At the DAM
Props to Timothy Standring and Louis van Tilborgh, who jointly curated the exhibit. For more information, read this Huffington Post article. For ticket information, here's a link to the Denver Art Museum website.
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Becoming Very Impressed
The Denver Art Museum has acquired and arranged an impressive new exhibit, which showcases Vincent van Gogh's ten years of development and professional work as a largely self-taught artist and is aptly named Becoming Van Gogh. I highly recommend it, and I'm sure the art museum itself would be thrilled by your attendance - According to one security guard, even IF every ticket available for the exhibit were sold, the museum would not earn back all of the money required to produce it. If you live in the area and have an hour to spare, why not check out an art exhibit that took almost as long to curate as it took to paint.
Props to Timothy Standring and Louis van Tilborgh, who jointly curated the exhibit. For more information, read this Huffington Post article. For ticket information, here's a link to the Denver Art Museum website.
Props to Timothy Standring and Louis van Tilborgh, who jointly curated the exhibit. For more information, read this Huffington Post article. For ticket information, here's a link to the Denver Art Museum website.
Le Bateau Ivre
Un homme âgé peint avec soin les mots d'un poème du 19ème siècle sur le mur de la rue Férou.
Photos courtesy of Allison Hiss, French Language Masters candidate at the University of Alabama //
Taken in the Latin Quarter of Paris, Summer 2012
Details in Vienna
Beauty presents itself far more often in European cities, in exquisite details such as these, and often in unexpected or mundane places. For example: when you look up!
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater
This week I took a little trip to Pittsburgh, and on the way back towards Philadelphia decided to stop and spend the afternoon at Fallingwater, a house designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The house was opened to the public in 1964 with its furnishings and setting intact. The architecture and the interior design (including the art) are both reasons to visit in and of themselves.
The downhill path to the house
The peace sign tree (or at least I think so).
Fallingwater was designed and built for the Kaufmann family as a vacation home in the 1930s. The Kaufmanns had envisioned a rustic getaway with a view of the waterfall on Bear Run creek, and thus were understandably surprised when Frank Lloyd Wright revealed plans to build the house on top of the waterfall. He wanted the infrastructure to be completely integrated with nature.
The original budget for the main house: $20-30k; final bill for the main and guest houses: $155k. Can you imagine? That's the equivalent of several million dollars today - and during the Great Depression, no less!
The Kaufmann family decorated their weekend home with art by Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera, wildlife engravings by John J. Audubon, a Tiffany lamp, three-legged peasant chairs from France, a Madonna and Child sculpture from 1420, a statue of a Hindu goddess from the 8th century, and Japanese woodblock prints by Ando Hiroshige that were a gift from Frank Lloyd Wright himself.
Escape to nature and enjoy a sense of seclusion and serenity at Fallingwater.
My Favorite Museums
Well, it's been almost four weeks since I completed my internship in Pitt's Study Abroad Office, and I really honestly miss the place, the people, everything about working there. There are few places where it's not only possible, but acceptable to spend an afternoon discussing, debating, and ranking the best museums in the world. In consideration of things like diversity and coherence of the collection, food, manageability and location, here are the museums that I advocated for:
Art museums like the Uffizi in Florence and the Louvre in Paris are indisputably some of the best in the world - yet for someone like me, who appreciates art but can't necessarily ingest/comprehend such enormous collections, they're just not manageable.
On the other hand, some of the museums that I have visited have been randomly fun and interesting but a bit too specific to make my list: these would be museums like the Museum of Childhood in London or the Museum of Hash, Marijuana, and Hemp in Amsterdam.
Obviously there were many diverse museums to visit when I was living in London: the Freud Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Tate Modern and the National Gallery. In Provence curiosity pulled me into the Museum of Natural Science in Aix-en-Provence and even the Camargue Rice Museum. And because Pitt subsidizes the arts in Pittsburgh, students have free admission to all sorts of interesting museums - the Carnegie Museums, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Mattress Factory...
But at the end of the day, my Top 5 are untouched by any of the museums that I have seen (so far). My coworkers gave me some recommendations that they hope will challenge my Top 5. Their favorites are the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, the National Portraiture Gallery in Washington, DC and the Museo de la Memoria in Rosario, Argentina (a museum of political dictatorship and the dirty war). We'll just see about that! And hopefully soon, I feel that travel bug itching to have its way...
Dylan's TOP 5 Museums
- Leopold Museum in Vienna
- Philadelphia Art Museum
- Imperial War Museum in London
- Museu Nacional de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City
At the Tate Modern during my first trip to London
Honorable Mention:Art museums like the Uffizi in Florence and the Louvre in Paris are indisputably some of the best in the world - yet for someone like me, who appreciates art but can't necessarily ingest/comprehend such enormous collections, they're just not manageable.
On the other hand, some of the museums that I have visited have been randomly fun and interesting but a bit too specific to make my list: these would be museums like the Museum of Childhood in London or the Museum of Hash, Marijuana, and Hemp in Amsterdam.
The museum that was the most unexpected success for me was the National Gallery at Veletrzni Palace in Prague. I'd definitely like to throw an honorable mention their way.
Obviously there were many diverse museums to visit when I was living in London: the Freud Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Tate Modern and the National Gallery. In Provence curiosity pulled me into the Museum of Natural Science in Aix-en-Provence and even the Camargue Rice Museum. And because Pitt subsidizes the arts in Pittsburgh, students have free admission to all sorts of interesting museums - the Carnegie Museums, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Mattress Factory...
But at the end of the day, my Top 5 are untouched by any of the museums that I have seen (so far). My coworkers gave me some recommendations that they hope will challenge my Top 5. Their favorites are the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, the National Portraiture Gallery in Washington, DC and the Museo de la Memoria in Rosario, Argentina (a museum of political dictatorship and the dirty war). We'll just see about that! And hopefully soon, I feel that travel bug itching to have its way...
Van Gogh Up Close
My beauteous sister Amanda outside the Museum
I really preferred "Van Gogh Up Close" to the last exhibition, "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus," because it was more varied and more imaginative. The subject and the colors were the same for nearly all of Rembrandt's portraits: the head of a man painted in brown and black. The mood and the tone were in stark contrast to the gorgeous August weather outside when my father took me to see it.
I CANNOT WAIT to see the next exhibition: Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia (opening June 20th)! An earthly paradise, or arcadia, sounds just like heaven to me.
This Week I'm Loving
"What's this?! A new blog post?! Whatever could this mean?!"
Drumroll, please......... I've decided to resurrect my blog from its three-month hiatus!
I am very excited to return to the blogosphere. With two months to readjust to my American lifestyle, I finally feel able to resume my beloved semi-regular posts.
"But why did you stop?"
The obvious answer would be: I stopped blogging because this was ostensibly a travel blog, and I was no longer abroad. Another acceptable answer might be: I am overwhelmed by written assignments as it is. I am a full time student (Psychology major, Comparative Political Science minor, French Language and Culture minor, Certificate in Western European Studies) and a communications intern in the Study Abroad Office - which translates to tons of reading and writing for school, as well as publishing a monthly newsletter for Pitt students abroad. Throwing a blog into the mix seemed too daunting.
"That's understandable. So what made you change your mind?"
Really, this is what I am passionate about - and who says that you need to leave home to travel? I love to try new things, which in a way makes me a tourist even in my home state. Furthermore, blogging does not have to be a huge commitment. What I can commit to is this: Every Monday I'll give you a snapshot of what's inspiring me and what my week looks like, and maybe later in the week I can follow up with a more in-depth post about one of the restaurants, books, or events.
We'll take things slow until graduation on April 29th, after which I'll be making new travel plans (which will involve a passport, I promise). Stay tuned!
________________________________________________________________
Drumroll, please......... I've decided to resurrect my blog from its three-month hiatus!
I am very excited to return to the blogosphere. With two months to readjust to my American lifestyle, I finally feel able to resume my beloved semi-regular posts.
"But why did you stop?"
The obvious answer would be: I stopped blogging because this was ostensibly a travel blog, and I was no longer abroad. Another acceptable answer might be: I am overwhelmed by written assignments as it is. I am a full time student (Psychology major, Comparative Political Science minor, French Language and Culture minor, Certificate in Western European Studies) and a communications intern in the Study Abroad Office - which translates to tons of reading and writing for school, as well as publishing a monthly newsletter for Pitt students abroad. Throwing a blog into the mix seemed too daunting.
"That's understandable. So what made you change your mind?"
Really, this is what I am passionate about - and who says that you need to leave home to travel? I love to try new things, which in a way makes me a tourist even in my home state. Furthermore, blogging does not have to be a huge commitment. What I can commit to is this: Every Monday I'll give you a snapshot of what's inspiring me and what my week looks like, and maybe later in the week I can follow up with a more in-depth post about one of the restaurants, books, or events.
We'll take things slow until graduation on April 29th, after which I'll be making new travel plans (which will involve a passport, I promise). Stay tuned!
________________________________________________________________
Food: Fork Restaurant, Philadelphia and Morimoto Restaurant, Philadelphia
On Saturday, I'll be visiting the Philadelphia International Flower Show in center city. Afterwards my parents, my sister and I plan to dine at Fork, where our family friend Terence Feury is the Chef. I'll also have the chance to try Morimoto, one of the twenty Stephen Starr restaurants in Philadelphia, before heading to the Art Museum for some colorful post-Impressionism.
Event: The Van Gogh Exhibit, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Van Gogh's vibrant sunflowers and evocative paintings of the countryside in Provence always bring me back to those five months in Aix. I had the chance to visit Saint-Rémy for a long lunch chez Lolo, just across the street from the hospital where Vincent painted Starry Night. The collection is on tour in Philadelphia through May 6, 2012.
Book: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Film: The Counterfeiters
A very good movie about a Jewish counterfeiter named Solomon, or Sally, who is forced to produce counterfeit money to fund the Nazi war effort. He chooses his team from among the concentration camp inmates, saving them all from the physical labor and humiliation to which the other prisoners are subjected, but introducing a new kind of moral dilemma: would they rather die than continue to work with the knowledge that their project is prolonging the war?
Book: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Film: The Counterfeiters
A very good movie about a Jewish counterfeiter named Solomon, or Sally, who is forced to produce counterfeit money to fund the Nazi war effort. He chooses his team from among the concentration camp inmates, saving them all from the physical labor and humiliation to which the other prisoners are subjected, but introducing a new kind of moral dilemma: would they rather die than continue to work with the knowledge that their project is prolonging the war?
Prague
I have mixed feelings about Prague. Undeniably Prague is a beautiful and interesting city, and yet my trip there left me feeling slightly unsatisfied.
Why do we travel? There are so many articles on the internet that attempt to answer this question it's absurd. First of all, who is this "we"? Students? Americans? Mankind? And second of all, how could there ever be one reason or even an exhaustive list that explains why anyone who ever left their home did so? I just don't believe it's possible.
For instance, Psychology Today published an article in October 2009: "Travel to Create Your Self" by Robert Fuller, Ph.D. In this article, Fuller puts forth his theory on why "we" travel. To summarize:
The only thing I can say with certainty is why I travel. I travel to learn. I travel for a challenge. I travel to create a home. I think that an important goal of traveling is feeling that in some capacity you have gotten to know the city - things like mastering the public transportation, the customs, or the language. Or finding a favorite cafe, perhaps making a friend. Especially as a study abroad student, I am constantly trying to create a home in some way everywhere I go. On this rating scale London feels like home as much as Aix-en-Provence does, as much as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Florence, and New York City do. I have never struggled with this as much as I did in Prague. I did put effort into it, and yet by the time I left I hadn't fully achieved that level of familiarity and enjoyment that I am always seeking. In this instance, I think the difficulty was directly related to how prepared I was to travel there - not very. I know the experience would have been entirely different if I had planned the trip more carefully or used contacts to find a friend of a friend to show me around.
Undeniably Prague is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The Vltava river, Prague Castle, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge... But I never stopped feeling like a tourist - either promoters were trying to pull my friend and I inside with offers of cheap meals or discounted tickets, or the staff did not want to serve us because we could barely manage "hello" and "thank you" in Czech those first two days. There were fewer happy moments when I felt as though I could blend into my surroundings than in Vienna or Oslo.
That said, Amy and I still had a good time in Prague despite some rainy weather. We left Vienna by train early Monday morning. In an effort to save money we booked a ticket to Brno, just over the border, where we disembarked to buy tickets for the second half of the journey in marks, the Czech currency (although we had to unload our suitcases, run to the ticket office, and reload in quite a hurry we did save a lot of money). First on the agenda, as ever, was to find and check into our hostel. I had booked Artharmony Hostel, located on the fourth floor of a building in New Town, based on location and affordability. It was wonderful - both the hostel and the man at reception could best be described as peaceful and welcoming, there was free internet access on the computers, and our room (the Jan room) was cozy and clean with a fun Egyptian theme. Liberated of our suitcases, we walked down the wide road Ječná towards the river. The scenery was beautiful, and we stood on a bridge (or most in Czech) to survey the landscape in silent appreciation. As we walked north along the Vltava, our view of Prague Castle and the trees in their fall colors improved.
Our next move as tired and hungry tourists was to turn directly into the chaos of the King's walk, where we were certain to find English-speaking citizens to serve us. To stave off our hunger, we stopped for a pint of beer at the first acceptable bar. Amy chose Pilsner Urquell and I chose Budwar, the original (and not awful) Budweiser beer! No relation to the American brand. The rest of the night was spent exploring the Old Town with Prague sausage from a street vendor for dinner. And really, the beer was so good that who cared what we ate that night?
Our first mission on Tuesday was to find a guide book in English to research our sightseeing options and learn a few Czech phrases. The best and closest option seemed to be Wenceslas Square, and sure enough, we found a three-story bookstore with an Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide tucked away in a corner. Over breakfast we picked out the art galleries at Veletrzni Palace, one of several buildings which collectively form the National Gallery. We had to combine a subway journey and an overground tram to reach the building in Holešovice, but the art was well worth it. The majority of the galleries and exhibitions contained 19th and 20th century French art, as well as modern and contemporary Czech and European art. After several hours of beautiful artwork, interrupted by just one quick coffee in the cafeteria, we crossed the street to try Bohemia Bagel for a light lunch (our guide book recommended this restaurant, but only go there if you are really homesick for an American bagel!).
Back in the more central districts of Prague, we watched the astrological clock in the Old Town Hall sing out the hour. And in the afternoon, we happily went shopping for jewelry! The exchange rate and the abundance of garnet in the Czech Republic meant that Amy and I could realistically shop for fine jewelry on a college budget for the first time in our lives. Amy fell in love with a beautiful ring - there was a light green moldovite stone in the center surrounded by deep red garnet stones in a sideways tear drop shape.
We found dinner locally (relative to our hostel), and it was the most authentic and delicious meal yet [Restaurace U Pomniku, Gorazdova 1]. My meal was savory goulash with knedlicky (dumplings) and, of course, beer - Master Zlaty 15° for me and Gambrinus 10° for Amy. By listing the Top 10 Czech beers, our guide book had challenged us to find and sample all of them. We couldn't go home that night without finding at least one more - luckily, Krusovice was on tap at the first bar we tried. Easy! Not to mention yummy...
Success:
2. Pilsner Urquell
3. Krušovice
4. Budvar
7. Gambrinus
On Wednesday, my final day in Praha, Amy and I headed up to Prague Castle - the top sight in the city. It was a slow and steady hike up the steps of Hradcany hill, and it was a proper workout. And after all our huffing and puffing the actual castle was closed! In lieu of Prague Castle, which was closed for restorations, an art exhibit was offered in its place. The paintings were respectable enough, but the design of the space made the exhibit feel a bit spare.
St. Vitus Cathedral was very, very beautiful. It was even colder inside than it was outside, I felt like I was in a refrigerator. Our tickets also included the Basilica of St. George and the Golden Lane, where I did some souvenir shopping in the tiny historic houses.
This was the rainiest day yet, not to mention chilly, so we fortified ourselves at lunch with roast pork with cabbage and dumplings before walking through the rain, sans umbrella, in search of the Lennon wall. If you haven't heard of it, this is a graffiti wall created after Lennon's assassination.
We signed our names and then crossed the famous Charles bridge over the Vltava, stopping inside the church on the opposite bank - I believe it was Kostel svatého Františka z Assisi - for warm drinks. Just the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on the foam of my cappucino was enough to revive me. We sipped slowly and relaxed, long enough to allow some of the damp to leave our clothes. The rest of the afternoon was pleasant enough - we walked into Josefov (the Jewish Quarter) past the Old Jewish Cemetary and along the upscale shopping street Pařížská.
In the evening, I re-packed my suitcase and researched bus routes to the Airport and Amy and I went out for one last beer (or several...). By that point, we had sampled four of the top ten Czech beers, but had yet to try #1: Staropramen. Don't worry: we found it later on tap at the bar in the Imperial College Student Union in London. And it was delicious. And we were happy.
In the morning, Amy and I ate a continental breakfast of pastries and coffee at the main train terminal before parting ways. Amy was staying until the evening and had plans of her own for the day: the Museum of Communism, Kafka's house, fried cheese. I was moving on to Norway.
I must say that although we struggled to feel at home in Prague, we still had a nice time and I would really like the chance to return one day and try again.
Why do we travel? There are so many articles on the internet that attempt to answer this question it's absurd. First of all, who is this "we"? Students? Americans? Mankind? And second of all, how could there ever be one reason or even an exhaustive list that explains why anyone who ever left their home did so? I just don't believe it's possible.
For instance, Psychology Today published an article in October 2009: "Travel to Create Your Self" by Robert Fuller, Ph.D. In this article, Fuller puts forth his theory on why "we" travel. To summarize:
- The excitement of fear, and the satisfaction of overcoming that fear. "Fear is part of what makes travel enlivening and relevatory."
- To break down stereotypes, see for ourselves, and gain a fresh perspective. "As we struggle to reconcile what we're experiencing with what we take for granted, we strip away what's arbitrary in cultural practice and approach what is universal."
- Travel is transformative. In taking ourselves out of our typical surroundings, we learn about who we are - who we are becoming confronts who we used to be.
The only thing I can say with certainty is why I travel. I travel to learn. I travel for a challenge. I travel to create a home. I think that an important goal of traveling is feeling that in some capacity you have gotten to know the city - things like mastering the public transportation, the customs, or the language. Or finding a favorite cafe, perhaps making a friend. Especially as a study abroad student, I am constantly trying to create a home in some way everywhere I go. On this rating scale London feels like home as much as Aix-en-Provence does, as much as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Florence, and New York City do. I have never struggled with this as much as I did in Prague. I did put effort into it, and yet by the time I left I hadn't fully achieved that level of familiarity and enjoyment that I am always seeking. In this instance, I think the difficulty was directly related to how prepared I was to travel there - not very. I know the experience would have been entirely different if I had planned the trip more carefully or used contacts to find a friend of a friend to show me around.
Undeniably Prague is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The Vltava river, Prague Castle, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge... But I never stopped feeling like a tourist - either promoters were trying to pull my friend and I inside with offers of cheap meals or discounted tickets, or the staff did not want to serve us because we could barely manage "hello" and "thank you" in Czech those first two days. There were fewer happy moments when I felt as though I could blend into my surroundings than in Vienna or Oslo.
That said, Amy and I still had a good time in Prague despite some rainy weather. We left Vienna by train early Monday morning. In an effort to save money we booked a ticket to Brno, just over the border, where we disembarked to buy tickets for the second half of the journey in marks, the Czech currency (although we had to unload our suitcases, run to the ticket office, and reload in quite a hurry we did save a lot of money). First on the agenda, as ever, was to find and check into our hostel. I had booked Artharmony Hostel, located on the fourth floor of a building in New Town, based on location and affordability. It was wonderful - both the hostel and the man at reception could best be described as peaceful and welcoming, there was free internet access on the computers, and our room (the Jan room) was cozy and clean with a fun Egyptian theme. Liberated of our suitcases, we walked down the wide road Ječná towards the river. The scenery was beautiful, and we stood on a bridge (or most in Czech) to survey the landscape in silent appreciation. As we walked north along the Vltava, our view of Prague Castle and the trees in their fall colors improved.
Our next move as tired and hungry tourists was to turn directly into the chaos of the King's walk, where we were certain to find English-speaking citizens to serve us. To stave off our hunger, we stopped for a pint of beer at the first acceptable bar. Amy chose Pilsner Urquell and I chose Budwar, the original (and not awful) Budweiser beer! No relation to the American brand. The rest of the night was spent exploring the Old Town with Prague sausage from a street vendor for dinner. And really, the beer was so good that who cared what we ate that night?
Our first mission on Tuesday was to find a guide book in English to research our sightseeing options and learn a few Czech phrases. The best and closest option seemed to be Wenceslas Square, and sure enough, we found a three-story bookstore with an Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide tucked away in a corner. Over breakfast we picked out the art galleries at Veletrzni Palace, one of several buildings which collectively form the National Gallery. We had to combine a subway journey and an overground tram to reach the building in Holešovice, but the art was well worth it. The majority of the galleries and exhibitions contained 19th and 20th century French art, as well as modern and contemporary Czech and European art. After several hours of beautiful artwork, interrupted by just one quick coffee in the cafeteria, we crossed the street to try Bohemia Bagel for a light lunch (our guide book recommended this restaurant, but only go there if you are really homesick for an American bagel!).
Back in the more central districts of Prague, we watched the astrological clock in the Old Town Hall sing out the hour. And in the afternoon, we happily went shopping for jewelry! The exchange rate and the abundance of garnet in the Czech Republic meant that Amy and I could realistically shop for fine jewelry on a college budget for the first time in our lives. Amy fell in love with a beautiful ring - there was a light green moldovite stone in the center surrounded by deep red garnet stones in a sideways tear drop shape.
We found dinner locally (relative to our hostel), and it was the most authentic and delicious meal yet [Restaurace U Pomniku, Gorazdova 1]. My meal was savory goulash with knedlicky (dumplings) and, of course, beer - Master Zlaty 15° for me and Gambrinus 10° for Amy. By listing the Top 10 Czech beers, our guide book had challenged us to find and sample all of them. We couldn't go home that night without finding at least one more - luckily, Krusovice was on tap at the first bar we tried. Easy! Not to mention yummy...
Success:
2. Pilsner Urquell
3. Krušovice
4. Budvar
7. Gambrinus
On Wednesday, my final day in Praha, Amy and I headed up to Prague Castle - the top sight in the city. It was a slow and steady hike up the steps of Hradcany hill, and it was a proper workout. And after all our huffing and puffing the actual castle was closed! In lieu of Prague Castle, which was closed for restorations, an art exhibit was offered in its place. The paintings were respectable enough, but the design of the space made the exhibit feel a bit spare.
St. Vitus
St. Vitus Cathedral was very, very beautiful. It was even colder inside than it was outside, I felt like I was in a refrigerator. Our tickets also included the Basilica of St. George and the Golden Lane, where I did some souvenir shopping in the tiny historic houses.
This was the rainiest day yet, not to mention chilly, so we fortified ourselves at lunch with roast pork with cabbage and dumplings before walking through the rain, sans umbrella, in search of the Lennon wall. If you haven't heard of it, this is a graffiti wall created after Lennon's assassination.
We signed our names and then crossed the famous Charles bridge over the Vltava, stopping inside the church on the opposite bank - I believe it was Kostel svatého Františka z Assisi - for warm drinks. Just the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on the foam of my cappucino was enough to revive me. We sipped slowly and relaxed, long enough to allow some of the damp to leave our clothes. The rest of the afternoon was pleasant enough - we walked into Josefov (the Jewish Quarter) past the Old Jewish Cemetary and along the upscale shopping street Pařížská.
In the evening, I re-packed my suitcase and researched bus routes to the Airport and Amy and I went out for one last beer (or several...). By that point, we had sampled four of the top ten Czech beers, but had yet to try #1: Staropramen. Don't worry: we found it later on tap at the bar in the Imperial College Student Union in London. And it was delicious. And we were happy.
In the morning, Amy and I ate a continental breakfast of pastries and coffee at the main train terminal before parting ways. Amy was staying until the evening and had plans of her own for the day: the Museum of Communism, Kafka's house, fried cheese. I was moving on to Norway.
I must say that although we struggled to feel at home in Prague, we still had a nice time and I would really like the chance to return one day and try again.
Vienna
My mom lived in Vienna during her junior year of college, and I've wanted to go since I found out. I love studying abroad (obviously), and I liked the idea of sharing that with her. I guess I wanted to feel connected in that way, retracing my mother's footsteps in a foreign city.
Everything that I knew about Vienna before going I had learned in school - Vienna as the seat of the Hapsburg dynasty and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire... Vienna as the home of Sigmund Freud... Vienna as the cultural, economic, and political center of Austria. I knew that Vienna was on the Danube river, and that many great classical musicians have lived and worked there.
I booked my trip with Amy H., roommate extraordinaire, and I couldn't have chosen a more suitable travel buddy to explore Vienna with. Amy appreciates classical music and modern art, and Vienna is the place to discover these things. I fell in love with both.
Amy used her Hostelling International membership to find the Jugendherbergen Wien on Myrthengasse, affordable at €36 for two nights and only a ten minute walk from the Museums Quartier. We stayed in a clean four-person female dorm with a shower, and breakfast was included.
After checking in on Saturday afternoon we walked towards center city, between the identical off-white museum buildings at Maria-Theresien-Platz to Heldenplatz where we stumbled into some sort of military festival. It was an unexpected but lucky discovery. Amy tried a Wiener Schnitzel (sausage), and we both sampled generous cups of glühwein (warm red wine spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla). The glühwein was fantastic - like alcoholic apple cider - it warmed and revitalized us in more ways than one!
We wound our way home through the Old Town. Although the shops were closed for the night, you could still look into them and see shopkeepers bent over books, possibly recording their sales for the day. There was something romantic about the warmth of the light inside and the old-fashioned technique of accounts kept by hand. We decided to explore the city at night, but first we stopped at Cafe Raimund for hot drinks. In other circumstances, I might have found the ridiculously large chandeliers, the lace curtains, and the red cushioned chairs with a leather bank and velvet back to be gaudy. In Vienna, it seemed appropriate and even atmospheric. A ten minute walk lead us towards government buildings such as the classical-style Parliament and the gothic-style city hall, or Rathaus. Both were illuminated, and seeing those majestic buildings deserted at night only added to the illusion of being in a city from another time.
Sunday was all about music and art, and plenty of it! First on our agenda was a Catholic mass at the Hofburgkapelle, where the Vienna Boys Choir would be performing. In fact, the choir has been performing at the Hofburgkapelle, the Chapel of the Imperial Palace, since 1498. The concert is free to attend if you didn't mind standing at the back of the small chapel. The choir was situated on a balcony above the standing room, and the effect of being able to hear but not see the voices of so many talented 10- to 14-year-olds echoing through the chapel was ethereal.
Our next destination was a must-see for Amy, and though I was indifferent about going, I did find the Mozarthaus interesting. From the museum, located behind St. Stephen's Cathedral, we hurried to the famous Ankeruhr clock in Hoher Markt, the oldest square in Vienna. Every day at noon twelve figures parade across the face of the clock accompanied by music. I was not prepared for the length of the event - I was expecting a quick three-minute song, but it dragged on much longer than that. We left once we had seen each of the figures, not wanting to wait for the end.
Sunday afternoon was rainy, but we didn't mind - we were headed indoors to the Leopold Museum. The cafe in the museum complex was lively and inviting, and we settled in for pumpkin soup with organic wholemeal bread. Again, the cheapest thing on the menu and very filling. It was also a lovely autumn meal. I haven't found pumpkin pie or pumpkin muffins or pumpkin spice lattes yet over here, it was late October, and I was craving something pumpkin! The Leopold Museum is definitely one of my top 3 favorite museums. I have to quote the museum website, because their focus description includes all of the artists that I was so immediately and emotionally taken with:
The symphony orchestra played four movements from different symphonies. The acoustics on stage were sensational. I could feel the steady pulse of the percussion instruments reverberating through the floor and hear the delicate harmony of the violins echoed by the far wall. In the third movement, the flute melody played in my right ear like a suggestion; the french horns bellowed in front of me like a confrontation. Sensational. Another great ending to a fabulous trip!
Everything that I knew about Vienna before going I had learned in school - Vienna as the seat of the Hapsburg dynasty and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire... Vienna as the home of Sigmund Freud... Vienna as the cultural, economic, and political center of Austria. I knew that Vienna was on the Danube river, and that many great classical musicians have lived and worked there.
I booked my trip with Amy H., roommate extraordinaire, and I couldn't have chosen a more suitable travel buddy to explore Vienna with. Amy appreciates classical music and modern art, and Vienna is the place to discover these things. I fell in love with both.
Amy used her Hostelling International membership to find the Jugendherbergen Wien on Myrthengasse, affordable at €36 for two nights and only a ten minute walk from the Museums Quartier. We stayed in a clean four-person female dorm with a shower, and breakfast was included.
After checking in on Saturday afternoon we walked towards center city, between the identical off-white museum buildings at Maria-Theresien-Platz to Heldenplatz where we stumbled into some sort of military festival. It was an unexpected but lucky discovery. Amy tried a Wiener Schnitzel (sausage), and we both sampled generous cups of glühwein (warm red wine spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla). The glühwein was fantastic - like alcoholic apple cider - it warmed and revitalized us in more ways than one!
Festival at Heldenplatz; statue of Archduke Charles of Austria; Rathaus in the background
Glühwein
From Heldenplatz, we continued down Kohlmarket past the posh shops selling artisan chocolate, fine jewelry, and traditional clothing like dirndls and lederhosen. Turning right at Graben we were stunned at the sight of the buildings. Over the weekend, I really came to appreciate the spectacular architecture and urban planning of Vienna. At the end of the wide pedestrian boulevard was St. Stephen's Cathedral. The roof tiling was an attractive aspect of the church, and I was immediately struck by the similarities with the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The inside was beautiful, but more importantly warm! We only stayed for a few minutes because a mass was about to begin.
Walking down the Graben boulevard
Amy with Stephensdom
Dinner that night was gulaschsuppe, a thick salty beef and vegetable soup served with a large roll. [Vienna is an expensive city, and Amy and I quickly learned that soup is usually one of the cheapest things on the menu and very filling, especially when served with bread.] The restaurant was L. Heiner on upscale Karntnerstrasse.
We wound our way home through the Old Town. Although the shops were closed for the night, you could still look into them and see shopkeepers bent over books, possibly recording their sales for the day. There was something romantic about the warmth of the light inside and the old-fashioned technique of accounts kept by hand. We decided to explore the city at night, but first we stopped at Cafe Raimund for hot drinks. In other circumstances, I might have found the ridiculously large chandeliers, the lace curtains, and the red cushioned chairs with a leather bank and velvet back to be gaudy. In Vienna, it seemed appropriate and even atmospheric. A ten minute walk lead us towards government buildings such as the classical-style Parliament and the gothic-style city hall, or Rathaus. Both were illuminated, and seeing those majestic buildings deserted at night only added to the illusion of being in a city from another time.
Sunday was all about music and art, and plenty of it! First on our agenda was a Catholic mass at the Hofburgkapelle, where the Vienna Boys Choir would be performing. In fact, the choir has been performing at the Hofburgkapelle, the Chapel of the Imperial Palace, since 1498. The concert is free to attend if you didn't mind standing at the back of the small chapel. The choir was situated on a balcony above the standing room, and the effect of being able to hear but not see the voices of so many talented 10- to 14-year-olds echoing through the chapel was ethereal.
Souvenir shopping
Our next destination was a must-see for Amy, and though I was indifferent about going, I did find the Mozarthaus interesting. From the museum, located behind St. Stephen's Cathedral, we hurried to the famous Ankeruhr clock in Hoher Markt, the oldest square in Vienna. Every day at noon twelve figures parade across the face of the clock accompanied by music. I was not prepared for the length of the event - I was expecting a quick three-minute song, but it dragged on much longer than that. We left once we had seen each of the figures, not wanting to wait for the end.
See how slow it moves?
"In no other museum in Vienna one can get so close to the fabled “Fin de siècle Vienna” and witness the birth of Modernity. The collection shows how the art of the Habsburg Empire changed from strict Historicism and lovely Mood Impressionism within a few years to the worldwide unique “Wiener Moderne” which encompasses Klimt and Schiele as well as Oskar Kokoschka, Richard Gerstl, Koloman Moser and many other artists who are all well represented with major works at the Leopold Museum.
A further focus of the museum is on the Austrian interwar period, which brought out many important artists like Albin Egger-Lienz, Anton Kolig and Herbert Boeckl and partly points already in the direction of the second half of the twentieth century. This is why Austrian artists of the post war generation or exceptional works of the nineteenth century by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Friedrich Gauermann, August von Pettenkofen, Anton Romako, Emil Jakob Schindler, Carl Schuch and others are repeatedly presented."
Death and Life by Gustav Klimt was an instant favorite, as well as the entire Secession movement, and I won't forget the impact of Egon Schiele's art on me. Amy and I spent hours and hours at the Leopold, so long in fact that at one point we had to break for hot drinks and cakes at the cafe. I greedily devoured my apfelstrudel, and was only persuasive enough to get one bite of Amy's Sachertorte (dry chocolate cake with apricot jam created by the Sacher Hotel in Vienna). My cafe latte was so rich it tasted like a milkshake.
It was still raining when the Museum closed and we were forced to leave. We still had one more thing planned for that evening: a concert at Musikverein. According to the unwieldy, outdated guide book that Amy carted with us all over Vienna, the Golden Hall in Musikverein is one of the four acoustically best concert halls in the world. The Concentus Musicus Wien was performing Haydn directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. The CMW specializes in historical performances on authentic period instruments. We bought last minute seats on stage for €21.
Sachertorte and apfelstrudel
It was still raining when the Museum closed and we were forced to leave. We still had one more thing planned for that evening: a concert at Musikverein. According to the unwieldy, outdated guide book that Amy carted with us all over Vienna, the Golden Hall in Musikverein is one of the four acoustically best concert halls in the world. The Concentus Musicus Wien was performing Haydn directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. The CMW specializes in historical performances on authentic period instruments. We bought last minute seats on stage for €21.
Poor quality photo, but at least you can see our perspective from the stage
The symphony orchestra played four movements from different symphonies. The acoustics on stage were sensational. I could feel the steady pulse of the percussion instruments reverberating through the floor and hear the delicate harmony of the violins echoed by the far wall. In the third movement, the flute melody played in my right ear like a suggestion; the french horns bellowed in front of me like a confrontation. Sensational. Another great ending to a fabulous trip!
Four days in Oslo
Well, I’m finally back in London after nine days of travel. I’m a little bit worse for wear, but I spent the most amazing vacation in Vienna, Prague, and Oslo.
You may be wondering how I ended up vacationing in Norway. To start, Norway fascinates me: the people, the history, the culture, the government, and the way of life. Norway is a peaceful Scandinavian nation of stunning physical beauty (and I could equally be referring to the landscape or the Norwegians – tall, blonde, and fit). They have universal health care, subsidized higher education, and a comprehensive social security system. I did not see the northern lights, or snow, or the extreme seasonal variations in daylight. And yet it is still magical to think of Norway as a land of midnight sun and winter darkness. Sadly, I didn’t spot any trolls or Father Christmas – I imagine I’d have to go farther into the northern forest for that. But although I’m fascinated by the country, the real reason that I chose Norway was the opportunity to visit my good friend Katja.
Katja is smart and adventurous and loves to travel; she has spent the last few years alternately traveling through Europe and Africa and studying in France and India. We met in 2010 at the Université Paul Cézanne in Aix-en-Provence, where we struggled together through ten hours of grammar class per week. By inviting me to stay with her this past weekend, she unwittingly agreed to be my full-time tour guide in Oslo, navigating the city, answering my non-stop questions, and directing us to great cafes, bars, and restaurants. I want to take a moment to thank Katja and her family for welcoming me into their home. After a long week of travel and youth hostels it was heavenly to sit down to a family dinner, curl up on a sofa, and generally feel taken care of. Katja was generous with her time, her family, her friends, her food, and her clothes – she shared so much with me and made my experience unforgettable. I hope that one day I can return the favor. Takk! Thank you so much!
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I left Amy in Prague on Thursday morning. Amy had been my travel companion in Vienna and Prague, but we were separating and she was headed for Bruges. Arriving at the airport three hours in advance of my flight was definitely unnecessary, as I spent over two hours sitting at the gate before boarding. On the positive side, I did finish A Certain Justice by P. D. James, which I had bought at Heathrow. I couldn’t put it down. When I arrived, I took the train from the airport to Oslo Central Station where Katja was waiting for me – with chocolate! We were thrilled to see each other, and walked around the city center as we caught up. That evening, we had dinner with her family – salmon and vegetables over rice – before meeting her friend Kristin for drinks in a hip part of the city. Unfortunately for me, prices are high in Norway and the exchange rate was brutal. I chose a Norwegian beer, Aass, for 66 kroner ($12). 60-66 for a half liter of beer or a glass of wine is standard. We talked for a long time about the bombing and the youth camp attach this past summer, Norway’s intervention in Libya, and the problem of rape in Oslo - mitigated with silly girl talk, of course.
Friday morning began with a typically Norwegian breakfast – Kaviar. Before you get the idea that Norwegians are ridiculously wealthy lushes who eat caviar like cream cheese, let me just explain that Kaviar is a salty, salmon-colored fish paste, which is very healthy and very cheap and also extremely pungent. We spread it on thick brown bread. Breakfast also included a pear, an orange, and some brie. The weather outside was chilly and overcast, but dry. We left around noon for Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park is the life work of the sculptor Gustav Vigeland, and includes more than 200 statues depicting the stages of life and the range of human emotions. The scale of the project was incredible, and the nude statues in bronze and granite were moving and thought-provoking. I loved the maze in the ground around the main fountain, which, according to Katja, takes several dizzying hours to complete. The park is well used and well-loved by the residents of Oslo.
The maze
Afterwards, we headed towards the posh residential
area to the Viking Ship Museum. The Viking ships and tombs discovered around Oslo were very cool, and there were sleighs, tools, and textiles on display as well. It was fun to compare the truth about Vikings to my cartoonish image of them. It may be inaccurate, but I picture Viking men seated on the benches of a long boat rowing for days on end, while a hulky bearded Viking in a horned helmet oversees them, eager to punish any slackers. Wherever they disembark they wage war, pillaging and plundering coastal villages. At least according to any parody I've ever seen. If you're interested in the Vikings, and their legacy in Britain, check out BBC'S Blood of the Vikings series (start here). But be warned, you may be disappointed to learn that Viking helmets did not have horns!
We devoured an enormous portion of Thai food at
the Rice Bowl for a late lunch/early dinner and then went home to shower and
change for our night out. Katja, Nora, Vanda, Kirstie, Kajsa, and I chatted over several refreshing Moscow Mules before venturing out so that they could show me the trendy bar scene. I was really impressed by how well the girls spoke English, and they were gracious and convivial hosts. We got on really well and had a blast.
At breakfast on Saturday I tried Norwegian goat
cheese, which is a semi-hard cheese with a rich ochre color. I was also
introduced to an ingenious Norwegian invention: a special cheese cutter. I
bought one later that day as a souvenir.
Katja and I explored downtown Oslo at a relaxed
pace. It was beautiful outside, and the Opera House was a popular place to be
that afternoon. The architectural design of the Opera is meant to invite
everyone to come, not just those who can afford to attend the Opera. You can
walk up wide paths to the top of the building, where a fantastic view of the
Oslofjord awaits.
The roof of the Opera
Oslofjord
We sat up there for a while admiring the view
before declaring the necessity of caffeine and leaving in search of coffee.
Katja lead us to Café Jaegar, where we ordered two lattes and one cookie, and
sat on a couple of porch swings on the patio with comfortable cushions and
blankets. It was a great place to take a brief rest before heading to the old
harbor.
Katja enjoying her swing and her coffee
As I mentioned earlier, I bought a couple of souvenirs
in Oslo: a cheese cutter, some ugly troll magnets, and a stuffed moose. Oh, and chocolate...
Goodies!
We ate sushi for dinner that night before turning
up at Katja’s friend’s apartment for a “pre-party.” Having a few beers or
glasses of wine with friends before leaving for the bar or club is common, even
imperative, with the cost of alcohol in Norway being so high due to heavy
taxes. I laughed the entire time we were there – here are some snapshots of the
people I met, though I couldn’t possibly do them justice. There was Maria, our host, beautiful and riotously funny if very
politically incorrect; Vidar, her unlikely but surprisingly well-matched
boyfriend, nerdy and an advocate for Labour politics; Marius, an art student,
who entertained us all by sticking Maria's novelty Star Wars chopsticks through
his gauges; Christian, soft spoken and intelligent, interested in linguistics
and chemistry; Kajsa, outspoken and animated, her personality fills a room. We
talked about: making mistakes in other languages (and in the process teaching
me everything NOT to say in Norweigan and Swedish, which actually wasn't too
helpful), recounting embarrassing stories and fabricating alternate endings
(ahem, Katja’s cameo in a Bollywood film), politics, stereotypes of Americans, and
Norwegian culture. I learned a lot and laughed a lot, and after several hours
we went to a nearby club called Blå.
The next morning, we caught a subway train to the
entrance of the forest north of Oslo for a hike. The forest was a beautiful landscape of evergreen
trees, bright yellow-green moss, and streams of clear dark teal water. We took
a less trafficked trail, breathing in the cold damp fog as we ascended 700
meters to the Ullevålseter Lodge. It took just over an hour. Ullevålseter is a
summer farm where hikers, cyclists, and skiers can rest and eat lunch. There
were dogs and children everywhere, which seemed to illustrate two things to me:
first, that rigorous physical exercise in nature is part of the Norwegian
lifestyle; and second, that ir precisely the reason why the welfare system can
work – the active lifestyle that is part of the culture means that the government
can rely on a physically fit nation. Health care can be provided to all because
in general the people of Norway are exceptionally fit. On the way down, we
passed several lakes with surfaces as smooth and still as black glass. It was a
wonderful end to the trip.
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