For a crash course on Tyrol life, visit the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum. Part of it is like a life-sized dollhouse where visitors can pop into typical sparse but functional farmhouse kitchen/dining/living areas, view an array of furniture and tools and stand next to figures wearing traditional celebratory costumes. There is also an entire gallery of intricate […]
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Goldenes Dachl, Innsbruck, Austria
The Golden Roof is actually copper, and was built in the 1490’s to shade the imperial court’s balcony, which has a full view of the square below. The balcony is adorned with replicas of Moorish dancers performing for (of course) Maximilian I, who apparently got into a hot tub time machine to include both […]
Innsbruck Hofkirche and Cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian
We should all have such a shrine as Maximilian I (1459-1519) whose empty tomb is housed here. He built his own grand monument and surrounded it with 28 oversized bronze statues of family and friends. The original plan was a bit more ambitious and called for 40 statues, 100 statuettes and 32 Roman emperor […]
Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Contemporary photography shows well in this early-18th century Marais mansion. If you only have an hour to spare, view Jane Evelyn Atwood’s Photographs 1976-2010, which features powerful series of prostitutes, women in prison and victims of landmines. 5/7 rue de Fourcy, Paris http://www.mep-fr.org/
Baby Got Back
At Musée de l’Orangerie, when you’ve had enough of Monet’s sprawling water lilies, make sure you pop downstairs and see Maurice Utrillo’s work. Utrillo was a Montmartre-born painter who specialized in cityscapes. In 1904 at the age of 21, Utrillo began drawing and painting what he saw in Paris’ streets. By 1910, his work […]
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
Location, location, location. At least a million deceased Parisians (and Jim Morrison) enjoy hilltop city views, cobbled lanes and cast iron signposts. Like most gentrified neighborhoods, this city of the dead had problems attracting residents due to its undesirable (remote) geography. Paris city officials embarked on a marketing strategy and relocated prominent corpses from other […]
Sacré-Coeur
Like an aging movie star, Sacré-Coeur is stunning in appearance but best viewed from afar. Way afar. It’s taken me six visits to Paris to finally visit this site and now I know why. I’m not complaining about the view; even on a rainy day, I’ll happily gaze at Paris from any angle. It’s […]
Cathédrale de Notre-Dame: The Other Side
The flying buttress-ful east side, as seen from my morning run (Early! Note the deserted Square Jean XXII.). Construction on this striking Gothic structure began in 1160 and was completed in 1345. During the 13th and 14th centuries, it beget six popes before Denis and Rheims gained steam and began churning them out. In 1804, […]
Petit Palais
This palatial palace, across from the Grand Palace, houses the Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris. The collection is a bit of a hodgepodge and includes decorative arts, paintings and sculptures spanning ancient Greek and Roman times to the twentieth century. Pieces by Monet, Courbet, Delacroix, Rodin, Pisssarro and other greats […]
Edward Steichen at MNHA
Photographer Edward Steichen is one of Luxembourg’s most famous artists. He took his first photograph in 1895 and his career took off when he met Alfred Stieglitz in New York in 1900. The two friends formed the Photosecession Group and the photography journal Camera Work. Steichen’s career spanned over 30 years and included commercial […]
