"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (1756-1791)
Elegant, lavish Vienna! Home to Sigmund Freud, wiener schnitzel, and some of the most beautiful architecture and music in Western Civilization. The list of composers who made Vienna their home in the 18th and 19th centuries contains some of the most celebrated names in music history: Mozart, Beethoven,
Haydn, Schubert, the two Strausses, Brahms. This is where the waltz caught on, a scandalous dance for its time that has its origins in the rural taverns on the city's outskirts. And Vienna's buildings themselves -- a rich tapestry of Gothic, Renaissance, Ba
roque, and Gothic and Classical Revival -- seem to echo the melodic, exuberant strains of The Blue Danube.
The balmy autumn weather we'd enjoyed in France, Switzerland, and Germany has given way to a premature Arctic blast. But the splendor of this city shines through the windy cold. We're staying at a hotel in the heart of the city, backing onto the sculpted gardens of the Belvedere Palace. My sister takes advantage of our proximity to this monument to visit its art museum where the centerpiece is undoubtedly Klimt's The Kiss (an excursion I missed because of work obligations).
But you don't need to pay admission at a museum to witness firsthand the "art" that infuses daily life in Vienna. Over the course of the next few days, we frequent what has to be the world's most beautiful McDonald's (a relatively cheap meal in a city where a simple breakfast can top US$ 28). Can a Baroque Burger be in our futures?
Elegant, lavish Vienna! Home to Sigmund Freud, wiener schnitzel, and some of the most beautiful architecture and music in Western Civilization. The list of composers who made Vienna their home in the 18th and 19th centuries contains some of the most celebrated names in music history: Mozart, Beethoven,
Haydn, Schubert, the two Strausses, Brahms. This is where the waltz caught on, a scandalous dance for its time that has its origins in the rural taverns on the city's outskirts. And Vienna's buildings themselves -- a rich tapestry of Gothic, Renaissance, Ba
roque, and Gothic and Classical Revival -- seem to echo the melodic, exuberant strains of The Blue Danube. The balmy autumn weather we'd enjoyed in France, Switzerland, and Germany has given way to a premature Arctic blast. But the splendor of this city shines through the windy cold. We're staying at a hotel in the heart of the city, backing onto the sculpted gardens of the Belvedere Palace. My sister takes advantage of our proximity to this monument to visit its art museum where the centerpiece is undoubtedly Klimt's The Kiss (an excursion I missed because of work obligations).
But you don't need to pay admission at a museum to witness firsthand the "art" that infuses daily life in Vienna. Over the course of the next few days, we frequent what has to be the world's most beautiful McDonald's (a relatively cheap meal in a city where a simple breakfast can top US$ 28). Can a Baroque Burger be in our futures?
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