Austria--day 9

Today we visited Vienna. My sister and I stayed in Vienna for 2 months during college, so I was eager to revisit some of our old stomping grounds.

Driving into the city, it was hard to find a parking place, and once we parked, we had to figure out where we were in relation to where we wanted to be. We found a subway terminal and bought day-passes thinking that was the best way to get anywhere in the city. And it was, except that when the day was done, we realized we could have just walked and saved the fare. Oh, well. I actually enjoyed my ride on the subway. It brought back lots of memories. (I took this picture of my sister on our daily ride into Vienna on the U-bahn back in 1993.)

Our first stop in Vienna was Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral). I was surprised at how commercialized the building has become. Gone are the days when you could just walk in and look around, now there are ropes and ticket booths everywhere and there is even a gift shop inside.


Emily was really looking forward to taking a tour of the catacombs under the cathedral. My parents and I had all been on the tour before and remember being really impressed by the many rooms of bones sorted by type. We were disappointed to find out that the current tour only gives a small peek at two of the rooms, one a mass grave from the last plague and the other a room of stacked bones. On the way out Grandpa asked the guide when the tour had changed but the guide, who lead half of the tour with his fly open (thanks for pointing this out, Grandma), said the tour had never included any other rooms. So either the three of us remembered incorrectly (possible, I'll admit) or the tour guide, who was probably in diapers the last time we took the tour, was mistaken.

After our less than gratifying tour, we had a very gratifying meal at Wienerwald. Wienerschnitzel being a must when in Wien, right?


After lunch we toured the Hofburg Palace where we saw the imperial apartments, the silver collection (rooms of silverware, dishes, and serving items used by the palace) and the Sissy Museum.

Empress Elizabeth of Austria, called Sissy, is Austria's Princess Di. The beautiful, fashion forward wife of Franz Joseph I became an icon after her murder in 1898 inspiring books, movies, and even a musical. I think I can easily say she is my favorite Habsburg, followed closely by. . . ok, so she's really my only favorite. Because who can resist the appeal of someone who takes baths in milk and has really great hair?