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Vienna & Budapest Trip 2008 4th December 08 - 12th December 08 [1 - Vienna] |
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The Naschmarkt between Linke und Rechte Wienzeile, living up to its reputation as a melting pot of nations. |
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The next morning Markus and I drove to a vegetable market, where we met up with Bibi, who had cycled there. Markets are always a fascinating place to observe people of the earth, so to speak. This was adjacent to the Naschmarkt. one of Vienna's largest and best known markets. Set between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse, the Naschmarkt is the mainspring one of the city’s most interesting districts. Culinary specialities are always fresh and in bountiful supply here, no matter whether they are typically Viennese or exotic. The city’s wonderful markets offer a typically Viennese shopping experience. This is where Vienna lives up to its legendary reputation as a melting pot of nations: Viennese humour blends with eastern European charm, and oriental flair with Mediterranean temperament. |
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Markus and I sat down for a tea, some baklava and olives, before moving on for a tour of the Secessionist Museum close by in Friedrichstraße. The Secession building was built in 1897 as an architectural manifesto and exhibition hall for the secession group. Art Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century (1890–1905). The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art', it is also known as Jugendstil, German for 'youth style', named after the magazine Jugend, which promoted it. A reaction to academic art of the 19th century stuck in the age of "historicism", it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms. Art Nouveau is an approach to design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life. In Austria, a localized form of Art Nouveau was practiced by artists of the Viennese Secession, and it is, therefore, known as the Sezessionstil ("Secession style"). The Vienna Secession was formed in 1897 by a group of rebel Austrian artists who had resigned or seceded from the long-established fine art institution, the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. This movement included painters, sculptors, and architects. The first president of the Secession was Gustav Klimt, and Rudolf von Alt was made honorary president. |
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We returned to the flat for lunch, Bibi having prepared a soup known as borscht, popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. It is made with beetroot as the main ingredient which gives it a strong red colour. Russian borscht adds beef and sour cream. Markus and Bibi went off for tango dancing lessons, as they hadn't been for a while. I headed off for a walk of the city centre, with many folk out Christmas shopping or enjoying the traditional Christmas markets. After their lessons, Zoltan and Bibi also showed up and we passed by a jazz club. entering down a stairway. We were hungry and as the show was still some time off, we decided not to stay but ended up at an "English" restaurant, where the waiter turned out to be Hungarian too. |
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In November, 2007, I had paid Markus and Bibi a visit over a long weekend, flying over via Bratislava and taking the bus to Vienna. On this occasion, Zoltan and Zita had also travelled up from Budapest with Zoltan's niece and boyfriend. This was where I introduced them to Markus and Bibi for the very first time. On Saturday (24th November), Markus had a guided itinerary of Vienna planned for me and we explored Vienna on foot, taking in Hundertwasserhaus and the Jewish Museum at Judenplatz. On the Sunday Zoltan and co. came around to their flat for tea. Markus and I went for a walk in the Prater, a park not far from the flat and in the evening we had dinner in the flat. The Hundertwasser House Vienna is an apartment house designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, located in Kegelgasse and Löwengasse. The house was built between 1983 and 1986 and features undulating floors, a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows. Hundertwasser's original and unruly artistic vision expressed itself in pictorial art, environmentalism, philosophy and design of façades, postage stamps, flags and clothing. The common themes in his work utilised bright colours, organic forms, a reconciliation of humans with nature, and a strong individualism, rejecting straight lines. |
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[Europe] |
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