The Albertina

Today, we decided to get our acts together and see something cultural in Vienna! It was supposed to be rainy all day, so we headed to a museum in the 1st District called The Albertina. It was a mix of both history and art. At first, we decided to skip the audio tour and just read the plaques throughout the exhibits. We quickly realized though that there was very little English, and we would get nothing out of the experience without the audio tour. It ended up being the best 3 Euro I've spent since getting here!

We started off in the Habsburg Staterooms which was the more historical aspect of the museum. From the audio tour, we gathered that this was where relatives and guests of the Habsburgs stayed for extended periods of time, with the most important being Duke Albert of Saxen Teschen, who acted as the governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. He was the one who transitioned the building into an art landmark, when he transferred his personal collection of graphics and prints to the residence.

The staterooms were interestingly divided into the male section and female section, and the interior decor of each room displayed this. Every room was decorated with ornate chandeliers, wall finishings, tiles, murals, curtains, and even some of the original furniture. We learned that much of what we saw was actually replicas because of the damage done to the building during WWII. We all enjoyed the female rooms better, due to the brighter colors, fancier decor, and gaudier chandeliers.

After the staterooms, we moved on to the permanent art collection. There was a wide range of work including that of Picasso, Monet, and Matisse. Our audio tour allowed us to learn more about many of the paintings, artists, and styles we were viewing. After the permanent collection, we moved on to the final exhibit, which was a temporary exhibit on Max Ernst, and artist none of us had heard of. We did not spend much time in this exhibit - as my parents very well know, I can only look at art for so long, and the others in my group felt the same way. Ernst's art was much less classic than those we had seen earlier. Much of it was disturbing paintings of animals and industrial equipment.

After the museum, we headed to a cafe that our Professor had recommended. He claims it to be his favorite in Vienna, and I have to agree with him! It was the best latte I have had here, and everyone agreed that their coffee and pastries were delicious!

Tomorrow is going to be spent running errands and getting ready for our next big adventure. On Wednesday morning we are leaving for Bratislava, Slovakia at 6:00 AM. We are spending the day there, before flying out of the Bratislava airport at 6:00 PM en route to Dublin for the weekend!