Opera & Naschmarkt

We were lucky enough to show up approximately half and hour before the performance of a modern version of Mozart's Die Zauber Flote. We definitely felt like working-class proles standing in the last tier, but the experience was worth the swollen feet.  Across the street, the Hotel Sacher appeals to the hoity-toity that plan on going to the opera several times during their stay in town.

Further exploration to the southwest offers a different kind of fun. The Schiller Statue commands your attention in the park across the street from the Academy of Fine Arts. Hitler was denied admittance to the academy in 1907 because of lack of artistic talent. The academy has a viewing gallery on the second floor for the determined art lover.

Behind the academy is the Secession Building with its telltale owls that are part of Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. Outside, the Mark Anthony statue attracts visitors wanting to see the decadent bronze. More places of interest in the neighborhood: Theater an der Wien, the Haydn Museum, the Jugendstil-style Wagner Apartments and Naschmarkt (a market with everything from vegetables to puppets). The Café Museum coffee house is also close by the market.

Whereizzit