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.