Yesterday morning we visited the Belvedere Palace; actually the Oberes Belvedere or Upper Belvedere. The lower Belvedere was built first from 1714 to 1716. Then the much larger Upper was started in 1718. Today there are multiple museums in both of these buildings. In the pond out front is an art exhibit made from life vests from refugees. I took one photo in the gallery before being told that was a “no no”. The one I took was a 1914 painting “Havswand” or “House Wall” by Egon Schiele. Then, when the guard was in another room, I took one by Monet, “The Cook” (1882).
After lunch we toured the Vienna State Opera building; fortunately we did not have to sit through an opera. The building took 8 years to construct; it opened in 1869 with Mozart's “Don Giovani”. The building suffered fairly major damage during the second world war; it took 10 years to rebuild it. All sets and costumes were destroyed as well. I didn’t find the hall attractive but the back stage operation is very interesting. The Opera House season lasts 10 months during which time they put on 60 different operas plus some ballets. The hall holds 2200 people of which 1700 have seats and 500 are standing seats. The Opera House has a 98% occupancy rate. The sets are stored offsite, about a 10 minute drive. At least 1 opera requires 21 truck trips to gather all the required sets. It takes 80 to 120 staff building sets and running a production. Each year between 4-6 new sets are built.
We’ve made good use of the Vienna transit system, particularly the Underground. But in going to the Belvedere this morning we took the wrong tram in the wrong direction and ended “who knows where”. Getting back was a challenge. So I wasn’t excited about a trip for dinner which took an underground train to it’s end and then a bus to its end. We were looking for a restaurant way above the town, one with a good view. We ended up with a good view and a good meal with good friends.
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