Belvedere

Yakking away, we walked straight into the Karlsplatz without realizing it. So we tossed back a beer at the Ressel Park Café and got our bearings. To the north of the café are the Karlsplatz Pavilions, built as part of the underground system in 1899. Otto Wagner's pavilions are adorned with sunflowers and gilt ornamentation. The green copper roofs and accents lend to the Art Nouveau elegance of the pavilions.

To the south is the Technical University with its Neo-Classical façade and to the east is the fountain with Henry Moore's Hill Arches. Just beyond the modern fountain is the fantastical Karlskirche - the two columns and the dome are commanding. The Baroque church was built for the people of Vienna during the 1713 plague.

The columns were inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome and they are decorated with spiraling scenes of St. Charles Borromeo's life. Steadfastness is represented on the left and Courage on the right. Atop the main entrance are pediment reliefs by Giovanni Stanetti; they show the suffering of the Viennese during the plague. The two gatehouses on either side of the church are supposed to be reminiscent of Chinese pavilions.

Once inside, don't miss the spectacular high altar, the pulpit, the carvings, the altarpieces and the frescoes in the cupola. Apparently there is a stairway in one of the columns, but was closed when we were there.

Also in the area is the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna, which houses relics of Roman Vienna, and the Musikverein, which is the concert hall of the Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra. The Art Deco French Embassy and the Schwarzenberg Palace (now a hotel) are behind the museum.

Later on, we headed deep into the neighborhood to seek out the Bestattungsmuseum, or undertaker's museum. Death and the pomp surrounding it - morbid yet thrilling. They were closing in ten minutes so we rushed through the small museum and tried to take photos of the craziness on display. Skeletons, lanterns, staffs, liveries, mourning attire and jewelry litter the museum cases.

A bell is on display that was attached to a rope and placed in the coffin. If the recently deceased suddenly awoke, the bell could be rung before the coffin was lowered into the ground. We were especially revolted by the stiletto that was used to stab corpses in the heart to make sure they were actually dead. (An evolution from the bell mentioned previously.)

The Botanical Gardens are also in this area, to the east of the Belvedere. They were created in 1754 by Maria Theresa and her physician for cultivating medicinal herbs. Now it is primarily used for the study of plants as part of the University of Vienna's Institute of Botany. We decided to leave when ended up in a tool shed.

Finally, the Palaces and Gardens of the Belvedere. The Belvedere was built as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Located on a sloping hill, the Belvedere is truly two palaces linked by a formal, French-style garden. The three levels of the garden convey Classical allusions: the upper section is Olympus, the middle section is Parnassus and the lower part represents the Four Elements.

We entered the Belvedere from the top by the Main Gate of the Upper Belvedere (cool Baroque iron gate) and enjoyed the Upper Belvedere gardens and façade. The end pavilions resemble the shape of Turkish tents, which we later learned were allusions to Prince Eugene's vanquishment of the Turks in the late 1600s. The façade was intended to be more glorious than the Lower Belvedere. Originally used for festive occasions, now the edifice houses the collections of 19th- and 20th-century paintings that belong to the Austrian Gallery.

The entrance to the gallery is spectacular. Formally known as the Sala Terrena, it showcases four huge Herculean figures that support the ceiling vault. We also enjoyed the chapel and the views of the cascading gardens from the second floor.

Artistically, our favorites were the Gustav Klimt collection (The Kiss is on display here) and the odd, self-portrait of Richard Gerstl.

A leisurely walk through the gardens allows you to absorb the upper cascade with water flowing from the upper basin over steps into the pool below. Also of interest are the statues of the Sphinxes that stand for strength and intelligence and the statues of children and cherubs - each representing a month of the year - that adorn the steps in the middle of the garden.

Past the lower cascade, the lowest level has four symmetrical hedge gardens with statues of the eight Muses in the middle corridor. We goofed off in the gardens for a while before we entered the Lower Belvedere from Rennweg street on the eastern side.

This museum is hot as hell in the summertime. I think it featured Austrian Baroque art - it was hard to tell through the rivulets of sweat running into my eyeballs. We did stop briefly to check out the Intentional Jester, the Hall of Grotesques, the Marble Hall and the Hall of Mirrors. The museum also features Autumn, Winter, and Spring by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (Summer can be found at the Kunsthistoriches Museum).

Adjacent to the Lower Belvedere is the Orangery, which was even hotter. And some European with nasty body odor farted too many times - the place was a time bomb. Originally used to keep plants alive during the winter, the Orangery is now home to the Museum of Austrian Medieval Art. We quickly enjoyed the panels and triptychs before getting the hell out of dodge.

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