Travels with Terri

The final stop on our visit to Central Europe was the lovely city of Vienna. Since we were there for four nights, we rented an apartment in the district of Leopoldstadt near the Donaukanal. The location is terrific with many shops, restaurants, and grocery stores within a short walk. Major attractions like the House of Music, the Natural History Museum, and Belvedere Palace are all less than 1.86 miles (3 kilometers) away. Our one-bedroom apartment featured a well-equipped kitchen, a living room with a dining set for four, a washer and drying rack, Wi-Fi, and ample storage space.

Foodies will love Vienna for the variety of choices, the freshness of the ingredients, and the depth of flavors. Three of the most popular dishes are Wiener Schnitzel, Vienna sausage, and Sachertorte. Dating back to the early 19th century, Wiener Schnitzel is made from tenderized veal that is breaded and pan-fried. At Nestroy Gasthaus & Biergarten, I had the Cordon Bleu version with turkey, ham, and cheese. The portion was huge, filling the entire plate! Vienna sausage is a thin, slow-smoked sausage made from pork and spices and is commonly served with white or dark bread, mustard, and fresh horseradish. Sachertorte is by far the most popular dessert and consists of a chocolate sponge cake covered with chocolate glaze, with an interior layer of apricot jam either under the glaze or in the middle of two sponge layers. The name comes from its creator Franz Sacher and the German word torte meaning a multi-layered cake with a filling.

One of the highlights of our time in Vienna was a visit to Mozarthaus, where composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived from 1784 to 1787. Considered a noble dwelling at the time, the two-story apartment consisted of 4 rooms, 2 closets, a kitchen, ground floor, cellar, and two wooden vaults. In 2006, a permanent exhibition was opened covering an area of 10,764 square feet (1,000 square meters). The room layout of Mozart’s apartment was preserved, giving visitors a unique opportunity to see where he lived and worked. Mozarthaus features his works in Vienna between 1781 to 1791, including The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and The Haydn Quartets. Our tickets included a concert by the wonderful Wiener Ensemble who performed pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Handel.

Born in Salzburg Austria on January 27th, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child musical prodigy. By the age of five, he was already competent on keyboard and violin, had begun to compose, and to perform before European royalty. At the age of 17, he was a musician at the Salzburg court followed by positions in Paris, Mannheim, and Munich. He moved to Vienna in 1781 where he spent his final years. During his short life, he composed over 800 works in a variety of genres including symphonies, operas, chamber music, and choral pieces. He died on December 5th, 1791, at the age of 35 after a mysterious illness. Modern research suggests a possible streptococcal infection, potentially leading to kidney problems and complications like bronchopneumonia or cerebral hemorrhage.

One of the leading museums in the world, The Belvedere, is famous for its collection of works from the Middle Ages to the present day. It houses the worlds largest collection of paintings by Gustav Klimt and prominent works from the periods of Viennese Biedermeier, Austrian Baroque, and French Impressionism. Belvedere Palace was built in the early 18th century as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, with construction beginning on the Lower Belvedere in 1712 and the Upper Belvedere in 1717, culminating in its completion in 1723. Designed by architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, it is a stunning example of Baroque architecture.

Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten in the Austrian Empire on July 14th, 1862. The second of seven children, he grew up in poverty. He received a basic education, and his early drawing ability was recognized as remarkable. By the age of fourteen, he was accepted into a school of fine arts where he studied architectural painting. He began his professional career painting interior ceilings and murals in large public buildings. He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement and his works helped to define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt’s primary subject was the female body, and his art is marked by eroticism. He met Austrian fashion designer Emilie Louise Flöge in the early 1890s and she became his lifelong companion. His most famous painting “The Kiss” is thought to be an image of them as lovers. Klimt died on February 6th, 1918, after having suffered from a stroke and pneumonia. His paintings have brought some of the highest prices on record for individual works of art at auction.

Cover: Belvedere Palace Exterior, Concert at Mozarthaus

I’ll be back in October with a new series of blogs about our cruise around the British Isles. Stay tuned!