The Year 9 trip to Vienna was a fantastic experience for everyone. We left late on Sunday night for a 7am flight from Gatwick. Everything went to plan and we arrived in a very warm Vienna before lunch time. Dropping our bags off at the hotel we went straight into the city centre, visiting the impressive Stephansdom Cathedral. This seemed like an oasis of calm after our journey from the UK. During the afternoon we returned to the hotel for a rest before heading out again for some delicious ice cream.
On Tuesday, we caught the underground out to the beautiful Belvedere Palace, built in the 18th Century and now home to a wide variety of art works, including the largest collection of paintings by Gustav Klimt. We were all busy with our cameras and phones when we saw his most famous picture, ‘The Kiss’.
On Wednesday, we spent time at Haus der Musik, an interactive music centre where we were able to conduct a virtual orchestra and learn about how we understand sound. There were also rooms dedicated to different Viennese composers. It was totally fascinating. We also explored the Museum Quarter before a tour of the Leopold Museum. The tour focused on the works of Klimt and the Expressionist painter Egon Schiele. There was so much to see here but we found the time to visit the Historical Museum and the Mumok gallery of modern art too. As well as catching trains and trams, we also did a lot of walking! In the evening, we watched a live performance of the opera ‘Aida’ broadcast on the wall of the opera house. Amazing!
Thursday was our last full day and we took a walk along the River Danube to the house of the artist and ecologist Hundertwasser. He didn’t believe that straight lines should be part of design,so the house is full of curves and is very colourful. Hundertwasser’s art is also bright and optimistic, inspired by nature and ideas about how people could live in more harmonious surroundings.
Although Friday was our day to return home, we managed to fit in a visit to St Peter’s Church, where there was a free concert by a brilliant choir from the USA. It was an inspiring and fabulous end to a wonderful week.
