Now That's What I Call A Library!

On our last day in Vienna, we rushed to catch the pricey morning exercise at the Spanish Riding School.  Nice backdrop but yawn.  Lippizaners are camera-shy while training.  In other words, no pictures.

From horses to books, the Hofburg complex has everything.  Awesome may be an overused word, but it certainly describes the Austrian National Library's interior.  It smelled better, too.

 

I wonder how long these bookmarks have been in place?

An exhibition documented the 68-year reign of Franz Joseph.  Only two other European monarchs sat on the throne longer than he.  If Elizabeth II makes it to 2021, she'll overtake him.  And if she's still kicking in 2025, she'll beat Louis XIV, the record holder.  You go girl!

Franz Joseph had his portrait painted so often that some enterprising historian created a video illustrating how he grew from a fresh cheeked boy into those whiskers.  It went on for another 40 or so years.  Cue Cher:  "if I could turn back time."

I'll bet Sissi discouraged his kisses.

Think of all the things an emperor does with his hand.

Like taking aim.

We wandered around the First District for the rest of the morning.  Thom found his underwear and a nail salon before flying back to Kennedy.

I caught the train to Prague from Vienna's brand new Hauptbahnhof.  

Queening Is A Dangerous Business!

The Imperial Palace houses the Kunst Historisches Museum.  New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art seem a little puny in comparison.  Even the interior windows frame art!

Several sculptures honor Franz Joseph, the emperor who united Austria and Hungary.  More about the woman, Sissi, behind the move tomorrow.

Gustav Klimt painted the insets depicting different periods of art above the grand staircase.  Egyptian is seen here.

The collection and galleries, several devoted to a single artist, are huge.

I couldn't wait to see the Pieter Bruegel room.  Nobody does detail or the daily life of peasants better than this 16th century Northern European painter.  Note to the Upper Belvedere:  the Kunst Historiches Museum doesn't need a selfie room because it permits photos of much older masterpieces.  Go figure!

One painting depicts children playing more than 80 games.  Here are just a few:

He painted the "Tower of Babel," too.

Chris wanted to check out the Vermeer.  Only 34 paintings are attributed to his hand.

Only Thom would notice how Caravaggio painted fingernails (see the glint on the thumb?). He was determined to find a manicure before leaving Vienna.

Would you believe Rubens painted this Medusa?  It's so frightening, I really did almost turn to stone.

Our visit put faces to the names of queens who have interested me of late.  Like Marie Theresa, the only female Hapsburg empress and mother to 16 children

. . . including Marie Antoinette, who barely made it to the party (she was #15)!  After touring much of the Imperial Palace, it isn't difficult to understand where she got her sense of entitlement and why she lost her head as a result.

Maria Theresa presides outside the Kunst Historisches Museum, too.

Thanks to Hilary Mantel, I couldn't miss Hans Holbein's portrait of Anne Boleyn.  Vanessa Redgrave, Genevieve Bujold and Claire Foy all added considerable beauty to another queen who lost her head, for a different reason: she couldn't give birth to a single son (Marie Theresa sired five!).  Queening for women is a dangerous business.