Bath spa, England

 It was raining all day and when I arrived by train from London this morning, I didn't have anything with me, no rain gear since I lost my luggage to theft in Paris. I was drenched and looked like a wet rat as I entered the hostel doors. But I bought another rain pancho, my 4th this trip. Its going to rain the whole week. I didn't do much exploring but I did go on a free walking tour to get a better understanding of the place. Tomorrow after breakfast and before the tourist hordes comes I'll go around to take more pictures and go and visit some of the sights.

 I did attend a service at Bath Abbey. They closed it for services.

 This is the most iconic picture of Bath, the crescent.

 Things always get better with food. I had lunch at Jamie's deli, I think that means Jamie Oliver. I had porchetta and it was very good. It said its a Gennaro's recipe, the Italian cook who lives in England.

After the walking tour I was feeling a little peckish and I went to Patisserie Valerie for a spot of cream tea. The scones were very nice, some of the best I've ever eaten. I need to do high tea before I leave England.

Last day in Paris

I didn't do anything today, just hung out at Musee d'Orsay and at the roof top. I saw this grand view of Paris with Sacre Coeur in the distance looking like a city on a hill. I leave tomorrow for London on Eurostar. I'm on the home stretch. I'm going to need a vacation when I get back.

Musee de Montmartre, Paris

 High above the Montmartre area is this little paradise, this garden of Eden. It is very unusual. Long before this area was so urbanized, it used to be a little village where there was a vineyard, a lot of cabarets and a lot of artist and bohemian types hang out and lived here. Today the vines are still there and wine is still being produced.

 This is the famed Renoir garden and the musee de Montmartre. Visitors to Montmartre only see the shops and the caricaturists plying their trade on the streets of Montmartre. Few are interested enough to venture beyond just a little ways.

 Here in the museum are displays of some of the work of the artists who hung out here including Toulouse Latrec. Here is a recreation of Suzanne Valladon's bedroom and studio, simple and dignified. What else do you need to create and paint.

 It was raining but I'm used to visiting in the rain after all that rain in Norway. After that visit I went to the musee d'Orsay but was put off by the crowd. I had to walk through the Tuilleries garden and I've never seen it so lovely before. I've always visited Paris during the off season and only this time in summer.

The Tuilleries was so lovely. I had lunch at a cafe on the left bank. Paris is still the loveliest city bar none.

Musee de la vie romantique, Paris

I arrived a few hours ago and went straight to look for the musee de la vie romantique which was close by. It's the only kind of house that is left in Paris and has been turned into a museum. Originally it was the home of painter, Ary Scheffer and this is where most of his paintings can be seen. He had very notable visitors, all living around the romantic period in French history, George Sand, Eugene delacroix, Chopin and a whole hosts of others. The house has been left exactly as it was when they lived in it. Its not easy to find, to look for a house among all the tall concrete buildings of modern Paris. I took the TGV train from Frankfurt and arrived at Paris Est station. Imagine a French train rolling through the countryside of Germany. I love the new TGV trains, they are so state of the art. Its a much improvement over the original TGV trains that I  used to ride in over the years.

Frankfurt, Germany

Photos are not of Frankfurt but the shop I went to yesterday at Hundertwasserhaus village. I just arrived in Frankfurt a few hours ago by train. I was going to connect here for Paris but decided it is too long a travel time. So I'm staying the night at a hostel across the street from the train station and continuing my journey tomorrow morning. I'll be in Paris for a few days and by this Saturday I should be heading back to London. I probably have 2 more weeks in England and will then head for home. Frankfurt is a very cosmopolitan city, its more like North Africa than Germany. Its a working person's city, no cool or hip eateries, just restaurants that serve stick to your ribs food. Its a food paradise because of the variety. There are also lots of sex shops and live sex shows. It has the feel of a silk road bazaar. I like it and I'm glad I made the stop.

Vienna, last day

 Imagine living in an apartment where everyday thousands of people stand at the bottom, looking up and taking pictures. This was the scene at Hundertwasserhaus when I arrived to join in this throng of people and be guilty of ogling at this place. This is the unusual apartment built by painter Hundertwasser, first name Friedsdenreich, born of a Jewish mother, changed his religion and name and survived Nazi occupied Austria. His concept is that nature and man should coexist more closely. He thinks there should be a tree or a forest growing on you roof or coming from your window. The brochures constantly remind us that real people live here, they are not zoo animals. In a way he is like Gaudi.

 He said why should there be just a grey concrete pillar. Indeed why not add some colored broken tiles.

 A few hundred meters away is the Kunsthaus Wein, this is the museum that displays his artwork. its another of his concept building except we are allowed to enter. The thing that stomped me was the irregular floor, its undulating and it takes a little getting used to. I'd say it was damn irritating! 'The real illiteracy is our inability to create.' I quote Hundertwasser.

 There is a cute cafe in the back.

 Watch where you're going because them stairs are uneven but they are cute.

'Nature is so luxuriant, why are humans so restricted?'
'To paint is a religious activity'
His art is so original, his color palette is so original. In 1936 when he attended Montessori, his report refers to his unusual sense of color and form. Indeed, it shows! Its been a really inspirational day. What a way to end my trip to Vienna. I leave tomorrow for Frankfurt, just for a night to break the long trip between here and Paris. I continue on to Paris the day after.

Vienna, second day

 I've always to try Kaiserschmarrn and so this morning I had it for breakfast. What it is really is fluffy pancakes, all cut up and sprinkled with powdered sugar and eaten with stewed plums. For 12.40 euros , this makes for the most expensive pancake breakfast. Never mind that I ate it in front of St Stephan's in Vienna. It was good, I enjoyed it. Now I know how they should be, I can go home to make some.

 This was the staircase leading up to the Albertina museum. It was so beautifully painted, like a painting itself. I didn't go in, they only had one Klimt painting. Besides I'm wiped out today. I've been at this for 2 and 1/2 months and this heat is killing me.

 I did go to the Seccession building to see Klimt's Beethoven frieze. It was really beautiful. I've read so much about it and now I've sat in front of it. It was an incredible feeling.

 This is a drawing of his on the building.

The Austrian architect, Joseph Maria Olbrich build the place. The Seccession movement was starting by a group of artists, architects and other craftsmen who wanted a new way of doing their craft, to break out from the old way. The Seccession building was a place where they showcase their new work. They had their own magazine, 'ver sacrum' which Klimt made many contributions over the years of its publications. They also had annual exhibitions. The Beethoven frieze was Klimt's contribution to the 14th Seccession exhibition. It was supposed to be temporary to be dismantled after the exhibition but after the exhibition, an art collector bought it, took it down in 8 sections. This was later sold to a Jewish Industrialist, August Lederer whose property was expropriated by the Nazis. He fought to get this back but a judge ruled against his claim, gave the rights to the frieze to the Austrian government. Now it is on permanent loan to the Seccession building by the Belvedere gallery. That year of the exhibition they were celebrating Beethoven and Klimt's mural was an allegory of Richard Wagner's interpretation of Beethoven's ninth symphony.

Vienna, first full day

 This is the very magnificent Belvedere palace which is now a museum right in the heart of Vienna, it is a huge complex consisting of upper Belvedere above and...

 lower Belvedere. I arrived at 8.45 am and it was already crowded. For some reason the tour groups were already there, the actual place doesn't open till 10am. I saw them being taken around the gardens and off they go. I guess when you join a tour group they have so many places to cover that you're only given a very short time in each. I see the tourists with their guide books and they off everything they saw and they do want to see everything. I can't see everything each trip. This is my second trip to Vienna. This trip is all about Gustav Klimt, so I'm hitting every place where I can see his work. The Belvedere has the most of Klimt's paintings in the world. They lost the best 2 of Klimt's paintings in my opinion, Adele Bloch-Bauer I and Adele Bloch-Bauer II which are both in museums in New York!

 The Austrians have to make do with the 'Kiss.' This is a poster and this is where you can take your selfie picture with 'the kiss.' The real thing is upstairs and no photography is allowed.

 There were pick pockets there, I saw 2 suspicious females, a mother and daughter. The ticket office opens at 10am and just before  that a whole bunch of us starting to queue up and this 2 women were hanging around like they want to cut in front and not join the end of the line. I said to myself, 'watch these 2, they want to cut the line.' I said to myself, oh well, let them, I'm not the police!' The younger one did cut the line, she entered the office and came back out. The mother knew I was watching them both, the mother pointed to her wrist, she wanted to know the time.' That's a typical gypsy ploy! I told her I don't understand what she was saying. Then as I entered the office to buy my ticket, I saw this sign. I said to the guy, I saw them, there are 2 of them outside! Stupid, why do you want the time? The sign says, office opens at 10am and they just opened. What do you think the time was?

 The trick is to keep hydrated. I had a small lunch so that I can have coffee and cake later.

 It wasn't enough that I saw all the Klimt's paintings at the Belvedere together with Egon Schiele's! I had to go to the Leopold museum to see more. It was so intense, I thought my head was going to blow up.

 Gustav Klimt.

 Egon Schiele, a self portrait.

 I love Egon's nudes. I've not seen this one before.

 Right on top of the round arch, Gustav Klimt, painted the blank space with women. I was at this museum years ago but I went today just to see this little bit, paid for a full entrance ticket.

It was time for a melange (coffee) and an apple strudel after all that art. Phew! What a day. More tomorrow. Vienna is crowd like everywhere else. Vienna is a huge city.