Belvedere

We tried to slow down today… Just a hair… Really…

Started the day off at the Naschmarkt, aÂ popular market in Vienna. The selection was interesting, however although there were many stalls with Viennese/Austrian items, the middle and far east goods were more predominant than we expected and all seemed to be selling the same goods. Kim likes to visit local markets wherever we go and although she found the fresh fruits and vegetables were interesting, her expectations overall were higher. Still it was a worth the visit she said.

Next we were off to the Belvedere, once summer palaces for royalty, now museums. The two palaces now contain a great collection 19th & 2oth century Viennese/Austrian art including pieces from Klint, Reiter & Schiele to name a few. There was a also the Character Heads collection by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt that although created in the 18th century they looked very modern in style and execution. Sorry, no pictures allowed of the paintings, although I was tempted to “shoot and run”. Combined with the connecting gardens this was a great place to spend the afternoon.

Between the Naschmarkt and the Belvedere we bumped into a group of men loading Google Cars with cameras onto an auto carrier. I snapped a couple of photos and was told not to take any pictures. I responded “You don’t ask permission to take my picture, why should it be any different for you?”. Â They were nonplussed for a few seconds then responded “Good one”.

We decided on room service for this evening, I wore the ladies out. One thing we found while here is the food is great, at even the more basic places and the Grand Hotel is no exception. I had Kalbsgulasch mit Nockerlin (Veal goulash with small egg dumplings), excellent.

There are a few more photos under the “Additional Vienna Pictures” tab.