A walk by the river

It was so hot yesterday that we were barely capable of doing anything!

We had intended to go for a swim again but as I have been suffering a little from a pulled shoulder after trying vigorously to swat flies which were pestering me, plus the imminence of the pool closing, we decided to go for a walk along the Danube.

W got the train to Friedensbrucke and walked into town as far as Schwedenplatz and then turned around and walked back on the other side, this time as far as Spitelau and the Hundertwasser Fernwärme (power station/heating works designed by Austrian artist and bonkers architect, Freidensreich Hundertwasser).

The walls by the river walk are filled with graffiti, some of it banal, some of it really interesting. Have a look and see what you think:



Even Amy Winehouse made an appearance!
This is the Fernwärme I mentioned:

Max Ernst ~ Une semaine de bonté

We went to see an amazing exhibition at the Albertina last Sunday (24th Feb).

It consisted of a series of 180 or so collages created by Max Ernst and published in 1933 as a surrealist novel without words, under the collective name of Une semaine de bonté (one week of kindness, i think). The collages were created from existing woodcut and engraved illustrations, culled contemporary from books and magazines.

There were 7 different themes, each represented by a different day of the week and epitomised by a different element and example (story effectively). Here are some examples I found on the web:

I found it really interesting that when presented with images as part a series with elements repeated throughout (eggs, birds heads, bats wings), you automatically try to build a narrative now matter how nonsensical the subject matter.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Brilliant stuff: very witty, disturbing, intriguing, sensual, beguiling.

Do It Yourself

Before we left home, I was given some strict instructions.

One of which, was that when we had a piece of Sachertorte, I was to take a photo and post it on my blog. Well I've been here for quite a while now and haven't come within biting distance of a piece of the world famous chocolate cake but I have however found a way you can all enjoy your very own, whole Sachertorte complete with its own handwoven doily! All you need to enjoy this special treat is a steady hand and a pair of scissors.
The secret ingredient is Pritt Stick apparently but don't tell anyone, it's a secret!

That's grotesque

Spent most of the day Saturday afternoon in the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK - Museum für Angewandte Kunst) on the Ringstraße. I suppose an equivalent in the UK would be the V&A in London but on a smaller scale. We wandered through rooms of baroque pomp and mirrors, exquisite lace and glass from the 16th century and rooms of chairs from from one of the first ever mail order catalogues in Europe (date), and past full size sketches by Klimt of the famous wall frieze in the Palais Stoclet in Belgium.

The main reason for my wanting to go to the MAK, was an exhibition of ornamental prints I had noticed in one of the listings sites. These prints were taken from bookplates, illustrations, pattern books, architectural drawings and other ornate designs (for jugs etc) and are all grotesque. By that I don't mean they are horrible. "Grotesque" refers to a style of decoration that is wild and fanciful and features fantastical mythological creatures with swirls and arabesques. It originally became fashionable following the discovery of Emperor Nero's villa (Domus Aurea) in Rome in the early 1500's. The villa was covered in this kind of fanciful decoration.

This might sound really dull, but this kind of stuff has fascinated me since I was a little boy, though I can't remember where I would have first seen it, maybe in the Manchester Museum? I don't know.

This was a lovely exhibition and one where. Some of the exhibits were so detailed and so small (Christmas postage stamp size) that there were powerful magnifying glasses available so you could see them properly without going crosseyed. Thank you Mr/Ms MAK for that.

We retired across the road to the Café Pruckerl and although the air inside was thick with smoke and it took an age to get served, we persevered and I eventually had a fantastic potato goulash, topped with a Debreziner (a spicy hot-dog sausage from Debrecen in Hungary).

What more could a hungry boy wish for?

Ahem

Now, what was i saying about Viennese charm?