The Pleasures of Being a Tombstone Tourist
I stumbled upon Ludwig van Beethoven’s grave by accident. I was there to pay my respects, of course, but to come across a large marble slab embellished with just that famous surname was still mildly disconcerting. I stepped up to the grave gingerly, determined to spend a few minutes in silence. And then, to the right, I noticed another tombstone over the earthly remains of Franz Schubert. To his right lay a bust of Johannes Brahms, right hand on forehead, presumably contemplating his immortality. Johann Strauss was at peace a few steps away and, in the centre of this exalted circle, stood a memorial to the missing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose remains had, centuries ago, been lost forever.
These giants – locals referred to them as ehrengrab or ‘graves of honour’ – lay in the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna’s main cemetery, which I had come to via a long trip on the metro, followed by a tram ride. I was there not out of morbid curiosity, or mere respect for these composers who had provided a soundtrack for my life, but because I often find cemeteries to be as beautiful as museums. They hold stories, for those who take the time to listen. Beethoven, for instance, was exhumed twice before being laid here: once because his burial site wasn’t good enough, and then because a second cemetery was forced shut. Schubert was buried twice too, removed from Währinger Ortsfriedhof, a cemetery that is now a park, and placed beside his idol for all time.
Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
How to Dress for a Concert in Your Thirties
GQ World Humour
MARNI'S FRANCESCO Risso WILL NEVER GROW UP
The eccentric Italian designer is proving that the very serious business of fashion doesn't have to be very serious at all.
WELCOME TO LAUREN HALSEY'S NEIGHBORHOOD
The red-hot 36-year-old artist has achieved global success with a very local approach: applying imaginative, laser-like focus to a few square blocks of her hometown. In doing so, she renders and reflects what it's actually like to live and work in-and never, ever leave-South Central Los Angeles.
MEET THE WILDEST CHARACTER IN THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSIC SCENE
Right now, to be the most important new voice in Afrobeats means you might just be the most important new voice in global music, period. That title currently belongs to Asake, a Nigerian singer with bonkers style and a penchant for making speaker-melting hits.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Goa's buzziest restaurants Praça Prazeres and Larder + Folk traverse the European continent for inspiration.
LEWIS HAMILTON IS CHANGING LANES
The seven-time F1 champ says he still has a world title in him-maybe this year, his final one at Mercedes; maybe next year when he joins Ferrari, a shocking move he tells us he manifested. But it's his passionate work outside of racing-in fashion, in film, in music-that's setting him up to keep making moves after the chequered flag drops on his racing career.
Summer of Sobhita
From Vizag to LA, Sobhita Dhulipala is having a golden run.
THE GQ35 MOST INFLUENTIAL YOUNG INDIANS
It's been 10 heady years since this list was first launched. And this year's edition celebrates India's youth power like never before. These individuals are leaders of powerful tribes, and personalities bearing influence over millions across the globe. They are pioneering business models, defining culture, and disrupting the status quo. They are driving innovation, pushing boundaries, and effecting change. Welcome to the future, today.
The Life-Changing Magic of Asking Kind Strangers to Rate Your Looks Online
On Reddit, a community dedicated to advice on one's appearance has given some men some unexpected confidence-and its moderators are trying to maintain one of the internet's few troll-free places.
Syncretic Jewels
An exhibition by Cartier at the Louvre, Abu Dhabi, highlighted the influence of Islamic art and Indian gems on the French maison's haute joaillerie over the years through more than 400 works from the museum's collection as well as those of partner museums, the Cartier archives, and private collectors.