Back From Wien

After an epic, 4-stage trip home, we are back.  Sunday was a very long day, with two flights and a long drive home.  Everything went smoothly, and we were in the house by 9:35 pm.  Using the same time zone, we had left for home at 12:30 a.m.  It was quite a ride.

Vienna was simply awesome, and we had a very enjoyable 5 1/2 days there.  We visited the Bruegel exhibit on two different days, and it was fabulous.  Never again will there be so many works by Bruegel in one museum.  One recently discovered work, from a private collection in Hungary, did not receive customs clearance from that country, and did not make it to the exhibit.  All others promised were there, including some from private collections that may never be seen again.

On our free days we walked the city, and made a return visit to the Vienna Woods (should be called the Vienna Mountains instead) via Grinzing and Kahlenberg.  The weather was incredible for December, with a few days being very mild.  There was some snow on our arrival, as it had been very cold the week before.  Christmas in Vienna is a big deal.  There were vast Christmas markets in key areas, and smaller ones in lesser plazas.  There were lights everywhere, and as it was dark by 4:30 pm, we got to experience them a lot.  It only rained miserably on us once, as we left the Kunsthistoriche Museum one day.  All in all, it was a wonderful journey, worth the significant expense and hassle of getting there.  The Bruegel exhibit was always packed, but with patience you could get right up in front of any painting, and stay as long as you wished.  Some of the best paintings were very small, and often no one was in front of these.  Luckily we had spent a lot of time with the Vienna Bruegel paintings a year ago, so we were able to concentrate a lot of our time on the visiting works.  I bought the catalogue and poster.

After I get the written volume complete, I will update the London and Europe blog with images, both from Vienna and the exhibit.  Photography was allowed of most works in the exhibit.  I only wish the Detroit Wedding Dance could have travelled.  It would have been stupendous to see all three peasant paintings on the same wall.  Sometime next year Detroit will mount a small exhibit on the Wedding Dance.

 Deb stands before an Assyrian sculpture in the Kunsthistoriche Museum, Vienna.  

Mapman Mike