Wien: Ihre Ohren werden Augen machen

I’ll be off to Munich this morning, but first of all, updates!

Finally watched Marie Antoinette, a movie I’d been wanting to watch since ages ago. Although the quality of the movie itself doesn’t exactly meet my expectation (coming from Sofia Coppola, it was naturally rather high), I love the fact that a considerable number of scenes were shot where they should be: Château de Versailles. As the movie rolled, I was just excited to be able to identify Parterre du Midi and l’Opéra de Versailles, among others, having seen them in real life. And not to be forgotten: Andy Gillet, the French actor who played Marie Antoinette’s secret lover, is baby-oh-so-delicious.

Talking about delicious… Min Dan, Connie and I attempted to make one of Austrian specialty pastries, Apfelstrudel, some time ago.

Ok, I must admit the strudel in the picture doesn’t look very appetizing, but it tasted nice really! :)

Also quite some time ago, Connie and I went to see Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) at Volksoper. This time we opted for the seats (at the student price of €8) and believe it or not, we managed to get second-row stall seats! 

The orchestra was practically a metre away from our seats. I like :)

Papageno and the Queen of the Night were awesome!

But you see, my thirst for performing art experience was yet to be sufficiently quenched. So next was Verdi’s Otello at Staatsoper when Ayu was visiting Vienna. The opera is based on Shakespeare’s world-famous play Othello.

That’s Verdi’s “star” just outside the Staatsoper.

The story and the staging were kinda too dark for my liking, but hey, it’s Verdi’s! Next to catch at Staatsoper is Romeo und Julia!

I always mention to people that I’ll never be bored living in Vienna. That’s because there are just so many shows to watch, so many theatres to go to!

Next, Angie, Ika, Nat and I headed to Raimund Theatre to see the musical Rebecca. It’s based on the novel of the same title by Daphne du Maurier. The musical is staged in German WITHOUT English subtitles but it is so good you’d fall in love with it even if you don’t understand a word of German, hee…

There was a really nice reception going on at the theatre’s courtyard. They had champagne and stuff.

We bought the standing tickets, but by intermission, we got ourselves pretty good circle seats :) 

We love Rebecca!

Just a couple of days ago, Helen, Ika and I visited Haus der Musik (House of Music). Suffice to say you cannot NOT visit this museum when you’re in Vienna, the music capital of the world. 

The Museum of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is part of the House of Music.

The House of Music has really interesting, cutting-edge exhibitions you’ll just love. Well, Helen and Ika definitely dig them.

Very nice decor, too.

Every great musician who once lived in Austria was given an exhibition room. The above is of Joseph Haydn, one of the most prominent composers of the Classical period.

That’s the play bill of Mozart’s The Magic Flute on display.

And you must agree with me that those are really cool painted chairs, also in Mozart room.

Even the gates are music-inspired!

What I like most about this museum is its interactive nature. That’s me conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to Johann Strauss the Younger’s An der schönen blauen Donau (The Blue Danube) :)

We left the museum with happy faces :)

Afterwards, we headed to Kaiko, unfortunately, for the last time.

I love these girls :)

Ok, that’s a pretty big-ass photo of Nat, haha. I really love the uber cute Zara dress that she wore that day, so while we were on the metro heading for dinner, I asked her to pose for the camera :p

That’s our farewell dinner :(

Anyways, before I get sentimental again, Connie and I went to Österreichische Galerie (Austrian Gallery) at Upper Belvedere, mainly to check out Gustav Klimt’s original painting of Der Kuss (The Kiss). On the way, we spotted (and boarded) this really cute Euro 2008 tram.

I wish I could be here again in Vienna next year to catch the Euro 2008 matches…

That’s Schloss Belvedere on a bright, sunny day (yesterday). I love the reflection of the palace that we got on the crystal-clear water :)

Anyway, the collection at the gallery is surprisingly gratifying. The Fin de Siècle and the Vienna Secession collections (late 19th-20th century works by Austrian painters the likes of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele) are particularly my favourite. Whether of nature, everyday life or women, they breathe that much-needed fresh air -a pleasant change from biblical paintings that I most of the time see in Europe.

Oh wells, time to get ready for my train ride to Munich. Back in a couple of days! 

P.S. Have just found a rather sweet video of The Kiss. Click here to view it!