The Feminine Four Seasons

The Vienna River (Wienfluss) which bisects Stadt Park was transformed from its natural state into a flood-control channel in the late 1890s by architects Friedrich Ohmann and Josef Hackhofer (see photos of their architecture along the Wienfluss in previous posts here and here). Ohmann also designed the Emperor's beautiful city Palmenhaus (here). Their Art Nouveau details made the river channel much more than an engineering project—it's a beautiful, landmark addition to the city and a pleasant place to linger.

The Art Nouveau movement often had feminine representations of the four seasons and hidden along the Wienfluss are these four lovely busts.

Winter:

Spring:

Summer:
Fall:

Romantic Salesian Church

With its cupola-topped dome, wrought iron gate, front garden lantern, and cobblestone driveway, Vienna's Salesianerinnenkirche presents a picturesque scene. The enormous Baroque church, built for the Salesian nuns in the early 18th century, is next door to the Belvedere Palace.

Belvedere Blues

It snowed about three inches last night but by morning the clouds had evaporated and a bright blue sky prevailed. It was a beautiful morning for a walk to the Baroque Belvedere Palace, built by the illustrious Prince Eugene of Savoy, Austria's greatest general and an avid art, plant and animal collector. The statues and gates were especially dramatic against the sky and palace shadows.

Vienna's Coolest Shop

Vienna has an impressive history of attracting creative artists and musicians who have defined "modern" throughout the ages. But if the works of Klimt, Moser, Loos, Wagner and the others aren't inspiration enough, a visit to Walking Chair Design Studio will convince you the creative spirit is still very much alive in Vienna. Not far from Hundertwasser Haus, on the corner of Rasumofskygasse and Marxergasse, Karl Emilio Pircher and Fidel Peugeot have truly turned trash into treasure. With imagination and design flair they invite us to find the beauty and possibilities in our discarded items.

Fidel showed me around the shop today and I was especially enamored of the surprisingly beautiful, cloud-like chandeliers made from water bottles.

These unusual torso-like lamps give a second life to pill blister packs.

As do these smaller lamps:

Beautiful! I know I'll be thinking about these lamps whenever I use or throw away a blister pack.

Did you know, these PET water bottles...

start out as a tube...

and, with a little heat, can be used as clever clothes hooks or coat racks:

"My First Chandelier," is a clever way to dress up naked lightbulbs.

In addition to their shop, Walking Chair Design Studio sells their items online (www.walking-things.com) and to art museums. It's best to visit the shop, though, as Fidel might treat you to a concert. "We make things and songs," he said.

Rip Art

The fence surrounding the construction zone for the new Wien Mitte train and U-Bahn station generally sports many colorful billboards. On one walk, I noticed the ads had been ripped off, presumably to make way for the next advertisements. The resulting patterns from the torn paper and residual glue reminded me of abstract paintings. In fact, as I've seen less pleasing art in museums and galleries, I thought it was a good idea to take a few photos of the ripped billboards. The stares and puzzled looks from passing travelers were quite funny. Oh well, I like the designs anyway.

Creative Pasta

Italy is such an enjoyable destination, not only for its history, architecture, culture and natural beauty but also for the creativity that seems to be everywhere there. These pasta hats —sombreroni—are just one small, delightful example.

Looking Up at Palazzo Vecchio

Once the seat of Italian government, then Florence's City Hall, and now a museum, Palazzo Vecchio is an extraordinary building for its appearance as well as its history. Outside, a replica of Michaelangelo's famous statue of David towers beside the entrance and inside, well inside, every surface is so heavily decorated it's hard to know where to look.

Frescoes in the first courtyard had scenes of cities in what is now Austria, in honor of the wedding of one of the Medici sons to a Hapsburg daughter. The columns are reminiscent of a wedding cake aren't they?

The exquisite courtyard ceilings hint at the ornamentation to come and I found myself looking up in every room, enchanted by the variety and beauty of the ceiling art:

Looking up so long can be hard on the neck. I found this framed bench for a short rest:

It's quite a contrast to this also-fabulous face-chair:

I'm including this photo simply because I like it and, like the available seating, it represents an old art which contrasts...

...with the traveling exhibit of Damian Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull, also on display at Palazzo Vecchio: