Today we were gifted an extra day in Vienna! While out last night, my wunderbar Papa organized for us to stay in the hotel an extra day!
So we used it wisely. Again having an 'aneurism' I jumped off the tram at the Rathaus; even though we'd decided to go on the one to Karlzplatz so we could get off in the centre...
This lead us to an amazing street with fountains and more beautiful buildings, which is near where we got lost the other day! How fantastic to stumble upon it... We walked down in search for my favorite Austrian sandwich place, Anker, so I could introduce Em to leberkäsesemmel, my favourite Austrian sandwich.
Once found, bought and devoured, we caught the U4 to Schönbrunn to visit the palace of the former Austrian ruling family.
Wow! It looks like a picture; this fairytale building was huge, with an elaborate staircase and grounds that went on (seemingly) forever. We walked around the side to see the Gloriette gate high up on the ridge line, with a statue on ground level... We were too excited to go inside so we didn't walk up to the Gloriette.
Inside, we bought tickets for the grand tour, which included an audio guide. We wandered through these elaborate rooms and saw the wealth, extravagance and lifestyle of this family. From the wall fittings to chandeliers to furniture, everything was so ornate and rich, it went further Ito this fairytale life.
There were some rooms that had Chinese ornaments or wallpaper made of rice paper; a sign of the dealings between this Austrian ruling family and the east. It was very interestig to learn about how they kept international relations by selling off their daughters; there was only one daughter - the Emporess' favourite - who was allowed to marry for love. The most famous was Marie Antoinette, who was married to Louis XVI of France, and was beheaded during the French revolution by guillotine!
All in all, it was very interesting and really puts into perspective the ways of how life used to be....
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