Kunsthistoriches Museum--Vienna's Fine Art Museum

 Gruss Gott,

So far I have been doing fairly easy tourist venues, but I have been here a while, and it's a Tour de France rest day, so it's time to tackle a Bigger Project, namely the Kunsthistoriches Museum.  At the Albertina we had Modern Art. Here we find a major collection of earlier periods mostly Baroque, but with excursions into the Renaissance and Late Middle Ages. But frankly the building is so magnificently ornate that it would be worth visiting for itself. The contents are frosting on the marble and gilt cake.

Since it's Monday, I began my day by going to the grocery store. I needed more bread and hummus. I also got some pasta and a sauce to try with it. Austria is known for white wine, but they have nice red wine, too, from Burgenland, so I got that and I am having some for apero.

I took the long way around to the museum because I enjoy the city and I needed the exercise. I still got there before the museum opened and stood in line. It turns out I didn't have to. I could enter directly with my cool Vienna Pass.  And potential visitors, this is a good deal as admission to the museums can run twenty euro or more.

The collection is World Class, but the tour groups tend to cluster around the masterpieces, which can be annoying, and during my visit some of the rooms were blocked off.  I enjoyed it anyway. The exhibit of Rubens is distinguished. There are fine Van Dykes as well as a lot of fun Dutch genre paintings. I recognized the names, but I taught Art History. One gem is Vermeer's Art of Painting where the artist (Vermeer himself seen from the back) is immortalizing Clio the Proclaimer, Muse of History in oils. We can also find Caravaggio, Veronese, Tinteretto, and even a few Canalettos.

There is also Velasquez, the court painter to the Spanish Hapsburgs who churned out portrait after portait of the Spanish Infantas, who were destined to marry their uncles from Austria. Urk. But it's ok because the traffic also went in the other direction. Not. Do you want Carlos Secondo? Because this is how you get Carlos Secondo. Google him and weep.

My apero for this afternoon is unusual. I came home via the famous Viennese gourmet grocery Julius Meinl, which is quite a place and well worth a visit. If you want to spend a lot of money on comestables, this is the place to come for caviar, truffles, and bottles of wine costing hundreds of euros. But don't be put off. They also carry a lot of touristy snacky items and souvenir sorts of things that are reasonably priced and nicely packaged.

I did buy something, but I am almost embarrassed to admit what. It is not a product of Austria. I came upon a display of a selection of butter by Pascal Beillevaire (raw milk from Normandy and Brittany grass fed cows).  I asked myself. "When will you return to Paris?" I didn't have an answer, so I sprang for the demi sel crouqant. Spread thickly on the great Austrian bread it is celestial! And a sip of red Burgenland just adds to the pleasure.

But always remember:

No kangaroos in Austria!

Servus