City of Dreams: From Sublime Music to Museums of Death DISCOVER VIENNA
If you yearn to visit a European city rich in imperial grandeur, music history, and macabre memorials to death, Vienna is for you. And that odd mix of attractions reflects only a small part of the city’s diversity. This former frontier city of the Roman Empire expanded to become the glittering capital of a great empire for centuries. The Habsburg dynasty’s sponsorship of the arts made Vienna a global center of classical music. Home to Beethoven, Vivaldi, Mozart, Mahler, and Strauss, Vienna hosts frequent performances of classics by these and other composers. The city’s museums, churches, and charnel houses offer macabre tributes to death. Piled on the floor and lining the walls of a charnel house beneath St. Stephen’s Cathedral are the skulls and other bones of 11,000 people, according to Atlas Obscura. The Habsburgs created elaborate containers to preserve their embalmed entrails after death. The city’s Crime Museum houses relics of famous murders, including the mummified head of a known killer.
The Habsburgs were avid readers. The Austrian National Library, a baroque masterpiece, is home to 2.5 million books and filled with hidden passageways behind the stacks where employees have been known to slip silently in and out of. The city is also noted for its intellectual history. Sigmund Freud lived and worked in Vienna, which led to its nickname, “City of Dreams.” The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein also worked in Vienna, where he made many contributions to logic in mathematics and language. The classics aren’t all this beautiful city has to offer. Vienna’s Spanish Riding School offers a unique opportunity to see its famous Lippizaner horses perform dressage. The Imperial Butterfly House is a tropical oasis housing about 400 beautiful insects. Visitors to the “lost garden,” a vast topiary maze at the Habsburgs’ summer palace, can enjoy tales of courtiers frolicking among the web of manicured hedges — not only for playful exploration but also for illicit romance.
Taken all together, these diverse attractions promise travelers to Vienna a visit to remember!
Train Your
BRAIN!
Ultimate Baked Ziti Loaded with rich tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and perfectly cooked pasta, this is a family favorite perfect for any occasion.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 (16 oz) package of dried ziti pasta • 1 onion, diced • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes • 1 cup ricotta cheese • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese • Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. 2. Cook ziti according to package instructions. 3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onion and garlic until softened. 4. Add marinara sauce and diced tomatoes, stirring to combine. 5. Stir in the cooked ziti and season with salt and pepper. 6. Transfer mixture to baking dish. 7. Top with ricotta and mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
www.federalbenefitsmadesimple.com |3
Published by Newsletter Pro . www.NewsletterPro.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator