Vienna: White Horses, Old Churches and Sleeping on the Grass

The Gloriette at the Schonbrunn Palace

Sun. Sept.28 - Tues. Sept. 30

Roof of Stephansdom

   We arrive in Vienna after an easy three-hour train ride from Passau, and make our way to our spacious and well-appointed apartment, a block from the river and the Inner Stadt, and right under a huge bank building with a yellow and black logo; easy to find our way home. Our host tells us it takes a Viennese 15 minutes to walk across the Inner Stadt, the old part of Vienna, and tourists 30.   We spend lots of time getting lost there.

   This first afternoon we make our way to Stephansdom, the Cathedral, ride up a tiny cylindrical elevator to the North Tower from which we have extraordinary views of the city, the roof (tiled in the Hapsburg family crest and colors) and the square below.
   

The Star Portrait of Sisi

     In the afternoon we tour the Imperial Apartments in the Hofburg, the former Imperial Palace, an enormous complex of buildings that dominates the Inner Stadt.  Reams and reams of china and silver, some of the Empress Sisi's dresses and lots of stately rooms.  Interesting woman:  The Emperor, Franz Joseph, fell in love; she was his cousin.  She'd had an idyllic childhood and didn't much care for court life.  She also had an interfering mother-in-law who didn't really approve of Sisi until, after 2 daughters, she finally bore a son, Rudolph. She spent 3 hours a day having her ankle-length hair dressed and lots of time exercising; she was fanatic about her her health and her figure.
    

     Rudolph, the heir apparent, died, at age 30, along with his 17-year-old mistress, in a bizarre murder-suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling.  After that, Sisi traveled widely, alone, spending most of her time away from the court and her family; she wore black the rest of her life.  After she was assassinated 9 years after Rudolph's death, however, she was practically deified (think Princess Di); the Austrian people loved her.  Poor, heartbroken woman; all that gold, silver and ermine didn't make her happy.  There's a moral there somewehere...

At the Spanish Riding School

     The next morning we go to see the Lippizaner stallions in the Spanish Riding School (part of the palace).  The breed dates back to the 16th century, when the Hapsbergs brought these Andalusian horses to Slovenia.  8 (that's EIGHT) stallions, and 35 mares, are considered the foundation of their bloodlines.  They are born dark, and become gray by the time they are 10.  At age 4 they are brought from the stud farm at Piber to start training, a process that can take 6-10 years.  The horses didn't perform for us, but we saw 7 or 8 riders work 4 horses each over a two-hour period.  Karen grew up with horses and had plenty to say on the subject.
  
     That evening, we go to tiny, plain St. Ruprecht's church - the oldest church in Vienna and a mere 10-minute walk away - to hear a quartet - Cembalo, Barockcello and two flauto traversos (think big long recorders played like flutes) play late 17th century Italian music.  There was an audience of 30 in a church that might hold 50 at a pinch, the acoustics were divine, as was the music.

We capture the Karen

     Our last day in Vienna, and we take the clean, efficient, fast subway out of the city to Hochberg, the Hapsburgs' summer palace, presided over by Kaiserin (Empress) Maria Theresa.  She bore 16 children, one of whom was Marie Antoinette, and conducted her matriarchy from here.  A band from a Sydney, Australia high school is playing in the courtyard and we wander the extensive gardens and walk up to the Gloriette, built on a hill so you can see the surrounding site; the Hapsburgs probably drove up their in their carriages.  Either way, the views are glorious.

     Ready for a rest after hours of walking, Shane and I opt to lounge on the grass in one of the side gardens, ignoring the signs which appear to grace every greensward in Vienna (No dogs, no balls, no dancing, no playing).  Minutes later we are accosted by a Viennese frau who leaves no doubt as to what she wants us to do.  We make motions as if we are getting up but she keeps looking back at us; she's clearly going to poke us with her umbrella if we don't comply.  So much for sleeping on the grass.

     We're off to Prague by train in the morning; no time to sleep in on this trip!