as they were refused by the University of Vienna because they did not conform to the preconceived standards the university expected.  Next we viewed the works of Oskar Kokoschka.  This was very special for our group as Dr. O studied with him when she first came to Vienna. 
My favorite exhibit in the Leopold was the furniture.  Leopold was not only interested in paintings but also in furniture as art.  His collection of furniture focused on that of the Jugenstil as did his other collections.  He mostly collected furniture that was crafted in the Vienna workshop.  Here, artists hand created furniture as works of art.  These were not factory made and not mass produced.  The workshop turned away from this type of production.  

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Buda

Sunday, August 22
Today we ventured over to Buda.  Martha, Zac, and I began the day by crossing the Danube to attend Mass.  Martha had discovered this church that was literally in a cave!  It was my second time to Mass and by first time attending church in a cave.  After Mass, we crossed back into Pest and I had a delicious poppyseed pastry covered in powdered sugar that then covered me in powdered sugar.  We returned to hostel where I rejoined Sheena and Christina for a venture back to Buda to experience the famed Turkish baths.  All I can say is they are amazing!  We went to the Saint Gellert Thermal Baths.  There were a variety of pools and we enjoyed each one.  We started with the large outdoor swimming pool that turned into a wave pool and then onto the outdoor thermal bath.  Next we moved inside to the indoor swimming pool and then the thermal bath.  Then we discovered the two sulfur baths and thankfully none of us were allergic to the sulfur.  
The thermal baths speak to the long history of the Turkish involvement in south eastern Europe.  Because of its close proximity to the Ottoman Empire and that Hungary was often under Ottoman rule, their bathing rituals were imported to the city.  The oldest baths in Budapest date back to the 16th century.  We visited one that was built in 1918 but harkens back to an earlier age with the walls of the indoor baths were covered with detailed mosaics.  After a relaxing day at the baths we took one of the best meals on the entire trip.  The food really reminded me of home.  It was elegant and very gourmet but still really affordable because of the hyper-inflation of the Hungarian currency--about 300 florin to 1 euro!  After stalking up on pastries, we took one of the last trains home to Vienna.  Our trip had come to a close and it was great to experience another culture for the weekend.  


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Pest

Saturday, August 21
Another train and another country.  This time Budapest!  Besides Vienna, this was the city I most wanted to see on my trip.  Christina, Sheena, and I embarked on this adventure and left Vienna around eleven for the three hour train ride to the capital of Hungary.  Getting off at the Keleti station in Pest, I was enamored with the beauty of its architecture.  The ceiling is partially made of glass and allows the daylight to stream into the station.  It was built between 1881 and 1884 and is a jewel of late 19th century architecture.  I immediately thought that this is what a train station should look like.  
After admiring the station, we headed out to find our hostel and meet up with Martha and Zac.  We checked in and found a note that said to meet at six so we headed out to the city.  We walked toward the river, which separates Pest from Buda and began to explore the pedestrian district of downtown.  Pest was a mixture of beautifully restored architecture, predominately from the 19th century and dilapidated structures that speak of the difficult economic times it suffered under dominance by the USSR.  We headed back to the hostel to meet up with Martha and Zac, and headed again to the river in search of dinner.  After dinner, we walked along the river and discovered a music festival next to the beautiful 19th century Chain Bridge.  The festival was featuring folk music and dances and was an unexpected treat to find.  We spent the rest of the night, alternating between sitting along the bank of the Danube and watching the festival.  It an amazing experience and a great end to the first of our two days in Budapest.  

Friday, August 20, 2010

The Jewish Museum and "The Third Man"

Friday, August 20
After class today, Diane and I ventured to the Jewish Museum.  After a quick introduction on the first floor various Jewish holidays and artifacts connected with these events, we headed to the second floor.  The second floor gave an extensive history of Jews in all parts of the Habsburg Empire and all over Europe.  It was incredibly informative and organized.  
The most interesting thing I learned was of the acceptance of the Ottoman empire to the Jewish refugees of Europe.  Also that they were so many German speaking Jews in the 20th century because the German lands were some of the only in Europe that had not expelled the Jews.  This allowed Hitler’s genocide to be so devastating because of the high concentration of Jews.  They were expelled and then they were massacred.  
After dinner a settled in to watch The Third Man.  It is an American movie filmed in Vienna right after the end of World War II.  In this way it is really significant as it shows a lot of footage of bombed out Vienna after the war.  It also touches on many problems that Vienna endured after the war.  One example was that Vienna was divided like Berlin into four districts each governed by one of the victorious powers--America, Great Britain, France, and the USSR.  There was also an international zone in which all four nations policed together.  Each patrol car had four soldiers, one from each of the powers.  Fortunately, Vienna was successfully reunited in 1955.  
 Another issue addressed in the film was the black market that emerged during the post war economy.  Privateers arose out of the ashes of war to take hold of the market in order to make a fast profit in the starving economy.  In the film, the privateers were trying to make a quick profit by watering down stolen penicillin from military hospitals and then reselling it to the same hospitals with devastating consequences.  The medication would fail and the patients suffered devastating consequences.  
A third issue the film discussed was that trying to escape from the ever growing communist regime to the east.  The female lead Anna originally came from Czechoslovakia and new that without forged papers stating that she was Austrian, the Russians would claim her and she would have to return.  
I really enjoyed the film, because it combined historical aspects into a mystery, thriller, love story drama.  

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Albertina

Thursday, August 19

All I can say is wow!  This is a great museum.  When I walked in a first fell in love with the large white marble hall.  Then we ventured into the state rooms that reflected the use of the building’s original purpose as a palace.  The museum takes its name from Duke Albert of Saxony, who was married to Maria Theresa's favorite daughter Maria Christina.  Maria Christina was the only one of Maria Theresa’s sixteen children who was allowed to marry for love.  It is fitting that his residence is now an art museum as he was an avid art collector.  His collection along with others of the Habsburgs were combined when they came under the ownership of the Republic of Austria and are now on display in the Albertina.  
The states rooms were beautifully decorated with sumptuous fabrics.  In this lovely setting were breathtaking sketches of Michelangelo and Albrecht Durer.  I couldn’t believe how close I was to these.  I have always loved the sketches and careful detail of Durer, so this was definitely a dream experience.  Also featured in the state rooms were some of the works of Walton Ford, which I really love.  After the state rooms, we headed to the exhibit of Monet to Baselitz.  I really enjoyed the works of the impressionists but I did not enjoy the more modern works as much. I was pleasantly surprised and did enjoy a few pieces of the more recent modern art.  We also toured the exhibit of the photographs of Heinrich Kuhn, which were a new discovery for me and a favorite.  


The German word of the day:
"moglich"=possible

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Upper Belvedere

Wednesday, August 18

Another tour with Dr. O!  Today’s was at Belvedere Palace, which was the summer palace of Prince Eugene of  Savoy who was the mastermind behind the successful strategy to defeat the Turks in the 1638 siege of Vienna.  The Upper Belvedere was originally his guest house.  After his death, his niece Victoria began to sell off his property and the Habsburgs bought the Belvedere.  After the abolition of the Habsburg dynasty, Belvedere became the property of the Austrian Republic and later became the Austrian Art Gallery.  The Belvedere’s collection of art spans from the Baroque style of the Palace all the way up to modern artists of Austria.  
In our tour today, one of the collections we focused on was the Biedermeier collection.  This collections consisted of such works as those of the artist Frederich von Amerling.  He painted many portraits of the bourgeois in Vienna as well as the aristocrats.  The paintings of his that the Belvedere collection focused on were two of his portraits of the middle class.  My favorite one was his portrait of Rudolf von Arthaber who was a wealthy doctor in Vienna.  In this portrait, the doctor is surrounded by his three children.  They look to be the perfect picture of the loving family.  It also embodies the principles of the Biedermeier culture and style as Dr. O pointed out.  The father is in the roll of protector and provider as he has his young children gathered around him.  The daughter is embodying the feminine role of that time as she is dressed in very feminine attire with perfectly curled hair, and holding her doll.  Even as a child she is preparing for her future roll as wife and mother.  The boys embody the rough boyishness that will develop as they grow older into masculinity.  One example of this in the painting was how the young boy had a torn hat.  His father with out a doubt had enough wealth to have his son not have a ripped hat.  But the rip in his clothing in this case does not represent poverty but instead represents his playfulness and his inherent boyishness.  
Dr. O discussed how the Biedermeier was an entire life style that still exists in Vienna today.  It was in reaction to the “reign of Metternich” who was the Austrian Chancellor at the time.  After the instability of the Napoleonic era, Austria under Metternich was closely monitored by his secret police.  He did not want anything like the French Revolution to ever happen again in Europe.  Therefore, it was his goal to return Europe to the status quo, the way it was before the war.  Because of the harsh political realities, Austrian families turned inward and family life because the everyday focus.  This created a cautious culture that looked to its family for comfort and protection.  
After the tour we walked down through the gardens toward the Lower Belvedere taking in the beauty of the formal French inspired gardens.  While they are not as grand as the gardens of Schonburnn, they share the same aesthetic and beauty.  

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Turkish Question, Jugenstill, and the Wiener Museum



Tuesday, August 17
Today we had a very interesting political discussion in class on the place of Turkey in modern Europe.  The debate today is whether or not Turkey should be admitted to the European Union.  Currently, it looks as though the country on the border of Europe and the Middle East will not be admitted to the EU, despite the strong support of the United States.  The United States views Turkey’s admittance into the EU as step towards securing it as a Muslim ally of the West.  It also sees it as an opportunity to lock in a secular and democratic government since it would have to comply with EU regulations.  Many in favor of its acceptance see the EU’s refusal or tabling of the issue to be racially and religiously motivated.  Other European countries that have a white and Christian background but do not comply fully with the regulations have been admitted.  One example of this is Romania, which was admitted despite its widespread corruption, which is against EU regulation.  It also has a stronger economy than many of the small and weak state of the EU such as Greece.  
Turkey has a long history of involvement with Europe.  They fought with the Central Powers during World War I, which subsequently brought the Ottoman Empire to an end.  They also ruled many of the modern southeastern European countries, such as Albainia (a predominately Muslim country), Bosnia-Herzegovina,  Bulgaria Croata, Greece, Hungary, Romainai, and Serbia.  It still shares the island of Cyprus with Greece.  Turkey even had the support of Louis XIV of France against the Austrians.  Despite their often shared history, the EU often defines itself by the Christian boundaries of Europe.  
After class, we went on a self-guided walking tour of the Jugenstill or Art Nuveau buildings around Vienna.  For this we examined the Seccession building, and the two Majolica buildings on the Ringstrasse facing across from the Nashmarkt.  Jugenstill was a reaction against the historical styles of the 19th century.  The artists of this movement believed that each era deserved its own art so they were determined to create a new form of art.  They especially rebelled against the extravagant designs of the Baroque style.  

We revisited Turkish history as we visited the Wiener Museum.  There were featured two works of art, one of the great Austrian war hero Eugene of Savoy and the other of the Ottoman military general Pasha.  While Pasha was depicted as a forlorn, distraught, and defeated man, Eugene is depicted as a victorious decorated military hero, much grander than his probable true appearance.  This demonstrates the skewed view of history that was created through the art and history of the victor.
Then we ventured off to the Wien Museum, which was really amazing and a great introduction/review of the history of the city.  I wish this would have been the first museum that I had visited because it really would have helped me get a quick and efficient overview.  The museum was just the right length and not daunting at all.  It was divided up into the different historical periods of the city and had lots of English, which really helps!  There they had the original medieval windows from St. Stephens.  They were so beautiful and one could really understand how they would have made the church so much brighter.  During the Baroque period, the original windows were taken out of St. Stephens and replaced with plan pail colored class of many different colors.  
Another of my favorite exhibits was the recreation of this Biedermeier apartment.


German word of the day:
"schmecken"=to taste

Monday, August 16, 2010

Schonbrunn

Monday, August 16



Schonbrunn!  I had been looking forward to this day since I first decided to take this class.  Since it was a three day weekend, Diane and I were able to dedicate the entire day at the summer palace of the Habsburgs.  I was first introduced to the palace when I was in grade school and reading about Marie Antoinette growing up in Austria.  Of course, right away I wanted to visit.  And then a little later I learned about Schonbrunn again when I read about Empress Elisabeth.  Now finally, I have been to Schonbrunn!
Schonbrunn was first discovered by Emperor Mattias II while he was hunting.  The name Schonbrunn comes from its original name of Schoner Brunen, which means “beautiful spring”.  In 1569, Mattias acquired Schonbrunn as a hunting ground.  Ferdinand II built a palace here in 1637 but it was destroyed by the Turks in 1683 during their siege of Vienna.  Later Leopold I commissioned Fischer von Erlach to build a summer palace but Leopold never followed up on his extravagant plans.  Maria Theresa brought Schonbrunn to fame and greatness when she developed it as the seat for her royal court.  She had the architect Nikolaus Pacassi complete the renovations from 1744 to 1749.  When it was completed it had 1,441 rooms with her favorite Rococo interior.  
Diane and I planned to go early so we could try and skip as much of the crowds as possible.  First on our tour was the Grand Tour of the forty rooms open to the public.  This covered the imperial apartments of Franz Josef and Elisabeth and the main living rooms.  While the rooms were smaller than I expected, they were still exquisitely decorated.  My favorite rooms were the Grosse Galerie and the Round Chinese Room.  The Grosse Galerie held a ball for the delegates of the Congress of Vienna and Empress Maria Theresa held many secret governmental meetings in the Chinese Room.  Then it was off to the gardens.  The gardens truly amazed me, especially their expansiveness.  The formal designs are so carefully laid out and manicured.  After some time in the gardens we went to the Orangery (there weren’t very many orange trees), and then to the bakery for a taste of apfelstrudel!  Next came a trip up to the Gloriette, which was really a hike.  We reached the cafe just as it began to rain.  After we rested with a glass of ice coffee, we went to the top of the Gloriette to enjoy the spectacular views of the palace, gardens, and city.  Our last stop was the Privy garden, which is another perfectly manicured garden in the French style.  While we were enjoying our last stop, it began to thunder and rain so we took it as a sign that our day at Schonbrunn had come to an end.  

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Heeresgeschichtliches and the Kunsthistorisches Museums

Sunday, August 15
Back to Vienna and another museum.  This time it was the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum.  (Yes, that is what it is really called.)  In English, we would the military history museum.  I was really interested in this museum as I have been to many military history museums back home and I was anxious to compare.  After walking through the grand entrance hall, I headed straight for the World War I exhibit, especially that of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  In this exhibit is the car tin which the archduke and his wife Archduchess Sophie were assassinated.  I could see the bullet from one of the shots.  Next to this exhibit was a glass case that held the uniform worn by the archduke when he was shot and the chaise lounge on which he bled to death.  His uniform has two large slashes where doctors tried to fined his wound.  At first they missed the small bullet whole in the collar of his uniform that pierced his neck.  The archducal couple were assassinated in Sarajevo by a nationalist youth who was a member of the black hand.  

I then continued with the rest of the exhibit.  There were numerous uniforms from the different parts of the Austrian military.  They had iron bunker roofs that had the dents from exploded Russian shells and an aircraft, which was from what would have been the new air force during WWI.  They also had Allied uniforms on exhibit--one British and one American.  This struck me with the thought that my country was the enemy of Austria in the war.  I then realized this was the first time I had been in a military history museum where I was from the enemy country.  I have been so used to viewing military history from a most often victorious American perspective that it really struck me to view WWI from the defeated side.  
I continued upstairs with the exhibit of the Austrians and the Ottoman Turks.  Again their was a large collection of military paraphernalia only this time predominately from the late 17th century.  This collection included a captured Turkish military tent.  The art from this time depicting the battles is really interesting.  The depiction of the Austrians and their fellow Christian allies is that of light skinned very heroic looking soldiers gifted by the grace of Christendom for victory.  The Turkish Muslims, on the other hand are most often portrayed as darker skinned and more animal like.  In this context, they are not gifted with the heroic power of Christianity.  
While this museum was built as an arsenal after the Revolutions of 1848, it was still built with extraordinary splendor.  The entrance hall is covered in marble and statues of the great military leaders in Austrian history.  It is the most beautiful and seemingly impractical arsenal I’ve ever seen.  This further lends itself to the continuing theme of the Habsburgs portraying their power visually through many forms of art and architecture.  The exterior of the arsenal is an imposing fortress that looks like it was built in the Medieval period.  Instead it was built by Emperor Franz Josef I in another of his beloved historical styles.  
After we finished the military history museum, Diane and I headed back to the Kunsthistorisches Museum.  This time we viewed the exhibit on the antiquities of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  The first part of the exhibit was Egyptian.  Then came the Greek and Roman, which seemed not to be organized in a chronological way.  While this made it a little confusing, it was still an amazing exhibit filled with Hellenistic pieces from Greece’s Golden Age and Roman portrait heads from the republican time of the Empire forwards.  Their was also a large exhibit on jewelry, which I found interesting.  I really enjoyed seeing all the carved cameos because I was previously unaware of this form of Roman art.  While it was confusing at times, I appreciated all the pieces from the ancient civilizations.