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.
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