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Take
the next step...! We say Vienna is lovely in August
and September…Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Mahler...the
former Hapsburg capital of Vienna resounds with classical music,
waltzes, and serenades. The
Vienna Philharmonic -- which Mahler himself conducted from
1898 to 1901 -- and the
Vienna State Opera (which faces the Ringstrasse, the
beautiful avenue that encircles old Vienna) are respected
throughout for their artistic virtuosity. Vienna was once
Europe's intellectual and artistic capital, part of the famed Dual
Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, a metropolis that gave birth to
movements and ideas as eclectic as the Vienna Secession, Freudian
psychoanalysis, and the analytic philosophy of Ludwig
Wittgenstein. (Behind a classical and conservative facade
lies an often inventive city that dares to experiment and
challenge stereotypes.) 
A
section of the Beethoven Frieze Summer
is the perfect time to take in some of the Austrian capital's
splendid architecture: the playfully designed, wildly painted, and
verdant Hundertwasserhaus; J.M. Olbrich's 1897 Secession
Hall and its gilded Beethoven Frieze; the soaring
Gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral with its marvelous patterned
roof of glazed tiles. The butterfly, that brilliantly
colored and symbolic creature, holds pride of place at the
Imperial Butterfly House or Schmetterlinghaus.
Butterflies fly free in the garden's Jugendstil greenhouse --
could anything be more unexpected or beautiful? What
a pleasure as well the peaceful dolce far niente of sitting
in one of Vienna's many glittering, high-ceilinged cafés while
savoring a Sachertorte and a Viennese eiskaffee
(strong espresso, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream). Café
Dommayer may surpass its rivals in terms of sheer
elegance while Café Demel is known for its irresistible
chocolates. A
trip to Vienna would not be complete without a visit to the Belvedere,
a stately Baroque palace with an exquisite collection of Schieles
and Klimts, including the famed Kiss...enough to seduce
even the most jaded connoisseur or lover.... Visit:
Vienna
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