Wien

Here are a few non-ball-related shots from my trip to Vienna, just to round things out.

On Saturday, Astrid and I began the tour by meeting up with her brother and his girlfriend at a very typical Viennese coffee shop:


We saw both old and new art. We went into the gothic Saint Stephen’s Cathedral. Although you can see evidence of the ongoing renovation, it has parts dating back to the 13th century:


We then went to the Secession Building, which was the home of the Viennese artistic avant garde, and was built around 1900. It was destroyed in World War II, but rebuilt in accordance with (I believe) its original design. In the basement is the 98-foot-long Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt, which is a visual interpretation of the 9th Symphony, and was displayed at the XIVth Exhibition of the Association of Fine Artists of Austria Secession in 1902:


On Sunday Astrid and I went to the Schönbrunn Palace, which was the summer residence for the Habsburgs. We took an audio tour and learned that Franz Josef got up every morning at 4:30, and believed that one must work every day until he collapses. Astrid and I agreed that Franz Josef was not taking full advantage of being emperor. His summer digs weren’t bad, though:


Not bad for a day and a half’s work, eh?